St. Joseph’s Stays on Perfect Course

All that is left for No. 2 St. Joseph’s is a perfect finish.

Jameer Nelson scored 25 points and Chet Stachitas added a career-best 16 on Tuesday night, leading the Hawks to an 82-50 victory over St. Bonaventure at Philadelphia.

Only the Atlantic 10 tournament stands in the way of a perfect regular season for St. Joseph’s, 27-0 overall and 16-0 in the Atlantic 10. The NCAA considers conference tournaments part of the regular season. The conference tournament starts next week.

The Hawks would have to win three games in the conference tournament and another six in the NCAA tournament to complete a 36-0 season.

“They’re far from finished. We got nine games left,” St. Joseph’s Coach Phil Martelli said.

Patrick Lottin and Ahmad Smith each had 10 points for St. Bonaventure (6-20, 2-13), which has lost 11 in a row.

No. 5 Mississippi State 105, Auburn 91 -- Winsome Frazier scored a career-high 26 points and made six three-point baskets at Starkville, Miss., as the Bulldogs (24-2, 13-2 Southeastern) clinched a share of the conference title. Auburn (13-13, 4-11) has lost four in a row.

No. 6 Pittsburgh 88, No. 12 Providence 61 -- Freshman Chris Taft scored 24 points, Chevon Troutman had 23 and Carl Krauser added 22 at Providence, R.I., as the Panthers (26-3, 12-3 Big East) ended a six-game winning streak by the Friars (20-6, 11-4).

Virginia 84, No. 11 Wake Forest 82 -- Devin Smith converted a three-point play with 5.8 seconds to play at Charlottesville, Va., lifting the Cavaliers (16-10, 6-9 Atlantic Coast) past the Demon Deacons (19-7, 9-6).

No. 14 North Carolina 69, Clemson 53 -- Rashad McCants tied a school record with eight three-point baskets and scored 30 points at Chapel Hill, N.C., as the Tar Heels (18-8, 8-7 ACC) improved to 50-0 lifetime at home against the Tigers (10-17, 3-13).

No. 17 Wisconsin 68, Michigan State 64 -- Devin Harris scored 18 points and Clayton Hanson made a three-point basket in overtime to give the Badgers (20-6, 11-4 Big Ten) the victory over the Spartans (17-10, 12-4) at East Lansing, Mich.

No. 24 Syracuse 65, West Virginia 52 -- Hakim Warrick had 25 points and 10 rebounds at Morgantown, W.Va., to lead the Orangemen (20-6, 10-5 Big East) past the Mountaineers (14-12, 6-9).

WOMEN

Freshman Tiffany Jackson made two free throws with 7.9 seconds to go at Norman, Okla., leading No. 3 Texas (26-3, 14-2) to its second consecutive Big 12 regular-season title with a 57-54 victory over No. 17 Oklahoma (19-8, 9-7).

No. 4 Connecticut 100, West Virginia 72 -- Diana Taurasi scored 17 points at Storrs, Conn., as the Huskies (24-3, 14-2 Big East) defeated the Mountaineers (19-9, 10-6) and secured their 11th consecutive Big East regular-season title.

No. 23 Villanova 56, Pittsburgh 45 -- Kelly Nash scored 14 points to lift the Wildcats (22-5, 12-4 Big East) past the Panthers (6-20, 2-14) at Pittsburgh.

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Air Force, Navy, North Carolina and Michigan State are in talks about playing a doubleheader on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in November. The NCAA has given its approval to the games, according to a report in the Colorado Springs Gazette.

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Police said they found marijuana, a firearm and drug paraphernalia during a search of Oklahoma center Jabahri Brown’s home, and he is expected to be charged today with marijuana possession within 1,000 feet of a city park, possession of a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia. The 6-foot-10, 220-pound Brown has started all 25 games this season, averaging 7.1 points and a team-high 5.1 rebounds.

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Marquette assistant Trey Schwab, 39, who carried a portable oxygen canister as he worked the past two seasons, was in critical but stable condition after emergency surgery to remove a blood clot. Schwab, who is recovering from a double-lung transplant on Feb. 17, suffered a massive pulmonary embolism that blocked blood flow to the lungs.

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Georgia officials agreed with the NCAA’s finding of four rules violations in the men’s program. The school’s 52-page response to the violations -- including three violations that name former assistant Jim Harrick Jr., the son of former coach Jim Harrick -- was delivered to the NCAA and the 1,500 pages of supporting evidence were expected to be made public today.... Jaime Lloreda, Louisiana State’s leading scorer and rebounder, is expected to miss the rest of the season because of injuries to his left foot.... Charlotte’s Curtis Withers was charged with driving while impaired and the school is considering a suspension.