Providence stuns top-ranked Pittsburgh
Weyinmi Efejuku scored 16 and Providence upset No. 1 Pittsburgh 81-73 on Tuesday night in Providence, R.I., for its first win over a top-ranked team in 33 years.
Sharaud Curry added 15 points for the Friars (17-11, 9-7 Big East), who picked up a big victory for their NCAA tournament hopes.
DeJuan Blair had 17 points and eight rebounds for Pittsburgh (25-3, 12-3).
•B.C. upsets Florida State: Tyrese Rice hit a key 3-pointer with 20.5 seconds to play and Joe Trapani scored 19 points to lead Boston College (20-9, 8-6 ACC) to a 72-67 upset of No. 23 Florida State (21-7, 8-5) in Boston.
•UConn women roll: Tina Charles scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds to lead top-ranked Connecticut (28-0, 14-0) to a 74-47 win over Villanova (17-11, 9-5) in Storrs, Conn., giving the unbeaten Huskies at least a share of their 17th Big East regular-season championship.
NBA
Bryant climbs list
Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 36 points in a 3-minute span of the fourth quarter to thwart an Oklahoma City rally and lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-93 victory in Oklahoma City.
Bryant moved into 19th place on the NBA’s career scoring list, moving ahead of Adrian Dantley only one game after he passed Elgin Baylor for 20th.
•New-look Bulls win: Derrick Rose scored 22 points and the Chicago Bulls got strong efforts from their three newcomers in a 120-102 win over the visiting Orlando Magic.
The three Bulls acquired at the trade deadline combined for 37 points in their home debuts. Tim Thomas scored 17 points, John Salmons 11 and Brad Miller had nine points, seven rebounds and five assists.
•Spurs romp without Duncan: Tony Parker had 37 points and 12 assists with All-Star teammate Tim Duncan sitting out with a sore right knee, and the short-handed San Antonio Spurs held the visiting Dallas Mavericks to their worst offensive showing this season in a 93-76 victory.
NHL
Flyers top Capitals
Scott Hartnell and Jeff Carter scored two of Philadelphia’s three goals in a 31/2-minute span of the third period and the visiting Flyers came back to beat Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals 4-2.
•Bruins crush Panthers: Rookie fourth-line winger Byron Bitz scored his second and third NHL goals, leading the struggling Bruins to a 6-1 win over the Florida Panthers in the opener of Boston’s six-game homestand.
NFL
Colts release Harrison
The Indianapolis Colts have released Marvin Harrison, ending the star receiver’s 13-year stay with the team.
Colts owner Jim Irsay announced the move after meeting with Harrison in a final effort to re-sign the franchise’s career receiving leader.
•Crabtree might skip 40: Michael Crabtree might not perform in front of NFL scouts, after all.
The top-rated receiver in this year’s draft told NFL Network there was only a 50-50 chance he would run at his personal workout next month in Lubbock, Texas.
Miscellany
Cyclist robbed
Salt Lake City police said that thieves who ransacked the home of David Zabriskie stole thousands of dollars in bikes and Olympic memorabilia from the world-class cyclist.
Zabriskie’s loss is estimated at just less than $160,000.
Zabriskie’s mother, Sheree Hammick, discovered the theft Monday.
Zabriskie has been away since Feb. 13 participating in the Tour of California. Zabriskie finished second behind Levi Leipheimer.
•Roddick will lead U.S.: The U.S. Davis Cup team will go with its regular lineup for an opening-round match against Switzerland.
U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said that Andy Roddick, James Blake and the doubles team of twins Bob and Mike Bryan will compete March 6-8 in Birmingham, Ala.
•Match will proceed: The Davis Cup matches between Sweden and Israel will be played without spectators in Malmo, Sweden, next month after an attempt fell through to move the venue to Stockholm.
Swedish organizers cited security concerns for the closed-door policy because anti-Israeli demonstrations are expected during the best-of-5 series March 6-8.
•American earns silver: Kikkan Randall sprinted frenetically through the snowfall, stretching her ski across the finish line and breaking new ground for U.S. skiing.
Randall held off Finland’s Pirjo Muranen in a photo finish to take silver in the sprint at the Nordic skiing world championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, becoming the first American woman to win a world or Olympic medal in cross-country skiing.
•Budget slashed: The budget for the state company overseeing much of the construction work for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, will be cut by two-thirds this year, a top Russian official said.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, urged companies to honor their commitments in Sochi and organizers announced a $180 million top-tier sponsorship deal with state oil company Rosneft.
Baseball
Rodriguez expects worst
Alex Rodriguez is prepared for the worst when he plays in the New York Yankees’ spring training opener today.
The game against Toronto at Dunedin, Fla., will be his first since admitting that he used a banned substance while playing for Texas from 2001-3. He’s used to playing before hostile fans.
•Anderson will likely remain mum: Barry Bonds’ personal trainer is likely to tell a federal judge on Friday that he has no plans to testify at the home run king’s perjury trial in San Francisco.
Greg Anderson had been scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Susan Illston today to tell her whether he would break his silence. The hearing was postponed at the request of Anderson’s lawyer.
Anderson has already spent a year in prison for refusing to testify before a grand jury about his relationship with Bonds.
•Peavy, Oswalt lead U.S.: Final rosters for the second World Baseball Classic were released, with Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt and Joe Nathan highlighting a 14-man United States pitching staff that includes 10 major league relievers.
Nathan figures to anchor a bullpen that also features B.J. Ryan, Brian Fuentes, Jonathan Broxton, J.J. Putz and Scot Shields.
Peavy and Oswalt headline the rotation, with Ted Lilly and Jeremy Guthrie rounding out the back end.
Dustin Pedroia, Derek Jeter and Grady Sizemore are among the offensive stars.