Devon Turk scored a career-high 21 points as Loyola beat Mississippi State 59-51 Saturday night.Christian Thomas added 16 points for the Ramblers (7-3), who have won five of their last six games and equaled their win total from last season. Loyola put the game out of reach with a 17-3 run to close the first half and take a 34-20 lead.Fred Thomas had 14 points for Mississippi State (3-6), which shot just 37.5 percent from the field.The game marked the first meeting between the teams since they played a historic game in the 1963 NCAA tournament that helped change race relations on the basketball court. The all-white Bulldogs had to sneak out of Mississippi to avoid an injunction in order to play Loyola, which had four African-American starters, in the NCAA Regional in East Lansing, Mich. Players from the 1963 teams were honored at halftime.The 1963 Ramblers are the only Division One team from the State of Illinois to win a National Title.

Daniel Barnes scored a career-high 30 points against his former team as UIC defeated Eastern Michigan 74-48 Saturday.Barnes, who played at Eastern Michigan in the 2008-09 season, hit 6 of 13 3-pointers and 10 of 18 shots overall from the field. UIC (9-1) shot 12 of 29 from beyond the arc, including 9 of 13 in the second half, to win its eighth game in a row.Gary Talton added 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals for the Flames.Glenn Bryant led Eastern Michigan (6-3) with 10 points and seven rebounds. The Eagles shot just 34 percent from the field, including 1 of 10 on 3-point attempts, against a UIC team that came into the game ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense (52 points per game).

INDIANAPOLIS—All Butler guard Alex Barlow saw Saturday was space and an opportunity to make a play.So the unlikeliest player on the floor took a chance and made the biggest shot of the game.When Indiana’s defenders failed to converge on the 5-foot-11 walk-on, Barlow kept right on going through the lane, drove to the basket and hit a spinning 6-foot jumper with 2.4 seconds left in overtime Saturday to give the Bulldogs another stunning upset — 88-86 over No. 1 Indiana in the Crossroads Classic.

“The floater is a shot I work on a lot and I happened to get a lucky bounce,” Barlow said. “It was a good feeling.”

Luckily for the Bulldogs (8-2), Barlow was on the floor.The kid who spurned college scholarship offers to play his best sport, baseball, and opted to come to Butler for only one reason — to learn how to coach basketball from Brad Stevens — showed everyone he can hoop it up, too.Stevens didn’t hesitate to constantly keep the ball in Barlow’s hands after three key Butler players had already fouled out. The sophomore who had scored only 12 points in nine games this season and 18 in his college career delivered with a series of key plays.Barlow finished with a career-high six points, came up with a big steal that led to a go-ahead 3-pointer late in overtime and finally won it with a shot that bounced off the back of the rim, straight into the air and finally through the net.Indiana (9-1) immediately called timeout to set up a play but could only muster Jordan Hulls’ heave from near half-court, a shot that faded to the left of the basket and suddenly the first college in Indiana to go to back-to-back Final Fours had another school first — its first win in five tries over a No. 1 ranked team.The sold-out arena roared as the game ended, and the Bulldogs rushed to midcourt where they celebrated with Barlow.Butler (8-2) has now won six straight at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, better known as the home to the NBA’s Pacers, and four of the last five when this series been played in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs have wins over Marquette of the Big East, North Carolina of the ACC and back-to-back victories over Northwestern and Indiana of the Big Ten.And Barlow, the surprising star, overshadowed a supporting cast that had strong games, too.Roosevelt Jones scored 16 points and matched his career-highs with 12 rebounds and six assists before fouling out with 2:03 left in regulation.Andrew Smith finished with 12 points and nine rebounds and held national player of the year candidate Cody Zeller in check until fouling out just 17 seconds after Jones.Rotnei Clarke, who transferred to Butler from Arkansas, scored 13 of his 19 points and made three of his five 3-pointers in the second half.In all, five Bulldogs players finished in double figures while the defense held one of America’s most proficient offenses to just 42.9 percent shooting from the field.

“We cost ourselves at the end of the game defensively,” coach Tom Crean said after waiting more than an hour to take questions. “They made the plays, there’s no question about that. But we made the mistakes on how we guarded them.”

