PROVIDENCE—Rodney Bullock‘s free throw with 43 seconds left gave Providence a 60-59 victory over Illinois on Wednesday night.Illinois (1-2) missed three shots in the final 10 seconds. Malcolm Hill drove to the basket and missed a layup. Michael Finke grabbed the rebound but missed a dunk. The Fighting Illini again got the rebound but Hill missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.A 3-pointer by Ben Bentil and a layup by Ryan Fazekas to open the second half gave the Friars (2-0) the biggest lead of the night for either team at 7 points. Finke responded with 5 straight points and neither team led by more than 3 after that. Hill’s jumper tied the game at 59 with 1:18 left before Bullock’s free throw.Bentil finished 18 points and 12 rebounds and Bullock added 13 points.Jalen Coleman-Lands scored 17 points and Hill had 15 points plus 11 rebounds for Illinois.The lead changed hands five times in the first half with the Friars up 32-30 at the break. The Illini got their first tie of the second half at 43-all on Aaron Jordan‘s 3-pointer with 11:33 left.There were six lead changes and five ties in the second half.The shooting was not impressive for either team. Both teams were 23 of 60 from the field for 38.3 percent. Illinois was 9 of 25 (36 percent) from 3-point range and Providence 6 of 23 (26 percent). Illinois made 4 of 6 free throws and Providence 8 of 18.This was Providence’s first home game against a Big Ten team since an 87-83 victory over Purdue on Dec. 27, 1998.

With the final seconds ticking away, they stared each other down one last time, Paul George with the ball, and Jimmy Butler right in front of him.When George went up for a potential winning shot, Butler was right there for the Bulls.Butler scored 17 points and played tough defense on George on Indiana’s final possession, helping the Bulls hold on for a 96-95 victory over the Pacers on Monday night. ”Jimmy made some huge plays for us down the stretch,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”Not only the last play, but he made some big baskets.” Butler stayed right with George and challenged his difficult fadeaway shot that was well short as time expired, sending the Bulls to their third straight win and fourth in five games. ”He’s a hell of a player, a tough guard for anybody in the league,” Butler said. ”But he went right, pulled up and I was there to contest and got a piece of the ball.” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said the Pacers got the final play they wanted. ”I don’t think there was a foul,” he said. ”He just made a good defensive play.” Derrick Rose had 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting, but departed with about six minutes remaining after he sprained his left ankle. Doug McDermott scored 11 points. ”My ankle is a little bit sore, but I’m just happy nothing’s tore or broken,” Rose said. ”I’ll be all right.” George had 26 points for Indiana, and Monta Ellis finished with 20 points. C.J. Miles made five 3-pointers on his way to 19 points, and Jordan Hill and Ian Mahinmi each grabbed 12 rebounds.Indiana had won three straight and six of seven. ”It is my job to help lead this team to a win,” George said. ”I failed to do so tonight.” George was 9 for 20 from the field in his seventh consecutive game with at least 26 points. He also drew a charge on Tony Snell with 1:02 remaining and Indiana down 96-93, giving the Pacers another chance.Ellis drove inside for a tough leaner on the other side, and Indiana got the ball back with about 24 seconds left after Butler missed. But the All-Star clamped down on George to help the Bulls hold on.Indiana played without guards George Hill (upper respiratory infection) and Rodney Stuckey (sprained right ankle), and it took a while for the Pacers to get into the game. Rookie Myles Turner also had surgery Monday to repair a chip fracture in his left thumb, sidelining the center for at least six weeks.The Bulls opened with a 15-2 run and led 31-21 after one. Indiana shot 35 percent (7 for 20) in the first period.The Pacers trailed by as many as 15 in the third, but Ellis scored eight in the period to help them get within four heading into the fourth.

