DEKALB—Morris Woods had 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and Eastern Illinois held off Northern Illinois for a 59-47 BracketBuster victory Saturday.Eastern Illinois (9-20) led 27-25 at halftime but used an 11-2 run to begin the second half capped off by Alex Austin’s 3-pointer with 16:07 to go and the Panthers never looked back.The BracketBuster game saw 11 lead changes and five ties throughout the contest. Eastern Illinois led by as many as 13 points in the second half and out-rebounded the Huskies 37-28.Josh Piper had nine points and grabbed eight rebounds for EIU, which shot 45.2 percent from the field and was 16 of 25 from the free-throw line.Abdel Nader led all scorers for Northern Illinois (5-20) with 17 points and pulled seven rebounds. The Huskies shot only 36.5 percent and were a dismal 4 of 20 from beyond the arc.

Chris Evans scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds Saturday in Kent State’s 70-63 victory over BracketBusters foe Loyola.Kris Brewer added 14 points and was 3 of 3 from the 3-point line for the Golden Flashes (15-12), who also got 13 from Randal Holt and 12 from Darren Goodson.Christian Thomas led the Ramblers (14-14) with a career-high 31 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas, a sophomore, was 11 of 19 from the floor.Loyola opened the game on a 20-9 run capped by Jordan Hicks’ 3-pointer, but Kent State rallied to lead 38-33 at halftime. The Ramblers couldn’t get closer than four points down the rest of the way.The Ramblers still hold a 3-2 lead in the all-time series, which began with a 96-55 victory during the team’s 1962-63 NCAA championship season. Saturday’s game was the first between the schools since 1996.

Brandon Saad scores a short-handed goal to snap a 1-1 tie and send the Hawks into the record books. (AP)

The Blackhawks set an NHL record for the best start to a season, beating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Friday night to give them at least one point in their first 17 games.Blackhawks rookie Brandon Saad scored a short-handed goal early in the third period to snap a 1-all tie. The Hawks (14-0-3) won their fourth straight game to break a mark set by the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks, who earned points in their first 16 games.The Blackhawks equaled that run Tuesday with a shootout win over Vancouver.Saad closed in on left wing one-on-one with San Jose defenseman Brent Burns. After a quick fake, Saad fired a shot from the circle that beat San Jose’s Antti Niemi just under the glove 2:24 into the period.Viktor Stalberg also scored for the league-leading Hawks, which has captured a total of 31 of 34 possible points.Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery made 26 saves to win his fourth straight start and improve to 7-0. The Hawks killed all four San Jose power plays, all of which occurred in a span of under 14 minutes late in the second and early in the third periods.Patrick Marleau scored for the Sharks, getting only his second goal in 11 games after getting nine in San Jose’s first five games.Both Emery and Niemi were sharp throughout most of the game. But a misplay by Niemi led to Stalberg’s goal at 16:40 of the second period, and he seemed fooled on Saad’s score. Niemi stopped 32 shots. Niemi, who was the goalie when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, also let in a couple of soft goals in a 4-1 loss to the Blackhawks at the United Center last Friday.The Hawks and San Jose faced each other for the third time in 17 days. The Blackhawks defeated the Sharks 4-1 last Friday and 5-3 in San Jose on Feb. 5.The Blackhawks had a full lineup for the first time since their season opener at Los Angeles. Brent Seabrook, Daniel Carcillo and Corey Crawford returned from injuries. Seabrook missed Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury and Carcillo sat out 15 games since suffering a knee injury in the season opener.Crawford, who sat out three games with a upper-body injury, backed up Emery.Marian Hossa was back after being hit in the back of the head by Vancouver forward Jannik Hansen on Tuesday and leaving early in the third period. Hansen was suspended for one game by the NHL.Marleau broke the scoreless tie late in the first period. He connected with 14.2 seconds left to give San Jose a 1-0 lead.Emery made a point-blank pad save on Joe Pavelski’s tip of Joe Thornton’s shot from left wing, then Marleau pounced on the rebound in the slot. Emery got his left pad on Marleau’s attempt, but the puck barely slid over the goal line.Stalberg tied it at 1 at 16:40 of the second on a play from the left corner. From sharp angle and with traffic in front, Stalberg whipped the puck toward Niemi. It struck the inside of Niemi’s left pad near the knee and deflected in.Saad’s goal 2:24 into the third, and with 3 seconds remaining on a penalty to Seabrook, made it 2-1.Then the penalty killing and alert work by Emery helped preserve the lead.Niemi was pulled for an extra attacker with 1:10 left, but the Hawks kept the Sharks off the puck and off balance. Hossa missed an empty net in the final seconds.
NOTES—The 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks got off to a 12-0-4 start that season and went on to win the Stanley Cup. … The Sharks played the fifth game of a season-high six-game road trip and are 1-3-1. Despite the compressed 48-game NHL schedule, San Jose played only one game — at St. Louis on Tuesday — since facing the Blackhawks in the U.C. a week ago. … San Jose C Scott Gomez and D Justin Braun were healthy scratches. … Former Blackhawks player and current broadcaster Eddie Olczyk, a Chicago-area native, was honored in a pregame ceremony for being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