The Hoosiers were led by Cody Zeller, who had 18 points, including a layup to tie the score at 86 with 19.3 seconds left in overtime. Victor Oladipo also had 18 points and Will Sheehey scored 13 points off the bench.But the Bulldogs grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and outrebounded Indiana — the first team to do that this season.Clearly, this was not the same Indiana team that won its first nine games by an average of nearly 32 points while shooting 51.5 percent from the field.

“There’s a lot of things,” said Zeller, who had only five rebounds and four baskets. “We got outrebounded. There’s a lot of little things that we have to figure, but we’ll get back to work and figure them out.”

The difference Saturday was that Butler never let the Hoosiers get away from them — even when Smith and Jones went to the bench with four fouls midway through the second half.Stevens reinserted both players with 9 minutes to go in regulation, trailing 57-50, and the Bulldogs responded with a 12-0 run that gave them a 66-59 lead with 4:31 left in regulation.Butler still led 71-64 when Jones fouled out, and the Hoosiers answered with five straight points from the free-throw line. They finally tied the score on Yogi Ferrell’s 3-pointer from the right wing with 6.1 seconds to go, and Butler’s Chase Stigall missed a 3-pointer off the front of the rim as time expired.In overtime, Indiana looked like it would take control when Zeller’s layup made it 84-80 with 2:12 to play.But the Bulldogs again rallied, getting a 3 from Clarke, a steal from Barlow that led Stigall’s 3-pointer, and Barlow’s improbable winning shot.
———————————————————————————————————————————
INDIANAPOLIS—Jack Cooley had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 22 Notre Dame to its seventh straight victory, 81-68 over Purdue on Saturday in the Crossroads Classic.Eric Atkins had 17 points and seven assists, Pat Connaughton scored 16 and Garrick Sherman 11 for the Fighting Irish (9-1), who have won every game during their win streak by double digits. Former Purdue player Scott Martin chipped in with five points for Notre Dame on 2-for-8 shooting.Purdue freshman Rapheal Davis scored all 21 of his points in the second half, helping the Boilermakers trim a 23-point second-half deficit to single digits at one point. Ronnie Johnson scored 15 points and D.J. Byrd added 13 for Purdue (4-6).Notre Dame outrebounded Purdue 38-33 and outscored the Boilermakers 24-14 from the free throw line.The schools had not played each other in basketball since 2004, but Bankers Life Fieldhouse couldn’t duplicate the energy from the early game

1963     Sunday, November 17     Chicago Bears     26–7     Green Bay Packers     49,166     Chicago
1964     Saturday, December 5     Green Bay Packers     17–3     Chicago Bears     43,636     Chicago
1965     Sunday, October 31     Chicago Bears     31–10     Green Bay Packers     45,664     Chicago
1966     Sunday, October 16     Green Bay Packers     17–0     Chicago Bears     48,573     Chicago
1967     Sunday, November 26     Green Bay Packers     17–13     Chicago Bears     47,513     Chicago
1968     Sunday, December 15     Green Bay Packers     28–27     Chicago Bears     46,435     Chicago
1969     Sunday, December 14     Green Bay Packers     21–3     Chicago Bears     45,216     Chicago

1970     Sunday, December 13     Chicago Bears     35–17     Green Bay Packers     44,957     Chicago
1971     Sunday, November 17     Green Bay Packers     17–14     Chicago Bears     55,049     Chicago
1972     Sunday, October 8     Green Bay Packers     20–17     Chicago Bears     56,263     Green Bay
1972     Sunday, November 12     Green Bay Packers     23–17     Chicago Bears     55,701     Chicago
1973     Sunday, November 4     Chicago Bears     31–17     Green Bay Packers     56,267     Green Bay
1973     Sunday, December 16     Green Bay Packers     21–0     Chicago Bears     55,701     Chicago
1974     Monday, October 21     Chicago Bears     10–9     Green Bay Packers     55,453     Chicago
1974     Sunday, November 10     Green Bay Packers     20–3     Chicago Bears     48,273     Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1975     Sunday, November 9     Chicago Bears     27–14     Green Bay Packers     57,455     Chicago
1975     Sunday, November 30     Green Bay Packers     28–7     Chicago Bears     56,267     Green Bay
1976     Sunday, November 14     Chicago Bears     24–13     Green Bay Packers     57,359     Chicago
1976     Sunday, November 28     Chicago Bears     16–10     Green Bay Packers     56,267     Green Bay
1977     Sunday, October 30     Chicago Bears     26–0     Green Bay Packers     56,267     Green Bay
1977     Sunday, December 11     Chicago Bears     21–10     Green Bay Packers     57,359     Chicago
1978     Sunday, October 8     Green Bay Packers     24–14     Chicago Bears     56,267     Green Bay
1978     Sunday, December 10     Chicago Bears     14–0     Green Bay Packers     57,359     Chicago
1979     Sunday, September 2     Chicago Bears     6–3     Green Bay Packers     56,515     Chicago
1979     Sunday, December 9     Chicago Bears     15–14     Green Bay Packers     54,207     Green Bay

