GLENDALE—Dave Bolland had two goals and an assist, Marian Hossa scored twice against the team that knocked him out of last year’s playoffs and the Blackhawks spoiled another celebration by holding off the Phoenix Coyotes 6-4 on Sunday night. The Hawks ruined the Los Angeles Kings’ Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony Saturday with a flurry of goals and did the same thing to the Coyotes after their Pacific Division banner unveiling.Hossa had two goals and an assist against the Kings in his first game since being knocked out of last year’s playoffs on a blindside hit by Phoenix’s Raffi Torres. Against the Coyotes, Hossa scored 50 seconds before Viktor Stalberg in the second period and again 14 seconds into the third. The Coyotes pulled within a goal when Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan scored 50 seconds apart, but Bolland made it 6-4 with his second goal 22 seconds later. Patrick Sharp also scored for the Blackhawks, who have 11 goals in two games. David Moss and Antoine Vermette also scored for the Coyotes, and Doan added an assist in his 1,200th NHL game. The Blackhawks raced out of the gate of the truncated NHL season, spoiling the Kings’ banner-raising party with a 5-2 rout Saturday behind Hossa’s big night. The Coyotes limped from the chute, committing defensive breakdowns in a 4-3 loss in Dallas.Game 2 in this sprint of a season was a rematch of the opening round in last year’s playoffs, a physical series that Phoenix pulled out in six games. The rematch opened with the Coyotes unveiling the Pacific Division banner at the north end of Jobing.com Arena, a ceremony the Blackhawks skipped. Once the puck dropped, there were some hard hits, but didn’t seem to be any lingering animosity. Phoenix got off to a quick start, scoring less than 4 minutes in when Moss gathered a loose puck in from the crease and flipped a soft shot that squeezed between goalie Ray Emery’s pads.The Blackhawks tied it midway through the first on a power play, when Bolland one-timed a pass that Patrick Kane threaded through the crease.Vermette put Phoenix back up early in the second, punching in a rebound after a shot by David Schlemko at the point was tipped by Doan and bounded hard off Emery. Sharp tied it midway through, taking a nifty little flip pass from Bolland and firing a wrister off the crossbar just over Mike Smith’s stick shoulder.Hossa scored on a wrister after cutting to avoid a defender and Stalberg found the net less than a minute later with another wrister after Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek fell and gave the Hawks an odd-man rush. Hossa scored again right after the faceoff to start the third period, slipping a backhand past Smith to the short side.After the quick goals by Hanzal and Doan in the third period cut the lead to a goal, Bolland pushed the lead back to two with a shot that caromed off Smith and shot into the air before falling behind him into the goal.

NOTES—Daniel Carcillo was out of the lineup and could miss up to a month after suffering a right knee injury in the opener against the Kings … Brandon Bollig and Phoenix’s Paul Bissonnette had a lengthy fight in the second period. Both received 5-minute penalties and Bissonnette got a light, atta-boy pat on the cheek from Bollig after it was over. … Doan has played all 1,200 of his games with the same team.

Ben Averkamp had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Loyola over Chicago State 66-63 in overtime Sunday night, snapping a four-game losing streak.Averkamp was 7 of 16 from the floor in his double-double performance.Jordan Hicks scored 13 points, and Christian Thomas had 12 points and a team-high 13 rebounds for Loyola (11-7, 1-4 Horizon League). Joe Crisman had six assists.Loyola led 33-22 at halftime, but the teams were tied at 57 at the end of regulation.The Ramblers shot 44.6 percent from the field for the game, while the Cougars shot 34.8 percent. Loyola outrebounded Chicago State 43-29.Jeremy Robinson led Chicago State with 16 points. Quinton Pippen scored 14, Jamere Dismukes had 13 and Clarke Rosenberg added 10 for the Cougars (6-15, 0-0 Great West). Robinson, Dismukes and Matt Ross all finished with five rebounds.

CARBONDALE—Tyler Brown scored 22 points and Jackie Carmichael had 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead Illinois State over Southern Illinois 70-56 Sunday night, snapping a six-game losing streak.Brown had six 3-pointers to lead the Redbirds (10-9, 1-6) in their first Missouri Valley Conference win of the season. Carmichael, the team’s top scorer, was 7 of 12 from the field in reaching his double-double.Johnny Hill had six assists as the Redbirds shot 45 percent from the field for the game. The Redbirds had 41 rebounds.The Redbirds took the lead early in the game and were up 47-21 at halftime. ISU never looked back.Jeff Early led SIU Illinois with 16 points and nine rebounds. Kendal Brown-Surles had 13 points, and Desmar Jackson added 11.Southern Illinois (8-10, 1-6) shot 41.8 percent from the field and had 31 rebounds.Southern Illinois leads the overall series 75-67.

