HARTFORD, Conn. — Kemba Walker scored 21 points and Jerome Dyson added 17 as Connecticut beat No. 8 West Virginia 73-62 on Monday night, the Huskies' third win this season over a top 10 team.
Stanley Robinson had 15 points and 13 rebounds for UConn (17-11, 7-8 Big East), which has won three straight to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive.
The Huskies are 3-1 since coach Jim Calhoun returned from a medical leave of absence. Connecticut was 3-4 during the 23 days he was gone.
Devin Ebanks had 17 points and nine rebounds to lead West Virginia (21-6, 10-5). The Mountaineers finished the game without head coach Bob Huggins, who received two technical fouls in the final minute.
Calhoun called the game a street fight, and the teams combined for 46 personal fouls. UConn hit 30 of 42 free throws and Walker was 14-of-17 from the line.
West Virginia was 12-of-23 from the free throw line and hit just four of 18 shots from 3-point range.
UConn led by as many as 15 points in the first half, and by nine at halftime after outrebounding the Mountaineers 21-11.
But the Mountaineers whittled away at the lead in the second half, and when Ebanks followed up a missed shot with 8:44 left they were down 53-52. But they were never able to take the lead.
It was 66-62 with just over a minute left when Calhoun called a timeout.
Stanley Robinson then followed up a missed layup by Dyson with a dunk, and Walker's steal and dunk made it 70-62.
An irate Huggins received two technical fouls after calling a timeout, and Walker hit three of four free throws to ice the game.
West Virginia committed 26 fouls and UConn was called for 20.
UConn lost 6-foot-11 Ater Majok to fouls with 5 minutes left and 6-foot-10 Gavin Edwards fouled out less than a minute later with UConn up 63-56.
Wellington Smith fouled out for the Mountaineers with 2:55 left.
West Virginia quickly scored the game's first five points, prompting Calhoun to call a timeout less than a minute into the game. Calhoun then said something to official Michael Stephens that led to a technical foul.
But Wellington Smith missed both free throws, and the Huskies responded by going on a 14-1 run. UConn scored 13 straight points midway through the half, and a short bank shot by Robinson gave the Huskies a 28-13 lead.
West Virginia responded with a 10-1 run, but trailed 37-28 at halftime.
UConn improved an NCAA tournament resume that also includes victories over then-no. 1 Texas last month and at No. 3 Villanova last week.
Connecticut is 15-4 all-time against West Virginia, including 8-0 at home.