MESA—The Cubs and Cincinnati Reds split their squads and the Reds won both.Dontrelle Willis injured right ankle and left the Reds’ 7-6 victory over the Cubs at Ho Ho Kam Park after spraining his ankle when he tripped over a bat while backing up home plate in the fifth inning.The big left-hander, trying to win a spot in the Reds’ bullpen, recorded just one out Saturday and was charged with four runs, two earned.While the Reds think Willis will be OK, the Cubs also were encouraged by the outing they got from Carlos Silva, who has struggled so far this spring.Why? WHo knows since Silva allowed four runs and five hits in five innings, lowering his ERA from 29.70 to 16.20. The 31-year-old right-hander retired the Reds in order three times, but Cincinnati got to him for two in the third and two in the fifth.If that’s an improvement,then the Cubs have problems.Jeremy Hermida and Chris Heisey hit solo homers for Cincinnati. Edgar Renteria, Ramon Hernandez and Jonny Gomes each drove in a run.Cincinnati went ahead for good when Paul Janish scored on third baseman Aramis Ramirez’s two-base throwing error in the seventh.Homer Bailey struck out five in four innings for the Reds, yielding one run and six hits.

NOTES—The Reds also beat the Cubs 9-8 in a split-squad game in Las Vegas. … Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto was examined by team physician Dr. Timothy Kremchek in Goodyear. He has tightness in his right biceps and forearm, and will not throw for two days. He will be re-examined on Monday….Cubs RHP Todd Wellemeyer, a non-roster invitee, allowed three runs, two earned, in two innings and revealed he is dealing with a right hip injury.

GLENDALE—Matt Harrison pitched four scoreless innings, leading the Texas Rangers to a 4-1 victory over the White Sox.Harrison allowed a pair of singles, struck out four and walked none. The 6-foot-4 left-hander has yielded just one run in nine innings this spring.He used his fastball, changeup and curveball against the White Sox, saving his cutter for when the games count.Andres Blanco hit a two-run triple in the second inning and Doug Deeds added a two-out, two-run single in the fourth for the defending American League champs.Edwin Jackson allowed four runs and eight hits in four innings for the White Sox. The righty struck out three and walked one.Adam Dunn doubled and tripled for two of the Sox five hits on the day.

NOTES—Rangers LF Endy Chavez left in the third inning with a cramp in his right calf. He isn’t expected to miss any time. … Rangers OF Craig Gentry left in the seventh inning with a bruised right shoulder after colliding with the center-field wall on Dunn’s triple. The injury is not considered serious. …Ozzie Guillen said it’s still too early to decide whether Brent Morel or Mark Teahen will earn the starting job at third base

Derrick Rose realizes there are bigger goals out there for the Bulls, so getting in position to grab the Eastern Conference lead from Boston isn’t an end in itself.Rose came on strong after a slow start to finish with 34 points, and the Bulls ran away with its 12th win in 14 games, beating the struggling Atlanta Hawks 94-76 on Friday.The Bulls prevailed on a night when Carlos Boozer sat out with a sprained left ankle thanks to a strong third quarter. Leading the way was Rose with 18 points in the period as the Bulls outscored Atlanta 24-10 to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a 72-60 lead, and the Bulls pulled within a half game of Eastern Conference leader Boston.Luol Deng added 18 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Limited by injuries in recent seasons, Deng has played in all 64 games this year.That run was in jeopardy after he suffered a bruised left thigh while take a knee from Charlotte’s Gerald Henderson on Wednesday. The Bulls won that game to clinch the Central division, but it was a costly victory.Besides Deng’s bruise, Boozer limped off the court after an awkward landing on a late flagrant foul by Kwame Brown and he remains day to day. Thibodeau started Kurt Thomas instead of Taj Gibson in his place to keep an effective second unit intact, and the veteran grabbed 13 rebounds while helping contain Al Horford (six points) in his first appearance since Feb. 23.Joakim Noah had 11 rebounds and the Bulls outrebounded the Hawks 50-28 while sending Atlanta to its fourth straight loss.Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 16 points. Josh Smith added 15 and former Bull Jamal Crawford scored 14 for Atlanta, which went cold in the third — its lowest scoring quarter this season — and remained winless since beating the Bulls at home last week.Rose perked up in a big way, turning around what looked like another brutal performance against Atlanta. He hit just two of 11 shots in the first half after going 5 for 21 with just 12 points and six turnovers in the previous meeting.But after another ex Bull, Kirk Hinrich started the second half by stretching Atlanta’s lead to 52-48 with a jumper, the Bull’s All-Star point guard went to work in a big way as the Bulls reeled off 14 straight points.Rose scored 12 during that stretch, starting it with a 3-pointer and ending it with a driving layup that made it 62-52.The Hawks, meanwhile, missed seven straight shots and went seven minutes without scoring before Crawford hit a 3 with 4:41 remaining. But the Bulls remained in control the rest of the way, with their defense tightening up and Rose going to the rim.