EVANSTON—Cody Zeller could sense panic setting in. Then, just in time, Indiana regained its composure.Zeller scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and the No. 2 Hoosiers beat Northwestern 67-59 on Sunday.Jordan Hulls added 15 points, Christian Watford scored 14 and the Hoosiers (16-2, 4-1 Big Ten) hung on after things got tense down the stretch.They led by as many as 17 in the first half and were up 31-17 at the break. But Northwestern (11-8, 2-4) responded with a 1-3-1 trap in the second half, leading to rushed shots by Indiana. The Wildcats pulled within five three times, but the Hoosiers hit seven of eight free throws in the final 57 seconds to prevail after seeing a six-game win streak end with a loss to Wisconsin last week.

“They just kind of sped us up for a while,” Zeller said. “We were kind of panicked for a while. That’s what their defense kind of forces you to do. Once we started getting into the middle, getting to the baseline, then we started getting open shots.”

Zeller, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, hit nine of 10 free throws and dominated inside as Indiana pounded the Wildcats 36-24 on the glass.

“It just seemed like he was everywhere,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. “He gets to the line a lot and makes his foul shots.”

Victor Oladipo scored seven points for Indiana, but hit a key 3-pointer late in the game after taking a blow to the right eye midway through the second half. That happened right before Northwestern’s Dave Sobolewski made a 3, and he had a patch on his right eye after the game.Oladipo said Sobolewski was “kind of doing a swim move” right before the shot and they collided.

“I couldn’t see, so I went to the locker room for a little while,” he said.

Oladipo said he would have the eye examined once the team returned home.Reggie Hearn scored 22 for Northwestern, which refused to go away quietly in this one after beating No. 23 Illinois on Thursday.Overmatched in the early going, the Wildcats scored eight straight to pull within 47-42, a free throw by Hearn with 6:34 left in the game capping that run.Zeller than scored on a layup and got called for a foul on the play. After Sobolewski hit a free throw for Northwestern, Zeller tipped in a miss by Hulls. Oladipo hit a long 3 to make it 54-43 with 4:52 left, but Northwestern wasn’t finished.Three free throws by Hearn and a 3-pointer from the corner by Jared Swopshire (13 points) cut it to 56-51. Swopshire’s layup made it 58-53 with just more than two minutes left, but the Hoosiers hung on from there.

“It took us a little bit to get the ball where we wanted it against their 1-3-1,” coach Tom Crean said. “And I think they’ll see on the film where we missed some opportunities and how we wanted to attack it, where we wanted to get the ball, but we reversed it. And that was the key. The other night against Wisconsin, it was almost two to one on balls being shot on the first side rather than the second and the third side.”

Against Northwestern, he saw a team that was “locked in to what’s important.”

With most of the crowd decked out in cream and crimson, the Hoosiers wasted no time taking control.Watford scored 11 in the first half and had eight as Indiana grabbed a 13-4 lead, and when it looked as if Northwestern might claw its way back into this one, Indiana answered with nine straight.They got two tip-ins from Zeller and a 3 from Watford in transition before Hulls drove for a layup that made it 26-9 with 4:33 left, crashing to the court as the ball fell through the net.But NU regrouped in the second half. The trap helped, even if Indiana finished with just six turnovers.

LOS ANGELES—The Blackhawks raised their own Stanley Cup championship banner just two seasons ago, so their core players already know it’s tough to go back to work after a pregame party.When the Los Angeles Kings were finished raising their banner and receiving their rings Saturday, the Blackhawks reminded the champs that what happened last year won’t help the Kings in this shortened NHL season.Marian Hossa had two goals and an assist, Corey Crawford made 19 saves, and the Hawks crashed the Kings’ Stanley Cup celebration with a 5-2 victory.Captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane each had a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks, who jumped to a 3-0 lead on Michael Frolik’s goal less than 15 minutes in.With superior speed and skill, the Blackhawks ruined the festivities shortly after the Kings hung their first championship banner in the Staples Center rafters.

