Detroit rallies past UIC 83-72

Paris Bass scored 22 points with 11 rebounds, and Carlton Brundidge scored 21 with seven assists as Detroit defeated UIC 83-72 on Friday night, winning for the sixth time in seven games.Anton Wilson added 18 points with four 3-pointers as the Titans overcame an early 12-point deficit to trail 34-33 at halftime and then outscore UIC 50-38 in the second half by shooting 52 percent.The Titans (15-12, 9-7 Horizon League) had 19 assists for 27 made field goals. Bass, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, recorded his fifth-straight 20-point game and 11th in the 20 games he’s played this season. His double-double was his fourth in a row.Dikembe Dixson, a 6-foot-7 freshman averaging 19 points per game, led UIC with 26 points, which has tied him for the Horizon League’s freshman season scoring record of 501.Tai Odiase scored 12 points with 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots for the Flames (5-21, 3-12).

Valpo beats Oakland to clinch tie for Horizon Regular Season Title

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VALPARAISO—Alec Peters scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and finished with a career-high tying 14 rebounds to help Valparaiso beat Oakland 86-84 Friday night and secure at least a share of its fourth Horizon League regular season title in five seasons.Vashil Fernandez and Keith Carter had 13 points apiece, Jubril Adekoya scored 12, Shane Hammink added 11 points and Tevonn Walker 10 for Valparaiso (23-5, 13-2).Back-to-back layups by Kay Felder capped a 10-0 run and pulled Oakland (19-10, 10-5) within five with 2:11 left.Peters hit a 3 with 60 seconds to go, ending a scoreless stretch of three minutes, 19 seconds for Valpo, giving the Crusaders an 83-75 lead.Martez Walker converted a 3-point play for Oakland and, after Tevonn Walker hit 1 of 2 free throws on the other end, Felder made a layup to make it 84-81 with six seconds left, but two foul shots by Adekoya sealed it.Felder had 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Oakland.

Bulls trade Hinrich, then lose to Cavs for 5th in a row.

Chicago Bulls Logo - Red bull with script above head

CLEVELAND—There was no loud music, none of the usual joking around inside Cleveland’s locker room.The mood was somber after a win. The Cavaliers no longer have Anderson Varejao. LeBron James scored 25 points and barely missed a triple-double, Kevin Love added 15 points and 15 rebounds and the Cavs looked refreshed and refocused following from the All-Star break with a 106-95 victory over the Bulls on Thursday night.James had nine rebounds and nine assists in 35 minutes for the Cavs, who lost their first two matchups with the Bulls this season. But the Bulls are broken, missing three key players because of injuries. ”In the first two games we didn’t match their intensity and got beat,” James said. ”Today, I think we answered the call.” Cleveland has its sights set on finishing with the East’s best record and earlier in the day the club acquired forward Channing Frye from Orlando in a three-team trade the Cavs hope can get them an NBA title. But to get Frye, the Cavs had to deal the wildly popular Varjeao.He spent 12 seasons with the Cavs, endearing himself to his teammates with his hustle and becoming one of the city’s most popular players, known as ”Wild Thing” for his all-out style and long, frizzy hair.James will deeply miss Varejao, his teammate for eight seasons. ”That’s the worst part of the business right there,” James said. ”When you lose a brother, lose a teammate, that’s the worst part about it.” Derrick Rose scored 28 points and Pau Gasol had 14 for the Bulls, just 5-14 since they were a season-best 10 games over .500 on Jan. 9. The Bulls are currently without Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic and Joakim Noah. ”We’ve just got to stay together through the good, the bad and the ugly – and it’s the ugly right now,” Rose said. ”I’m going to keep controlling what I can control. We’re trying to fight to be in the playoffs.” With the Bulls hanging around in the third quarter, James scored seven points during a 15-4 run capped by his dunk off a lob from J.R. Smith. James celebrated his latest highlight clip, which gave the Cavs a 17-point lead, with a dance that would have enraged Noah, who complained about similar theatrics by the four-time MVP in the past.Love was aggressive inside all night in his first game since sustaining a shoulder stinger on Feb. 10.The Bulls also were involved in a three-team trade before the NBA’s 3 p.m. deadline, but it didn’t involve Gasol.Instead, they sent veteran guard Kirk Hinrich to Atlanta for a future second-round pick and acquired guard Justin Holiday from Utah. The moves save the Bulls some luxury tax money but they certainly won’t tilt the balance of power in the Eastern Conference.There had been loud rumblings that Gasol would be dealt, but the veteran center is staying put and remains open to re-signing with the Bulls as a free agent this summer. ”I was surprised there was so much noise about it,” Gasol said.