NOTES—The Hawks’ 26 points in the second half was one off its season low….The 28 rebounds also tied a season low for Atlanta, while the Bulls’ 50 where one less than the season-high by an Atlanta opponent….Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen will be on hand as the Bulls celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first championship at halftime of Saturday’s game against Utah. Also attending will be John Paxson, Horace Grant, Stacey King, Craig Hodges, Will Perdue, Scott Williams, Cliff Levingston, Dennis Hopson and assistant coach Johnny Bach. Former Bulls broadcaster Jim Durham will emcee the ceremony…..Grant got a nice ovation when he was shown seated at courtside before the start of the second quarter…..The Hawks had won eight of nine against the Bulls.

NEW YORK—Louisville was in bad shape at halftime. The Cardinals were in foul trouble most of the second half. After dominating in overtime, they’re in the Big East championship game for the second time.Preston Knowles, despite playing the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime with four fouls, scored 20 points to rally No. 14 Louisville to an 83-77 victory over No. 4 Notre Dame on Friday night.The third-seeded Cardinals (25-8), who trailed by 14 points at halftime, will face ninth-seeded and 21st-ranked Connecticut, which advanced with a 76-71 overtime win over Syracuse.It is the first time both Big East semifinals went to overtime, and this was the third extra-session game of the tournament, matching the record. The overtime was certainly nothing new to these teams as six of their last 10 games have gone to the extra 5 minutes, including this season’s meeting, an 87-79 Notre Dame win on Feb. 9.They didn’t, especially conference player of year Ben Hansbrough.He struggled through one of his worst games of the season for the Irish (26-6), who had won 12 of 13. The senior guard finished 3 of 16 from the field for 13 points and had six turnovers.

INDIANAPOLIS—Darius Morris scored eight of his 17 points in the final eight minutes Friday, leading Michigan back from a nine-point deficit to beat Illinois 60-55 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.Wolverines coach John Beilein beat the tourney’s winningest team and won in his 1,000th game as a head coach to set up a semifinal date Saturday with No. 1 Ohio State.Mike Tisdale, Demetri McCamey and Brandon Paul each scored 10 points to lead the Fighting Illini (19-13). It’s only the second time in 14 years that Illinois did not advance to the semis.After closing the first half on a 17-4 run, the Illini didn’t let Michigan (20-12) get closer than seven until Morris took over late.Morris tied the score at 51 with 3:24 left, and Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 3-pointer with 1:42 left finally gave Michigan a 56-53 lead that it didn’t relinquish.

INDIANAPOLIS—For the second straight year, Ohio State barely avoided a stunning upset in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.Jared Sullinger had 20 points and 18 rebounds as the top-ranked Buckeyes beat Northwestern 67-61 in overtime Friday. Last year, Evan Turner’s 37-foot shot at the buzzer lifted Ohio State past rival Michigan.They could, however, make free throws. Sullinger made all 10 of his foul shots in overtime after missing a baseline jumper that would have won the game as time expired in regulation. The Buckeyes attempted just two field goals in the extra period and hit one, a 3-pointer by Jon Diebler — his only 3 of the game.Sullinger shot 2 for 12 from the field but 16 of 18 on free throws. His 18 rebounds fell one short of the tournament record set by Ohio State’s Greg Oden in 2007.The Buckeyes scored 12 of their 15 points in overtime at the free-throw line. Top-seeded Ohio State, the defending tournament champion, won its fifth straight game to advance to Saturday’s semifinals against Michigan.While the Buckeyes are in line for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Northwestern likely needed an improbable run to the conference tournament title to earn its first NCAA appearance.

“We were really hoping to do well at this tournament,” said John Shurna, who led the Wildcats with 23 points. “So it’s disappointing we won’t be — probably won’t be playing in the NCAA tournament, but hopefully it’ll be good for our school and for the program to make the NIT.”

The Buckeyes, who edged NU by one point in their only regular-season meeting, led 56-55 in overtime when Luka Mirkovic was called for hooking Sullinger while they fought for a rebound.Mirkovic was issued a technical foul for disagreeing with the call. It was his fifth foul, and Sullinger’s primary defender was gone.