“We wanted to have a good start, and whether they were going to be on their game or not didn’t really matter to us,” said Toews, the Conn Smythe Trophy-winning hero of Hawks 2010 title run.

“We tried not to focus on what was going on out there before the game. We were in [the locker room], just getting ready and doing our thing. We had a great first period, and when you come out in the first 20 minutes like that, you want to keep it going, and that’s what we did.”

With every player who touched the ice in last season’s playoffs returning to defend the title, the Kings received their championship rings during a stirring pregame ceremony that included each player passing the Cup around the boards. The Blackhawks didn’t watch it, but they seemed fired up from the opening faceoff.

“The season after you win the Cup, everyone is going to play their best game against the Cup champion, because that’s the game where you want to prove yourselves and make a statement,” said Kane, whose 5-on-3 goal started the rout. “So I think that’s what we were kind of feeling today.”

Rob Scuderi and Jordan Nolan scored and Jonathan Quick stopped 17 shots for the Kings, who are definitely done celebrating last season’s achievements as the first eighth-seeded playoff team to win the Stanley Cup.Quick gave up five goals just once last season while making his first All-Star team, but he wasn’t much better than his teammates in his first game since winning the Conn Smythe Trophy and getting a 10-year, $58 million contract extension.

“You have to get used to getting knocked down and getting back up,” Quick said. “As the ceremony was going on, most of our guys were thinking about the game, but obviously you’re going to take a moment, and it’s a special moment for the team and fans.”

While the Kings learned they’ve got work to do, the Blackhawks showed why they’ve got a shot at repeating their 2010 championship run. Kane seemed particularly sharp after spending the lockout playing in Switzerland.Hossa was the Blackhawks’ leading scorer last season, but he left his final game on a stretcher after a hit by Phoenix’s Raffi Torres, who got a 25-game suspension. The lockout was a benefit to Hossa’s recovery, and the 11-time 25-goal scorer is off to another big start.

“I haven’t played in a long time because of the concussion, so I tried to keep it simple, especially at the beginning,” Hossa said. “Nothing too fancy. They gave me short shifts and I tried to get into it. Obviously my timing is not there yet, but it’s going to come with the more games we play. My head is clear, otherwise I wouldn’t be playing if there were still some issues.”

Los Angeles began the season without two key players: Leading scorer Anze Kopitar, who hurt his knee while playing in Sweden, and defenseman Willie Mitchell, who had knee surgery.Both players wore their uniforms and skates while participating in the pregame ceremony, but the Kings’ good pregame feelings got erased about two minutes in when Matt Greene and Trevor Lewis went to the penalty box 43 seconds apart. Los Angeles killed most of the 5-on-3, but Kane scored with 8 seconds left in the advantage.Hossa, who set up Kane’s goal, then got credit for a score when his centering pass hit Drew Doughty’s skate and ricocheted past Quick. Just 74 seconds after that, Frolik put a pall over the celebratory crowd with the Blackhawks’ third goal on eight shots.When Toews, who spent the week ailing with a cold, alertly scored 1:16 into the second period, a few scattered boos came down from the sellout crowd. The Kings’ defense appeared to miss Mitchell, while Kopitar’s absence has forced coach Darryl Sutter to shuffle the lines that worked so splendidly in last season’s playoffs.

NOTES—The Hawks scratched veteran RW Jamal Mayers and new D Michal Roszival…..The Hawks are at Phoenix Sunday before their Home opener against St.Louis Tuesday night.

The game plan was simple for the Grizzles in overtime: Utilize one of the most imposing front lines in the NBA.Marc Gasol scored 19 points, Zach Randolph had 13 points and 19 rebounds, and Memphis beat the Bulls 85-82 on Saturday night.Gasol and Randolph combined for seven of the nine overtime points for the Grizzlies.

“When we got into overtime we went to our horses, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. We played an inside-outside game. Our All-Star bigs took over the game,”

The Grizzlies’ Tony Allen said.Memphis scored the first six points of the extra period, Gasol’s putback making it 82-76. The Bulls cut it to 83-80 on Jimmy Butler’s layup and had a chance to tie, but Nate Robinson missed a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left.Robinson made a layup with 6.6 seconds left, but Jerryd Bayless scored with 4.8 seconds remaining to make it 85-82. Carlos Boozer missed a 3 as time expired.The Bulls, playing their third consecutive overtime game in four days, didn’t have enough in overtime. The Bulls played without forward Luol Deng and had to fight back from a 17-point, third-quarter deficit.

