Connecticut 79, West Virginia 71

HARTFORD, Conn., March 1 (UPI) -- A.J. Price scored 24 points Saturday, propelling the 16th-ranked Connecticut Huskies to a 79-71 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Jeff Adrien added 17 points, and Craig Austrie and Stanley Robinson had 12 each for the Huskies (23-6, 12-4 Big East), who held off a late West Virginia comeback to win for the 12th time in their last 13 games.

Joe Alexander had 32 points and 10 rebounds for West Virginia (20-9, 9-7).

The Mountaineers' only victory against a team with a current winning record in Big East play was Jan. 6 versus Marquette. Their other conference wins have come against Syracuse,

Alex Ruoff was the only other West Virginia player to score in double figures with 12 points.

The Mountaineers trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, but closed to three with a 13-2 run.