UConn wins Big East finale with Syracuse
College basketball: Freshman Omar Calhoun scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers in the deciding second-half run, and Connecticut beat No. 6 Syracuse 66-58 on Wednesday night at Hartford, Conn., in the last scheduled game between the national powers.
Syracuse (20-4, 8-3 Big East) will play next season in the Atlantic Coast Conference while Connecticut (17-6, 7-4) will stay in the realigned Big East, although the Huskies could be enticed to head to another conference if asked.
• Charlotte upsets No. 11 Butler: Pierria Henry scored 17 points to lead Charlotte (18-6, 6-4 Atlantic 10) to a 71-67 win over No. 11 Butler (20-7, 7-3) at Indianapolis.
• No. 1 Indiana rolls: Cody Zeller scored 16 points and Christian Watford finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 1 Indiana (22-3, 10-2 Big Ten) pull away from Nebraska (12-13, 3-9) 76-47 at Bloomington, Ind.
• Plumlee sparks Duke: Mason Plumlee had 18 points and 11 rebounds and No. 2 Duke (22-2, 9-2 ACC) beat North Carolina (16-8, 6-5) 73-68 at Durham, N.C.
• Miami holds off Florida State: Shane Larkin scored 13 of his 22 points in the final 7 1/2 minutes to help third-ranked Miami (20-3, 11-0 ACC) stave off Florida State (13-11, 5-6) 74-68 at Tallahassee, Fla., for its 12th straight victory.
• Rams protect rare ranking: Dorian Green hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with a minute remaining and a three-point play with 19 seconds left as No. 24 Colorado State (20-4, 7-2 Mountain West) celebrated its first game as a ranked team in 59 years with a thrilling 66-60 win over San Diego State (18-6, 6-4) at Fort Collins, Colo.
The Rams extended their home-court winning streak to 27.
Carter eclipses Bird on career scoring list
NBA: Vince Carter scored 26 points to pass Larry Bird on the NBA’s career scoring list, and Dallas Mavericks headed into the All-Star break with a 123-100 victory against the visiting Sacramento Kings.
Carter scored 17 of Dallas’ last 21 points in the third quarter. He made five of seven 3-pointers in the quarter and ended the night with 21,796 career points for 29th on the all-time list. Bird had 21,791.
• Blazers lose fifth straight: Anthony Davis had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the host New Orleans Hornets defeated Portland 99-63 for the Blazers’ fifth straight loss.
Damian Lillard had 12 points and Victor Claver 11 for Portland, which lost starting guard Wesley Matthews to a sprained right ankle early in the game.
• George has triple-double: Paul George posted his second triple-double of the season with 23 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists, and the Indiana Pacers routed the visiting Charlotte Bobcats 101-77.
• Spurs’ Leonard hits game-winner: Kawhi Leonard’s 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds remaining gave the San Antonio Spurs a 96-95 win over the host Cleveland Cavaliers. Leonard’s clutch basket came after Dion Waiters’ jump shot with 9.5 seconds remaining put Cleveland ahead 95-93. The Spurs have won 14 of 15.
• Turkoglu suspended 20 games: Hedo Turkoglu of the Orlando Magic has been suspended by the NBA for 20 games after he tested positive for steroids.
Penguins win 4-2; Karlsson injured
NHL: James Neal scored twice and Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists to help the Pittsburgh Penguins beat visiting Ottawa 4-2 in a game marred by the loss of Senators star defenseman Erik Karlsson to a left Achilles injury.
The Norris Trophy winner last season as the NHL’s top defenseman, Karlsson was cut by Penguins forward Matt Cooke’s skate blade as the two tangled along the boards late in the second period. The Senators said Karlsson will need surgery.
Ronaldo header earns draw with United
Miscellany: Cristiano Ronaldo scored on a spectacular header for host Real Madrid in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on in the first leg of their final-16 Champions League series.
• Wambach scores in milestone match: Abby Wambach scored on a diving header in the 51st minute, and the U.S. women’s soccer team beat Scotland 3-1 at Nasvhille, Tenn., to give Wambach a victory in her 200th international match.
• Azarenka has easy win: Fresh off winning a second consecutive Australian Open, top-ranked Victoria Azarenka breezed into the third round of the Qatar Open with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Romina Oprandi at Doha, Qatar.
American Sloane Stephens, who upset Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinals, lost to Klara Zakopalova 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5).