“Just in that moment, build-up or no build-up, in that moment he certainly didn’t do what he should be doing,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said.

William Buford missed both technical free throws, but Sullinger made his two foul shots to give Ohio State a 58-55 lead. The Buckeyes maintained control by going 6 for 6 from the free throw line the rest of the way.Aaron Craft scored 17 points and Diebler added 13 for the Buckeyes (30-2). Juice Thompson scored 15 points and Drew Crawford had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the eighth-seeded Wildcats (18-13). Thompson was coming off a tournament-record 35 points in Thursday’s win over Minnesota.Ohio State shot 32.2 percent from the field, matching its worst effort of the season, but outrebounded the Wildcats 48-27.Diebler, who had made 17 3-pointers in his previous two games, went 1 for 5 from beyond the arc against the Wildcats. The Buckeyes were 3 of 15 on 3s. The teams battled back and forth in the second half until the final minute. With the score tied at 52, Northwestern had a chance to take the lead, but David Lighty blocked Crawford’s jumper. Then Sullinger’s shot fell short as time expired. Shurna’s shooting kept Northwestern in the game early in the second half, and Thompson’s short jumper with 10:54 remaining gave Northwestern a 38-37 lead. Ohio State couldn’t hit early, and Northwestern took advantage. Shurna made a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 16-14 lead with just under 7 minutes left in the first half.The Buckeyes missed 21 of their first 31 shots, but Craft hit a 3-pointer, then a layup to give the Buckeyes a 26-23 lead in the final minute of the first half. After frantic action near the basket, Craft’s tip-in at the buzzer gave the Buckeyes a 28-23 lead at the break.Ohio State won 58-57 at Northwestern on Jan. 29. In the two meetings, Sullinger said Northwestern earned his respect. “Northwestern, they have crazy discipline,” he said. “I can’t even explain it. They run their offense, nobody tries to make great plays, nobody tries to go out of the ordinary. They stay consistent with their system, and that’s what makes Northwestern so hard to play and makes them so good.” Northwestern didn’t feel good about just being close in either game.

GLENDALE—Ryan Dempster appears ready to take the mound on Opening Day.The Cubs’ No. 1 starter shut out the White Sox for five innings Friday as the Cubs hung on late to beat their crosstown rival 4-3.The righty scattered two hits and struck out six, including the last four he faced. He allowed one walk and hit a batter, but was otherwise dominant, throwing 39 of 64 pitches for strikes.White Sox Opening Day starter Mark Buehrle, on the other hand, labored through a 63-pitch outing. He gave up six hits and three runs in three innings, walking two batters and striking out one. He has given up 16 hits and eight runs in his last two starts.After joking about his innings being on the decline when they should be rising, Buehrle admitted he isn’t happy with his results this spring.Despite giving up a run each inning, things could have been much worse for Buehrle. The two-time defending Gold Glove winner used his dexterity to get out of trouble several times, including snagging a sharp ground ball to start an inning-ending double-play in the third.The White Sox bullpen rebounded nicely, giving up just one run on four hits and striking out six over six innings.Carlos Pena led off the second inning with his first Cactus League home run, sending a 2-2 pitch from Buehrle over the center field wall. Pena singled in another run in the third.Jeff Baker doubled twice and scored a run for the Cubs. Soto added two hits and an RBI. Blake DeWitt and Brett Jackson hit back-to-back doubles in the ninth, producing what would end up being the deciding run.Jeff Samardzija entered in the ninth inning with a four-run cushion but allowed an RBI-double to Stefan Gartrell and a two-run homer to Lastings Milledge to cut the lead to one before recording the final two outs.

NOTES—Peavy felt good after a “very light” 23-pitch bullpen session Friday morning. He makes his next Cactus League start on Monday. … Former White Sox slugger Frank Thomas stopped by the clubhouse for a visit Friday. … Sean Marshall, Thomas Diamond and John Maine all worked scoreless innings for the Cubs. … Illinois governor Pat Quinn attended the game.

PHOENIX—Yovani Gallardo has his eye on March 31 and the second opening day start of his career.Gallardo kept building toward that honor Friday, giving up one run in 3 2-3 innings, and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the split-squad Oakland Athletics 4-3.Shaun Marcum will pitch the Brewers’ second game at Cincinnati on April 2. He was supposed to start Thursday, but was pushed back to Saturday against Arizona to get on the proper schedule.Milwaukee tied it at 1 in the fifth on Erick Almonte’s triple, and took a 3-1 lead in the sixth on a single by Mike Rivera and a wild pitch.The Athletics tied it at 3 with two runs in the top of the eighth. Josh Whitaker hit a run-scoring double for the first run and Matt Carson’s single tied the game at 3.In the bottom of the eighth, Boggs’ third hit of the game scored Chris Dickerson, who led off the inning with a pinch-hit single.Oakland starter Tyson Ross pitched three scoreless innings, allowing four hits while walking two and striking out one.