1980     Sunday, September 7     Green Bay Packers     12–6     Chicago Bears     54,381     Green Bay
1980     Sunday, December 7     Chicago Bears     61–7     Green Bay Packers     57,176     Chicago
1981     Sunday, September 6     Green Bay Packers     16–9     Chicago Bears     62,411     Chicago
1981     Sunday, November 15     Green Bay Packers     21–17     Chicago Bears     55,338     Green Bay
1983     Sunday, December 4     Green Bay Packers     31–28     Chicago Bears     51,147     Green Bay
1983     Sunday, December 18     Chicago Bears     23–21     Green Bay Packers     35,807     Chicago
1984     Sunday, September 16     Chicago Bears     9–7     Green Bay Packers     55,942     Green Bay
1984     Sunday, December 9     Green Bay Packers     20–14     Chicago Bears     59,374     Chicago
1985     Monday, October 21     Chicago Bears     23–7     Green Bay Packers     65,095     Chicago
1985     Sunday, November 3     Chicago Bears     16–10     Green Bay Packers     56,895     Green Bay
1986     Monday, September 22     Chicago Bears     25–12     Green Bay Packers     55,527     Green Bay
1986     Sunday, November 23     Chicago Bears     12–10     Green Bay Packers     59,291     Chicago
1987     Sunday, November 8     Chicago Bears     26–24     Green Bay Packers     53,320     Green Bay
1987     Sunday, November 29     Chicago Bears     23–10     Green Bay Packers     61,638     Chicago
1988     Sunday, September 25     Chicago Bears     24–6     Green Bay Packers     56,492     Green Bay
1988     Sunday, November 27     Chicago Bears     16–0     Green Bay Packers     62,026     Chicago
1989     Sunday, November 5     Green Bay Packers     14–13     Chicago Bears     56,556     Green Bay
1989     Sunday, December 17     Green Bay Packers     40–28     Chicago Bears     44,781     Chicago

1990     Sunday, September 16     Chicago Bears     31–13     Green Bay Packers     58,938     Green Bay
1990     Sunday, October 7     Chicago Bears     27–13     Green Bay Packers     59,929     Chicago
1991     Thursday, October 17     Chicago Bears     10–0     Green Bay Packers     58,435     Green Bay
1991     Sunday, December 8     Chicago Bears     27–13     Green Bay Packers     62,353     Chicago
1992     Sunday, October 25     Chicago Bears     30–10     Green Bay Packers     59,435     Green Bay
1992     Sunday, November 22     Green Bay Packers     17–3     Chicago Bears     56,170     Chicago
1993     Sunday, December 5     Chicago Bears     30–17     Green Bay Packers     62,236     Chicago
1994     Monday, October 31     Green Bay Packers     33–6     Chicago Bears     47,381     Chicago
1994     Sunday, December 11     Green Bay Packers     40–3     Chicago Bears     57,927     Green Bay
1995     Monday, September 11     Green Bay Packers     27–24     Chicago Bears     64,855     Chicago
1995     Sunday, November 12     Green Bay Packers     35–28     Chicago Bears     59,996     Green Bay
1996     Sunday, October 6     Green Bay Packers     37–6     Chicago Bears     65,480     Chicago
1997     Monday, September 1     Green Bay Packers     38–24     Chicago Bears     60,766     Green Bay
1997     Sunday, October 12     Green Bay Packers     24–23     Chicago Bears     62,212     Chicago
1998     Sunday, December 13     Green Bay Packers     26–20     Chicago Bears     59,813     Green Bay
1998     Sunday, December 27     Green Bay Packers     16–13     Chicago Bears     58,393     Chicago
1999     Sunday, November 7     Chicago Bears     14–13     Green Bay Packers     59,867     Green Bay
1999     Sunday, December 5     Green Bay Packers     35–19     Chicago Bears     66,944     Chicago