Butler, starting in place of Deng, scored a career-high 18 points and Boozer added 17 as the Bulls had a three-game winning streak snapped.

“It was nerve-wrecking at first. I was rushing things. Joakim (Noah) and Booz told me to calm down and play like you are coming off the bench,” Butler said of his first career start.

The Bulls shot just 3 for 10 in overtime, but forward Taj Gibson didn’t blame fatigue for the loss.

“You just have to play through it. We had a chance to win this game in the fourth. We had a couple of times to take advantage in overtime,” Gibson said. “We had some bad shots in the game and we couldn’t rebound the ball late. Even though we won the rebounding battle, we gave up too many offensive rebounds.”

The Bulls are 3-1 in overtime this season. The three consecutive overtime games are the first in franchise history.The Bulls played without Noah in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“That’s just a coaching decision,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.

And it was a costly one since they got creamed on the boards.It was one that surprised Randolph.

“I was wondering why they kept Noah out,” he said.

Noah left without talking to reporters.Robinson banked in a 3 with 1:33 left in regulation to give the Bulls a 75-72 lead, then Gasol scored four consecutive points to get Memphis the lead back at 75-74. Marco Belinelli split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 76 with 31.4 seconds to play. After Randolph missed an 18-footer with 4.9 seconds left, Robinson missed a 21-footer as time expired, sending the game into overtime.

“Offensive rebounding ultimately got us the win. We were battling and battling. They made some tough defensive plays and then we finished off the possession with an offensive rebound and they couldn’t finish it off with a defensive rebound,” said Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.

After trailing by 17 early in the third quarter, the Bulls cut it to five early in the fourth quarter, but Memphis quickly answered. Allen made a pair of free throws and Mike Conley had a steal and layup to make it 64-55 with 9:30 left before the Bulls rallied.

“In the overtime, we moved the ball better. We created some open shots and we kept attacking the paint,” Gasol said. “I think they got too many easy buckets and that’s why they got back in the game. Too many of those.”

Memphis has won two straight after dropping three in a row.Rudy Gay finished with 16 points and Conley had 13 points and nine assists.Trailing 30-25 midway through the second quarter, the Grizzlies scored 13 unanswered points to take a 38-30 lead with 1:57 left in the half. Gay scored six straight points in the span.Memphis led 44-34 at the half. Conley scored 10 points in the half and Gasol had nine. Boozer and Noah led the Bulls with 10 points apiece. The Bulls were just 5-for-18 shooting in the second quarter and committed six turnovers.

“In the second quarter we got in a big hole,” Thibodeau said. “That went into the third quarter and we could not get organized. The group that went in there battled back and we wanted to ride it to see if we could climb back into it.”

After Boozer’s basket opened up the third quarter, Allen capped off an 8-0 run with a dunk to extend the lead to 52-36. Gay’s jumper gave Memphis a 54-37 lead, its largest of the game.Randolph, who missed Friday’s win over Sacramento with a sore back, played 41 minutes.

“He got all of his work done without having to dominate the ball. He just did it all with dirty work. Offensive and defensive glass,” said Conley.

Deng, averaging a team-high 17.4 points, tried to play through a sore right hamstring in Friday’s overtime win at Boston but scored a season-low three points on 1-of-6 shooting before aggravating the injury and exiting late in the third quarter.

NOTES—The Grizzlies swept the season series….Deng is listed day-to-day and there are no plans for an MRI.

Marco Belinelli scores 10 points off the bench, with the most important being the game-winning jumper in OT. (US Presswire)

BOSTON—In the midst of a boisterous Bulls locker room, players talked about what a crazy game it was. It was only fitting that they won it on a tough, unconventional shot.Marco Belinelli made an off-balance fadeaway with 3.1 seconds left, Jimmy Butler scored six points in overtime and the Bulls extended their Friday night road show by beating the Boston Celtics 100-99.

“That’s natural. I know it’s a crazy shot, the fallaway. The ball went in,” said Belinelli, who was given an ice bucket shower by teammate Taj Gibson.