“The positive is hearing that a lot of teams are interested in my services. The negative is the uncertainty and waiting for your team to pull the trigger. If they didn’t trade me, the assumption is they would like to keep me. I assume that’s their mindset.”

Despite the Bulls’ many problems, Mike Dunleavy feels the team can regroup. ”I know we’ll win a lot of games and end up fine, but the margin of error is small for us right now,” said Dunleavy, who played his fourth game after missing 49 with a back injury. ”We believe in the guys in this locker room and the coaching staff. You’ve got to love the challenge.”

 

NOTES—Taj Gibson is the only Bulls player to appear in all 53 games this season. … The Bulls lost for the first time in six games on Thursday night. … Hinrich finished his career with Bulls ranked third in games, assists and steals, behind only Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Matthew Dellavedova scored seven points in his first game after missing five straight with a strained hamstring. … Varejao’s impact extended beyond the floor, and coach Tyronn Lue said the easygoing Brazilian will be missed. ”It’s going to be tough on me, just knowing what Andy meant to his organization, meant to the fan base,” Lue said. ”Every time I played him, he was there. Every time I called his number, he was ready. And just having those type of guys around: professional, always smiling, in a good mood, always holding other guys accountable, that’s just a great guy to have around. And it’s a hard guy to lose.”….The Bulls host Toronto on Friday.

Panarin’s hat trick helps Hawks beat Rangers 5-3. White House visit next.

NEW YORK—The Blackhawks are heading to the White House to celebrate their third Stanley Cup in six years, and they are bringing along a Russian rookie who could help them win another championship.Artemi Panarin scored his first hat trick and the Hawks rallied to beat the New York Rangers 5-3 on Wednesday night after blowing a two-goal lead. ”He’s been great for us,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said of the 24-year-old sensation who was signed as an undrafted free agent over the summer. ”The consistency, the contribution to that line, the power play, the puck possession game, the offense from Day 1. He’s been fun to watch. He’s enjoying himself here.” Panarin played last season in the KHL for Saint Petersburg and wasn’t a part of the Blackhawks’ Cup winner.However, he will be with the team Thursday morning when it visits with President Barack Obama at the White House. ”I’m sure that the guys that are on the team now that have been a part of it before will enjoy it, and the guys who weren’t here will try to do it again this year and be back again,” said Patrick Kane, who set up Panarin’s winner with 3 minutes to play. The Rangers were not happy with the penalty on defenseman Keith Yandle for holding Jonathan Toews behind the net with 3:30 to play. They were miffed even more 30 seconds later when Kane found Panarin coming down the middle for a slam dunk against Henrik Lundqvist in close.Panarin added his 22nd of the season into an empty net with 1:11 to go.Lundqvist was so annoyed with the late penalty he yelled at the officials as they skated off the ice after the game. ”I didn’t argree with the calls in the end but that’s how it goes,” said Lundqvist, who only faced 19 shots. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault felt three of the four penalties called on his team were borderline. ”You’ve got to find a way to get the job done, killing the penalty,” he said. ”We didn’t do that.” Andrew Desjardins and Andrew Shaw also scored and Corey Crawford made 31 saves to help Chicago hand New York its first regulation loss at home in 11 games (8-1-2).The Blackhawks, who scored a season-high four power-play goals Monday, got three more against New York, which was 2-for-2 on its power play.Kevin Hayes, Derick Brassard and Dan Boyle scored for New York, which rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead early in the third period.Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh returned after missing four games with a concussion.Shaw tied it at 3 with a shot in close off a great setup by Teuvo Teravainen at 9:53, also on a power play.Trailing 2-0 midway through the second period, the Rangers reeled off three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead early in the third period.Hayes started the comeback with a goal in close at 13:45 of the second period and Brassard and Boyle put New York ahead with power-play goals in a 1:53 span early in the third period.Both power-play goals came on a four-minute high-sticking penalty to Vincent Hinostroza.Hayes, who got his goal off a great setup by rookie Oscar Lindberg, set up Boyle go-ahead goal with a nice pass from the right corner. Brassard had tied the game at 2-all with his career-best 20th goal.The Blackhawks had jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals by Desjardins and Panarin.The Hawks scored on its first shot with Teravainen making a centering pass from the right corner for a tap in by Desjardins. It was his first goal in 12 games and Teravainen’s first assist in 12.The Rangers thought they had tied the game early in the second period when Dan Girardi beat Crawford with a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle. Crawford immediately complained that Chris Kreider nudged him before the shot, the Blackhawks’ coaching staff challenged and referees Brian Pochmara and Justin St. Pierre waved the goal off after reviewing the replay.The giveaway on the call was Kreider. He raised his stick in a rather lukewarm fashion after the goal, almost an admission he was in the wrong.Not only did the Rangers lose the goal, their deficit increased to 2-0 midway through the period when Kreider was called for holding in the offensive zone. Late in the penalty, Panarin ripped a shot from the left face circle into the top corner with Anisimov screening Lundqvist.While McDonagh returned, Rangers alternate captain Marc Staal was not in the lineup to be with his wife Lindsay as she gave birth to their second child, a daughter, Emily.

