Syracuse falls to U-Conn

STORRS, Conn. -- Hasheem Thabeet had eight points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks to lead No. 1 Connecticut to its 12th straight victory, 63-49 over No. 23 Syracuse on Wednesday night, the Oranges fifth loss in six games. A.J. Price had 17 points for the Huskies (23-1, 11-1 Big East), who have won three games since assuming the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll last week. They overcame a sloppy first half by cutting down the turnovers and hitting 3-pointers, pulling away with a 12-0 run that gave Connecticut a 56-40 lead midway through the second half. The Huskies had to play almost the entire game without second-leading scorer Jerome Dyson who injured his knee just over four minutes in and didnt return. Jonny Flynn had 16 points for Syracuse (18-7, 6-6), which was ranked as high as No. 8 before the skid that may now see the Orange drop out of the national rankings. The 7-foot-3 Thabeet, who had a triple-double against Providence two weeks ago, was a force inside, altering as many Syracuse shots as the blocks he was given credit for. Connecticut managed to take a 30-27 halftime lead despite committing 14 turnovers - two more than its season average for a game - and going 2-for-8 from 3-point range.