UConn romps, will face Zags on Saturday

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut forward Stanley Robinson returned to school this week, and it took him about 3 ½ minutes of game action to feel back at home.

That is when the 6-foot-9 junior forward grabbed a lob pass from Donnell Beverly and slammed home a dunk during the second-ranked Huskies' 91-57 rout of Stony Brook on Monday night.

Robinson withdrew from Connecticut after last season to deal with academic and personal issues, and spent the last five months laboring for a metal wholesale and recycling company in Willimantic, near the Storrs campus.

Jeff Adrien had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Huskies (9-0), who played their first game since Dec. 4 after a break for exams.

UConn next plays Gonzaga (7-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Battle in Seattle at KeyArena.

The Zags, who lost to Arizona 69-64 Sunday in Phoenix and dropped from fourth to eighth in this week's Associated Press media poll, host Texas Southern on Thursday in Spokane.

Gonzaga beat UConn 85-82 on Dec. 1, 2007, in Boston.

"We've been waiting for this game since last year, because we lost in Boston," Adrien said of the rematch with the Zags. "We're going to go out there and we're going to fight. We're going to be ready.

"Offensively, they're a really good team. They have some great players over there."

Although Stony Brook (5-5) shot a mere 32 percent, UConn coach Jim Calhoun said, "But we gave them too many open shots and I have a feeling the kids from Gonzaga may hit those shots."

Pac-10 men

At USC 91, Pepperdine 77

Taj Gibson scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Trojans (6-3) past the Waves (1-9). Dwight Lewis added 17 points for USC.

Top 10 women

At No. 2 North Carolina 105,

Arkansas-Pine Bluff 49

Cetera DeGraffenreid scored 19 points as the Tar Heels (11-0) overwhelmed the Lions (1-6).

Pac-10 women

At Oregon State 91, UNLV 54

Alex Mitchell scored a career-high 23 points and added seven rebounds and Brittney Davis scored 22 points as the Beavers (6-1) routed the Rebels (4-4).

Other women's game

Portland 73, at Eastern Washington 66

Laiken Dollente of Yakima scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Pilots (4-6) past the Eagles (4-6). Dollente made 7 of 14 shots from the field and all nine of her free throws.

Kyla Evans of Brewster had team-high totals of 12 points and eight rebounds for Eastern Washington, which trailed 40-26 at halftime.

"I was disappointed in our first-half effort," Eagles coach Wendy Schuller said.

Notes

• Cedric Jackson's 60-foot basket at the buzzer gave Cleveland State a 72-69 victory at No. 11 Syracuse. Cleveland State was a 13-point underdog.

• Utah has suspended guard Luka Drca for two games because of an intentional foul in Saturday's 70-52 loss to then-No. 5 Oklahoma. Drca tripped Sooners All-American Blake Griffin as Oklahoma was on a fast break in the second half.

• A record run in the Associated Press women's poll Top 10 is over. Tennessee's streak of 211 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 ended when the defending-champion Vols were ranked 11th.

Tennessee, which lost 73-59 at then-No. 6 Texas on Sunday, was last out of the Top 10 in March 1997.

The Vols' Top 10 run went 56 weeks longer than the men's record of 155 set by UCLA.