Hartford, Conn. ? Providence is making a run at the Big East elite.

The Friars followed last-second losses to No. 16 Texas and Rutgers by winning their next five games, including Saturday’s 66-56 victory over No. 4 Connecticut on the Huskies’ tough home court.

Ryan Gomes led the Friars (13-3, 4-1) with 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Providence passed UConn (15-3, 3-1) for first place in the conference.

The Friars are 2-1 against ranked teams this season, and snapped UConn’s 19-game winning streak at the Hartford Civic Center.

“It’s a hard place to play,” Providence coach Tim Welsh said. “You let this building get going and all of a sudden a one-point game turns into nine real quick and it gets out of hand.”

UConn had few answers for Gomes, who was able to score both inside and out. The 6-foot-7 junior, who grew up in nearby Waterbury, scored 10 of the Friars’ first 14 points to give Providence a 14-8 lead in the first seven minutes.

“It’s a good win for us, not just because I’m from Connecticut, but it was for first place in the Big East,” Gomes said. “We just came in as if this was just another Big East game that we had to win and we came out and did it.”

UConn used a number of defenders on Gomes in the first half, but it wasn’t until center Emeka Okafor drew the assignment permanently in the second half that Gomes cooled off somewhat.

Okafor, the only Husky in double figures, led UConn with 19 points and 13 rebounds. The Huskies shot 40.7 percent from the field, their second-lowest mark of the season. They shot 38 percent in a loss Nov. 26 to Georgia Tech.

The Friars scored 11 points off 16 UConn turnovers and outscored the Huskies, 19-8, on transition baskets.

UConn coach Jim Calhoun said this loss would stay with him the rest of the season.

“They executed down the stretch and we did not make the tough plays defensively that we needed to,” Calhoun said. “They outplayed us. They certainly deserved to win.”

No. 1 Duke 85, Georgetown 66

Washington — Georgetown filled its arena for the first time this season, and top-ranked Duke’s Shelden Williams and Chris Duhon filled the nets. The combination of Williams inside and Duhon outside was just too much for the Hoyas.

No. 2 Stanford 77, Southern California 67

Stanford, Calif. — Chris Hernandez had 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and No. 2 Stanford stayed unbeaten by pulling away from Southern California. Nick Robinson scored all 13 of his points in the second half as the Cardinal (16-0, 7-0 Pac-10) received their biggest test yet at home.

No. 3 Saint Joseph’s 114, St. Bonaventure 63

Olean, N.Y. — Jameer Nelson was perfect from the field, hitting all six attempts for 19 points, and No. 3 Saint Joseph’s prevailed. Delonte West had 21 points, allowing the Hawks (17-0, 7-0 Atlantic-10) to set a school record with their 17th consecutive win. Pat Carroll added 17 points.

No. 6 Cincinnati 83, Southern Mississippi 47

Hattiesburg, Miss. — Tony Bobbitt scored 19 points and No. 6 Cincinnati made a robust recovery from its first loss of the season. The Bearcats (14-1, 5-1) had more turnovers forced (16) than field goals allowed (14).

No. 7 North Carolina 96, Virginia 77

Chapel Hill, N.C. — Rashad McCants scored 26 points to lead six North Carolina players in double figures, and the seventh-ranked Tar Heels beat Virginia. Sean May scored 17 points for the Tar Heels (12-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who improved to 17-2 against the Cavaliers in the Smith Center.

No. 8 Pittsburgh 66, No. 13 Syracuse 45

Syracuse, N.Y. — Chris Taft and Mark McCarroll each scored 15 points, and No. 8 Pittsburgh held No. 13 Syracuse to its lowest point total in 36 years. It was the fewest points the Orangemen have scored since losing, 71-41, at Kansas University in 1968.

North Carolina State 76, No. 11 Georgia Tech 72

Raleigh, N.C. — Scooter Sherrill scored 18 points and Ilian Evtimov had 11 points and 14 rebounds to lead North Carolina State over No. 11 Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack (11-4, 4-1) improved to 10-0 at home and grabbed sole possession of second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

No. 17 Florida 68, Auburn 52

Gainesville, Fla. — David Lee scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half to help No. 17 Florida defeat Auburn. Lee, held to 1-for-6 shooting in the first half, triggered the victory for the Gators (12-4, 3-2 Southeastern Conference), who had lost two straight games by double digits. Anthony Roberson hit his first six shots and led the Gators with 21 points, 16 in the first half.

No. 19 Mississippi State 71, Georgia 58

Starkville, Miss. — Lawrence Roberts scored 17 points and Timmy Bowers added 15 points and nine assists for Mississippi State, which scored the game’s first 19 points.

No. 21 Wisconsin 76, Illinois 56

Madison, Wis. — Devin Harris scored a career-high 30 points and Mike Wilkinson added a career-high 24 in No. 21 Wisconsin’s victory over Illinois. Harris and Wilkinson were a combined 19-of-30 from the field as the Badgers (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten) shot 52 percent to win their 24th straight home game and improve to 20-0 in conference home games under coach Bo Ryan.

Arkansas 70, No. 22 Vanderbilt 62

Fayetteville, Ark. — Freshman guard Ronnie Brewer scored a season-high 21 points and Jonathon Modica matched that to help Arkansas to a victory over No. 22 Vanderbilt, which lost its third straight Southeastern Conference road game.

No. 25 South Carolina 61, LSU 55

Columbia, S.C. — Carlos Powell had 12 points, including South Carolina’s only three-pointer of the game with 1:38 left, to lead the 25th-ranked Gamecocks past LSU.