Connecticut 74, Pittsburgh 65: Shabazz Napier scored 23 points, including a game-clinching 3-pointer with just over a minute left, and the Huskies welcomed coach Jim Calhoun back with a victory over the Panthers.

Roscoe Smith added 14 points and seven rebounds for UConn (18-12, 8-10 Big East), which let a 14-point halftime lead slip away, but survived by closing on a 12-4 run.

The Huskies got an emotional lift from the return of Calhoun, who was back on the bench just five days after undergoing back surgery. The Hall of Fame coach received a standing ovation when he walked out to coach his first game since Feb. 1.

Connecticut seemed re-energized by Calhoun's presence and jumped out to a 36-22 halftime lead. But Pittsburgh stormed back with a 14-4 run that tied it at 48 with just over nine minutes left. It was a back-and-forth affair the rest of the way. Travon Woodall’s 3-pointer gave the Panthers their first lead of the game at 61-60 with 2:56 left.

The Huskies responded, though, as Smith’s layup gave UConn the lead again and Napier’s 3-pointer made it 66-61 with 1:14 left.

J.J. Moore scored 16 points for Pittsburgh (16-15, 5-13), which has lost six of seven and will likely miss the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Calhoun was his usual animated-self early in the first half when he felt Napier was fouled on a fastbreak. … The 14-point half-time deficit was the largest of the season for Pittsburgh.