DES MOINES—Seth VanDeest made two free throws with 1.2 seconds left to force overtime, and Drake dominated the extra session to beat Bradley 92-84 on Wednesday night and snap a four-game losing streak.Bradley looked to have the game in hand after Will Egolf’s 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play put the Braves up 70-65. But the Bulldogs got a three-point play from Richard Carter before Bradley’s Tyshon Pickett was fouled and missed the front end of a one-and-one. VanDeest then rebounded a missed 3-pointer, was fouled and made both shots.Drake, which erased a 12-point second-half deficit, never trailed in the extra session and led by as many as 10.Jordan Clarke led the Bulldogs (12-15, 6-10 Missouri Valley) with a career-high 20 points and 15 rebounds. VanDeest and Ben Simons scored 14 apiece.Egolf had 21 points and Walt Lemon Jr. scored 19 for the Braves (15-13, 7-9).

The Blackhawks have now played more than a third of their schedule without losing a game in regulation.It certaintly wasn’t the way they drew it up, but with their 4-3 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night the Blackhawks tied an NHL record by playing their 16th straight game to open the season without a regulation loss, matching the season-opening streak put together by the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks.That Anaheim team, of course, went on to win the Stanley Cup.The Blackhawks have a chance to set a new mark on Friday night when they host the San Jose Sharks.But while they earned a spot in the history books for their amazing start, the night wasn’t completely flawless. Actually, part of it was bad. Potentially very bad.The worst news is that forward Marian Hossa, who was having a dominant night on the ice, had to leave the game after he was hit from behind by Canucks forward Jannik Hansen. Hossa scored two goals on the night, one of them on a beautiful individual effort as he came out of the corner and beat Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider. He had several other chances before leaving, including a shorthanded breakaway in the first period.But just a little over a minute into the third period Hossa was on the receiving end of the hit shown above from Hansen. There is no doubt the NHL is going to take a long look at that, especially since Hossa had to leave the game.What makes it even more concerning is the fact that Hossa is coming off a serious concussion in last year’s playoffs when he was hit by Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres on a play that earned Torres a lengthy suspension.The Blackhawks had a chance to win the game in regulation but had one of their worst stretches of the season in the closing minutes when they let a two-goal lead slip away, sending the game to overtime.The Blackhawks now sit on top of the NHL’s standings with a 13-0-3 record, a mark that gives them 29 points. That’s a points percentage of .906. Entering Tuesday’s game no other team in the league had a points percentage higher than .833 (Anaheim, and it’s the only team higher than .800).Every other team in the NHL has at least two regulation losses this season, while only two teams (Anaheim and Boston) have fewer than three.Expectations for the Blackhawks are now going to be through the roof and it’s pretty much going to be Stanley Cup or bust at this point (and that’s probably unfair because this magical run is going to end at some point).The Blackhawks are definitely one of the most talented teams in the league, and a run like this not only requires a stacked roster (which the Hawks absolutely have) but also a lot of luck. And they’re currently getting plenty from both areas (skill and luck). The Blackhawks entered Tuesday’s game with a team shooting percentage north of 11 percent and a team save percentage over .930. Recent NHL history tells us both of those numbers are going to regress at some point.

NEW ORLEANS—Even if Derrick Rose wasn’t ready to return, the Bulls got healthier as a team over the All-Star break — and it showed.Luol Deng scored 20 points, Kirk Hinrich returned from a seven-game absence with 10 assists, and the Bulls snapped a two-game skid with a 96-87 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday night.

“We all needed a little break,” said Carlos Boozer, who had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. “[We needed to] get away from it, get rejuvenated, get recharged, especially mentally. Obviously, physically, too. We had a lot of guys who were banged up. Some of us are still banged up, but we’re playing through it.”

The Bulls, who hopes Rose will return from last season’s left knee injury in time for the stretch run to the playoffs, has now gone 31-22 without him.

“We’re a complete team,” said Boozer, whose team plays next at home against first-place Miami on Thursday night. “We’ve got great players at each position.”