 

NOTES—Veteran defenseman Rob Scuderi cleared waivers and the Blackhawks assigned him to Rockford (AHL). … D Erik Gustafsson returned to the Bears lineup after being a healthy scratch for two games. … Free- agent Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was at the game. … After missing practice Tuesday with the flu, Boyle was in the lineup, almost by necessity because the team only had six defensemen with Staal missing,

St.Johns halts 16 game losing streak at DePaul’s expense

NEW YORK—Durand Johnson had been to a lot of postgame news conferences in the last two months. This one was different. ”We got one. That’s why I’m smiling,” Johnson said Wednesday night after St. John’s ended a 16-game losing streak with an 80-65 victory over DePaul. Ron Mvouika, the other graduate transfer on the Red Storm, leaned into the microphone. ”It’s about damn time,” he said with a huge smile. ”We’re not done but it feels great.” The Red Storm last won on Dec. 13, against Syracuse. They blew by the old school record of seven straight losses. The streak was the longest in Division I. They finally got to celebrate after a game. ”It’s somewhat of a relief and somewhat justified,” first-year coach Chris Mullin said. ”They got a win and they had played well enough to win they just haven’t broken through. You can only do so much. They have to break through themselves.” St. John’s (8-19, 1-13) managed its first Big East win of the season rather easily except for some frenetic minutes down the stretch when the Blue Demons cut a 20-point deficit to nine. ”Th4e first step is to win a game and now we have to build off this,” said Johnson, who finished with 18 points. ”It feels good to be on the winning side for change. Now we have to build on it and get a couple more wins.” Federico Mussini scored all of his 17 points in the second half and the energy he brought off the bench was the key to the win.St. John’s had a 31-24 halftime lead but things didn’t look good at the start of the second half as the Blue Demons (8-17, 2-11) scored the first eight points of the half to take a 32-31 lead.But the Red Storm got the lead right back on a rebound basket by Felix Balamou and they never gave it back. ”We were playing good in the first half but we knew we had to put more energy in and when we didn’t start good in the second half I came off the bench and gave us some energy.” Mussini had half the points in a 14-2 run that gave St. John’s a 54-37 lead with 9:12 to play. The Red Storm went on to lead by 20 with 6 minutes to play. DePaul got as close as 74-65 in the final minutes.Kassoum Yakwe and Malik Ellison had 11 points each for St. John’s, which has won 11 of the last 13 meetings with DePaul and seven straight at home. ”From a basketball point it was brutal,” Mullin said of the streak. ”But they can’t take this to the next game. They have to perform. They’ll feel better about themselves but the preparation and approach won’t vary.” Eli Cain had a career-high 25 points for DePaul, which has lost three straight and five of six. ”We didn’t respond when they answered our start to the second half,” DePaul coach Dave Leitao said. ”They had been playing so hard for Chris and tonight they played well enough to get a win.” The Blue Demons missed their first nine 3-point attempts and finished 4 for 19 from beyond the arc.St. John’s came into the game last in 10-team Big East in almost every statistical category but it didn’t look that way against DePaul. The Red Storm came in averaging 66.5 points on 39.6 percent