Looking as though they were finally going to get beat in a Friday road game, the Bulls pushed the game to overtime when it forced a jump ball before Kirk Hinrich hit a jumper with 2 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.Then it was the second-year Butler who carried the Bulls, scoring six straight points. Jason Terry’s jumper had put Boston ahead 99-98 in OT before Belinelli’s game-winner just to the left of the foul line.

“It was really fun being out there with my guys. It’s crazy they have me out there,” Butler said, with teammate Richard Hamilton yelling, “Way to go Jimbo!” in the background.They had faith in me.Whenever I scored a basket they kept yelling, ‘Keep going Jimmy!”‘

Butler finished with 13 points.Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 20 rebounds, and Joakim Noah added 14 points and 13 boards as the Bulls won their 14th straight road game on a Friday. They haven’t lost since April 2011.

“It was a crazy game. It was a roller-coaster,” Hamilton said. “We made plays and thought we had it. They made plays and thought they had it.”

Rajon Rondo scored a season-high 30 points for Boston before fouling out with 1:16 to play in overtime.Kevin Garnett had 16 points and Paul Pierce passed former Celtics star Robert Parish for 22nd on the NBA’s career scoring list by chipping in 13. Pierce has 23,342 points and Parish 23,334.

“We had the game in our hands a couple of times and it just slipped through our fingers both times,” Pierce said. “Just the little things. It just goes to show you that little things can prove costly in this league if you are not on point throughout the whole game. They beat us tonight.”

Brandon Bass added 13 points for Boston, which lost for the second time in eight games.Hamilton had 20 points for the Bulls, who have won four of five.The teams traded leads twice in the opening 3 minutes of overtime before Terry’s 3-pointer from the right corner gave Boston a 93-92 lead with 1:57 to play. Butler had a basket on the other end to move the Bulls back in front and, after Boston missed on the offensive end, Rondo was called for a loose ball foul, sending Butler to the line. He nailed both, making it 96-93 with 1:16 left.The Bulls had another three-point lead, 98-95, after Belinelli’s two free throws with 51 seconds to go. Pierce hit two from the line and Boston forced a 24-second violation – when Belinelli fired a corner jumper off the top of the backboard, setting it up for Terry’s go-ahead jumper with 12.5 seconds to play.But Belinelli nailed his off-balance shot and Courtney Lee’s long shot at the buzzer caromed off the backboard as the horn sounded.In regulation, Rondo’s long jumper from the right wing gave Boston an 86-84 edge, but Boozer hit one free throw after being fouled by Pierce on a baseline drive with 23 seconds left.Garnett then nailed two free throws with 20.1 seconds remaining and Hinrich hit one, cutting it to 88-86.The Bulls forced the jump ball on the defensive end with 9.4 seconds left and gained possession before tying it on Hinrich’s jumper.Garnett airballed a long fadeaway as the horn sounded, sending the game to OT.

“We talked about it – you knew they were going to trap,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said, “and you’ve got to do whatever you can do not to get tied up.”

Rondo scored five points in Boston’s 6-0 run, giving the Celtics their first lead at 80-79 with 4 1/2 minutes to go.Hamilton’s layup gave the Bulls an 81-80 edge on the next possession before the teams started to trade trips to the foul line that led to pair of ties over the next 3 minutes, the last before the end of regulation when Garnett made one of two free throws to tie it at 84 with 2:20 left.The Celtics tied it again at 79 on Rondo’s two free throws a little over a minute later.Bulls forward Luol Deng appeared to aggravate his sore right hamstring, injured in Wednesday’s win at Toronto, when he came up limping after a fast-break drive to the basket late in the third quarter. He left the game for a substitute when play stopped.

After the game, Deng said he wasn’t sure if he could play Saturday.

“It’s pretty swollen,” he said.

Boston guard Avery Bradley missed the game with a rib injury sustained in Wednesday’s loss to New Orleans.Noah had his double-double after three quarters, collecting 12 points and 10 boards. Boozer had 17 points and 15 rebounds after three.Rondo had a highlight three-point play late in the third quarter that cut the Bulls’ lead to 62-59. He was dribbling to the right of the lane when he lost his balance, falling to the floor, but kept his dribble going before getting up and driving in for a basket and a foul.