NORMAL—DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell took a long inbounds pass near half court, zig-zagged through four defenders to kiss a right-handed layup off the glass and in, lifting Illinois State to a 67-66 last-second win over Morehead State Monday night.The Redbirds (1-1) trailed 66-65 after Morehead State’s Miguel Dicent hit a 3-pointer with six seconds left. That left just enough time for Akoon-Purcell to power like a fullback through the Morehead defense on his way to scoring the game-winner.Morehead State (1-1) was unable to get a shot off in the final .7 seconds. The lead changed four times in the final minute.Akoon-Purcell scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting while Deontae Hawkins scored 15 and was 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Paris Lee scored 9 points with seven assists and four steals.Morehead State was led by Xavier Moon‘s 18 points with four 3-pointers, 16 points from DeJuan Marrero and 11 from Corban Collins.

TUCSON—Allonzo Trier lost a defender with a wicked crossover and scored at the rim in the first half. He did it again in the second, this time hanging in the air before finishing off another three-point play.Arizona’s talented freshman has a short memory – and a lot of game.Trier scored 22 points and made all 14 of his free throws to bounce back from a shaky-shooting debut, helping the 12th-ranked Wildcats pull away for a 90-60 win over Bradley on Monday night. ”He’s was very physical, would just lower that shoulder and get to the rim,” Bradley coach Brian Wardle said. ”He was very aggressive and obviously a very talented player. He’s going to be very good.” Trier had a forgettable first game at Arizona, going 1 of 10 against Pacific. The gifted freshman was on target against Bradley, confidently attacking the Braves to take advantage of a tightly called game. He made four of five shots from the floor and grabbed five rebounds. ”It definitely felt good to bounce back from my first game,” Trier said. ”My teammates were just keeping me positive.” The Wildcats (2-0) needed a lift after laboring through the first half against the scrappy Braves. Arizona wore them down in the second half, pulling away to extend its home winning streak to a nation-best 40 games, including 26 straight in non-conference action.Ryan Anderson added 15 points for the Wildcats, who shot 54 percent and made 35 of 52 free throws. ”They came out strong and when you have a 40-game home win streak, every opponent that comes in here is really going to be playing their hardest,” said Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski, who had 11 points. ”A lot of it came from us. We’ve got to be able to defend the ball.”’ Bradley (1-1), college basketball’s youngest team, held its own at one of the most difficult road venues in the country before fading in the second half.Ronnie Suggs had 17 points to lead the Braves, who let the game get away from them early in the second half and shot 2 for 14 from 3-point range.

There’s just no stopping Patrick Kane these days.And when the Blackhawks combine Kane’s offensive touch with a solid defensive effort, the defending Stanley Cup champions are tough to stop, too.Kane scored and had an assist in the Hawks quick three-goal outburst in the second period, and they beat the Calgary Flames 4-1 Sunday night.Kane, who took over the NHL lead in goals (13) and points (28), has scored a goal in seven consecutive games and a point in 13 straight. He has 10 goals and 12 assists during his run to the top of the NHL scoring list.But after this one, Kane shifted the spotlight from himself to his team’s overall play.

”Sometimes we’re happy with our game, sometimes we’re not -whether we’re scoring or not,” Kane said. ”We want to show up every game for our team and make sure we’re doing our job, whether it’s offensively or defensively.”

According to a tweet from the NHL that credits the Elias Sports Bureau, Kane’s goal-scoring streak is the longest for a Blackhawks player since Joe Murphy connected in nine straight in 1995. The team record is 10 games, set by Bobby Hull in 1968-69.

”I think if you start worrying about that stuff, it’s only going to go to your disadvantage,” said Kane, who also leads the Blackhawks with a plus-14 rating.

Rookie Artemi Panarin and Marian Hossa also scored in the Blackhawks’ 1:55 blitz in the second to help lift the Hawks to their second win in two nights and third in its last four contests. Jonathan Toews added an empty-netter with 37.4 seconds left.Scott Darling made 25 saves in his fourth start. No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford got the night off following the Blackhawks’ 4-2 win on Saturday in St. Louis.The Blackhawks look more like their old selves with defensemen Duncan Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, and Michal Rozsival back in the lineup. Both returned against the Blues and have jumped right in.