The Bulls took the lead for good late in the first quarter, but didn’t put the Hornets away until Deng’s clutch jumper from the top of the key with 44.8 seconds left put up 94-87 after the Hornets had pulled within five points on Eric Gordon’s 3-pointer.Joakim Noah had 15 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, who outrebounded New Orleans 47-39 and scored 15 second-chance points.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who like to get in there and bang and rebound,” Boozer said. “That’s one of our strengths.”

Gordon finished with 20 and Anthony Davis had 15 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which saw its two-game winning streak snapped after committing nine of its 15 turnovers in the final quarter. Greivis Vasquez had 11 points and 10 assists for the Hornets.

“They had good ball pressure,” Hornets forward Jason Smith said of the Bulls’ fourth-quarter defense. “Hinrich, he played amazing defense. He played a hell of a game.”

Hinrich, who had not played since Jan. 30 because of a right elbow injury, accounted for a third of the Bulls 30 total assists to go with three steals.

“Kirk played huge for us today,” Noah said. “He does a lot of things that you don’t see in the stat sheet that really help our club. … He just brings a whole different dimension, his defensive intensity, his feel for the game when he calls plays, ball movement, everything. He’s a great player.”

The Bulls shot 46.4 percent (39 of 84). Deng, Boozer and Noah all shot 50 percent of better. Deng was 7 of 13 from the field, Noah 6 of 11 and Boozer 8 of 16.

“They were physically tougher than we were tonight,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “I won’t blame it on rust because four days off should help us. We just didn’t make plays tonight, and give them credit. They were physically in our face all night long.”

The Bulls led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter when Hinrich’s transition 3 and Boozer’s reverse layup made it 64-52, but the Hornets kept making it interesting, pulling within 74-68 on Ryan Anderson’s free throws in the final seconds of the period.Early in the fourth quarter, reserve point guard Brian Roberts hit a jumper and 3 in succession, pulling New Orleans within 76-75, at which point Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau called timeout and told his players “just to play hard.”

“The level of intensity was very good,” Thibodeau said. “Our defense was solid. … We were not shortcutting things, making the extra pass, setting good screens. I thought overall it was very good.”

The Bulls responded soon after with a key 6-0 spurt on Nate Robinson’s finger roll, Jimmy Butler’s layup after an offensive rebound and former Hornet Marco Belinelli’s free throws.Davis’ dunk snapped the mini-run and New Orleans trailed 88-82 on Gordon’s driving layup with 3:48 left, but Boozer scored inside and Noah banked in a difficult jump hook to make it 92-82 with 2:53 left. The Hawks surged into the lead for good by closing out the first quarter with a 14-4 run that included Taj Gibson’s dunk and 3s by Belinelli and Deng, the latter making it 26-21.Davis, who had a pair of crowd-pleasing dunks in the opening half — one in which he lifted off just inside the foul line and another one-handed throw-down of an alley-oop — closed out the first half with an even more impressive score, snagging a long pass from Vasquez, then quickly turning and banking in a short shot as he was shoved to the floor by Noah. Davis hit the ensuing free throw to trim the Bulls lead to 47-43 at halftime.

NOTES—Anderson and Al-Farouq Aminu each scored 10 for New Orleans…..The Hornets won the only other meeting this season, 89-82 Nov. 3 in Chicago, despite the absence of Davis…..Hinrich was called for a technical foul in the third quarter for arguing with official Sean Wright……Two days after the dunk-filled All-Star Game, both teams went looking to score from above the rim and didn’t always convert. Davis, Noah and Aminu all missed dunks in the first half.

Will Bogan scored 16 points, grabbed four rebounds and Valparaiso nearly coughed up a big first-half lead to eventually put away Loyola 85-76 on Tuesday night.Valparaiso (21-7, 11-3 Horizon) led by as many as 17 points in the first half and was up 42-27 at halftime before the Ramblers fought their way back into the game, using a 19-4 run to begin the second half capped by Christian Thomas’ lay-in, making it 46-all with 11:21 to go.Thomas ended the night with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.After Thomas’ layup, the Crusaders responded, going on a 23-11 run capped by a Bogan jumper to make it 69-57 with 5:23 to play and Valparaiso never looked back. Ryan Broekhoff and Matt Kenney each had 14 points for the Crusaders.Jordan Hicks had 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Devon Turk and Jeff White each had 12 for Loyola (14-13, 4-10).

