BOWLING GREEN—A’uston Calhoun had 25 points and nine rebounds as Bowling Green routed Northern Illinois 74-54 Tuesday night in the first round of the Mid-American Conference tournament.The seventh-seeded Falcons (14-18) defeated the 10th-seeded Huskies (9-21) for the fifth time in a row by shooting 51.7 percent (31 for 60) in their final game at Anderson Arena. Northern Illinois, which sought its first MAC tournament win since 2003, had held its previous six opponents to 35.8-percent shooting.Bowling Green, which will play No. 2 seed Western Michigan in the quarterfinals Thursday, broke the game open in the second half, after leading 34-32 at halftime. The Falcons scored the first seven points of the second half to open a nine-point lead and, once they expanded the lead to double-digits, went on a 14-3 run to push the lead to 21 points.Tim Toler led Northern Illinois with 13 points.

Derrick Rose scored 24 points, and the Bulls beat New Orleans 85-77 on Monday night with Hornets star Chris Paul sidelined by a concussion.The four-time All-Star watched from the sideline after colliding with Cleveland’s Ramon Sessions during a victory Sunday and remains day to day. Without him, the Hornets put up a fight against the Central Division leaders but were shut out over the final 3:15.Coming off victories at Orlando and Miami, the Bulls couldn’t exhale until Rose hit two free throws with 35 seconds remaining. That made it 83-77 and sent them to their 10th victory in 12 games.Carlos Boozer added 19 points and nine rebounds, and Ronnie Brewer and Luol Deng scored 10.Jarrett Jack, starting in Paul’s place, led the Hornets with 23 points, and Marco Belinelli scored 17. David West had 11 points and 11 rebounds, but New Orleans shot only 36.3 percent.Alone in second place after a one-point victory against Miami on Sunday that gave them sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference and a three-game sweep over the Heat, the Bulls had a tough time pulling this one out. They were leading 75-65 early in the fourth after Rose nailed a 3. But the Hornets weren’t finished.They got a jumper by Jack and a pair of baskets by Willie Green after a timeout to pull within four midway through the quarter. Jack tied it at 77 on a layup with 3:15 left, but the Hornets didn’t score again.A driving Rose crashed to the floor as his layup got blocked by West, but Noah got fouled while converting the put-back, pumping his fist after the ball went in to give the Bulls a 79-77 lead with three minutes left. He missed the free throw, but Deng hit two less then a minute later to make it a four-point game. The teams then kept trading misses before Rose’s free throws with 35 seconds made it a six-point game.Joakim Noah then stole the ball from Jack, leading to two free throws by Kyle Korver with 25 seconds left that made it 85-77.

NOTES—Hornets coach Monty Williams said the Bulls might be the league’s best all-around team. And if he were choosing the MVP, Rose would probably get his vote. “Maybe the most complete team in the NBA right now,” he said. “Nobody has a bench the way that bench plays. Rose is probably the MVP.” … Hornets F Trevor Ariza (strained left adductor) did not play. … The Bulls have won six straight over New Orleans and swept them the past three years. …The Bulls have won nine straight at home, their longest such streak in 13 years.

GLENDALE—Alex Rios and Luis Valbuena each homered twice and drove in five runs as the Cleveland Indians and a White Sox split squad played to a 16-16 tie Monday.The game was called after nine innings. Winds gusted up to 25 miles per hour at times in a slugfest that produced 21 runs and 22 hits through the first four innings.Rios hit a two-run shot in the first inning for the White Sox and a three-run drive in a seven-run second.Valbuena hit a two-run homer in the Indians second and his three-run shot in the eighth made it 14-all.

TUCSON—Ozzie Guillen has an affinity for the city of Tucson, which is why the events of Jan. 8 struck him so hard.It was on that day when a gunman opened fire at a local supermarket, killing six people and wounding 14 others, including congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.Among those killed was 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, daughter of Dodgers scout John Green and granddaughter of former Cubs general manager and Phillies manager Dallas Green.In the wake of that tragic incident, Guillen returned to Tucson with the White Sox, who were facing the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday in a game to benefit a fund set up in the memory of Christina at the Sox former Spring Ballpark Tucson Electric Park..

“I think it’s a sad thing that we come to play for that,” said Guillen, who was spending two nights in the area before returning to White Sox camp in Glendale on Tuesday morning. “But I think it’s something a lot of players and my coaches say they want to be here because of those reasons.It’s too bad because a lot of people, they don’t know Tucson. Tucson is way better than that. Around the world, they have a view of Tucson in the wrong way. It’s unfortunate what happened here and to those families. I think the cause is the one good thing [to come out of it] and the least we can do is to come here and help.”