”That was probably our best two games back-to-back and the consistency that we always look for was right there,” coach Joel Quenneville said.

David Jones scored for Calgary, which finished a four-game road trip at 1-3. Karri Ramo finished with 37 saves.

”I just think they outplayed us the majority of the game,” Jones said. ”There were a few shifts here and there where we had good pressure, but we have to be a lot better.”

Panarin, Kane’s linemate, has four goals and seven points in his last five games. Hossa’s goal was just his second this season and first in a month.Jones opened the scoring at 3:41 of the second when he outmuscled Trevor Daley at the edge of the crease and punched in a rebound. Darling made a pad save on Joe Colborne’s initial shot from the slot.The Blackhawks then took charge with three goals in a 1:55 span.Kane tied it 1 all from a scrum at 6:37. After Trevor van Riemsdyk’s initial shot, Kane pounced on a loose puck at the right edge of the crease and chipped a backhander high into net.Hossa put the Hawks ahead 1:03 later on a flipping, one-timer from the top of the slot that ticked in off Ramo’s glove.Set up by Kane’s feed from behind the net, Panarin made it 3-1 just 52 seconds after that when he fired from the low edge of the left circle.

”They used their speed to their advantage and they caught us,” Calgary coach Bob Hartley said. ”And here’s a team that as soon as they get a good chance, you’ll know that they’ll capitalize on them.”

Darling made a left pad save on Matt Stajan, who broke in alone early in the third period, to preserve the two-goal lead. He also was sharp during a late Calgary push when Stajan’s shot with four minutes left hit the post.Brent Seabrook went to the dressing room late in the second after a deflected shot by Calgary’s Michael Frolik hit him in the forehead and cut him. Seabrook returned for the third.

NOTES—In his second game back after missing 10 following knee surgery (right meniscus), Keith had 24:13 of ice time to lead the team for the second straight night. The two-time Norris Trophy winner had of 27:34 of ice time at St. Louis on Saturday night. … Calgary F Johnny Gaudreau, a finalist for the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) last season, played in his 100th game. … The Blackhawks start a six-game road trip, their longest this season, Wednesday at Edmonton. They won’t play at home again until Dec. 1 as the circus takes over the United Center. …F Andrew Desjardins was a scratch for the second straight game after playing in the Blackhawks first 16. … A moment of silence for the Paris attack victims was held before the game.

ST. LOUIS—One defender slipped, two others whiffed and Zach Miller had clear sailing into the end zone, unusual for a tight end.Jeremy Langford found some wide-open spaces, too, for a Bears offense that hit a high note against one of the NFL’s better defenses.Miller caught two touchdown passes, including an 87-yard score that was the Bears longest play since 2010, and Langford also had two TDs, leading the Bears to a 37-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.The Bears (4-5) improved to 3-1 on the road. They brought thousands of fans to the Edward Jones Dome, which had a season-best 58,663 tickets distributed, about 8,000 shy of capacity.Langford was untouched on an 83-yard TD on a screen and also had a 6-yard scoring run. The running back, filling in for the injured Matt Forte, had seven catches for 109 yards and 73 yards on 20 carries.Todd Gurley had a 6-yard scoring run on the opening drive for the Rams (4-5), who have lost two straight since entering November with a winning record for the first time since 2006. Their defense entered ranked fifth overall.Nick Foles, acquired from the Eagles for Sam Bradford in the winter, has just one TD pass the last four games. He was 17 for 36 for 200 yards with an interception.Jay Cutler added a 26-yard scramble, the quarterback’s longest since 2009. He could have had had more had he not made a safety-first slide in the third quarter.Gurley was bottled up, rushing for 45 yards on 12 carries with a long of 9 yards, and led St. Louis with three catches for 44 yards.Wes Welker had three catches for 32 yards, one for a first down, in his 2015 debut six days after signing with St. Louis. The Rams were 4 for 14 on third down, slightly improved from 4 for 37 the previous three games.Linebacker Akeem Ayers slipped in coverage on Miller’s long touchdown. Miler split two defenders and also outran cornerback Trumaine Johnson on his 87-yard score. He had totaled 58 yards receiving on five catches for an 11.6-yard average the first eight games.Langford, a fourth-round pick who started for the second straight game in place of Forte, had 73 yards on 20 carries and 109 yards on seven receptions.The Rams found lots of space on their opening 80-yard drive, which featured passes of 29 yards to Jared Cook and 1 yards to Gurley, setting up Gurley’s 6-yard scoring run. They mustered 205 yards the rest of the way.