CHARLOTTE—Taj Gibson said the Bulls need to get back to last season’s philosophy of putting tough losses behind them and not dropping back-to-back games.They did just that on Friday night.Gibson scored 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting to lead a balanced scoring attack as the Bulls beat Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats 105-75. The win came after a disappointing 19-point loss at home to the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
“We liked the way were able to bounce back after a bad loss,” Gibson said. “Last year we wouldn’t allow ourselves to lose two straight games. We need that same mindset.”
Now the tough part will be stringing two wins together.The Bulls travel to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on Sunday night in a game that figures to be a good measuring stick for the Bulls, who had lost five of its last eight.This one was over early.With Jordan looking on from the end of the Charlotte bench, the Bulls jumped out to a 38-19 lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back. Jordan, the Bobcats’ owner and former Bulls star, left his seat with about 3 minutes left in the first half and didn’t return.The Bulls had failed to score 100 points in their previous six games and were held to 67 by Miami on Thursday night, but found their groove against the NBA-worst Bobcats.Carlos Boozer had 10 points and 10 rebounds as eight Bulls finished in double figures.Luol Deng added 14 points, Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli and Richard Hamilton all had 12, and Joakim Noah finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
“We were able to get out in transition and get some easy baskets,” Noah said. “We had a lot of good ball movement. Everybody was getting an opportunity to score and it just became contagious.”
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was happy with his team’s energy in what amounted to a trap game.
“We were disappointed in the way we played against Miami,” Thibodeau said. “And we felt that we beat ourselves yesterday, so we wanted to correct that. I thought we responded well. The important thing was that we approached today from a standpoint of learning from our mistakes. You can use the [excuse] of ‘back to back’ or `we got in late’ and we did none of that. We chose to work, got the lead early and played hard and played well.”
The Bobcats shot 33 percent from the field and lost by 20 points or more for the 10th time this season.Kemba Walker had 27 points to lead Charlotte — his third straight 20-point game — but he wasn’t happy with his performance.
“We started off too late,” Walker said. “We have to kick it off from the jump. I blame myself. I had to set the tempo.”
It was the sluggish Bobcats who looked as though they were on the tail end of a back-to-back. Charlotte shot just 31 percent from the field in the first half and trailed 51-37 at the break. Meanwhile, the Bulls played with energy from the start, forcing four quick turnovers to build an early 10-point lead they never relinquished.The Bulls finished with 37 assists and only six turnovers.Charlotte’s three highest-paid players – Ben Gordon ($12.4 million), Tyrus Thomas ($8 million) and Gana Diop ($7.4 million) – didn’t play.Gordon had been a regular reserve but fell out of favor with coach Mike Dunlap before the All-Star break after being disruptive in practice. The team attempted to trade him but was unable to unload his contract.When asked if Gordon not playing was discipline-related, Dunlap said, “It was more [the younger players] getting more minutes. That’s not what drove it. What drove it was to get our young guys more minutes.” Dunlap hinted that things aren’t likely to change anytime soon for Gordon, who is due to make $13 million next season.
“You’re trying to develop a core, so you want to get those young guys minutes,” he said.

NOTES—The Bobcats have lost their last four home games against the Bulls Chicago by an average margin of 30 points….Bobcats center Byron Mullens came in averaging 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds over the past nine games, but was held to two points on 1-of-12 shooting and had just four rebounds….Boozer had his fourth straight double-double and his 28th of the season.

