SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Debbie Busacco struggled with her emotions as she thought about what promises to be a difficult moment.That moment comes Saturday when the Syracuse Orange (6-3) host former Big East rival Georgetown (6-4) and her late fiance, Dwayne Pearl Washington , will be celebrated for his contributions.He would be smiling, said Busacco, who will make the trip. I guess its bittersweet. Itll be overwhelming. He would want us to be there to honor him and keep his spirit alive. He would love that.Washington, the man longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has called his most important player, died of cancer in April at age 52. He left an indelible mark on the Syracuse program and his legacy will continue.The university is establishing the Pearl Washington Endowed Fund for Continuing Education and has set a $1 million endowment goal. The fund will support student-athletes who leave the university and later return to pursue their degrees. Results of a 31-day fundraising drive will be announced at halftime Saturday during a tribute ceremony for Washington, who wore No. 31.Of course, we all wish things like this were done while someone was alive, said Elmer Anderson, a former high school teammate of Washington. Its a culmination of the wonderful things Dwayne did for the university. It was an extension of the university wherever he went.Washington left Syracuse after his junior year to play in the NBA. After a brief pro career, he returned to the university to complete his class requirements and received a bachelors degree in speech communication. He was working toward a masters degree in the school of education during the mid-1990s when he was first diagnosed with a brain tumor.Surgery was performed in August 2015 to treat the recurrence of a brain tumor and Washington had required around-the-clock care and a wheelchair when he died.There was plenty of support in his final months. (hash)PrayersforPearl became a social media gathering point last season and ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas gave the movement national exposure. In early March, Bilas wore the all-orange Pearl warmup shirt that Syracuse players had donned on the bench during games.Washingtons electrifying play was instrumental in helping create the aura of greatness the Big East Conference enjoyed during its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s. The opponent on Saturday, Georgetown, is fitting. Some of Washingtons most memorable moments came against the Hoyas, who havent played in the Carrier Dome since 2013, the year Syracuse bolted for the Atlantic Coast Conference.For them to take time out and take so much energy in making this a special moment is certainly a blessing, Anderson said. I just want to squeeze the oranges and let the juice drip, instead of tears. Its a beautiful thing, and for it to be against Georgetown, its just great.One of Washingtons signature moments against Georgetown came in the semifinals of the 1985 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Towering Georgetown center Patrick Ewing elbowed the 6-foot-2 Washington in the ribs, Pearl retaliated with an elbow to the stomach, and Ewing came back with a punch that missed. Neither was ejected, but Washington endeared himself even more to Orange fans with his display of spunk in a league that was renowned for its physical play.The next year, Washington scored 24 points in a 1-point victory over Georgetown in February and followed with 21 points and eight assists in a 75-73 overtime win over the Hoyas in the Big East semifinals.Even though the Orange failed to win the Big East title that year -- St. Johns star Walter Berry blocked Washingtons lay-up attempt from behind at the final buzzer of the title game and the Orange lost 70-69 -- Pearl was named MVP of the tournament after posting 68 points and 29 assists in three games.Washington left an impressive trail when he left for the pros: Big East rookie of the year, first-team Big East all three years of college, and first team All-American his junior year. He averaged 15.6 points, 6.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds and led the Orange in assists and steals in each of his three years at the school.A dinner to celebrate Washingtons legacy was to be held Friday night at the university, and Derrick Coleman, Rafael Addison and Billy Owens were expected to be among several former Orange stars at Saturdays game.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 NBA Jerseys Cheap . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Cheap Basketball Jerseys . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. 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MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Bucks, playing some of their best basketball of the season, try to wrap up their four-game homestand on a high note Friday night when they meet the Atlanta Hawks at the Bradley Center.After having a four-game winning streak snapped earlier in the week against San Antonio, the Bucks bounced back Wednesday night with a 115-107 victory over Portland. They won for the sixth time in their last eight games to move two games over .500 for the first time this season.Much of that success can be tied to a massive improvement in Milwaukees defense, which is the leagues stingiest in terms of field goal percentage at 42.8 percentage. And while opponents are attempting an NBA-high 31 3-pointers per game, they make 31.8 of those shots, the lowest percentage in the league.The numbers are reminiscent of coach Jason Kidds first year in Milwaukee, when the Bucks led the league in both categories and made a surprising run to the postseason.I think were getting used to our length, Kidd said Wednesday, when the Blazers attempted 40 but made only 17 3-pointers. Were guarding the 3-point line a little bit better than we have in the past.But when were making teams miss, we just have to rebound the ball. We want to get up in that top-10 for rebounding -- I think were 15th or 17th, somewhere in there -- so we can get better. If we can get better in that area, thats going to make our defense even better.Offensively, the Bucks young tandem of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker are starting to take a step forward. Antetokounmpo posted his second triple-double of the season Wednesday while Parker sccored a team-high 27 points.ddddddddddddParker has scored 20 or more points in three of his last four games and is averaging 21.8 points on 50 percent shooting during that stretch, leaving his teammate impressed.(Jabari) is a beast right now, Antetokounmpo said. The team is rolling right now. Were feeling good.Milwaukees defense didnt fare so well in its first meeting with the Hawks this season. Atlanta connected at a 48.6 percent clip -- the highest shooting percentage allowed by Milwaukee this season -- while holding the Bucks to 39.8 percent shooting for a 107-100 victory on Nov. 16.The Hawks are no slouch either on the defensive end and come into the game third in the NBA with 9.3 steals per game, second in forcing turnovers (16.3 per game) and fourth in turning those miscues into points (18.3).But Atlantas offense is struggling, especially inside where their 43.2 points per game rank 18th in the league. The Hawks scored 58 points in the paint Wednesday and the result was a 103-95 victory over Miami that snapped a seven-game losing streak.Dwight Howard, who scored 23 points in the contest, said better ball movement is key.On the offensive end we have to move the ball a lot better than we have in the past, Howard told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. We were doing a lot of things -- one pass and shot. We went from the top of the league in moving the ball and getting guys shots to the bottom half. We have to get back to just moving the ball and playing through motions. ' ' '