shooting. They finished shooting 44.1 percent (26 of 59).Fans at Carnesecca Arena were given a bobblehead of former St. John’s center Bill Wennington. The three-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls played with Mullin on St. John’s Final Four team in 1985. The 7-foot Wennington is one of nine players in St. John’s history to have 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks.St. John’s and DePaul meet again in eight days at Allstate Arena.The last game for each team was against No. 1 Villanova. The Red Storm lost at Villanova 73-63 last weekend, and the Blue Demons lost 85-59 to the Wildcats at home on Feb. 9.The Blue Demons’ Big East wins were over Providence and Marquette. … Billy Garrett Jr. is one of the leading free throw shooters in the conference at 83.8 percent. Twelve times in DePaul history has a player gone 11-for-11 from the free throw in a game and Garrett has done it four times. He was 5 for 8 from the line Wednesday. Garrett injured an ankle just before halftime but he played in the second half and finished with 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting, including 1 of 6 from 3-point range. ”Billy doesn’t rely on speed and quickness for his game and he said he was OK and he tried to tough it out,” Leitao said. This was the Red Storm’s last game of the season at on-campus Carnesecca Arena. Their final two home games will be at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s was 5-6 at Carnesecca this season. … St. John’s entered the game first in the Big East and sixth in Division I in blocked shots at 5.9 per game. The Red Storm had seven blocks Wednesday.DePaul hosts Marquette on Saturday.

ISU easy over Indiana State

NORMAL—Paris Lee scored 18 points and made four assists, MiKyle McIntosh added 14 points and Illinois State never trailed in its 78-50 win over Indiana State on Wednesday night.The Redbirds (17-11, 11-4) have won a season-high five straight games and have their best Missouri Valley Conference start through 15 games since 1997-98.DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell scored 12 and Deontae Hawkins added 10. The Redbirds outscored the Sycamores 32-14 in the paint and outrebounded them 46-35.Illinois State opened with a 21-4 run and never looked back, pulling to a 44-23 halftime lead on 58.1 percent shooting behind nine points each from McIntosh and Tony Wills.Illinois State scored 10 unanswered points and pulled further away, 70-42, in the second half while the Sycamores missed six shots over four minutes.Khristian Smith and Everett Clemons scored 14 apiece for Indiana State (13-14, 7-8), which has lost four straight.

Loyola upsets Northern Iowa 59-56

Milton Doyle scored 13 points and Montel James made a crucial 3-point play in the final seconds as Loyola upended Northern Iowa 59-56 on Wednesday night.Northern Iowa’s Paul Jesperson drained three 3-pointers early in the second half to put the Panthers on top 38-31. The Ramblers fought back and James converted a 3-point play for a 55-54 lead with 44 seconds remaining.Earl Peterson made two free throws with six second left for a three-point lead. Loyola elected to foul and Northern Iowa missed both free throws but the ball went out of bounds off of the Ramblers. UNI missed a shot at the buzzer.Donte Ingram added 10 points for the Ramblers (13-14, 6-9 Missouri Valley Conference). James, Peterson and Devon Turk had nine points each.Jesperson finished with 16 points for the Panthers (16-12, 8-7), who had a six-game winning streak snapped.