NEWARK—Marquette head coach Buzz Williams sent his team a stern message after his team was only tied at the half with struggling Seton Hall.

“The only time you have a chance to win on the road is to overwhelm teams with your intensity, your fight and your spirit,” Williams said after the No. 17 Golden Eagles steamrolled past the Pirates, 67-46, with an impressive second half performance. “It’s incredibly hard to win on the road no matter who you’re playing.”

Vander Blue scored 19 points and Devante Gardner added 18, including 14 in the second half, as Marquette used a sizeable rebounding advantage to get the victory. The win enabled the Golden Eagles (19-6, 10-3 Big East) to hold onto first place in the conference with their fourth win in the last five outings. The Pirates (13-14, 2-12) dropped below the .500 mark for the first time this season – their worst league mark in 29 years. Marquette went on a 17-0 run over a 5:38 span of the second half, right after Seton Hall grabbed a 33-32 lead. The Golden Eagles used their size advantage to take control, with Gardner scoring eight during that span. All totaled, Marquette outscored Seton Hall, 25-1, over an eight-minute portion of the half and outscored the Pirates, 40-19, after halftime.

PITTSBURGH—Jerian Grant and Jack Cooley scored 13 points each and No. 25 Notre Dame overcome a horrendous shooting start and beat No. 20 Pittsburgh 51-42 on Monday night. The Irish missed 18 of their first 19 shots and trailed 19-3 as late as 13:54 into the game. However, they rallied to take the lead in the second half and won going away.Eric Atkins added 10 points and seven assists for Notre Dame (21-6, 9-5 Big East), which has won five in a row over Pittsburgh (20-7, 8-6) and snapped a tie with the Panthers for fourth place in the conference. The top four teams get a double-bye in next month’s league tournament. Tray Woodall had 11 points to lead the Panthers, who lost for the second time in three days since winning seven of eight

The Blackhawks used a strong start against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday to keep their strong start to the season on a roll. Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews each had a goal and an assist to help the Blackhawks beat the Kings 3-2, extending their season-opening points streak to 15 games.Patrick Sharp also scored for the Blackhawks (12-0-3), who matched the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers for the second-longest season-opening points streak in NHL history. They are one away from the tying the league record set by Anaheim in 2006-07 and will try to match the mark on Tuesday when it hosts Vancouver.Mike Richards scored two power-play goals in the third period to pull the Kings within one after the Hawks outplayed the Stanley Cup champions in the opening 40 minutes and built a 3-0 lead. But the Blackhawks and goalie Ray Emery hung on.

“The guys wanted to get a good start, a good jump on LA,” Seabrook said. “Ray made the big saves when he needed to.”

The Blackhawks’ start to the season is beginning to reach historical proportions in more way than one. Anaheim won the Stanley Cup in 2007 after its record-setting points start. The 1984-85 Oilers and Montreal, which opened with 14 straight in 1943-44, also won the Cup in those seasons. Toews says the Blackhawks aren’t getting ahead of themselves, however.

“We’re 15 games into the season,” Toews said. “What’s important to us is getting home ice advantage, making the playoffs. Those are our goals. Once you get there, the real season starts.When you get to that point, no one really cares or remembers those streaks at the start of the season.”

Emery made 25 saves. He lost a bid for his first shutout in more than three years when Richards connected 56 seconds into the third period. Emery made back-to-back starts for the first time this season with Corey Crawford missing his second game because of an undisclosed upper-body injury.And things got a little frantic at the end after Richards notched his second goal — just his fourth this season — with 7:10 left. The Blackhawks spent the final 1:04 short-handed after Johnny Oduya was sent off for slashing, and Jonathan Quick was pulled for an extra attacker during that span.

