Top 25 Tuesday’s games

February 25, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

MEN

Providence 81, No. 1 Pittsburgh 73

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Weyinmi Efejuku scored 16 and Providence upset Pittsburgh for its first win over a top-ranked team in 33 years. Sharaud Curry added 15 points for the Friars (17-11, 9-7 Big East), who picked up a big victory for their NCAA tournament hopes. DeJuan Blair fouled out on a moving pick with 46 seconds left as Pittsburgh (25-3, 12-3) tried to rally. Blair, the reigning Big East player of the week, averaged 21 points and 20.5 rebounds in wins over No. 1 Connecticut and DePaul that elevated the Panthers to the top spot on Monday. But he picked up two quick fouls — his third and fourth — midway through the second half. He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Providence led by 20 after completing a 17-1 run with the first basket of the second half, but the Panthers cut it to five points, 75-70, on Blair’s putback with 51 seconds left. After Brian McKenzie hit a pair of free throws for Providence a fraction of a second later, Pitt brought the ball down and Blair was called for an offensive foul. It was the home finale — senior night — for Providence, which was coming off a 103-84 loss to Notre Dame that might have eliminated its chances of reaching the tournament. With a signature win and a game left against 15th-place Rutgers, the Friars may have played their way in. The fans in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center sensed it, crowding around the courtside press tables for the final minutes. Twice in the final minutes, the public address announcer begged the fans to stay off the floor following the game; twice the crowd responded with a laugh. Sure enough, after the Friars dribbled out the last 20 seconds — it was too far gone for Pitt to try fouling — the fans went over the tables and chairs circling the floor and celebrated one of the biggest wins in school history.

WOMEN

No. 1 Connecticut 74, Villanova 47

STORRS, Conn. — Tina Charles scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds to lead Connecticut, giving the unbeaten Huskies at least a share of their 17th Big East regular season championship. The Huskies (28-0, 14-0) can clinch the title outright Saturday with a victory over Seton Hall. Renee Montgomery scored 17 points and Kalana Greene 15 for UConn, which shot 42.4 percent from the field. The Huskies have won 110 consecutive games against non-ranked opponents and are 91-2 in their last 93 games at Gampel.

No. 22 Virginia 68, No. 11 Florida State 63

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Lyndra Littles scored 17 of her 24 points in the second half and Virginia rallied to upset Florida State. Littles scored six points over the final 2:19, capped by a pair of free throws with 21.3 seconds remaining as the Cavaliers (22-7, 8-5) knocked the Seminoles out of sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

No. 16 Texas 66, Missouri 56

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Brittainey Raven scored a career-high 31 points and Texas overcame an early 10-point deficit to beat Missouri.

No. 23 Notre Dame 90, Syracuse 79

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Lindsay Schrader had 23 points and eight rebounds, Becca Bruszewski added 20 points and Notre Dame overcame blowing a 17-point lead in the first half to beat Syracuse.

Associated Press