SIU pulls away from struggling Bradley

CARBONDALE—Sean O’Brien had 24 points including a pair of key baskets in the final 5:10 to help Southern Illinois hold off Bradley 71-59 on Wednesday night.Anthony Beane, after missing his first 12 attempts from the field, had back-to-back 3-pointers down the stretch that were crucial in helping the Salukis (21-7, 10-5 Missouri Valley Conference) pull away.Bradley (4-24, 2-13) had a 12-2 run to pull within 55-52 with 5:27 left. O’Brien hit a jumper to stop the run and Beane followed with the two 3s – his only points of the night. O’Brien added a 3 to make it 66-55 with 2 minutes left.Mike Rodriguez scored 14 points and Bola Olaniyan had 11 points and 11 rebounds for SIU.Donte Thomas had 17 points and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye scored 12 for the Braves. Thomas scored six during the late run that pulled Bradley within three.

Illinois sweep Rutgers, keep Scarlet Knights winless in Big Ten

Illinois Fighting Illini (2004 - 2013)

CHAMPAIGN—Malcolm Hill looked like he was in pain warming up before Tuesday night’s game following a hamstring injury in practice on Monday. But after putting up 22 points and 10 rebounds against Rutgers, his teammates joked that he was faking it.The Illini junior guard led Illinois to an 82-66 win over Rutgers with his sixth double-double of the season. ”(My hamstring) was really tight and sore,” Hill said. ”Whenever the ball tips, I tell myself I’m 100 percent because that just makes me not think about it.” Illinois (12-14, 4-9 Big Ten) cruised out to a 47-25 lead over Rutgers (6-20, 0-13 Big Ten) at the half and never looked back.And in the second, Hill looked relaxed, throwing down a flashy dunk and even hitting a half-court basket to beat the shot clock midway through the half. ”Malcolm showed some courage today,” Illinois coach John Groce said, mentioning that his leading scorer wasn’t 100 percent healthy Tuesday. Groce said he had a ”gut feeling” Hill would be ready to go Tuesday. The Illini used a 13-0 run to jump out to an early 13-4 lead and Rutgers never recovered, committing 10 turnovers in the first half. Illinois had 21 points off 16 Scarlet Knight turnovers in the game. ”We took really bad shots,” Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan said. ”We just lost our minds, in a sense.” The Scarlet Knights were playing without leading-scorer Corey Sanders, who was dealt a two-week suspension Monday for violating team rules.After the game, Jordan said Sanders’ ”absence is felt.” Illinois went on a 15-2 run later in the half to jump out to a 47-25 lead that effectively put the game out of reach.The Scarlet Knights have lost 13-straight games, all in conference play.Illini forward Maverick Morgan had 17 points, while guard Kendrick Nunn added 16.Jonathan Laurent led Rutgers with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but the Scarlet Knights shot 29 percent from the 3-point range and struggled to get anything going offensively. Mike Williams and Bishop Daniels added 15 points apiece.Rutgers has now lost 13-straight games, all in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights are 2-29 in conference play since joining the Big Ten in the 2014-15 season.

 

NOTES—Jordan announced Monday that Sanders was suspended for two weeks for violating team rules. The Scarlet Knights guard is the team’s leading scorer with 16.2 points per game. Sanders has started 21 games for Rutgers this season and leads all Big Ten freshman in points (16.2), steals (1.66), and minutes per game (33.5). Jordan benched the freshman at the start of two games in early January. Sanders also missed Rutgers’ season opener to serve a self-imposed suspension for NCAA violations. ”The absence is felt,” coach Eddie Jordan said after the game….Hill had 22 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday night, one day after suffering a hamstring injury in practice Monday three days following his worst outing of the season. The junior guard had a season-low seven points and matched his season high with five turnovers in Illinois’ loss at Northwestern on Saturday. He had scored in double-digits in every other game this season. ”He’s just a tough nut to crack,” Jordan said after the game….Morgan had 17 points and five rebounds on Tuesday. The Illini forward has reached double digits in his last four games. Morgan has played off the bench for the majority of the season, averaging 7.2 points per game coming into Tuesday…..Illinois visits Wisconsin on Sunday.

