UConn surprised by Cincy on homecourt

DON'T TELL Cincinnati how hard it is to win road games in the Big East.

Sean Kilpatrick hit a three-pointer with 2.7 seconds left and Cincinnati beat No. 13 Connecticut, 70-67, last night for its seventh straight conference road win.

Kilpatrick scored 16 points to lead five Bearcats in double figures as Cincinnati (15-4, 5-1 Big East) withstood two big UConn second-half runs and a halfcourt shot by Niels Giffey at the buzzer that rimmed out.

Cashmere Wright and Yancy Gates each had 13 points for Cincinnati, which sits just behind Syracuse for the conference lead.

"We're to a point now mentally that our guys believe that if we play well, we can beat anybody," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. "That's a big key for us."

Shabazz Napier had a career-high 27 points to lead Connecticut (14-4, 4-3), which lost for the first time at home this season.

Cincinnati took 26 shots from behind the arc, hitting 11 of them.

The Bearcats led by 12 points in the first half and nine at halftime. But they trailed, 57-55, before a three-pointer by Kilpatrick, one of his five in the game, and a late 10-0 run turned that into a 65-57 lead. A three-point shot by Napier cut it to 66-63 with just over a minute left, and another tied it with 10 seconds to go.

But the Bearcats took the ball up the court and Kilpatrick calmly launched his shot from behind the top of the key.

"I saw the rest of my teammates covered, they were all denied, so I looked at it and said, 'You know what, I've got to make this big play,' " Kilpatrick said. "I saw the lane, and then they closed it, so I just took my time. They didn't bite on the crossover move so I just pulled up."

Dion Dixon and JaQuon Parker each added 12 points for Cincinnati, which won its third straight.

UConn was playing for the second straight game without freshman Ryan Boatright. He's the subject of a second investigation this season into his eligibility. Boatright, who has averaged more than 10 points and three assists in 10 games, was suspended for the first six games of the season for an infraction that involved accepting a plane ticket last year while he was playing AAU basketball.

* At Nebraska, Jorge Brian Diaz made two free throws with 11 seconds left to give Nebraska the lead, Indiana couldn't score on its last possession, and the struggling Cornhuskers upset No. 11 Indiana, 70-69, for the Hoosiers' third straight loss. Indiana (15-3, 3-4 Big Ten) squandered a 13-point, second-half lead as Nebraska (10-8, 2-5) posted its biggest win as a new member of the Big Ten.

* At Morehead State, Isaiah Canaan scored 20 points and undefeated No. 12 Murray State beat Morehead State, 66-60, in its toughest Ohio Valley Conference challenge so far. Murray State (19-0, 7-0 OVC) trailed by nine with just under 13 minutes to play before rallying behind Canaan and Donte Poole (15 points) to remain one of two unbeaten teams in D-I along with No. 1 Syracuse.

* At New Mexico, Xavier Thames scored 22 points and No. 16 San Diego State overcame a sluggish start to beat New Mexico, 75-70, for its ninth straight victory. The Aztecs (16-2, 2-0 Mountain West) also ended New Mexico's winning streak at 13 games.

* At Mississippi State, Reginald Buckner scored a career-high 19 points, added 15 rebounds and Mississippi upset No. 18 Mississippi State, 75-68.

* At Missouri State, Gregory Echenique scored 16 points, and Doug McDermott added 15 to help No. 19 Creighton beat Missouri State, 66-65.

* At Kansas State, Rodney McGruder scored a career-high 33 points, including a transition dunk in the closing seconds, and No. 25 Kansas State beat Texas, 84-80.