Among the items sold for charity were pink pins bearing Christina’s initials, purple wristbands and commemorative T-shirts.Before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, John Green talked about the two months that have passed since losing his daughter. He said he is back to work making his rounds as a scout.Monday was another one of those days as a near capacity crowd was on hand up to show its support. According to Christina’s mother Roxanna Green, the fund will support a number of projects.Diamondbacks regular Stephen Drew said he had an opportunity to talk with the Greens before the game.Drew went 2-for-3 for the D-backs as the White Sox split squad won 12-1. Sox starter Edwin Jackson allowed a run and six hits in 3 1/3 innings.The Diamondbacks and Dodgers will play another game in Tucson later this month to benefit Christina’s fund, while a third game is also in the works and could possibly include the White Sox again.

“When you take away a kid’s life with no reason just because, you break a lot of people’s hearts,” Guillen said. “That innocent girl had nothing to do with that, she was just there. She wanted to be there. It’s very hard, especially for people who have kids. … I wish people do something about it. Don’t wait for another tragedy to happen to do something very drastic to the cause.”

MESA—Carlos Silva got hit hard in his first game since a dugout altercation with teammate Aramis Ramirez, but the Cubs rallied for a 14-13 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem at Ho Ho Kam Park on Monday.This despite two more Cub errors.Silva, who is competing for a spot in the rotation, gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 2 1-3 innings. The right-hander groused about the fielding following his lone inning in his spring debut and third baseman Ramirez took offense, leading to a confrontation.Silva took the blame for the incident and Ramirez said he had moved on.Dan Haren pitched three hitless innings for the Angels, striking out three and walking one.Bryan LaHair singled in Fernando Perez in the ninth to give the Cubs the win.Silva’s ERA for the spring so far is just under 30.00.

MIAMI—Look, the Miami Heat lost, so they whined after the game.The perspectives could not have been more different. Luol Deng either got pushed in the back by Mike Miller on what became one of the final two game-deciding moments, or tripped over his own feet stumbling for a rebound.That point could be argued. What’s inarguable, however, is this: Another final-second opportunity slipped away from the Heat, and the Bulls — spurned last summer in their bids to land Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh — swept all three regular-season meetings from the team that signed them.The Big 3? They’re No. 3 in the East at this point, after Derrick Rose scored 27 points, Deng capped an 18-point effort with two free throws on a hotly debated play with 15.9 seconds remaining, and the Bulls beat Miami 87-86 on Sunday to hand the Heat their fourth straight loss.

“The Miami Heat are exactly what everyone wanted, losing games,” Wade said. “The world is better now because the Heat is losing.”

Derrick Rose shows the Heat what a team can do with a top-notch point guard running the show. (Getty Images)

Carlos Boozer scored 12 and Joakim Noah added 11 for the Bulls, who moved a game ahead of Miami into outright possession of second place in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls were down by 12 late in the first half, then became the fourth team since Feb. 24 to erase a double-digit deficit against the Heat.James had a chance to win it on a drive with 6 seconds left, missing a contested shot, and Wade’s desperation toss from the right baseline bounced away as time expired.Those were the 12th and 13th consecutive shots that the Heat have missed with a chance to tie or lead a game in the final 10 seconds of regulation or overtime. James has missed four in this four-game losing streak alone.James scored 26 points, Bosh added 23 and Wade had 20 for the Heat, who put together a rally to take the lead in the final minute.The Heat were down 82-76 with 3:30 left when Rose made a jumper over Miller, before Mario Chalmers led the comeback effort. He hit a 3-pointer to tie it with 1:05 left, then blew past a closeout for an easy layup from the left side that put the Heat ahead 86-84 with 25 seconds remaining.With the Bulls down by two, Deng made one free throw before missing the second. Noah got a hand on the ball, keeping James and Erick Dampier from grabbing it cleanly, and in the chase for the carom referee Tony Brothers called a foul on Miller for pushing Deng in the back.

“Looked like he tripped on his own,” Bosh said.

Deng went back to the line and made both this time, putting the Bulls in front for good.

“That’s the right call,” Rose said.

The ball went to James, who drove on Noah and missed a layup from the left block. Wade got the rebound, tried a 15-footer from the baseline that bounced away, and time expired as the Bulls leaped in celebration and Thibodeau punched the air.

