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Shabazz Napier knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in overtime and, once again, provided the late-game heroics to propel UConn to a 73-66 victory over Cincinnati Thursday night at the XL Center.

Napier scored 11 of his 27 points in overtime.

STAR OF THE GAME: Although he was less-than-spectacular in regulation, Napier’s overtime performance made all the difference. In 29:40 of overtime this year, Napier has scored an absurd 45 points.

KEY TO THE WIN: UConn battled through a horrific second half, but Cincinnati, which shot just 6-for-22 from deep, never truly capitalized.

* Titus Rubles gave the Bearcats a 55-53 lead on a putback in the final minute, and Shabazz Napier responded with an acrobatic layup to tie it. His left-handed layup at the end of regulation rimmed out.

*UConn endured an 8:51 scoring drought in the second half and still never fell behind. An Omar Calhoun dish to Tyler Olander broke the ice and gave the Huskies a 45-43 lead. Before that dunk, UConn had converted just two of its first 11 field goals in the second half.

*DeAndre Daniels, yanked in the opening minutes, returned and provided a spark on both ends, scoring 17 points and swatting away four shots. He hit a 3-pointer on a kickout from Shabazz Napier that cut Cincinnati’s lead to 53-52.

*Calhoun (sprained wrist) was limited offensively. He misfired badly on his first few free throw attempts before finding a rhythm. He hit two free throws in overtime to give UConn a 63-57 lead with two minutes remaining.

*Cincinnati’s leading scorer, Sean Kilpatrick, was held in check, but he buried two 3-pointers during a mini-run that gave the Bearcats a late lead.

*A Shabazz Napier free throw tied the game, 53-53, with 1:30 remaining.

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UConn knocked down six 3-pointers in the first half as it entered the break with a 37-34 lead on Cincinnati Thursday at the XL Center.

DeAndre Daniels, pulled after two possessions, re-entered and provided a spark on both ends, burying a pair of 3s and swatting away four shots. Shabazz Napier led the Huskies with 11 points and Cashmere Wright scored 10 for Cincinnati.

The two teams combined for 10 3-pointers.

UConn went on a 9-0 run to take a late six point lead.

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WHEN: Tonight, 7

WHERE: XL Center, Hartford

RECORDS: Cincinnati 19-7, 7-6 Big East; UConn 17-7, 7-5)

ON THE AIR: ESPN (John Saunders, Seth Greenberg, Andy Katz); WTIC-AM 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)

UP NEXT: Saturday at DePaul, 8 (SNY)

CINCINNATI

Sean Kilpatrick (AP)

Cashmere Wright, G, 6-0 R-Sr.: 13.3 ppg, 3.4 apg

JaQuon Parker, G, 6-3 Sr.: 10.9 ppg, 4.8

Sean Kilpatrick, G, 6-4 Sr.: 19.6 ppg, 27 3-point FG in past 8 games

Justin Jackson, F, 6-8 Jr.: 1.4 blocks in 19.1 mins

Cheikh Mbodj, C, 6-10 Sr.: 5.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.5 bpg

Titus Rubles, F, 6-7 Jr.: Team-high 5.8 rpg in 21.3 mpg

Jermaine Sanders, F, 6-5 So.: 3.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg

David Nyarsuk, C, 7-1 Jr.: 3 ppg, 1 bpg

Shaquille Thomas, F, 6-7 Fr.: 2.7 ppg

UCONN

Shabazz Napier, G, 6-0 Jr..: 1-8 FG vs. Villanova

Ryan Boatright, G, 5-10 So.: 4 pts, 1 assist, 5 TO vs. Villanova

Omar Calhoun, G, 6-5 Fr.: Big East Rookie of Week after 15.5 ppg, 6 rpg

DeAndre Daniels, F, 6-8 So.: Team-high 4.9 rpg

Tyler Olander, F, 6-9 Jr.: 3.8 rpg in 22.2 mpg

Niels Giffey, F, 6-7 Jr.: 11 pts vs. Villanova

R.J. Evans, G, 6-3 R-Sr.: 3 pts in 12 mins vs. Villanova

Phil Nolan, F, 6-9 Fr.: 1 reb in 5 mins vs. Villanova

Leon Tolksdorf, F, 6-8 Fr.: Career-high 6 pts vs. Villanova

STORY LINES

CHEIKH IT OUT: The Bearcats are one of three Big East teams that rank in the top 10 nationally for blocked shots. Cincinnati, which swats 6.4 per game, has a few long big men, including 6-foot-10 center Cheikh Mbodj. “We have to use our pump fakes and we just have to take it to the rim,” coach Kevin Ollie said. “If they’re blocking shots, that gives us the opportunity for offensive rebounds. We have to take it to the rim, take it with power, make sure we don’t go ball-first and make sure we go body-first.”

LET HIM LAUNCH: Cincinnati’s Sean Kilpatrick is second in the Big East in 3-pointers per game (2.62), but he converts on just 32.9 percent of his attempts.

Live Updates

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With six games remaining, three Huskies are alive for league honors. Check the candidates for Big East Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year below.

BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR

The Leader: Kevin Ollie, UConn — No coach in history has dealt with a postseason ban, a seven-month contract, a mass exodus in the frontcourt and, oh yeah, the task of filling a Hall of Famer’s shoes. Ollie should win if UConn finishes strong.

Still alive: John Thompson III, Georgetown — Big John was a three-time winner. JT3 is in search of his first.

Buzz Williams, Marquette — At 10-3, Marquette must be considered the Big East’s biggest surprise. Williams has done a masterful job coaching up a team that graduated Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom.

Otto Porter Jr. (AP)

BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR

The Leader: Otto Porter, Georgetown — The 6-foot-8 sophomore is distancing himself from the pack. He leads the streaking Hoyas in points (15.1), rebounds (7.7), steals (1.8) and 3-point percentage (44.6).

Still alive: Russ Smith, Louisville — At times, he looks like the best guard in the country. At others, he looks like…well, he’s killing his own team. Russdiculous has a shot if the Cards get rolling.

Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse — Second in the nation in assists, Carter-Williams makes Syracuse go.

Brandon Triche, Syracuse — Seniors usually take home this award. Triche, who leads the Orange with 14.9 points per game, has played well since a 3-for-15 nightmare at UConn.

Shabazz Napier, UConn — Name a Big East player more valuable to his team. Not sure you can.

Jack Cooley, Notre Dame — The Irish are 9-5 and Cooley averages 14.5 points and 11.1 rebounds. He’s certainly still in the mix.

BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

The leader: JaKarr Sampson, St. John’s — This is Sampson’s race to lose. Barring something wild down the stretch, this honor belongs to the 6-foot-8 Sampson, who sports averages of 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 62 percent from the field.

Still alive: Omar Calhoun, UConn — After a so-so start, Calhoun has come on strong, converting enormous 3-pointers against Providence and Syracuse. He’s also developed well as a defender and rebounder.

Chris Obekpa, St. John’s — It’s difficult to win freshman of the year when you average 3.6 points per game, but Obekpa’s presence on defense — he leads the nation with 4.1 blocks per contest— makes him a shoo-in for the All-Rookie team.

Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova – Shooting just 35.6 percent from the field, Arcidiacono has had some big games for the Wilcats, including a 25-point outburst against UConn last week.