Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun returned to the sideline 16 days after prostate cancer surgery, nearly a week ahead of schedule, and the Huskies (17-6, 8-4 Big East) scored the game’s first nine points in a 77-69 victory Saturday over visiting St. John’s (12-11, 5-8).
“It just gave us that spark, that jump,” center Emeka Okafor said. “And we fed off of it the whole game. The crowd got into it and we got into it.”
The sellout crowd of more than 10,000 at Gampel Pavilion welcomed Calhoun with a deafening standing ovation as he made his way to the bench before the game.
“It was an incredible feeling,” Calhoun said. “I missed the game, I missed the kids, I missed the camaraderie.”
Ben Gordon led UConn with 18 points; Okafor dominated inside with 12 rebounds and nine blocks.
Transfer drops out
Jason Parker, the former high school All-American who enrolled at South Carolina last fall after transferring from Kentucky, is no longer attending classes after failing to complete his school work last semester.
Gamecocks coach Dave Odom said he didn’t know whether Parker , who made the SEC’s all-freshman team in 2000-01, would return to South Carolina. Parker would not be eligible to play next season even if he re-enrolled.
RESULTS SATURDAY’S SYNOPSIS
#1 Arizona 92 at Arizona State 72 Luke Walton scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the Wildcats used a 24-5 run.
#7 Florida 77 at Vanderbilt 74
Matt Walsh scored 19 points, including the last 4 of OT, to help the Gators hand the Commodores a 5th straight loss.
North Carolina St. 68 at #8 Duke 79
Dahntay Jones scored 19 points and Daniel Ewing added 18 as the Blue Devils won their 27th straight home game.
Rutgers 65 at #9 Pittsburgh 86
The Panthers, Big East’s top defensive team, held the Knights, and the worst offense, to 14 points in the 1st half.
North Carolina 56 at #13 Maryland 96
Steve Blake scored 18 points as the Terrapins matched the most lopsided ACC win in school history.
#14 Xavier 73 at #25 Dayton 72
Lionel Chalmers scored on an offensive rebound with :24 left to give the Musketeers their 10th straight win.
Fresno State 66 at #17 Creighton 67
Kyle Korver made 7 3-pointers and scored 27 points for the Bluejays in the Bracket Buster matchup.
#18 California 84 at Southern Cal 82
Pac-10 scoring leader Joe Shipp had 29 and Golden Bears held Trojans to one point in final 1:51.
#21 Stanford 93 at UCLA 84
Julius Barnes scored 27 points in the Cardinal’s 6th straight victory at Pauley Pavilion, the most by any Bruins opponent.
South Carolina 66 at #22 Georgia 79
Jarvis Hayes scored 26 points for the Bulldogs, who won their 3rd straight and improved to 11-0 at home this season.
IUPUI 71 at Valparaiso 77
Stalin Ortiz scored 21 points as the Crusaders clinched their 8th Mid-Con regular-season title in the last 9 years.
SW Missouri State 54 at Bradley 52
Merrill Andrews made a jumper with :02.4 left and Terrance McGee had 20 points for the Bears.
Wis.-Milwaukee 64 at Southern Illinois 66
Stetson Hairston’s tip-in at the buzzer helped the Salukis snap the Panthers’ 8-game winning streak.
Southern Utah 70 at Chicago State 54
Despite Kelvin Smallwood’s 20 points, the Cougars fell to the Thunderbirds and David Palmer (19 points).
Oakland (Mich.) 89 at Western Illinois 79
Mike Helms had 27 points and Rawle Marshall added 23 and 13 rebounds for the Golden Grizzlies.
Illinois State 57 at Marshall 53
Gregg Alexander scored 14 of his 21 points in the 2nd half as the Redbirds won on the road for 1st time this season.
