LINCOLN—Shavon Shields scored a career-high 33 points, making all 15 of his free throws for Nebraska’s best performance at the line in 32 years, and the Cornhuskers defeated Illinois 67-58 on Wednesday night.The Huskers (13-10, 5-6 Big Ten) pulled away with the help of a defense that held Illinois to two field goals over the last 6:57.Terran Petteway added 16 points as the Huskers raised their record to 11-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.Shields bettered his previous high of 29 points against Penn State last season. He made 8 of 12 shots from the field, and his 15-for-15 night at the line was the best for Nebraska since Jack Moore made all 15 of his against Oklahoma State in 1982. The Huskers were 24 of 27 from the line, 14 of 17 in the second half.Rayvonte Rice scored 23 points to lead the Illini (14-11, 3-9), which shot 37 percent and has lost nine of its last 10. Nnanna Egwu had 12 rebounds for Illinois, which is in the middle of a stretch of playing on the road in three of four games.The Huskers got a scare when Shields hobbled to bench with 7:46 left with a tweaked knee. He went to the locker room for treatment and came back less than a minute later.Right after checking back in he went strong to the basket, got fouled and completed a three-point play for a 55-49 Nebraska lead.Nebraska missed four of its first five shots of the second half, then scored 10 straight points to go up 44-40. It was the last of 11 lead changes in the game.Shields converted a three-point play and finished the run with a smooth move in the lane, taking a step toward Jon Ekey and then fading back for a one-handed jumper from the free-throw line.Rice made the play of the game when he stole a pass from Petteway and drove the length of the floor, taking the ball around his back before going under the hoop for a left-handed layup with 8:19 left. The Illini couldn’t build off the razzle dazzle, though. Walter Pitchford answered on the other end with a 3-pointer to start a game-clinching 13-3 run.The Huskers led 31-30 at the half after Nathan Hawkins rebounded Rice’s missed free throw with 5 seconds left and passed to Ray Gallegos, who drove to the basket around Egwu for a layup just before the buzzer.Tracy Abrams, who came as the Illini’s second-leading scorer at 11.5 points a game, got into foul trouble and was held to three points. He was 0 for 4 from the field and is now 2 for 17 in his last three games.

EVANSVILLE—D.J. Balentine had 38 points and Evansville squandered a 25-point second-half lead, but escaped with a 104-98 overtime victory against Illinois State on Wednesday night.Evansville (11-15, 4-9 Missouri Valley) trailed 98-97 in overtime when Balentine gave them the lead for good on a 3-pointer with 1:09 left.After Illinois State (13-12, 6-7) failed to answer, Jaylon Brown made two free throws to extend the lead to 102-98. Brown, who entered the game a 44.7 percent free-throw shooter, made two more with 8 seconds left to seal the win.Evansville extended a 54-33 halftime lead to 74-49 with 11:54 left, but the Redbirds went on a 43-17 run and took their first lead of the game at 92-91 with 58 seconds left.Nick Zeisloft scored 18 points for ISU, which nearly surpassed its largest comeback victory in program history – a 21-point comeback against Butler on Nov. 27, 1989.

CEDAR FALLS—Nate Buss came off the bench to lead Northern Iowa with 18 points and the Panthers eased into an 80-58 victory over Loyola Wednesday night.Buss made four 3-pointers and Marvin Singleton and Matt Bohannon added 12 points each as the Panthers combined to shoot 58.7 percent from the floor. Bohannon also added four 3’s and Max Martino finished with three.Loyola (9-16, 4-9 Missouri Valley Conference) led by six midway through the first half, but back-to-back 3’s by Buss and Bohannon and two jumpers from Singleton put Northern Iowa ahead. The Panthers (12-13, 6-7) held a seven-point lead at the break, and stretched it to 20 points 7 minutes into the second half.Devon Turk came off the bench to lead the Ramblers with 10 points and three 3-pointers, and Milton Doyle added seven assists. Loyola shot 39.6 percent from the floor.