LeBron James scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat beat the listless Bulls 86-67 Thursday for their season-high ninth straight win.James also had seven assists in another big performance after ending his franchise-record seven-game streak of scoring at least 30 the previous night in Atlanta.Dwyane Wade added 17 points, and the Heat took control in the first half, sending the Bulls to their fifth loss in seven games on a night when the Derrick Rose recovery story took another twist.After saying last week that he wouldn’t rush back from his knee injury to play this season if he wasn’t ready, the Bull’s sidelined superstar had to go into damage control mode after his older brother Reggie blasted the organization in an article for not making a move before Thursday’s trade deadline.Things didn’t get much better for the Bulls once the game started.Nate Robinson scored 14 points, Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Joakim Noah added 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, but he also committed four of the Bulls’ season-high 27 turnovers.The Bulls were particularly bad in the first half, coughing it up 17 times as the Heat built a 45-35 lead, and they came up short after winning at Miami last month. This time, the Heat took control in the second quarter, scoring 13 straight points during a 4 1/2-minute stretch to turn a two-point deficit into an 11-point advantage even though James was on the bench for much of the run.It started after a soaring right-handed dunk by Taj Gibson to give the Bulls a 28-26 lead with 8:16 remaining. Allen answered with a driving layup, Wade followed with two jumpers and the Bulls turned it over five times as the Heat built a 39-28 lead.Marco Belinelli ended the scoring drought with a free throw, and Boozer then nailed a jumper after Bosh buried a 20-footer. But it was a rough night all around for Chicago, even before the Bulls took to the court.Rose, recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, found himself at the center of attention after his brother went off, and he wound up releasing this statement in response: “I have always felt that the Bulls organization’s goals have been the same as mine and that is to bring another championship to this city.”
That comment came after Reggie Rose ripped the Bulls, saying “They don’t have the talent to compete for a championship and that their decision to stand pat before the trade deadline could be a “big factor” in whether Derrick plays at all this season”.
“It’s frustrating to see my brother play his heart and soul out for the team and them not put anything around him,” said Reggie Rose, Derrick’s manager.
NOTES—Kirk Hinrich sat out because of continued soreness in his right elbow. The veteran Hinrich missed seven games with an infection in the elbow before delivering 10 assists Tuesday in a win at New Orleans…..The Bulls visit Charlotte on Friday, and Thibodeau expects him to make the trip. … The Heat traded backup center Dexter Pittman and a second-round pick in this year’s draft to the Grizzlies on Thursday for the rights to center Ricky Sanchez. … Mike Miller remained in Miami because of ear problems resulting from a head cold. He also missed Wednesday’s game at Atlanta but could be available in Saturday at Philadelphia.

CHAMPAIGN—D.J. Richardson started slow Thursday but finished with 18 points and hit a pair of key free throws late in Illinois’ ugly 64-59 win over Penn State.The win was the fifth straight for Illinois (20-8, 7-7 Big Ten). But facing a team that hadn’t won since late December, it didn’t come easy.Jermaine Marshall’s 3-pointer brought Penn State within 62-59 with 5 seconds left. Richardson then sank a pair of free throws that sealed the win.llinois led 29-20 at the end of a brutal first half.The Illini’s Brandon Paul entered the game a point shy of 1,500 in his career. It took him almost 17 minutes to get it. He finished with 16.Penn State (8-18, 0-14) has lost 14 straight. The Nittany Lions committed 31 fouls and sent the Illini to the line 36 times. They made 23.Jermaine Marshall led Penn State with 20 points.

EVANSTON—Ben Brust loves to go inside with all the big men and come away with the basketball. The guard plays a lot bigger than his stature, much to the delight of Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. Brust had 12 points and eight rebounds after missing the past two days of practice with a sore left knee, and the 19th-ranked Badgers shut down Northwestern 69-41 on Wednesday night for their fifth victory in six games.The balanced Badgers (19-8, 10-4 Big Ten) had five players with at least eight points and held the Wildcats to 29 percent shooting during a very businesslike performance. Jared Berggren also had 12 points and eight rebounds as Wisconsin enjoyed a 47-22 edge on the boards.

“In a game like tonight they’re going to take some outside shots, so there’s going to be long rebounds,” Brust said. “I just try to track it down and make sure my guy isn’t going in there. Just trying to help out the bigs.”

Brust, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, got each of his eight boards on the defensive glass and is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game. The junior said his knee felt great after the game. Reggie Hearn scored 13 for Northwestern (13-14, 4-10), which has dropped four in a row and six of seven. The Wildcats, who have lost four players to season-ending injuries, went 8 for 24 from 3-point range, but managed only seven field goals from inside the arc.

“Just having a hard time putting the ball in the basket, and our rebounding, it’s just been anemic,” coach Bill Carmody said.

Wisconsin snapped a tie with No. 7 Michigan for third in the loaded Big Ten and moved within a game of fourth-ranked Michigan State for the second spot. The Badgers are now off until they host Nebraska on Tuesday, while the Wolverines and Spartans each play on Sunday. It was the only scheduled meeting of the season for the Wildcats and Badgers, but Berggren and Co. will return to the area next month for the conference tournament at the United Center. This trip was certainly a productive one. Wisconsin opened the game with a 9-0 run and led 28-12 at intermission, holding Northwestern to 20 percent shooting and a season-low point total for any half. The Badgers also had a 23-8 rebounding edge at the break.