NOTES—Derrick Rose, expected back in late February from knee surgery, participated in the team’s shootaround. Deng didn’t take part, but started the game….The Bulls play the first of four straight at home Saturday against Memphis…..Rivers and his former assistant, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, had dinner Thursday night to celebrate Thibodeau’s 55th birthday. “We went to dinner last night and the first thing I told him was, ‘By the way, your team is pretty good without Derrick, that’s No. 1,”‘ Rivers said…..Garnett and Noah were each given a technical late in the fourth.

Jared Swopshire scores 12 points to go with six rebounds for Northwestern, which moves to 11-7 on the year. (US Presswire)

CHAMPAIGN—Northwestern and Illinois were both looking to bounce back from bad blowouts Thursday night, games where neither team could shoot or play defense.Only the Wildcats improved, extending No. 23 Illinois’ losing streak to three games while handing the Illini a 68-54 home loss that could cost them their Top 25 ranking.After starting slow against Iowa and never catching up in the 70-50 whipping, Northwestern coach Bill Carmody was looking for a faster start.The Wildcats (11-7, 2-3 Big Ten) delivered with a barrage of 3-pointers early and 10 points in the first 10 minutes from Reggie Hearn.

“I thought they really came out tonight and played well,” Carmody said. “Hearn was very good early. … If they make shots you’re a good coach.”

Illinois (14-5, 1-4) has lost five of seven after its 12-0 start and fallen near the bottom of the Big Ten.Coach John Groce, frustrated on a night that he was called for e technical foul for arguing with the officials, said his team’s defense was absent early Thursday. And Northwestern took advantage of it.

“I thought the first 10 minutes they were a juggernaut,” Groce said. “I didn’t think we did anything whatsoever to be disruptive and take them out of that.”

Hearn’s hot start included two 3-pointers.The second of them, buried with just over 10 minutes left in the first half, put the Wildcats up 21-12.The were 8 of 15 from 3-point range for the game but hit five of them in the first half to build a 36-21 lead.And NU made 26 of 31 free throws, many of them late with Illinois forced to foul.The cold-shooting Illini closed within 48-39 on a free throw by Brandon Paul with 4:36 to play. Illinois would get no closer, watching the Wildcats make free throws that Carmody said were the difference down the stretch.

“I think that we were making some foul shots helped and it kept that distance for us,” Carmody said.

Jared Swopshire had 12 points and six rebounds for Northwestern, while Alex Marcotullio scored 12 points and Dave Sobolewski added 10 before fouling out late.Paul had 21 points for Illinois, which shot 38 percent from the field, including going 3 of 20 from 3-point range.Illinois opened the second half with two things that had been missing in the first, intensity and defensive pressure. Where first-half points sometimes came in easy waves for the Wildcats, early in the second Illinois made them work.But with the cold shooting – they opened the second half hitting 4 of 11 from the field and were just 1 of 6 from 3-point range – the Illini didn’t make up any ground.Marcotullio’s 3-pointer with 12:53 left pushed Northwestern’s lead to 45-30, the same 15-point margin they had at halftime. Paul finally ended a scoreless run of just over 5 minutes for Illinois with a layup with 9:35 left to play, trimming the Wildcats’ lead to 45-32.Groce’s frustration was apparent.He drew a technical foul for shouting at the officials with just under 11 minutes left in the game.

“That’s enough – you’ve got to calm down!” referee Jim Burr shouted at Groce along the sideline.

Swopshire missed both free throws – rare Northwestern misses – but the Wildcats didn’t need the points.Moments later a member of the Orange Krush student section was escorted out of the Assembly Hall after being tossed by Burr.Groce and the fans were on the officials much of the night for what they saw as missed calls, but Groce declined to discuss the officiating.

“I don’t want to talk about it or get into it,” he said. “If I did I’d have less money for shopping.”

From the opening moments, it was not the Illini’s night, and there were any number of examples.There was Nnanna Egwu’s big block on Alex Olah’s short jumper with 4:25 to play in the first half. With their team already down 30-17, the Illinois crowd seized on the moment, releasing a roar of collective relief. Before the noise had even faded, Olah grabbed the rebound and tucked it into the basket.And there was the Illini’s final first-half possession. Trailing 36-21, they had three chances to cut that lead and pocket something to build on in the final 20 minutes. But three chances yielded three misses, and the team trotted quietly off the court.The problem is, it hasn’t been Illinois’ night in a couple of weeks.Since they upset then-No. 8 Ohio State on Jan. 5, the Illini are 0-3. And there hasn’t been a close game in the bunch, losing by 17 to Minnesota, a stunning 23 at Wisconsin and by 14 at home to NU.The Wildcats finished 15 of 51 (29.4 percent) from the field and 5 of 26 from 3-point range in the loss to Iowa.On Thursday, they made up for it, shooting 47.2 percent from the field. Hearn was 4 of 7 – including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers – and 9 of 10 from the free throw line.