Purdue dominates boards & beats NU 71-61

Northwestern Wildcats (1981 - Pres)

WEST LAFAYETTE—Purdue coach Matt Painter would take toughness over style any day.So on a night the Boilermakers struggled to make shots or take advantage of their early opportunities to pull away, he enjoyed watching his team discover its true identity.A.J. Hammons had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Johnny Hill scored a season-high 15 points and No. 17 Purdue finally strung together a 10-2 run to get past Northwestern 71-61 on Tuesday. ”We had to stick with what we were doing and keep pounding the basketball inside, keep making them make a decision on what to do once the ball goes inside,” Painter said. ”I thought our guys did a good job at grinding out the victory.” To the casual basketball fan, it was a night filled with ugliness.But to Painter, it was basketball beauty.Purdue (21-6, 9-5 Big Ten) adapted to the challenges by working together to overcome their third-worst shooting game of the season, 38.3 percent.Fortunately, Hammons dominated the first half, when he had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Hill delivered in the second half, with 11 of his 15 points. Ryan Cline was the only other player in double figures, finishing with 11 points including a key 3-pointer that extended the lead to nine with 6:36 to go. ”It allowed us to get going a little bit on offense and have a little free flow to us,” Hill said. ”It translated to the defensive end where you get some energy.” Things didn’t go much smoother for the Wildcats (17-10, 5-9).They missed their first eight shots, couldn’t make 3s and struggled to match the much bigger Boilermakers. Things got even bleaker when Northwestern got into deep foul trouble.Somehow, though, Northwestern trailed just 51-46 with 8:24 to go. ”We just hung in there,” coach Chris Collins said. ”I thought we executed really well offensively early. We just didn’t shoot the ball well early in the game. We were able to make some as the game wore on. Those wide open shots, for us to beat a good team like Purdue, we’re going to have to hit.” Purdue opened the game by scoring the first eight points, then strung together two 6-0 runs but only led 27-15.Northwestern finished the half with a three-point play from McIntosh and a 3 from Demps to get within 35-27, and when Gavin Skelly made one of two free throws with 15:58 left in the game, the Wildcats trailed just 39-35.But the Boilermakers steadied themselves and finally took advantage of consecutive 3s from Cline and Hill to spur the decisive flurry that made it 64-50 with 4:39 left.Northwestern didn’t get closer than seven points the rest of the way.In addition to Purdue’s poor overall shooting percentage, it was 4 of 13 from 3-point range. NU, meanwhile, shot 56 percent in the second half to improve its overall shooting percentage to 44.6 but finished 6 of 27 from beyond the arc.After getting outrebounded for the first time all season Saturday at Michigan, the Boilermakers got back in sync Tuesday. They had a 45-24 advantage in rebounds and still had a 24-18 scoring advantage in the paint despite getting outscored 12-8 in the second half by the smaller, foul-prone Wildcats.Purdue is 15-1 at home this season and is tied for the fourth-most wins in one season at Mackey Arena. The last time the Boilers won that many games was 2008-09. Three teams have won 16 games inside the arena, and if the Boilermakers can beat No. 6 Maryland and Wisconsin in their final two home games, they will break the record. NOTES—Alex Olah had 12 points and two rebounds but was limited to 21 minutes because of foul trouble. … After winning their first four road games, the Wildcats have lost five straight. … They are 5-39 all-time at Mackey and are 5-8 when failing to make at least nine 3s in games this season….Was 21 of 28 from the free throw line, compared with five of eight for Northwestern, thanks to a 26-14 disparity in fouls called. … The Boilermakers had a 36-12 scoring advantage off the bench. … Hammons, the Big Ten’s top active shot-blocker, had only one Tuesday.Northwestern visits Michigan on Feb. 24.