Weyinmi Efejuku scored 25 points and Providence beat No. 13 Connecticut, 85-76, last night at Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence , R.I., to keep alive its chances of qualifying for the Big East Conference tournament next week at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Jeff Xavier added 21 points for the Friars (15-14, 6-11), who swept the Huskies this season. Providence closes its regular season at home against Villanova tomorrow. The Friars are tied for the 12th and final spot available in the tournament.

"Everybody's playing for something different," Providence coach Tim Welsh said. "You can't get too happy because you can get very sad very quickly in this league."

Stanley Robinson and Hasheem Thabeet both had 16 points to lead Connecticut (23-7, 12-5), which had already clinched a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The Huskies close the regular season tomorrow at home against Cincinnati.

Thabeet had 13 rebounds as the Huskies finished with a 44-30 advantage on the boards. The Huskies were hurt by 21 turnovers, eight above their season average, and they shot 39.4 percent from the field (26 for 66), including 5 for 23 from 3-point range.

Providence played like a team with a lot more at stake.

The Friars took the lead for good, 50-48, on a jumper by Geoff McDermott with 9:44 to play. They took advantage of Connecticut's struggles from the field to lead the rest of the way.

It was Providence's second win in a row after a five-game losing streak.

Connecticut won 10 in a row and 12 of 13 since losing to Providence at home Jan. 17.

• Draelon Burns scored 24 points, and DePaul (11-18, 6-11 Big East) ended a 16-year losing streak at Cincinnati (13-16, 8-9), rallying to a 60-54 victory that extended the Bearcats' late-season slump. DePaul had lost its previous 15 games at Cincinnati since Feb. 20, 1992. ... Lamont Mack led a balanced effort with 17 points and Charlotte (17-12, 8-7) defeated visiting George Washington (9-16, 5-10), 77-61. ... Zack Peacock hit four consecutive free throws in the final 16 seconds as host Georgia Tech (13-16, 6-9) surprised No. 24 Clemson (21-8, 9-6) , 80-75, in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

• Michael Jenkins scored 14 points to lead second-seeded Winthrop (21-11) to a 61-53 win against High Point (17-14) in the semifinals of the Big South in Asheville, N.C. The Eagles have won 11 consecutive Big South tournament games. ... Jay Tunnell and Gabe Moore each scored 18 points and all five Indiana State (15-15) starters scored in double figures as the Sycamores beat Wichita State (11-20), 71-67, in a Missouri Valley Conference tournament play-in game in St. Louis. It was the fourth consecutive year that Indiana State, the No. 8 seed, has won a play-in game. Indiana State will face the top-seeded Bulldogs at noon today in a quarterfinal game. Drake (25-4) is ranked No. 20 in the most recent AP poll and beat the Sycamores twice this year.

• Krista Phillips overcame early foul trouble with 15 points and Michigan (17-12) used a 17-0 second-half run to beat Penn State, 64-54, at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, handing the Lady Lions (13-18) their 12th consecutive loss this season and their first opening-round defeat in the Big Ten Conference women's tournament since 1997. Tyra Grant led Penn State with 18 points.