PEORIA—Jake Odum scored 27 points, making all 13 of his free-throw attempts, and Indiana State defeated Bradley 68-62 on Wednesday night.Odum is six made free throws from tying Larry Bird’s Sycamores mark of 542.Khristian Smith added 14 points and Manny Arop 12 for Indiana State (19-6, 10-3), which is in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference, three games back of undefeated and fourth-ranked Wichita State.Bradley (11-15, 6-7) tied the game with 12:08 left. The game was tied twice more before a 3-pointer by Arop gave the Sycamores the lead for good with 9:11 left. Two free throws by Arop at 1:47 gave Indiana State its biggest lead at 59-50 with 1:47 left, which was enough to win.Bradley’s Walt Lemon Jr. scored 22 points, surpassing 1,600 for his career, and made five steals to go over 200. Tyshon Pickett had 12 rebounds along with 11 points.

DEKALB—Darrell Bowie scored 19 points and Aaric Armstead 17 as Northern Illinois topped Central Michigan 88-63 on Wednesday night.Armstead’s 17 are a career high and Bowie’s 19 are his best output since back-to-back 19- and 23-point games in November.Northern Illinois (11-12, 5-6 Mid-American) struggled with the Chippewas (8-15, 11-10) through much of the first half until Armstead and Daveon Balls combined for nine points in a little under 3 minutes, staking Northern Illinois to an 11-point lead just before intermission. Central Michigan went scoreless for more than 4 minutes to open the second half, but Chris Fowler (19 points) got hot with a personal 9-2 run and then dished to Rayshawn Simmons as Central Michigan closed to 56-50. The Huskies sank 12-for-12 from the line in a 22-9 run that put the game away. They outrebounded Central Michigan 39-19.The Chippewas fell to 2-9 on the road.

Joakim Noah led the Bulls past the Atlanta Hawks and gave the fans an added bonus in the process.Noah scored 19 points as part of his first triple-double of the season in the Bulls’ 100-85 win over the Hawks on Tuesday night. His two late free throws provided the Bulls with their final points and secured free Big Macs for the fans.

”Those were tough free throws, man,” Noah said.

Not much else seemed difficult for Noah and the Bulls.Noah added 16 rebounds and 11 assists, and Taj Gibson had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Jimmy Butler had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls, who had six players score in double figures.

The Bulls won their fourth straight against the Hawks and sixth in a row at home versus Atlanta.Noah had his fourth career triple-double and first since Feb. 28, 2013, against Philadelphia. He completed this one with an assist on Gibson’s basket with 9:59 left.The performance capped a strong stretch for Noah, who has had at least 10 rebounds in four straight games and at least 14 points in three of his last four contests.

”I think the big thing is he’s healthy. He’s gotten into rhythm,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ”I think missing training camp set him back offensively. Defensively he’s been terrific all year.”

The Bulls were without Carlos Boozer for the third straight game because of a left calf strain, and he was replaced in the starting lineup by Gibson. That didn’t hurt much, as the Bulls (26-25) outrebounded the Hawks 57-28, won for the third time in four games, and pulled a half-game in front of Atlanta (25-25) in the Eastern Conference.

”We’re playing with a lot of defensive intensity,” Gibson said. ”We got guys great looks. We were real unselfish.”

The Hawks have lost a season-high four straight overall. They fell behind big early, trailing by 25 points during the second quarter.Atlanta cut its deficit to eight with 8:47 left in the fourth on Mike Scott’s 3-pointer, but the Bulls answered with the next six points.

”I think the second half is what we expect from our group, what we expect of each other, and the challenges to find a way to play that way for 48 minutes,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

The first half clearly wasn’t.Noah, who was presented his All-Star jersey before the game by Bulls general manager Gar Forman, had six points, six rebounds and six assists during the opening quarter.

