Kansas Streak Now 60

Men’s Top 25

A night set aside for seniors be longed to a junior who just might have been bidding farewell to Allen Fieldhouse, too.

Paul Pierce, not knowing whether he will return for his last season, scored 15 of his 31 points during a second-half surge as No. 4 Kansas (30-3, 14-1 Big 12) finished unbeaten at home for the fourth straight season Monday with an emotional 83-70 win over Oklahoma (19-9, 10-5).

The 6-foot-7 Pierce had the sellout crowd chanting “One more year!

One more year!” in the final minutes after he took charge of the game.

“I don’t think I can remember anything like that,” said Pierce, insisting he has not decided whether to enter the NBA draft or come back next year. “I shot the ball like that just one other time, when I was in high school. I think that was the best I’ve shot it since I’ve been here.”

Pierce, a preseason All-American along with senior Raef LaFrentz, was 14 for 17. Pierce had three 3-pointers in a streak that even had Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson patting him on the back.

The Jayhawks, who clinched the Big 12 championship on Saturday, ran their unbeaten home streak to 60 as seniors LaFrentz and guards Billy Thomas and C.B. McGrath go out with the distinction of never having lost at Allen Fieldhouse.

“A couple of years back we were talking one night in the lockerroom after everybody had gone,” said LaFrentz. “We decided that we hadn’t lost at home that far, and we didn’t ever want to. There haven’t been too many players in college basketball who never lost at home.”

(5) Utah 79, UNLV 68

At Salt Lake City, Michael Doleac had 20 points before fouling out and Hanno Mottola added 16 as the Utes (23-2, 10-2 WAC) defeated the Rebels (14-12, 5-7).

The Utes made a 12-4 run midway through the second half to put the game away. Utah’s Andre Miller scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half.

(6) Connecticut 77, Providence 68

At Hartford, Conn., Richard Hamilton scored 20 points and Khalid El-Amin added 19 as the Huskies (25-4, 14-3 Big East) pulled away late in the second half for a win over the Friars (11-15, 6-11).

Jake Voskuhl added 15 points and had 13 boards for the Huskies, who are guaranteed at least a share of the regular-season title and one of three first-round conference tourney byes.