“It’s a very good win for us, especially on the road,” Carmody said. “I thought our defense was pretty solid and we made shots.”

TORONTO—Luol Deng hit a tiebreaking jumper with 3 seconds left in overtime and the Bulls beat Toronto 107-105 in overtime on Wednesday night, their eighth victory in nine meetings against the Raptors.Carlos Boozer had a season-high 36 points and 12 rebounds, and Joakim Noah added 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls.Deng scored 19 points and Richard Hamilton had 15 as the Bulls won their fourth straight road game. They have won nine of their past 11 away from home.Boozer’s double-double was his Eastern Conference leading 21st, and his 11th in 13 games against the Raptors. Alan Anderson fouled out with 27 points, matching his career-high, and Kyle Lowry had 26 as Toronto lost its third straight. DeMar DeRozan scored 18 points and Ed Davis had 11 for the Raptors, who were playing the second game of a back-to-back. Toronto lost at Brooklyn on Tuesday. The Bulls led 99-95 with 1:16 left in the fourth when Nate Robinson fouled Lowry on a 3-point attempt. The Raptors’ guard missed the first of his three free throws, then made the next two, cutting it to 99-97. Marco Belinelli made 1 of 2 from the line with 1:08 left, putting the Bulls up by three, but Lowry drove past Noah for a layup to make it a one-point game with 53 seconds to play. Belinelli missed a driving layup and the Raptors called time with 28 seconds to go. Lowry missed a long jumper with the shot clock winding down but Taj Gibson picked up his sixth foul as Amir Johnson grabbed the rebound and went to the line with 12 seconds left. He made the first, tying it at 100-all, but missed the second as Boozer grabbed the rebound. They let the clock wind down before Belinelli missed a short jumper. Lowry grabbed the rebound and called timeout, giving Toronto 0.7 seconds to try for the winning shot, but Anderson fumbled DeRozan’s inbounds pass, sending it to overtime.After Noah opened the scoring in overtime with a tip-in, Anderson made one of two from the line for Toronto. Boozer answered with a driving layup before Anderson hit a jumper, making it 104-103 with 1:32 to go.Belinelli made one of two from the line to put the Bulls up 105-103 with 15 seconds to go, but Lowry tied it again with a running jumper in the lane with 8 seconds left. Deng pulled up and hit a jumper over Landry Fields to put the Bulls on top. Toronto had one final shot, but Jose Calderon’s 3-point attempt bounced off the back rim as the buzzer sounded.Boozer made his first four shots and scored 17 points in the first as the Bulls took a 29-22 lead after one. Toronto took its first lead of the game at 38-37 on a 3-pointer by Lowry with 4:59 left in the second. But the lead was short-lived, and Boozer scored six more as the Bulls closed the half with a 15-6 run to take a 52-44 lead at the break. Anderson scored 10 points in the third but the Bulls got 13 from Hamilton, who connected on five of six field goal attempts. The Bulls led 79-73 heading to the fourth.

NOTES—Calderon started for Toronto after suffering a hip injury in Tuesday’s loss at Brooklyn. … Lowry, who missed time Tuesday with a sore left ankle, came off the bench for the Raptors. … Anderson also played after having dental surgery earlier Wednesday to repair a chipped tooth suffered in the loss to the Nets.

Gary Talton’s layup with 2 seconds to play gave UIC a 61-59 victory over Loyola at the Pavilion Wednesday night.Talton, who led the Flames (11-7, 2-3 Horizon) with 14 points, also hit a 3-pointer with 2:16 to play to tie the game at 57. Loyola’s Ben Averkamp scored to restore the Ramblers’ lead, but Josh Crittle’s basket tied it again for UIC. After Talton’s go-ahead basket, Averkamp’s 3-point try bounced off the rim at the buzzer.Crittle had 12 points and seven rebounds for UIC, which snapped a three-game losing streak.Christian Thomas scored 16 points and Averkamp finished with 14 for the Ramblers (10-7, 1-4), who have lost four in a row – three by either one or two points.