He ended the first half with seven points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists for the Bulls, who led 58-39 after coming home from a 3-3 trip.

”Usually when you come back from a West Coast trip like that you exhale,” Noah said. ”Nobody exhaled. We played hard and it was a good win for us.”

Coming off a 79-76 loss to Memphis, in which the Hawks held the Grizzlies to an NBA-record low one free throw, Atlanta’s offense woke up too late. The Hawks shot 43.8 for the game after making 40 percent in the first half.All-star forward Paul Millsap had 15 for the Hawks but his streak of four games with at least 10 rebounds was snapped as he had two. Lou Williams added 13 points, and Jeff Teague had 12.

”We just have to stay together,” Millsap said. ”Get back to playing our style of basketball. We feel like we have not played at our pace in the last few games.”

Kyle Korver extended his NBA record streak of at least one 3-pointer to 119 games with a shot 15 seconds into the second quarter. Korver hasn’t gone without one since Nov. 2, 2012, against Houston.But that was the lone Atlanta highlight. The Bulls had a few more, and Noah was responsible for plenty of them.

”It feels great to play well. There’s no better feeling, especially when you win,” Noah said. ”A lot of guys stepped up.”

NOTES—Thibodeau said that Derrick Rose will ”most likely not” practice with the team this season. Rose was ruled out for the season after tearing the meniscus in his right knee on Nov. 22. … The Hawks signed Cartier Martin to a second 10-day contract. Martin also played six games with the Bulls earlier this season. … Both teams have one game remaining before the All-Star break. … Teague’s brother, Marquis, was traded by the Bulls to Brooklyn on Jan. 21 for forward Tornike Shengelia. … Atlanta is 9-12 without Al Horford, who is out for the season because of an injured right pectoral muscle.

WICHITA—Wichita State funneled into the locker room for some sage advice from coach Gregg Marshall, and wound up getting a little wisdom from Emmy Award-winner Kirstie Alley instead.

“She said to the guys, `Don’t read the reviews, the positive ones and the negative ones. Just play the game,'” Marshall said after a 78-67 victory over Southern Illinois that ran the No. 4 Shockers’ record to 26-0. “So you’re getting it from a Hollywood star.”

The reviews of this one aren’t going to be very positive.The Shockers threw the ball away at an uncharacteristic rate. They shot poorly from the perimeter, struggled to defend Salukis star Anthony Beane and found themselves in a four-point hole with very little going right in the early minutes of the second half.But behind 19 points from Ron Baker and 18 from Cleanthony Early, the Shockers (13-0 Missouri Valley Conference) still managed to put Southern Illinois away, becoming the first team since Memphis in 2008 to start 26-0. All that stands in the way of becoming the first team since Saint Joseph’s in 2004 to have a perfect regular season are five more games.

“It’s cool, you know?” Early said. “But we take it game by game, day by day. I don’t think we’re looking at an undefeated season because you have to beat the team that’s in front of you.”

Beane scored 25 points for the Salukis (10-16, 6-7), getting to the rim at will until late in the game, when the Shockers finally started to double- and triple-team him.Desmar Jackson and Jalen Pendleton added 13 points as Southern Illinois had its first four-game winning streak in more than four years come to a crashing end.Salukis coach Barry Hinson said the crowd, raucous throughout, was a big factor.

“Kudos to them, seriously,” he said of another sellout at Koch Arena in Alley’s hometown. “High-five to 10,505 — and Kirstie Alley, because I love her. I think she’s great.”