“I thought we had a great first 40 minutes and they got some momentum off their power-play goal early in the third,” Joel Quenneville said. “They had a great third period. We had 40, they had a great 20, and the clock ran out, which was nice.”

Not so for Los Angeles (5-6-2), which has struggled on offense and with injuries. The only bright spot for the Kings was their power play, which came in ranked 27th in the NHL before connecting twice in a game for only the second time this season.

“We probably didn’t play well enough to win this game,” Richards said. “The slow start kind of cost us. We gave them a lot in the first period with penalties and some turnovers and they scored some goals, which put us behind the eight-ball pretty quick.”

Sharp, who led the Hawks with 33 goals last season, ended a 10-game drought without a score. The Blackhawks outshot Los Angeles 37-27 and defeated the Kings for the second time this season to end Los Angeles’ two-game winning streak. The Blackhawks won 5-2 in the teams’ season opener at Staples Center. Quick started in goal and finished with 34 saves for the Kings after backup Jonathan Bernier was in net in Los Angeles’ previous two games.The Hawks were was a step faster than the Kings in the first period and held a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Seabrook opened the scoring 6:29 in to cap a flurry in the Kings’ zone, and after Quick had made several in-close saves.Seabrook pinched down to the low edge of the left circle and took a pinpoint feed from Duncan Keith, who threaded a cross-ice pass from the top of the right circle. Seabrook then slid a shot into an open net before Quick could dive across.Toews’ power-play goal 4 minutes later made it 2-0. Stationed in the slot, Toews first tipped Keith’s feed off the right post, but buried the loose puck before Quick could cover it. Sharp exploited a Kings coverage breakdown and increased the lead to 3-0 just 56 seconds into the second period. Quick dropped to the ice to block Toews’ stuff-in attempt at the side of the net, but the puck popped into the slot. Sharp was wide open and fired high into the net before Quick could recover.The Blackhawks were in control for most of the second period and outshot Los Angeles 21-10. But Emery had to make several tough saves late in the period — including in-close stops on Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter — to keep the Kings off the scoreboard. Richards cut it to 3-1 early in the third. With Brown providing a screen at the edge of the crease, Richards’ high shot from the top of the slot sailed past Emery. Richards’ second power-play goal trimmed it to 3-2 with 7:10 left. This time, he beat Emery from the top of the left circle with Brown screening.

NOTES—Before the game, Quenneville said Crawford was “progressing” and is day-to-day. When asked if Crawford’s condition might be long-term, Quenneville replied, “I don’t foresee that yet.” Crawford — who has a 7-0-3 record, 1.65 goals-against average and .935 save percentage — has not skated since sustaining his injury, apparently in a 3-2 shootout loss to Anaheim last Tuesday.

As the sun drenched the football field turned hockey arena, Soldier Field looked exactly as you’d hope an outdoor game would look.The Hockey City Classic, a doubleheader of college hockey games featuring Miami University against Notre Dame and Wisconsin taking on Minnesota in the elements, certainly put on a show. With NHL fans being robbed of the Winter Classic due to the lockout, Sunday’s event at Soldier Field made a valiant attempt to fill the void, and did so pretty well for those in attendance.The outdoor game has become a staple of hockey at all levels now, but some would argue the novelty is wearing off. The Hockey City Classic, which saw a total of 52,051 over the two games did its best to prove otherwise.Soldier Field was far from capacity, but it didn’t grossly hinder the environment. Those that were there were loud, clad in their warmest clothing and in the best of spirits.Notre Dame downed Miami, 2-1, in a very tight, physical battle in the early game. Wisconsin rode three second-period goals to topple No. 2 Minnesota, 3-2, in a highly entertaining nightcap. Both games came down to the wire and while the ice quality wasn’t the best, it didn’t grossly affect play to downgrade the entertainment value.While the Winter Classic has become a ratings juggernaut for the NHL, the scale of the exposure for games like the ones played in Chicago is smaller, but no less significant.

