Coral Gables, Fla. ? Darius Rice played brilliantly for 40 minutes and still managed to save his best for last.

The nephew of Oakland Raiders receiver Jerry Rice capped a 43-point performance by stealing an inbounds pass and sinking a three-pointer at the final buzzer, and Miami stunned 11th-ranked Connecticut 77-76 Monday night.

UConn appeared to clinch a victory when Ben Gordon hit two free throws with 8.9 seconds left, giving him 32 points and the Huskies a 76-72 lead.

But Miami’s Armondo Surratt drove for an uncontested layup with four seconds to go, and Shamon Tooles’ hurried inbounds pass was stolen in the corner by Rice, who swished a shot with .5 seconds remaining.

“The guy threw the ball in, and I just stuck my hand out,” Rice said. “I said, ‘This is mine.’ I shot it, and I had no doubt it was going in.”

When it did, a jubilant Rice sprinted the length of the court with his fists in the air as Hurricanes fans poured onto the floor to celebrate.

The defeat left UConn players crying in their locker room. Coach Jim Calhoun said Taliek Brown, rather than Tooles, was supposed to inbound the ball that Rice intercepted.

“I did the wrong thing by passing it,” said Tooles, his eyes red. “I cost us the game. They trusted me to be in the game. I’m supposed to make the correct pass.”

Miami (8-7 overall, 1-3 Big East) broke a three-game losing streak, including an overtime loss at UConn on Jan. 11. The Huskies (11-3, 2-1), beaten Saturday at North Carolina, have lost two in a row for the first time since last Feb. 2.

“It’s a devastating loss for us, the way it happened,” Calhoun said. “I feel awful for our kids.”

Rice’s career-best scoring performance tied for the third-highest in Big East history. The 6-foot-10 junior made 16 of 27 shots, including seven of 12 three-pointers.

“It was just one of those nights,” Rice said. “The basket was as big as the ocean.”

The victory could be the start of a big week for the Rice family. Darius’ uncle will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

“Raiders by 15,” Darius predicted.

No. 10 Creighton 95, Illinois State 82

Omaha, Neb. — Larry House had career highs of 23 points and eight rebounds, and Creighton beat Illinois State.

House, who came in averaging 9.1 points, shot 8-of-12 on a night when Kyle Korver was held in check most of the game. Korver still finished with 17 points after being limited to five shots and 12 points through the first 30 minutes.

The Bluejays (16-1, 7-0 Missouri Valley Conference) won their sixth straight game just hours after they earned a Top 10 ranking for the first time in the 85-year history of the program.

Illinois State (1-14, 0-7) scored the most points of any Creighton foe this season.