EVANSTON—Justin Jackson ran for 116 yards and a late touchdown, and Warren Long added two rushing TDs to lead No. 24 Northwestern to a 21-14 victory over Purdue on Saturday.With a school record for wins and a spot in a prestigious bowl in reach, Northwestern (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten, No. 18 CFP) pulled out another close game.Jackson plowed in from the 2 with 4:37 remaining to cap a 58-yard drive. The Wildcats converted four third downs, including the TD, on the possession and quarterback Clayton Thorson broke off back-to-back 16-yard runs to put the ball on the 5.Jackson’s TD lifted NU to its third straight win. The Wildcats beat Nebraska and Penn State in their last two games, both wins by two points.Purdue (2-8, 1-5) dropped its second straight and remained winless against ranked teams since 2011.

CHAMPAIGN—Ezekiel Elliott ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns and No. 2 Ohio State pounded out a 28-3 victory over Illinois on Saturday.The Buckeyes (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten) started slowly and led 7-3 for much of the first half before Elliott picked up the pace. Elliott accounted for 50 of the Buckeyes’ 75 yards on a third quarter drive that opened a 21-3 lead over the Illini (5-5, 2-4).Quarterback J.T. Barrett, starting again after being suspended for last week’s game, threw for 150 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 74 yards.Ohio State held the Illini to 20 yards rushing. Illini quarterback Wes Lunt was 23 of 47 for 241 yards.

Jimmy Butler had 27 points, Pau Gasol added 19 points and 13 rebounds and the Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 102-97 on Friday night.Nicolas Batum scored 12 of his 28 points in the third quarter and was 5 of 6 from 3-point range for Charlotte. Kemba Walker had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.Charlotte trailed for most of the fourth quarter, but Jeremy Lamb scored eight straight points to pull the Hornets within 88-87 with 5:54 left.But Butler hit a jumper and made a pair of free throws and Derrick Rose had a driving layup to get the lead up to 94-87 with 4:32 left.Lamb missed a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left that would have tied it at 100. Butler then iced it with a 22-footer to put the Bulls up 102-97.Trailing 75-73, the Bulls opened the fourth quarter by outscoring the Hornets 11-2. Tony Snell made a 3 and Taj Gibson scored on a jumper to give the Bulls an 84-77 lead. Joakim Noah and Batum were playing with heavy hearts following the terror attacks in Paris. Noah’s dad is French former tennis player Yannick Noah, who won the French Open in 1983. Joakim lived in Paris from 1988 to 1998. He finished with 18 rebounds. Batum, from Lisieux, France, played for the French National team in the 2012 Olympics. A moment of silence was observed before the National Anthem.The Hornets played without Cody Zeller, who sprained his left ankle in Wednesday’s win over the Knicks. Zeller tried to give it a go, but felt soreness in his ankle during pregame warm-ups. Zeller converted a go-ahead layup with .6 seconds left in the win on Wednesday. … Noah played after missing Monday’s win over Philadelphia with left knee soreness. … Frank Kaminsky played his first professional game in Chicago. Kaminsky was raised in the western suburbs, played high school basketball at Benet High School in Lisle, Ill. He finished with five points. … The Hornets were 15 of 33 from 3-point range. NOTES—The Bulls play Indiana on Monday night before beginning a four-game road trip.

