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The Associated Press | March 6, 2014

Top 25: Napier scores 26 to lead No. 19 UConn

Napier leads UConn to 69-63 win against Rutgers

STORRS, Conn. -- Shabazz Napier scored 26 points in his final home game, leading 19th-ranked UConn to a 69-63 win against Rutgers on Wednesday night.

The senior guard, Napier, made a career-high seven 3-pointers and hit eight of his 13 shots from the floor.

Niels Giffey added a career-high 16 points for the Huskies (24-6, 12-5 American Athletic Conference), who have won three in a row and seven of their last eight games.

Miles Mack scored 16 points for Rutgers (11-19, 5-11), which hasn't beaten the Huskies in Storrs since 1972. Wally Judge added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Connecticut led by three points at halftime and held that lead at 56-53, before going on an 8-0 run. Two dunks by Philip Nolan made it 64-53 UConn and forced Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan to call a timeout.

Johnson leads No. 3 Arizona past Oregon State

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Nick Johnson scored 25 points and No. 3 Arizona beat Oregon State 74-69 Wednesday night in a back-and-forth game that wasn't decided until the final minutes.

Kaleb Tarczewski added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (28-2, 15-2 Pac-12), who had already clinched the regular-season conference title. The Wildcats have won five in a row with their last loss on Feb. 14 at archrival Arizona State.

Roberto Nelson scored 25 points and Devon Collier had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Beavers (15-14, 7-10).

Wake Forest pulls away from No. 4 Duke 82-72

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Tyler Cavanaugh scored a career-high 20 points and Wake Forest pulled away to upset No. 4 Duke 82-72 on Wednesday night.

Travis McKie added 19 points in his final scheduled home game for the Demon Deacons (16-14, 6-11 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Coming off a home loss to sub-.500 Boston College, they shot 46 percent from the field and overcame their largest deficit of the game by scoring 17 consecutive points and holding Duke without a field goal for 5 critical minutes down the stretch.

Codi Miller-McIntyre had 13 points to help Wake Forest claim its first win against Duke since 2009 and its biggest win since an upset of No. 2 Miami last February.

Jabari Parker scored 19 points and Rodney Hood added 16 for the Blue Devils (23-7, 12-5).

No. 8 Jayhawks roll over Texas Tech 82-57

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Tarik Black scored 19 points on perfect shooting in his final game at Allen Fieldhouse, and No. 8 Kansas managed just fine without injured center Joel Embiid in an 82-57 romp against Texas Tech on Wednesday night.

Black, a senior transfer from Memphis, finished 9 of 9 from the field, matching the school record for field goal attempts without a miss held by C.J. Giles (2005) and Mark Randall (1990).

Freshman forward Andrew Wiggins, also likely playing in his final home game, added nine points for the Jayhawks (23-7, 14-3 Big 12), who have already wrapped up their 10th consecutive Big 12 title. Naadir Tharpe came off the bench to contribute 16 points and five assists.

Toddrick Gotcher scored 10 points to lead the Red Raiders (13-17, 5-12), who trailed by 20 points at halftime and never threatened down the stretch in losing their sixth consecutive game.

The lopsided victory allowed Kansas to celebrate its latest conference title in style.

Kaminsky, No. 9 Wisconsin handle Purdue 76-70

MADISON, Wis. -- Frank Kaminsky scored 22 points, Traevon Jackson added 14 and No. 9 Wisconsin finished off its home schedule with a 76-70 victory against Purdue on Wednesday night.

Kaminsky, a 7-footer who can shoot from the perimeter, went 4 of 5 from 3-point range for the Badgers (25-5, 12-5 Big Ten), who won their eighth consecutive thanks in large part to shooting 48 percent from the field in the first half.

Ronnie Johnson had 15 points for the Boilermakers (15-15, 5-12), who lost their fifth in a row and fell into sole possession of last place in the conference.

Wisconsin attacked the lane early before starting to hit from the perimeter. The Badgers had a 16-point lead whittled to seven with 5 minutes left but were otherwise in firm control.

Late run lifts No. 10 San Diego State past UNLV

LAS VEGAS -- Xavier Thames scored 19 points to lead 10th-ranked San Diego State to a 73-64 win against UNLV on Wednesday night.

San Diego State (26-3, 15-2 Mountain West) closed the game on a 13-2 run in the final 3:04 to seal its 26th victory of the season, matching the second-highest single-season total in school history. The Aztecs also won a school-record 15th conference game of the season, breaking the previous mark of 14, set in 2010-11.