2000     Sunday, October 1     Chicago Bears     27–24     Green Bay Packers     59,869     Green Bay
2000     Sunday, December 3     Green Bay Packers     28–6     Chicago Bears     66,994     Chicago
2001     Sunday, November 11     Green Bay Packers     20–12     Chicago Bears     66,944     Chicago
2001     Sunday, December 9     Green Bay Packers     17–7     Chicago Bears     59,869     Green Bay
2002     Monday, October 7     Green Bay Packers     34–21     Chicago Bears     63,226     Champaign
2002     Sunday, December 1     Green Bay Packers     30–20     Chicago Bears     64,196     Green Bay
2003     Monday, September 29     Green Bay Packers     38–23     Chicago Bears     61,500     Chicago
2003     Sunday, December 7     Green Bay Packers     34–21     Chicago Bears     70,458     Green Bay
2004     Sunday, September 19     Chicago Bears     21–10     Green Bay Packers     70,688     Green Bay
2005     Sunday, January 2     Green Bay Packers     31–14     Chicago Bears     62,197     Chicago
2006     Sunday, September 10     Chicago Bears     26–0     Green Bay Packers     70,918     Green Bay
2006     Sunday, December 31     Green Bay Packers     26–7     Chicago Bears     62,287     Chicago
2007     Sunday, October 7     Chicago Bears     27–20     Green Bay Packers     70,904     Green Bay
2007     Sunday, December 23     Chicago Bears     35–7     Green Bay Packers     62,272     Chicago
2008     Sunday, November 16     Green Bay Packers     37–3     Chicago Bears     71,040     Green Bay
2008     Monday, December 22     Chicago Bears     20–17     Green Bay Packers     62,151     Chicago
2009     Sunday, September 13     Green Bay Packers     21–15     Chicago Bears     70,920     Green Bay
2009     Sunday, December 13     Green Bay Packers     21–14     Chicago Bears     62,214     Chicago

2010     Monday, September 27     Chicago Bears     20–17     Green Bay Packers     62,179     Chicago
2011     Sunday, January 2     Green Bay Packers     10–3     Chicago Bears     70,833     Green Bay
2011     Sunday, January 23*     Green Bay Packers     21–14     Chicago Bears     64,912     Chicago
2011     Sunday, September 25     Green Bay Packers     27–17     Chicago Bears     62,339     Chicago
2012     Thursday, September 13 Green Bay Packers     23–10     Chicago Bears     70,543     Green Bay
84 Games. 8 @`Wrigley Field,  39 @ Soldier Field, 1 @ Memorial Stadium,  35 @ Lambeau Field, 1 @ County Stadium

BEARS WINS 38, PACKERS WINS 46  (WRIGLEY 3-5) (SOLDIER FIELD 18-21) (LAMBEAU FIELD 17-18) (COUNTY STADIUM 0-1) (MEMORIAL STAD 0-1)

PRE SEASON GAMES:
1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1976,1984  (Ten Games)

LES

Northwesternhas started its season off well enough, opening 7-3 and earning nice wins over Illinois State and Baylor. To be honest, even though the most infamous school to never make an NCAA tournament wasn’t looking like a world-beater, it did stack up a decent chance early on at eventually getting into the bubble conversation down the road. But the Wildcats’ outlook got a little tougher on Friday. The school announced Drew Crawford would need to undergo surgery on his right shoulder for a torn labrum. He will miss the remainder of the season, though the senior forward will be able to apply for a medical waiver and play again in 2013-14.

“Drew’s situation is similar to Tre Demps’ a year ago,” coach Bill Carmody said in a statement. “Drew aggravated a previous injury in early September and attempted to play through it, but it just hasn’t responded as we all would have liked. While it obviously hurts to lose a player of Drew’s caliber, it provides an opportunity for his teammates to step up and contribute.”

Crawford made our preseason list of the top-50 wing players and put up 13.5 points per game this year. He was a All-Big Ten Third Team selection last season, and his 1,418 points are 10th-best all time at NU.The Wildcats next play Monday night at home against Texas State.