Sergey Kalinin’s first power-play goal in the NHL timed out well for the New Jersey Devils.Kalinin scored during a man advantage with 2:27 left and the Devils beat the Blackhawks 3-2 Thursday night for their second victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions in a week.With Patrick Kane off for high sticking, Corey Crawford stopped Kyle Palmieri’s shot from the left circle. But Kalinin, a 24-year-old rookie who signed with the Devils as a free agent last May, was alone at the edge of the crease and slipped the rebound in the net.

”The game-winner was great,” New Jersey coach John Hynes said. ”We have him now net-front on the power play, which he earned.”

Kalinin spent the past five seasons in Russia’s KHL and is happy about the opportunity he’s getting with the resurgent Devils.

”When you play more, when coach and team trusts you, it’s more power for you,” Kalinin said. ”You feel more comfortable on the ice, and try to create things.”

It’s also not bad when you’re 2-0 against the champion Blackhawks.

”It’s a great team,” Kalinin said. ”Every game against them is very hard. We still need to work hard.”

Adam Henrique and Palmieri scored in the second to put New Jersey ahead, Cory Schneider made 27 saves and the Devils rebounded after a 2-0 loss to St. Louis on Tuesday night. New Jersey has won three of four – including a 4-2 win over over the Hawks last Friday night – and is 9-3-0 since starting 0-3-1.

”What we’re real happy with, even more than the record, is just the way the team’s come together,” Hynes said. ”Guys are playing for one another. There’s a lot of belief in how we’re playing.”

Artemi Panarin scored from a sharp angle with 6:41 left in the third to tie the game at 2. Kane assisted on that one and scored a 5-on-3 goal in the first period to extend his point streak to 11 games. He has eight goals and 11 assists during the run.Crawford stopped 19 shots, and the Blackhawks lost for the third time in four games. They’ve only won two of their last seven.Coach Joel Quenneville said his team did ”a lot of good things to generate zone time, shots and traffic” and ”deserved a better fate.”

But in thinly veiled code, he singled out his goaltending as being sub-par.

”Just OK tonight and OK all year,” Quenneville said. ”All three goals tonight (were) nothing plays. Nothing dangerous about them at all.”

Kane opened the scoring after the Devils defense pair of John Moore and Damon Severson were both sent off for minor penalties on the same play.Kane beat Schneider with a high shot on the short side from the right circle for his 11th goal, completing a crisp passing sequence with Jonathan Toews and Teuvo Teravainen across the top of the crease.Henrique and Palmieri connected in the second to give the Devils a 2-1 lead.Henrique fooled Crawford from 35 feet out 59 seconds into the period to knot it 1-1 with his team-leading eighth goal. With the Blackhawks defense backing in, Henrique snapped off a quick shot from the middle and beat Crawford high on the stick side.Palmieri slipped behind the Hawks confused defense, streaked to the net and popped in a loose rebound from the edge of the crease with 2:59 left in the period to put New Jersey ahead.Crawford stretched to his left to make a glove save on Kalinin’s quick shot from high in the slot, but couldn’t handle the puck or recover in time to stop Palmieri after veteran defenseman Brent Seabrook and rookie Viktor Svedberg got crossed up on coverage.Panarin tied it with his third goal in two games moments after Crawford made a point-blank pad save on Mike Cammalleri. Panarin finished the rush by beating Schneider with a quick shot high on the stick side.

”Obviously it hurts when you tie it 2-2 and you give that next goal up,” Kane said. ”It’s one of those times where it seems where we’re winning one game and kind of letting one or two slip away.”

NOTES—Following the game Quenneville said he expects Blackhawks D Duncan Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and MVP of last season’s playoffs, to return this weekend following his Oct. 20 knee surgery (right meniscus). He also expects Michal Rozsival, who had surgery after suffering a fractured left ankle against Minnesota in last spring’s playoffs, to rejoin the lineup. … Blackhawks F Ryan Garbutt missed his second game win an undisclosed illness. … New Jersey C Jiri Tlusty sat out and was replaced in the lineup by F Stefan Matteau. Tlusty missed two games at the start of the month with a shoulder injury. … The Blackhawks recalled F Brandon Mashinter from AHL Rockford for the game.