COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Notre Dame’s NCAA Hopes Shaken in Loss to Dayton

Notre Dame has beaten such ranked teams as UCLA, USC, North Carolina and Syracuse, trying to gain recognition as a giant-killer in its bid to land a berth in the NCAA tournament.

But the Irish hurt their chances Tuesday night when they stumbled against Dayton, 60-58, at Dayton to fall below .500 at 11-12.

The Flyers (14-13) never led until Alex Robertson stole the ball and fed Derrick Dukes for the winning layup with nine seconds to play.

No. 22 Syracuse 76, Boston College 70--Lawrence Moten scored 18 points and Adrian Autry added 14, all in the second half as the Orangemen (17-7, 9-6) ended a four-game losing streak in a Big East game at Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse overcame an 11-point halftime deficit against the Eagles (15-9, 7-8).

Pittsburgh 86, No. 24 Connecticut 77--The Panthers, one of the Big East’s worst free-throw shooting teams, made 24 of 28 free throws, including 17 of 20 in the second half at Pittsburgh, against the slumping Huskies (17-7, 8-7), who have lost six of their last seven games. Chris McNeal scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Panthers (16-12, 8-7).

OTHER GAMES

Shaquille O’Neal scored 22 points, had 15 rebounds, blocked three shots, then sat out the final nine minutes as Louisiana State beat Mississippi, 100-69, at Baton Rouge, La. . . . Acie Earl scored 17 points and Iowa never trailed in its 79-64 victory over Minnesota at Minneapolis.