“We’re just trying to play the best we can,” Noah said. “I think we still have a long way to go and we can get a lot better. That’s what is so exciting about this team. Our defense is really improving. We can still improve offensively as well. We can take this pretty far.”

In the Heat locker room, some players shed frustrated tears.

“One of these days, we will break through,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

The Bulls shot 39 percent in the third quarter, still managing to outscore Miami 23-16 thanks to five Heat turnovers, a 14-9 edge in rebounding — and Rose, who made a ridiculous shot early in the period look ridiculously simple.Even a 1-on-2 break — him against Wade and James, no less — went the Bulls way. Rose bumped slightly into Wade to create separation on his drive downcourt, then leaped, double-clutched so James could fly harmlessly by from the left wing, and then spun a left-handed layup off the glass to cut Miami’s lead to 54-50.He skipped back upcourt, head back confidently, pumping up teammates. And Rose stayed that way until the finish.

NOTES—Scottie Pippen, who lives in Miami, was behind the Bulls bench….The last time James played in as many as four straight regular-season losses was Feb. 22-March 1, 2006, when the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped five straight…..Referee Scott Wall was shaken up in the third quarter, and Heat trainer Jay Sabol was summoned to check his left knee. Wall remained in the game.

MESA—Ryan Dempster pitched four solid innings, Marlon Byrd had three hits and rookie D.J. LeMahieu hit a game-ending home run as the split-squad Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 in 10 innings Sunday.Dempster, entering his eighth season with the Cubs and 14th overall, was picked by manager Mike Quade shortly after spring training began to start the opener April 1 against Pittsburgh at Wrigley Field.There was a meeting early in camp with Quade and pitching coach Mark Riggins “and we laid the plan out for how many innings we need to get,” Dempster said after he gave up a run and three hits and struck out three. Aaron Miles hit a leadoff triple in the third and scored on a groundout by Trayvon Robinson.Carlos Marmol looked as if he was ready to go right now by striking out three in the fifth inning.Of position players who might be set ready to start the season, center fielder Marlon Byrd probably is at the top of the list. He doubled twice and drove in a run with his fourth multihit effort in six games this spring. He is hitting .600 (9 for 15) with four doubles and three RBIs.Kosuke Fukudome broke a 2-all tie for the Cubs with a seventh-inning single, but the Dodgers got the run right back on an RBI double by Marcus Thames, who was celebrating his 34th birthday.

GOODYEAR—Johnny Cueto is pitching as if it were 2010.Cueto pitched three scoreless innings and World Series MVP Edgar Renteria got two hits as the Cincinnati Reds beat the other Cubs split squad 10-0 Sunday.Cueto allowed one hit and one walk.Renteria, a shortstop last year when he helped San Francisco win the championship, signed with the Reds before spring training and started at second base. He scored twice.Paul Janish, expected to start for the Reds at shortstop, also had two hits and Zack Cozart homered. Chris Heisey and Juan Francisco drove in two runs for Cincinnati.The Cubs managed just two hits, one an infield hit off Cueto and a ninth inning single by Starlin Castro. The Cubs were hitting .301 as a team starting the day.Todd Wellemeyer and Casey Coleman are competing for an open spot in the Cubs rotation. Wellemeyer allowed a run on three hits in two innings. Coleman allowed three runs on four hits in two innings.

GLENDALE—Mike Aviles doubled, singled twice and scored two runs as the Kansas City Royals beat the White Sox 8-3 Sunday.The Royals had 17 hits, seven for extra bases. They tagged Mark Buehrle for five runs and nine hits in three innings.Clint Robinson had two RBI singles for Kansas City, prompting starter Luke Hochevar to offer his offense a proposition.In the mix for the opening day start, Hochevar allowed three hits and one run in three innings of work. He allowed four hits and a run in two innings in his spring debut last week.Buehrle dodged a scare in the third inning when his defensive prowess was put to the test. Lorenzo Cain’s line drive headed right for Buehrle, but the two-time defending Gold Glove winner caught it.Adam Dunn drove in his first run of the spring, a single in the first inning that scored Alexei Ramirez. He singled again in the sixth. Juan Pierre, Brent Lillibridge and Tyler Flowers each added two hits for the White Sox.Lance Zawadzki and Pedro Feliz hit solo home runs for the Royals.

NOTES—Pierre tumbled into the stands, failing to catch Gregor Blanco’s foul pop in the second inning. Later in the at-bat, Blanco lined out to Pierre, who doubled off Zawadzki at second base….The White Sox will play a split squad game against the Diamondbacks on Monday to benefit the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Fund, named after the youngest victim of the January shootings in Tucson.