NOTES—Brewers reliever Takashi Saito left the club temporarily on Friday. He located his wife and two daughters in Japan following the earthquake there and they were OK, but had trouble reaching his parents. They were located later in the day. … Milwaukee 2B Rickie Weeks was removed from the game early for the second straight day due to tightness in his groin. Manager Ron Roenicke said it is nothing serious but is being done as a precaution. Weeks played against his younger brother, Jemile, a non-roster infielder with Oakland.

INDIANAPOLIS—Juice Thompson scored a tournament-record 35 points and Drew Crawford added 15 Thursday, leading Northwestern to a 75-65 victory over Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.Northwestern (18-12) now faces No. 1 Ohio State (29-2) in the first game of Friday’s quarterfinals. Minnesota (17-14) has lost 10 of its last 11. The Gophers were led by Trevor Mbakwe with 19 points and Ralph Sampson III with 12.But it was Thompson who stole the show by breaking the tourney scoring record of 33 set by Purdue’s Brian Cardinal.The Wildcats turned the game with a quick flurry midway through the second half. It started with Alex Marcotullio’s 3-pointer, and the 13-1 run ended when Marcotullio put in a layup to make it 55-45 with 8:57 left.It’s the third time in 18 years Tubby Smith did not win at least one conference tournament game.

NEW YORK—Notre Dame coach Mike Brey took his team to see the hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys this week, not for the culture or entertainment, but so the Fighting Irish could see what teamwork looks like in action.Ben Hansbrough led a brutally efficient attack with 23 points and the fourth-ranked Irish carved up one of the nation’s best defenses in an 89-51 rout of No. 25 Cincinnati — the most lopsided quarterfinal in Big East tournament history.Dion Dixon scored 15 points and Yancy Gates, coming off a career-best 25 in a second-round win over South Florida, managed 12 for Cincinnati. But the duo got very little help.The Bearcats (25-8) shot just 32.8 percent from the field and were nearly as bad from the foul line, going 8 for 17. They went the final 7:25 without scoring.That point sure seemed to come early in the game.Cincinnati entered allowing 58.6 points per contest, tops in the Big East and fourth-best in the nation. Notre Dame eclipsed that total with 14 minutes left, then matched the most points the Bearcats had allowed all season — in an overtime win against Providence — when it went ahead 81-51 on Hansbrough’s layup with 4:22 remaining.The Irish wound up shooting 56.1 percent, doing damage from everywhere on the Madison Square Garden floor. They went 9 of 19 from beyond the 3-point arc, were 16 of 21 from the foul line, scored 14 points off turnovers and had a 40-24 advantage in the paint.Notre Dame took the lead in the opening minute and never trailed again, pushing ahead by double figures for the first time at 31-19 on Scott’s 3-pointer with 6:06 remaining in the opening half. The score was 40-30 at halftime.Cincinnati managed to match the Irish basket for basket early in the second half and was still within 49-39 on Rashad Bishop’s jumper with 16:40 left.But the Irish kept scoring when the Bearcats finally stopped, going on a 17-4 run that covered the next 6 minutes. Notre Dame wound up scoring on its first 11 offensive possessions, the first missed opportunity not coming until more than seven minutes were gone. The Irish scored on their next two trips down the floor after that as the lead swelled to 68-43.

NEW YORK—Mike Marra hit six 3-pointers and had 22 points to lead No. 14 Louisville to an 81-56 victory over Marquette on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.The third-seeded Cardinals (24-8) will play second-seeded Notre Dame on Friday night in the semifinals. The fourth-ranked Fighting Irish (26-5) beat Cincinnati 89-51 in the quarterfinals.Marra was 6 of 10 from 3-point range and led Louisville’s 13-for-31 effort from behind the arc (41.9 percent) as the Cardinals won their fifth in six games and moved on to the Big East semis for the third time. They won their only Big East tournament title in 2009. Jimmy Butler had 14 points for 11th-seeded Marquette (20-14), which beat Providence in the opening round and sixth-seeded West Virginia in the second round to reach the quarterfinals. The Golden Eagles were looking for their third semifinal appearance.The three games in as many days seemed to take its toll on Marquette, while Louisville was playing for the first time after receiving one of the four double-byes into the quarterfinals.