The Syracuse men’s basketball team avoided what could have been its first five-game losing streak in coach Jim Boeheim’s 35-year tenure by defeating No. 6 Connecticut, 66-58, last Wednesday night.

The No. 17 Orange was led by senior forward Rick Jackson, who recorded his 15th double-double of the season, posting 13 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Brandon Triche and junior forward Kris Joseph added 16 and 11 points, respectively. Freshman Baye Moussa Keita also played well, grabbing 11 rebounds to go along with six steals and two blocks on defense.

The win brought the Orange’s Big East record to 6-4 and their road record to 4-2. Overall the Orange stand at 20-4.

The game set a record for most combined wins by two opposing Division I head coaches. Boeheim and UConn’s Jim Calhoun have combined to win 1,688 games and both are members of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. The win brought Boeheim’s total to 848.

As time expired in the first half, Jackson hit a jump shot to give the Orange their first lead of the game at 26-25. Syracuse opened the second half on a 10-4 run before the Huskies made a 7-0 run themselves, tying the game at 36 apiece. The Huskies would close in on the lead again late in the second half, coming within three points, but the Orange held on. Junior guard Scoop Jardine sealed the game from the free-throw line.

OSU upsets Washington

Oregon State snapped its three-game losing streak by beating No. 20 Washington in Corvallis, Ore. last Thursday night.

The win was the Beavers first against a ranked opponent since 2006, when they defeated the No. 24 Arizona.

Oregon State was led by sophomore Jared Cunningham, who finished with 19 points on 3-for-7 shooting from the field and 13-for-17 shooting from the charity stripe. Senior Calvin Haynes added 11 points and a career-high seven rebounds, while fellow senior Omari Johnson went for six points and 11 rebounds.

Washington was led by junior guard Scott Suggs who finished the game with a career-high 18 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc.

The Huskies were coming off of a loss at rival Washington State that dropped them two spots in the rankings. All of Washington’s losses have come on the road.

This was the first win for the Beavers over Washington since Feb. 22, 2007 when Oregon State won, 73-65, in Corvallis.

The win put the Beavers overall record at 9-12 and 4-6 in the Pacific-10.

Arizona wins thriller

Arizona defeated California in triple overtime, 107-105, last Saturday night.

Sophomore Lamont Jones led the way for the Wildcats, netting a career-high 27 points. Jones was able to hit the go-ahead lay-up with one minute, three seconds remaining in the third overtime to seal the victory for the Wildcats. Jones also tied the game with a 3-pointer with five seconds left in the second overtime. Sophomore Kevin Parrom also had a career-high 25 points for the Wildcats.

The defending Pac-10 champion Golden Bears were led by junior forward Harper Kamp, who scored 33 points, seven of which came in the second overtime.

The win was Arizona’s fifth in a row and it’s eighth in its last nine games. Cal, meanwhile, was riding a four-game win streak before the loss.

The contest also marked the Golden Bears’ longest home game since 1977 when they beat Oregon, 107-102. In January of 2009, Cal defeated Washington in a triple overtime game.

Eric Mansfield can be reached at [email protected].