San Diego State, which has now won eight of its past 11 against the Rebels, finished 27-for-63 from the field, including 6 of 14 from 3-point range. After falling behind 62-61 with 3:23 left in the game, Thames completed a three-point play to ignite the Aztecs' final scoring spree.

After Jelan Kendrick's 3-pointer gave the Rebels a 50-45 lead with 11:38 left in the game, the Aztecs' full-court press stymied UNLV the rest of the way, as it managed just two more field goals.

The Aztecs, who are 12-2 away from home, are now 11-4 inside the Thomas and Mack Center since the 2010 Mountain West Tournament. This year's tournament begins March 12 at the T&M.

Thames was one of four Aztecs scoring in double figures, as Matt Shrigley added 14 and Winston Shepard and Dwayne Polee II each had 13.

Khem Birch had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead UNLV (19-11, 10-7). Kevin Olekaibe added 10 for the Runnin' Rebels.

No. 11 Louisville wins 84-71 at No. 18 SMU

DALLAS -- Russ Smith scored 22 of his 26 points after halftime, including six 3-pointers, and No. 11 Louisville became the first opponent to win in SMU's renovated home, beating the 18th-ranked Mustangs 84-71 on Wednesday night.

Smith hit three consecutive 3s right after his alley-oop pass on the go-ahead dunk by Montrezl Harrell midway through the second half for the American Athletic Conference-leading and defending national champion Cardinals (25-5, 14-3 AAC).

Rick Pitino won the matchup of Hall of Fame coaches, as SMU and Larry Brown lost for the first time in 10 games since moving back into their campus home in January.

The Mustangs (23-7, 12-5), with a raucous sellout crowd for their first home game since 1985 matching ranked teams, jumped out to an 18-5 lead. They were up by 14 points before a miserable closing stretch in the first half.

Dayton knocks off No. 17 Saint Louis 72-67

ST. LOUIS -- Reserve Jalen Robinson scored all 10 of his points in the second half, including two key 3-pointers in the put-away run, helping Dayton upset No. 17 Saint Louis 72-67 on Wednesday night, the Billikens' third consecutive loss.

The Billikens (25-5, 12-3 Atlantic 10) still clinched at least a tie for a second consecutive Atlantic 10 title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament anyway when George Washington beat Saint Joseph's 76-71 on Wednesday night. After the home finale, Saint Louis honored its five senior starters in a low-key ceremony.

Jordan Sibert had 14 points, including three 3-pointers, for the Flyers (21-9, 9-6) while Dyshawn Pierre had 11 points and Devin Oliver had nine points and nine rebounds.

No. 21 New Mexico beats Air Force 80-52

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Seniors Cameron Bairstow and Kendall Williams put on a show in their final home game for No. 21 New Mexico, combining for 34 points Wednesday night to lead the Lobos to an 80-52 victory against Air Force.

Bairstow finished with 21 points and seven rebounds and Williams had 13 points for New Mexico (24-5, 15-2 Mountain West).

Leading 27-20, the Lobos closed the first half on a 7-0 run capped by a buzzer-beating dunk from Alex Kirk on an inbounds play for a 34-20 lead.

The Falcons (11-17, 5-12) shot 34.5 percent from the field (19 for 55), with leading scorer Tre' Coggins going 3 for 13 while scoring 11 points. He didn't make his first basket until 2 minutes into the second half. Justin Hammonds also scored 11 points, nine coming in the first half.

Clark leads No. 23 Oklahoma past West Virginia

NORMAN, Okla. -- Cameron Clark had 19 points and 10 rebounds in his final home game to help No. 23 Oklahoma defeat West Virginia 72-62 on Wednesday night.

It was the senior's highest-scoring game since Jan. 8. He received a standing ovation when he left with 30.9 seconds remaining.

Buddy Hield scored 12 of his 13 points in the second half and Je'lon Hornbeak added 11 points for the Sooners (22-8, 11-6 Big 12), who split the season series with the Mountaineers.

Juwan Staten scored 23 points, Devin Williams had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Gary Browne added 12 points for the Mountaineers. Eron Harris, who averages 18 points for West Virginia (16-14, 8-9), finished with five on 2-for-9 shooting.

Oklahoma outscored West Virginia 15-4 from the free-throw line. The Mountaineers missed their first six free throws before making a pair with four minutes remaining in the game.
 

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