PHILADELPHIA—Not only were the Bulls short-handed, they were a bit weary after a tough five-point loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Tuesday night.The Bulls sure didn’t look tired or depleted less than 24 hours later.Joakim Noah scored 21 points, Luol Deng added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the Bulls won their fourth in a row on the road with a 96-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

“We’ve been fighting all year, but we’ve let a lot of games slip,” Noah said. “But there’s a lot of basketball left and we have to keep playing like this. Back-to-back can be tough if you let it. We fought hard and we had everyone here contribute. That’s what you need and I thought we were resilient. We went to the basket hard and we went to the glass hard.”

Following that home loss, the Bulls traveled to Philadelphia and appeared more rested than the Sixers, who had Tuesday off.Marco Belinelli had 16 points and Nate Robinson, starting in place of guard Kirk Hinrich, had 14 for. Hinrich injured his left knee in Tuesday’s loss to the Clippers and is listed as day to day.

“In the NBA, you have to play whatever is in front of you,” Tom Thibodeau said. “Back-to-back doesn’t matter. Readiness to play is huge in this league and tonight, we showed that. We were tough.”

Jrue Holiday scored 26 points, Evan Turner added 16 and Thaddeus Young had 13 for Philadelphia. Reserve Spencer Hawes chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Nick Young also scored 10 for the Sixers.Down the stretch it was the Sixers who seemed to have heavy legs.

“I thought fatigue was a factor,” Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said.

Philadelphia took an 80-79 lead when Holiday knocked down a jumper with 5:20 remaining.But the short-handed Bulls — still playing without All-Star guard Derrick Rose (left knee), as well as guards Richard Hamilton (torn plantar fascia in his left foot) and Hinrich — responded with a 7-0 run to take an 86-80 lead.Jason Richardson hit a 3-pointer to get the Sixers within three before Deng came right back with a tough driving layup to push the lead back to five.Deng had one of his worst games of the season with an eight-point effort against the Clippers, but he shook it off to help carry the Bulls to another tough road win.

“Sometimes back-to-back, you feel great, and sometimes, you don’t and something is just missing,” Deng said. “Tonight, we were ready to bounce back.”

The Sixers took a 44-41 lead into halftime despite missing all four of their 3-point attempts and all three of their free throws. Philadelphia shot 46 percent from the field and wound up at 45 percent by the end of the game.

NOTES—Carlos Boozer was whistled for a technical foul with 5:41 left in the second quarter…..Sixers G Royal Ivey sat out with strep throat and F Damien Wilkins missed the game with a right calf strain…..Noah also had seven rebounds and five assists…..Actor Marlon Wayans attended the game.

TEMPE—Brandon Young scored 18 points and had nine assists in leading DePaul to its fifth consecutive win, a 78-61 decision Wednesday over Arizona State.Carrick Felix had 12 points and six rebounds for the Sun Devils (8-2), which had won four straight and were 8-1 for only the fourth time in 38 years.The Blue Demons (7-3) rebounded from a 1 of 9 start from the field and used a 17-4 spurt early in the second half to take a 22-point lead with 10:29 remaining.Worrel Clahar added 14 points and a pair of steals for DePaul.

Chris Paul liked the way the Los Angeles Clippers grinded out an ugly win when they were challenged.Blake Griffin had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help Los Angeles beat the Bulls 94-89 on Tuesday night for its seventh straight victory, the team’s longest winning streak in two decades.Marco Belinelli hit a 3-pointer with less than a minute left to cut the Bulls deficit to 89-87, but Paul answered with a floater in the lane, then iced it with three free throws down the stretch as Los Angeles snapped the Bulls’ season-high three-game winning streak.Paul finished with 18 points and four assists, below the 20 and 10 he averaged in his first dozen games against the Bulls but enough for the Clippers to sweep the season series for the first time since 2009-10.

“I kind of forgot what it was like to play in the fourth quarter,” said Paul, who hadn’t seen late action since Dec. 3 at Utah. “But at the end, we knew we were on the road and we’d have to withstand a run we knew they would make. Our defense kept us in the game.”

The Bulls shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, but only 1 of 6 in the fourth quarter.

“We want our identity to be a defensive identity,” Paul said. “We’re still trying to build that.”