SYRAC– USE—Rick Jackson had 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, making sure his final game in the Carrier Dome was one he would never forget as No. 12 Syracuse overwhelmed DePaul 107-59 on Saturday.It was the fifth straight win for Syracuse (25-6, 12-6 Big East) after a midseason swoon in which the Orange lost four straight and six of eight after an 18-0 start. Syracuse also clinched a double-bye in next week’s Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.This was also the most one-sided League game in Big East history(48 points).DePaul (7-23, 1-17) has won only two regular-season conference games in the past three years, and its chances of adding another were dim at best without standout freshman forward Cleveland Melvin, the team’s leading scorer with a 17.4 average in Big East play. Melvin’s season ended with sprained left thumb suffered against St. John’s 11 days ago.Even with Melvin, it probably wouldn’t have mattered much. Syracuse shot 70.6 percent (24 of 34) in the first half, hitting 4 of 5 from beyond the arc, and held the undermanned Blue Demons to 12 of 30 shooting, 3 of 11 from 3-point range.Scoop Jardine had 14 points and eight assists, Dion Waiters had 12 points, C.J. Fair had 11 points, and 7-foot freshman center Fab Melo had a 10 points, a season high, and six rebounds.Tony Freeland led DePaul with 25 points and six rebounds, and Moses Morgan had 16 points.After Krys Faber hit a hook in the lane to give DePaul a 2-0 lead, Syracuse responded with an 11-0 run sparked by Jardine and Jackson, the lone senior on the Orange. Jardine started it with a 3-pointer from the wing, fed Jackson for a hook, and finished it with a pull-up jumper. DePaul didn’t get its second basket until Faber hit another hook at 14:20, and after Freeland’s floater in the lane moved the Blue Demons within 21-10 with 9:56 left in the half, James Southerland swished a 3 after a timeout to start a 17-2 spurt that put the Orange in complete command.The smaller Blue Demons found few openings in the Syracuse zone, and when they did get the ball inside there usually was no place to turn. Their frustration peaked when Freeland threw Dion Waiters to the floor while DePaul was pressing with just over 5 minutes left. Seconds later, Mookie Jones fed Fab Melo for a lay-in and a 42-15 lead.When the Orange retreated to the locker room at halftime, they led 57-28 and all 10 players who saw action had scored.Even the reserves stoked the crowd of 28,086 in the waning minutes of the game as former walk-on Brandon Reese, playing in just his ninth game this season, set up Southerland for pretty alley-oop dunk and seconds later hit Fair in full stride for another dunk that Fair converted into a three-point play with 3:35 left for a 101-51 lead.Three seconds later, Jackson, one of just five players in program history to record 1,000 points, 800 rebounds, and 200 blocks, departed to a standing ovation, giving head coach Jim Boeheim a big hug as he went to the bench.Syracuse finished 45 of 63 from the floor, a season-best 71.4 percent, outrebounded DePaul 39-22, and scored 41 fast-break points.

CHAMPAIGN—Demetri McCamey scored 22 points and Mike Davis added 13 to lead Illinois past Indiana 72-48 Saturday.The win gives the Illini (19-12, 9-9 Big Ten) a .500 record in conference play and improves their resume for a spot in the NCAA tournament. It also give Illinois a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament next week in Indianapolis.Illinois never trailed and opened up a 19-point lead at 34-15 on a McCamey layup with just over six minutes left in the first half.The lead grew to as much as 29 at 72-43 late in the second half on a bucket by reserve Joseph Bertrand.The Hoosiers (12-19, 3-15) were led by Verdell Jones’ 12. Jordan Hulls was held to four points after scoring 18 in a win over the Illini in their last meeting in January.Davis added nine rebounds.

GOODYEAR—Matt LaPorta’s RBI double in the first inning off Gavin Floyd – the first hit off a White Sox starter this spring – led the Cleveland Indians to a 8-3 win over the Southsiders on Saturday.LaPorta’s hit scored Shin-Soo Choo and ended a streak of 10 2-3 hitless innings by the Sox five-man rotation in Cactus League play. The Indians are counting on a big season from LaPorta, acquired in the 2008 trade for CC Sabathia.Indians starter David Huff pitched three scoreless innings to help his chances of winning the No. 5 spot.Cleveland’s Jason Donald, expected to be the starting third baseman, was taken for X-rays on his left hand after being struck by Floyd in the second. The Indians did not provide an immediate medical update.