Blair's big performance helps Pitt topple No. 1 UConn

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/16/2009 - Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - DeJuan Blair posted 22 points and 23 rebounds while Sam Young hit four three-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points as fourth-ranked Pittsburgh pulled off a 76-68 triumph against top-ranked Connecticut in a battle of Big East powerhouses from the XL Center.

Pitt knocked off a No. 1-ranked team for the first time in school history in its 14th attempt and bested UConn in such a matchup after failing in three previous tries.

Levance Fields, who dished out five assists with as many rebounds, finished with 10 points but they all came over the final three-plus minutes of the game. His back-to-back three-pointers broke a 61-all tie and put the Panthers in the driver's seat to pull off the upset. He was perfect at the line inside the final minute, sinking all four attempts.

Jermaine Dixon added 11 points for Pittsburgh (24-2, 11-2 Big East), which has won six in a row. The Panthers will look to extend their run Saturday when they host conference doormat DePaul.

A.J. Price led the way with 18 points and a game-high eight assists while both Jeff Adrien and Kemba Walker chipped in 13 points for UConn (24-2, 12-2), which held on to its No. 1 ranking for a third straight week earlier Monday but saw a 13-game win streak fall by the wayside hours later.

Hasheem Thabeet battled foul trouble throughout and finished a mediocre 1-of-5 from the field for five points with just four boards and two blocks. He eventually fouled out.

The Huskies were aiming for their best start in school history, but instead will look to bounce back Saturday in a home tilt with South Florida.

Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun failed to pick up win No. 799 in his storied career and will also be trying to move closer to the 800-win milestone next time out. He ranks seventh all-time among Division I head coaches.

In more bad, but not unexpected, news for nation's current top team, starting guard Jerome Dyson underwent surgery to repair the torn lateral meniscus in his right knee on Monday, and Calhoun confirmed the junior will miss the rest of the season.

Dyson, who was injured early in the first half of last Wednesday's 63-49 victory over Syracuse, was originally labeled as out indefinitely by team officials. He was averaging 13.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game at the time of the injury.

A three-ball by Craig Austrie opened the second half and tied the game at 36 but Pittsburgh was able to retain its lead as Young's triple moments later allowed for a five-point edge, and another long range shot was good for a 9-45 affair with 12:24 remaining.

The second three, though, came in the beginning stages of an 11-3 UConn run that put the Huskies in front for the first time since they scored the game's opening points. Adrien opened the spurt with a slam, then got to the rim for two before a Price trifecta. Walker's layup was good for a 50-49 lead and after Pitt was unsuccessful on a host of attempts on its end, Stanley Robinson sank a jump shot to make it a 52-49 game with about nine minutes left.

Another jumper by Robinson was followed by an Adrien make to extend the run to 15-5 and give the Huskies a five-point lead but Pitt battled back to take a 61-60 lead with 3:39 left to play behind a 10-4 surge. A three-point play by Blair evened the score at 56, and a Dixon three-ball and a trip to the line for Young put the visitors back on top.

A Thabeet free throw tied the game at 61, but the Panthers took over down the stretch with Fields' two long range shots being the catalyst. His two free throws just inside the final minute kept the lead at five and UConn couldn't convert on its ensuing possession as Walker's three-pointer was off the mark. Thabeet secured the rebound, but missed on the putback and Dixon found his way to the rim on the other end to extend the lead to seven with just 35 seconds to go.

Blair's two missed free throws left open a small sliver of hope for the Huskies as Adrien slammed for two, bringing the lead down to six, but Fields was again perfect at the line and the visitors went on to hit 5-of-6 at the stripe from there to seal the win.

The Panthers took control of the game early on as back-to-back field goals by Young and Dixon provided a 12-6 lead, and consecutive baskets in the paint from Blair and Young brought on a UConn timeout and gave the visitors a 21-13 advantage with 9:09 showing on the clock.

A seven-point surge by Price out of the break brought the Huskies back within 23-20 as the guard nailed a jumper, hit two at the line and buried a three- pointer.

Austrie's jumper, followed by a layup from Gavin Edwards, made it a one-point game a short time later, but Blair kept the Panthers on top, scoring 13 straight points for the visitors to close out the frame.

However, Edwards' layup just shy of the one-minute mark got the Huskies within six and Price dropped a triple just before the horn to cut the deficit to 36-33 at the break. It was the third time UConn had trailed going into halftime this season. Both price and Blair led their respective squads with 15 points apiece in the first half.

Game Notes

Connecticut owns a 30-24 series lead over Pittsburgh and had won three of the last four meetings prior to Monday's setback...Robinson grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and finished with eight points and three blocks for the Huskies, who shot 43.3 percent from the floor and hit only 5-of-17 three-point attempts...Pitt sank 8-of-19 from beyond the arc and stuck 40 percent of its shots overall...Behind Blair's monster effort, the Panthers won the glass handily, 48-31...Despite the loss, UConn edged Pitt in the paint, 28-26...Adrien also had nine boards.