The Clippers (15-6) are on their longest winning streak since an eight-game run during the 1991-92 season. They have won 10 of 12 at the United Center.Carlos Boozer scored 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for the Bulls, who had won five of six overall.It was Boozer’s 10th double-double in 13 games, but he missed a pair of free throws and was called for an offensive foul during a crucial sequence 3 minutes into the fourth quarter as Chicago failed to cut into the Clippers’ lead.The Bulls (11-9) had held opponents below 90 points in seven of their last nine games, though they did keep the Clippers under 100 for the first time during their seven-game run.Griffin was a force inside throughout, quieting the home crowd with his thunderous dunks. He also knocked down his first 3-pointer of the season in the second quarter after missing five previous attempts.

“Games on the road like this, after we had a little bit of success, six games, coming on the road, you don’t want to have a letdown,” Griffin said. “Chicago’s a tough team. These are the kinds of wins you need.”

The Western Conference Player of the Week then followed with a pair of rim-shaking dunks in transition as part of a 15-5 Clippers run to end the first half. They went into halftime with a seven-point lead, matching their biggest advantage of the game to that point.

“The end of the second quarter changed the game,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We started dancing with the ball. When you do that it leads to turnovers, live ball, and transition baskets for them. We shot ourselves in the foot there.You can’t do that against good teams.”

Griffin averaged 30.3 points and 12.0 rebounds in his first four career games against the Bulls. The only team he has better numbers against is the New York Knicks (31.1 ppg).Griffin had 26 points and 10 rebounds in his team’s 101-80 win over the Bulls on Nov. 17 in Los Angeles.Joakim Noah finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. It marked the first time the Bulls have lost when both Noah and Boozer have double-doubles (8-1).Luol Deng was held to just eight points, his lowest output since a seven-point performance in Chicago’s season opener.He and Noah committed four turnovers apiece. The Bulls turned the ball over 16 times.

“We can’t put that team in transition,” Noah said. “The turnovers hurt us.”

Defense ruled early as both teams struggled out of the chute. Los Angeles missed its first six field-goal attempts before Caron Butler finally knocked down a jumper more than 3 minutes in. The Bulls fared little better, starting 1 of 10 from the floor.The Bulls had to go to the bench after two fouls were called on Kirk Hinrich in the first quarter, but Nate Robinson and Taj Gibson provided a spark in relief.Robinson knocked down a pair of 3s to help the Bulls keep pace, and Gibson’s jumper midway through the second quarter gave the Bulls their first lead since the opening minutes.Gibson scored eight of his 10 points in the second quarter.Jamal Crawford, the NBA’s leading bench scorer, finished with 10 points for Los Angeles. They all came in the second after being tripped by Robinson, who was called for a flagrant foul

NOTES—Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said it was “a little bit” surprising that Griffin’s player of the week award, announced Monday, was his first such honor since entering the league in 2010. “Those things happen when you win,” Del Negro said. “You get recognized for winning, and I think Blake is most pleased with that.”….   Clippers F Grant Hill (right knee bone bruise) “felt pretty good” after running on Monday, according to Del Negro. Hill will continue to run every other day, but there is still no timetable for his return…..Hinrich (left elbow) was able to start after missing the second half of Saturday’s win against New York. “It says a lot about his toughness,” Thibodeau said. “I don’t measure him statistically. I measure by how he’s running the team, how he’s leading our defense.”

CHAMPAIGN—Brandon Paul scored 14 points and D.J. Richardson overcame a shoulder injury to add 11 and help 10th-ranked Illinois hold off Norfolk State 64-54 on Tuesday night.The Illini (11-0) were coming of a win at Gonzaga on Saturday that helped move them into the top 10, but were sluggish against the Spartans. Illinois was shooting 46 percent from the field coming in but shot just 35 percent on the night.Rashid Gaston scored 12 points and Pendarvis Williams added 11 for Norfolk State (6-6), which led for much of the first half.Richardson left late in the first half with a badly bruised shoulder but returned. His layup with just under two minutes remaining put the Illini up 56-51 and they went on to get the win.

MINNEAPOLIS—Everyone in the stadium knows Adrian Peterson is going to get the ball when the Minnesota Vikings are on offense. No one seems to know how to stop him once he does.His sights set squarely on 2,000 yards, Peterson’s latest jaw-dropping performance also made sure the Vikings can keep their eyes on the playoffs.Peterson rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns and Harrison Smith returned an interception for a score to lead the Vikings to a 21-14 victory over the free-falling Bears on Sunday.Peterson topped 100 yards before the first quarter was over, helping the Vikings (7-6) overcome another lackluster day from quarterback Christian Ponder to get a victory that will keep their playoff hopes alive.