The Shockers trailed at halftime for the ninth time during their unbeaten run, though the 33-32 deficit could have been a whole lot worse the way they were shooting the ball.Wichita State was just 2 of 14 from 3-point range in the first half, most of them missing just about everything. In fact, the only shots the Shockers seemed to make outside of 3 feet were a series of free throws that Early made to keep them within striking distance.It didn’t help that the Shockers were in foul trouble, too. Baker, Early and Fred VanVleet — their top three scorers — were on the bench with two fouls apiece late in the half.Once they returned after the break, the Shockers started to pick up steam.Early converted a three-point play with 15:47 to put them ahead 44-43, the seventh lead change in the game. Baker added a silky-smooth jumper, then knocked down his first 3 moments later as Wichita State took control and Koch Arena suddenly got rocking.Beane refused to let the Salukis wilt under the pressure.The sophomore guard kept slicing through Wichita State’s man-to-man defense for baskets near the rim, more than once drawing contact along the way. When the Shockers finally clamped down on him, he deftly found the open teammate for wide-open looks.Pendleton’s three-point play pulled the Salukis to 69-64 with 2 minutes left, but Baker answered with his third 3-pointer at the other end. The Shockers turned up the pressure and forced Sean O’Brien into a turnover, and that led to a run-out by Baker, who was fouled and calmly made both free throws.Still with a chance to make it a game, Southern Illinois promptly turned it over again, and this time the Salukis allowed VanVleet to go for an uncontested layup that made it 76-64.

“There’s a reason they’re 26-0. They’re damn good!” Hinson said. “But they made shots and that crowd just went nuts, and we came down and said, `Hey, it’s close to April 15. We’ll just give you the ball and we’ll get a tax deduction!'”

Wichita State merely had to coax the final seconds off the clock to wrap up the win.

NEWARK—Jamil Wilson scored 25 points and had 10 rebounds in powering Marquette to a 77-66 victory over Seton Hall on Tuesday night.Davante Gardner added 16 points and six boards for Marquette (14-10, 6-5 Big East), which sank 30 of 34 free throws and held a 32-19 advantage on the glass.Seton Hall (13-11, 4-7) made just eight of 14 free throws. Brian Oliver led the Pirates with 15 points while Sterling Gibbs collected 12 points, four rebounds and six assists. Seton Hall also received 12 points from Brandon Mobley and 10 from Patrik Auda.Wilson’s three-point play, set up by a behind-the-back pass from Todd Mayo, highlighted an 11-0 run that staked the Golden Eagles to a 61-56 lead with 5:08 left. Gardner later banked in a shot and hit the bonus free throw to give Marquette a 67-61 lead with 3:18 showing.Marquette defeated Seton Hall 67-66 on Jan. 11 and swept the home-and-home series for the second straight year. The Golden Eagles have won 13 of 15 overall in the series.Two 3-point baskets by Oliver keyed an 8-0 spurt that handed Seton Hall its biggest lead of the game, 49-44, with 14:13 left in the second half. Marquette answered with six straight free throws for a 50-49 edge.Oliver then hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game and Fuquan Edwin converted a fast-break layup before Auda sank two fouls for a 56-50 Seton Hall edge.In the first half, Wilson hit all four of his 3-point attempts and scored 14 points in the first 7 minutes of the game when Marquette opened to an 18-7 lead.The Golden Eagles led by as many as 12 in the first half before Seton Hall put together a 19-8 run to close out the half.Gibbs hit a 3-pointer, followed by two straight from behind the arc by Brandon Mobley to highlight the late burst for the Pirates that cut the deficit to 34-33 heading into the break.

SOUTH BEND—Steve Vasturia made sure Notre Dame didn’t let Clemson rally back and force a third overtime.The Fighting Irish led most of the way against the Tigers on Tuesday night, going up by as many as nine points early in the second half, by seven points with just under 3 minutes remaining in regulation and by four with 24 seconds left in the first overtime before Vasturia hit two 3-pointers in the second overtime to help Notre Dame pull out the 68-64 victory.

”We had it won a couple times, we handed it back a couple times, but found a way to win it,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said.Clemson coach Brad Brownell blamed his team’s offensive struggles.”We’re just not as talented offensively as we need to be. We’re very inconsistent shooting,” he said.

