Tuesdays Top 25 Capsules
February 25th, 2009 Posted in NCAA basketball news, NCAA college basketballPROVIDENCE 81, (1) PITTSBURGH 73
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island Weyinmi Efejuku scored 16 points and Sharaud Curry added 15 as Providence held on for an 81-73 upset of top-ranked Pittsburgh in a Big East stunner.
Jonathan Kale scored 13 points for the Friars (17-11, 9-7 Big East), who claimed their first win over a No. 1 team since beating Michigan here on December 29, 1976, improving to 2-10 all-time.
Providence also snapped an eight-game losing streak against Pittsburgh while securing another signature win for its tournament resume. The Friars, who have not been in the NCAAs since 2004, also beat then-No. 15 Syracuse here on January 28.
Moving atop the coaches poll for the second time this season on Monday, the Panthers (25-3, 12-3) struggled with turnover issues and foul concerns for top player DeJuan Blair.
Blair, who fouled out in the closing minute, finished with 17 points and eight rebounds as Pittsburgh had a seven-game winning streak snapped.
The Panthers were sloppy with the ball early, committing 10 turnovers in the first half as the Friars built a 44-26 lead at the break.
Efejuku had all seven of his points in the first half during Providences 15-4 start to the contest.
Not a team known for much defensive prowess, the Friars saw Pittsburgh quickly claw back into the contest, closing with 29-25 on Blairs jumper with 6:20 remaining.
In his first season with Providence after guiding Drake on a surprising season that included a trip the the NCAA Tournament last year, Keno Davis called a quick timeout to try and stem the tide, a move that paid off handsomely as his squad responded with a 10-0 run after the brief talk.
Overall, the Friars closed the half on a 15-1 burst, taking the 18-point lead in part due to 12 points by Kale.
Although it would slice that deficit down to 10 points with 13:50 to play, Pittsburgh saw Randall Hanke hit a jumper and Blair later get whistled for two quick fouls that forced him to the bench with four and the Panthers trailing, 57-42, after Hanke completed a three-point play with 10:43 left.
Providence would push that lead up to 61-44 on Xaviers 3-pointer before Pittsburgh made another push, closing within 68-56 following one of the four baskets from the arc by freshman Ashton Gibbs with 5:37 left.
The Panthers continued to try and rally, getting within 72-63 on a fastbreak layup by Levance Fields with 3:47 left. However, late turnovers doomed them, going on to finished with 18.
(18) LSU 81, FLORIDA 75
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana Marcus Thornton scored 32 points as No. 18 Louisiana State continued its late-season roll, topping Florida, 81-75, in a Southeastern Conference game.
Garrett Temple had 21 points and Tasmin Mitchell added 12 and eight rebounds for the Tigers (24-4, 12-1 SEC West), who claimed a share of the SEC regular-season crown while notching their ninth straight win.
Using a 14-2 run near the midway point of the second half, LSU took control before holding off a run near the end by the Gators to remain one of the nations hottest teams.
Walter Hodge scored 16 points and Alex Tyus 15 for Florida (21-7, 8-5 East), which dropped its fourth straight road game.
BOSTON COLLEGE 72, (25) FLORIDA ST 67
CHESTNUT HILL, Massachusetts Tyrese Rice did not score in the first half, but he more than made up for it after the break.
Rice hit a deep 3-pointer with 20 seconds to go to lead Boston College to a 72-67 victory over No. 25 Florida State.
Joe Trapani scored 19 points for the Eagles (20-9, 8-6 ACC), who also have conference wins over North Carolina and Duke.
Rice scored all 11 of his points in the second half. His late 3-pointer from the top of the key extended Boston Colleges lead to 71-67.
Toney Douglas scored 19 points and Soloman Alabi had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Seminoles (21-7, 8-5).