“The guy’s unbelievable,” Ponder said of his star running back. “I don’t know if he’s human or not.”

Jay Cutler was 22 for 44 for 260 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions and couldn’t finish the game for the Bears (8-5), who have lost four of five. He took a wicked hit to the head from Everson Griffen in the fourth quarter, remained in for the rest of that drive, but was replaced by Jason Campbell with 3 minutes to play.Cutler has a neck injury, which could leave the reeling Bears without two of their most important players down the stretch. Linebacker Brian Urlacher did not play because of a strained right hamstring that threatens to end his season.

“It started stiffening up more and more,” Cutler said. “I just have to take it day by day.”

Campbell threw a 16-yard TD to Brandon Marshall with 1:48 to play, but Kyle Rudolph recovered the onside kick. Marshall had 10 catches for 160 yards, but the Bears struggling offense couldn’t do enough to overcome the two turnovers and Peterson’s relentless effort.Peterson’s remarkable comeback from a torn left ACL late last season seems to get more impressive every week. Not even a year removed from that major injury in Washington, he broke the 100-yard mark for the seventh straight game. He has 1,600 yards with three games to play, putting a hallowed 2,000-yard season within reach. He ran for 51 yards on the opening play and continued to gash the broken-down Bears the rest of the way.

“I think about it,” Peterson said of 2,000 yards. “I don’t try to think about it too much. I feel like it will happen. It’s obvious we’re going to continue to run the ball and the chips will fall where they may.”

No one was happier to see it than Ponder, who continued to look skittish in the pocket and out of whack with his mechanics. He finished 11 of 17 for 91 yards, including an ugly interception off his back foot late in the first half.This time, his performance didn’t doom the Vikings. Owner Zygi Wilf addressed the team this week after a string of four losses in five games threatened to spoil a 5-2 start.

“You know when you play the Vikings you’re going to have to stop Adrian Peterson,” coach Leslie Frazier said. “And for him to come out and gain 100 yards in the first quarter, just an amazing feat by him.”

Vikings fans trudged through a snow storm to get to the Metrodome, and they were ornery and ready to give Ponder all the grief they could. They booed him in pregame introductions, then Peterson touched the ball on five of six plays in the opening drive. He also ripped off a 16-yard run and finished it with a 1-yard TD.

“It looks like we weren’t ready for it, but we were,” Bears cornerback Kelvin Hayden said. “We were ready. It was the first drive and there was so much football played after that, I thought we did a pretty good job after that.”

Josh Robinson intercepted Cutler on the next possession, returning the ball to the Bears 5 to set up Peterson’s second touchdown. The Vikings were off and running, exactly what they were hoping to do.Cutler responded, hitting Alshon Jeffery with a 23-yard TD pass that got a healthy contingent of Chicago fans chanting “Let’s Go Bears!”‘.Just as the Bears appeared to seize momentum, Cutler floated a pass over Marshall’s head and right into the arms of Smith, who headed down the Chicago sideline for a 56-yard touchdown late in the third quarter and a 21-7 lead.The Vikings haven’t made big plays in the passing game ever since Percy Harvin was lost for the season with a severely sprained left ankle against Seattle on Nov. 4. They finally did it Sunday, but it was the defense that made it happen.Robinson and Smith combined for 100 return yards, more than the Vikings’ passing game had through the air.Now the Bears must try to hold off another December malaise under coach Lovie Smith. They started 7-1, but Smith tried to ratchet up the intensity this week, saying the Bears had to win out to get into the playoffs.

Through six games, the Bears gave up an average of 71 yards rushing. But they had given up 136 yards per game on the ground in the previous six games.

“It’s all willpower, man,” Peterson said. “They pretty much know we’re going to run the ball. Offensive line knows that, receivers. Everybody’s dialed in.”
Notes

NOTES—Vikings CB A.J. Jefferson suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter. He will be re-evaluated on Monday…..Marshall joined Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison and Wes Welker as the only players in history with at least four seasons of 100 or more receptions. Marshall also set the all-time Bears record with his 101st catch this year…..Robbie Gould did not kickoff on Sunday after straining his left calf in pregame warm-ups. He did kick the Bears’ two extra points,and did not attempt any field goals.