“I think it’s important for college hockey in general,” said Miami coach Enrico Blasi. “Any time you can put our sport and our product out on a national stage in venues like today, I think it’s important for our sport.”

The setting couldn’t have been much better. The sun might have negatively impacted the ice in the early game, but it certainly enhanced the beauty of the event.

“We were fortunate,” said Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson. “It was great weather, a great crowd. It was a fun event; my first opportunity to be at an outdoor game. I’m hoping the kids enjoyed it.”

In the nightcap, Minnesota and Wisconsin played as night fell, creating an entirely different look to Soldier Field, but no less picturesque.Having to compete with home games for all three of the nearest professional team, the Blackhawks, and the Wolves and Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL, the timing made it tough to fill the expansive home of the Bears.It was still a fitting event for Hockey Weekend Across America as the Hockey City Classic served as a terrific celebration of the game.

“In memory of [former Wisconsin and Pittsburgh Penguins coach] Bob Johnson, it was a great day for hockey,” said Jackson.

With youth hockey games between periods and every kind of jersey you could imagine in the stands, the party-like atmosphere played a large role in the overall experience.The game was especially meaningful for the litany of players from the Chicago area, which does not have a local college hockey team.

“It was a great atmosphere,” said Sam Calabrese, a senior defenseman for Notre Dame and a native of Park Ridge. “When you come out to warmups, I think that’s the first time you really realize that this place is going to be packed. It was great to have all of my family and be able to see it and not have to drive the two hours to South Bend. I know a lot of the other Chicago boys had family here and everyone was thrilled to play in the game. It was great for the community.”

“We have [Bears] season tickets as a family, so it was a surreal experience,” said Michael Mersch, a junior forward for Wisconsin and Los Angeles Kings prospect.

Even for the teams on the losing end, the experience was still worthwhile.

“Playing outside in front of over 50,000 people was a great experience, but you kind of lose a little bit of that when you lose the game,” said a dejected Steven Spinnell, captain of Miami and another Chicagoland native.

“The experience was terrific,” said Minnesota coach Don Lucia, who likened the environment to that of the NCAA playoffs. “I think the fans had a good time, too. We had a great group that came down tonight and they enjoyed themselves, too. That’s what this game is all about.”

While the outdoor game is certainly going to get tired as a television event eventually, for the people in attendance, the Hockey City Classic did exactly what it was supposed to do.Nothing beats the live experience and if people keep coming, these events will keep coming and the game may just be better for it.It was a great day for hockey in Chicago.

EVANSTON—D.J. Richardson scored 18 points to lead Illinois to a 62-41 victory over Northwestern on Sunday night.Tracy Abrams added 13 points off the bench for the Illini (19-8, 6-7 Big Ten), who have won four straight.Reggie Hearn led NU with 11 points. The Wildcats (13-13, 4-9) have lost three straight and five of their last six.Illinois scored the first 16 points of the second half after ending the first half on a 10-0 run.That run became 26-0 into the second half. Richardson’s layup extended Illinois’ lead to 45-15 with 13:53 remaining. James Montgomery scored Northwestern’s first points of the half on a layup with 13:26 left.Northwestern shot 25 percent from the field and Illinois shot 43.6 percent.Illinois avenged a 68-54 home loss to Northwestern on Jan. 17.During their winning streak, the Illini have also beaten top-ranked Indiana, then-No. 18 Minnesota and Purdue.

Christian Thomas had 23 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday and Loyola ended a four-game losing streak by beating UIC 69-60.Jordan Hicks added 18 points and Devon Turk scored 10 for the Ramblers (14-12, 4-9 Horizon), who never trailed in the contest.Marc Brown scored 13 points to lead the Flames (15-11, 6-7). Gary Talton and Hayden Humes had 10 points apiece for UIC who won the previous meeting, 61-59 at home on Jan. 16.Loyola led 36-23 at halftime, and the Ramblers’ lead never got below four points in the second half.The Flames’ last game was a triple-overtime 88-83 win at Youngstown State on Sunday.