“I thought especially in the first half we did a good job getting on the offensive glass when they were in the zone,” Berggren said. “That was something we looked to take advantage of and we did a pretty good job doing that.”

Traevon Jackson helped key the fast start with a nice block on a 3-point attempt by Dave Sobolewski. Brust caught the loose ball and sent it up the court for Jackson, who converted the easy layup during the Badgers’ opening spurt.Jackson tacked on a nice pullup jumper at the halftime horn for Wisconsin, which held Ohio State to 38-percent shooting in an impressive 71-49 victory in its previous game.

“We make teams defend us for a long time,” Berggren said. “Make them play hard defense and if we can get on the offensive glass and then make them do it again, it can be discouraging to teams.”

NU’s numbers at the break were bleak all-around. It had just one field goal inside of the arc, and Hearn went 1 for 2 in its only trip to the free-throw line with 1:27 to go.

“They just kind of pounded us and took advantage of their size,” Hearn said.

The Wildcats looked a little better on offense at the start of the second half, closing to 31-19 on Tre Demps’ 3-pointer with 17:46 left. But the Badgers responded with an 8-2 spurt and enjoyed their biggest lead at the final buzzer.Sam Dekker had 10 points for Wisconsin, and Jackson finished with eight points, seven rebounds and five assists.

WASHINGTON—With Otto Porter on the bench nursing a sore knee, the player known as DSR put on Georgetown‘s best freshman scoring performance in 17 years.D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera put in 33 points Wednesday night as the No. 11 Hoyas, no longer the team that relies on Porter and Markel Starks to lead the way every game, routed DePaul 90-66 to move back into a tie for first place in the Big East.Smith-Rivera went 10 for 12 from the field, 8 for 10 from the free-throw line and made 5 of 6 3-pointers, scoring the most points by a Georgetown freshman since Victor Page’s 34 in the 1996 Big East tournament. The Hoyas (20-4, 10-3) won their eighth straight and pulled even again with Syracuse and Marquette atop the conference. They shot 63 percent and scored a season-high in points, handling with relative ease a possible trap game ahead of Saturday’s much-anticipated final Big East visit to No. 8 Syracuse. Brandon Young scored 16 points to lead the Blue Demons (11-15, 2-11), who have lost 12 in a row to Georgetown and 40 straight to Top 25 teams. DePaul was coming off of a win over Rutgers on Saturday and was hoping to win back-to-back Big East games for the first time in five years. The Blue Demons hung with the Hoyas for about 14 minutes, thanks mainly to dominance on the offensive boards, but coach Oliver Purnell said a couple of easy misses under the basket hurt his team’s morale.

“We let frustration set in instead of digging in,” Purnell said. “And that kind of fueled Georgetown.”

MILWAUKEE—Paris Gulley scored 17 points to lead UW-Milwaukee to a 64-53 victory against UIC on Wednesday night.Demetrius Harris and Jordan Aaron added nine points each for the Panthers (7-22, 3-12 Horizon League), who shot 9 of 10 from the free-throw line in the final 1:03 to protect its lead.Gary Talton had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Flames (15-12, 6-8), who shot 35.1 percent (20 of 57) from the floor en route to losing for the fourth time in five games.After trailing by double digits in the second half, UIC got within 53-48 with two minutes remaining. But Evan Richard hit a jumper for Milwaukee, and after Talton turned the ball over, the Panthers began their procession to the foul line.Aaron had seven rebounds.

EVANSVILLE—Colt Ryan continued his climb up the scoring charts, pouring in 31 points as Evansville defeated Illinois State 79-62 Wednesday night.Ryan now has 2,092 career points and is just 144 points shy of Evansville’s all-time leader, Larry Humes (2,236 from 1963-66), with three regular-season games plus the Missouri Valley Conference tournament remaining. Ryan also moved past Bradley’s Roger Phegley (1974-78) into 11th place on the MVC all-time scoring list.The Purple Aces (15-13, 8-8 Missouri Valley) never trailed Wednesday night, jumping out to an 11-2 lead en route to a 42-33 halftime advantage. Evansville stretched its lead to as many as 23 points in the second half.Ned Cox added 16 points for Evansville and Egidijus Mockevicius had 11 rebounds.Tyler Brown scored 21 points for Illinois State (16-12, 7-9), which had won seven of its past nine games after starting 0-6 in conference play. Jackie Carmichael added 14 rebounds.