Vasturia hit the first 3 to give the Irish a 63-62 lead early then added a second with 62 seconds left that gave Notre Dame a 66-64 lead. Pat Connaughton then added a pair of free throws to help the Irish overcome a career-high 30 points and 14 rebounds by Clemson’s K.J. McDaniels.Vasturia said he was open because the Tigers were focusing on Eric Atkins, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime against Boston College 10 days earlier.

”A lot of teams are going to key on Eric just by the way he scores and creates. If we have open looks, we’re expected to shoot them and we’re confident we can make them,” he said.

Atkins said Vasturia, who was 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from behind the arc heading into the second overtime, showed a lot of confidence.

”He’s not scared of the moment and I love that about him,” he said.

McDaniels said the baskets by Vasturia were key

”He hit some big shots, and they were hard to cover. In the end, they came up with some clutch shots,” he said.

The Fighting Irish (13-12, 4-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) avoided falling below .500 for the first time this late in the season since finishing 14-16 during the 1998-99 season in John MacLeod’s last year as coach.Brey said the victory was ”huge” for the struggling Irish.

”We would have been really struggling if we didn’t win this game,” he said.

Clemson (15-8, 6-5) lost back-to-back games for just the second time this season.

LOS ANGELES—Kirk Hinrich scored 19 points, Joakim Noah had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls held off the stubborn Los Angeles Lakers 92-86 on Sunday after nearly blowing a 19-point lead.Taj Gibson added 18 points for the Bulls, who never trailed against an injury-ravaged Lakers squad missing Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry.Gasol, who had a season-high 19 rebounds the previous time the teams met, missed his fourth straight game because of a groin strain.Center Chris Kaman scored a season-high 27 points off the bench for the Lakers, who won their previous two games following a 3-19 slide that buried them in the race for a Western Conference playoff spot.Point guard Steve Nash, playing his third game after missing 39 because of a nerve problem in his back, had eight points in 21-plus minutes before departing with 5 minutes left in the third quarter because of irritation in his left leg.The 18-year veteran and two-time MVP, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Friday with a team-high 19 points in a 112-98 victory at Philadelphia, was hit on the same leg he fractured last season.Gibson, whose buzzer-beating layup in overtime gave the Bulls a 102-100 victory over the Lakers on Jan. 20 at in the United Center, led the Bulls to a 52-46 halftime lead with 16 points. He made his seventh start of the season as Carlos Boozer missed his second straight game with a left calf strain.The Bulls, who finished their road trip 3-3, opened the game with a 10-0 run while the Lakers missed their first six shots – including an airball by Wesley Johnson on a 3-point attempt from 27 feet. Gibson’s reverse layup increased the Bulls’ margin to 15 before Los Angeles scored the next 12 points to slice the deficit to 42-39 with 5:55 left in the second quarter.The Bulls built their lead back up to 72-53, its biggest of the game, with a 15-5 run capped by Hinrich’s 3-pointer with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.Down by 13 with 6:37 to play, the Lakers narrowed the gap to 88-84 after Steve Blake stole the ball from Heinrich and Kaman fed Johnson for a slam dunk that capped a 13-4 run with 48.3 seconds left. But D.J. Augustin, who had 15 points off the bench, sank four free throws in the final 21 seconds to help seal the victory.

NOTES—Kaman’s point total was two off his career high. … The Bulls’ starters outscored the Lakers starters 73-24. …The Bulls are 19-20 since G Derrick Rose went down with his second major knee injury in three seasons. He has played only 49 games since the start of the 2011-12. … The Lakers have used 25 different starting lineups and the Bulls have used 18. … The Bulls came in averaging a league-worst 92.1 points, while holding opponents to a league-low 93.0 per game. … The Lakers ended the first half with a stellar passing play started by Steve Blake, in which four different players touched the ball on the fast break and Jordan Hill was left standing all alone under the basket for a layup with .06 seconds on the clock…..The Bulls return home Tuesday night against Atlanta.