EVANSTON—Clayton Thorson had a pair of touchdowns, Charlie Kuhbander hit all three of his second-half field goal attempts and Northwestern won its fifth straight with a 23-13 victory over Purdue on Saturday night.

”To win five straight in the Big Ten, with the teams we play, is pretty impressive,” Thorson said. ”It’s been a fun stretch with these guys.”

Thorson was 26 of 46 for 296 yards. He had an 11-yard TD pass to Bennett Skowronek and rushed for a 4-yard score. It was the 18th rushing touchdown of Thorson’s career, tying him with Brett Basanez for third place for most by a quarterback in school history.Skowronek had seven receptions for 117 yards. Justin Jackson was held to 46 yards on 25 carries for the Wildcats (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten).

”They basically did what we thought they were going to do, and that’s load the box to do everything they could to stop Justin,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ”We needed Clayton and the receiving corps to step up and they did.”

Elijah Sindelar was 37 of 60 for 376 yards with two TDs and an interception for Purdue (4-6, 2-5). The sophomore established career highs in completions, attempts and passing yards.Purdue was 1 for 4 on fourth down with the only conversion coming on a fake punt. The Northwestern defense came up with three stops on a fourth and short, including a fourth-and-1 from the Purdue 45 with just less than 14 minutes remaining.Kuhbander hit a 36-yard field goal on the ensuing drive to give the Wildcats a 23-7 edge with just under 12 minutes to go. He has 12 field goals on the season to establish a new school record for a first-year player.

CHAMPAIGN—Heading into Saturday’s game, Indiana was 0-6 in the Big Ten. Losing that many conference games makes it hard to find something to play for late in the season, but the Hoosiers didn’t have to look far.Indiana’s 24-14 victory over Illinois secured their first conference win of the year and kept their bowl-game aspirations alive. But it was also the first Big Ten victory for head coach Tom Allen.Richard Lagow was the main catalyst for Indiana, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday.The Hoosiers (4-6, 1-6) racked up 428 yards offense and used a balanced attack to leave the Illini as the only winless team in the Big Ten.Coming into the matchup, Indiana was ranked last in the conference in rushing yards per game at 114.6. But on Saturday, Indiana had 139 rushing yards led by Cole Gest who ran for 82 on 17 carries.Both teams got off to slow starts, but with 1:28 left in the first quarter Jalen Dunlap recorded his first career interception which set the Illini (2-8, 0-7) up at their own 44-yard line but they went three-and-out.Morgan Ellison broke the scoreless tie on a 2-yard plunge with just under three minutes left in the first half. His fourth score of the season capped a 10-play, 45-yard drive.Illinois didn’t give up another rushing touchdown, but Lagow got the job done through the air. He completed 32 of 48 attempts to 10 receivers with Ian Thomas and Simmie Cobbs Jr. both scoring.Cobbs was second on the team with 54 receiving yards has recorded a touchdown in three straight games.

RALEIGH—Brandon Saad missed an early opportunity for the Blackhawks, but he rose to the occasion when it really counted.Saad scored at 1:44 of overtime to give the Hawks a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. His penalty-shot attempt was stopped by Scott Darling less than two minutes into the game.Alex DeBrincat scored two goals and Gustav Forsling had one for Chicago, which scored three times after falling behind 3-1. DeBrincat and Forsling also assisted on Saad’s game-winner.

”That’s a big comeback win and one we needed in the room,” DeBrincat said. ”Hopefully we can keep moving with this. Getting two goals was nice. I get a few puck bounces there and get lucky and it goes in. But it was good timing for me. We definitely needed this win.”

Brock McGinn had two goals and Jeff Skinner scored one for Carolina.Anton Forsberg had 35 saves to beat Carolina for the first time in three career meetings.Darling, who spent the previous three seasons with the Blackhawks, stopped 26 shots for the Hurricanes.Carolina led 2-0 after an opening period in which the Hurricanes outshot the visitors 16-15.

”I had a couple of chances early,” Saad said. ”You miss those chances and they end up scoring. You definitely want one, and it was great to get it in overtime. It feels good. But the biggest thing is contributing to a win.”

McGinn put the Hurricanes ahead at 6:53 on a backhander from the left doorstep with assists from Derek Ryan and Justin Williams. McGinn has goals in three straight games, while Ryan has points in three straight and Williams has assists in the last three.Skinner added his eighth of the season, unassisted from the same spot at 9:01.The Blackhawks scored on a rush just after a power play ended at 7:34 of the second, with DeBrincat converting on Jonathan Toews’ pinpoint pass to the right doorstep.Back came Carolina at 9:58, with McGinn roofing the puck past Forsberg on a rushDeBrincat scored his second goal early in the third, and Forsling tied it on a blast from the left point with 9:31 remaining.

”We dug a hole again, but I thought we hung in there,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ”Certainly scoring that late (Forsling) goal helped. I liked their response coming in after (Carolina’s) third goal.”

Along with Darling, Carolina forwards Joakim Nordstrom, Teuvo Teravainen and Marcus Kruger and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk were members of the 2015 Blackhawks team that won the Stanley Cup.

SAN ANTONIO—The Spurs normally rely on their depth to get through the rigors of a lengthy regular season, but their leaning on their reserves earlier than usual after multiple injuries.No more so than Saturday night, when San Antonio was without a third of its roster.Pau Gasol had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the short-handed Spurs beat the Bulls 133-94, setting a season-high in points despite missing six players.Dejounte Murray added 17 points and fellow second-year player Davis Bertans had 16 points in 18 minutes for San Antonio.The Bulls lost rookie forward Lauri Markkanen to a sprained left ankle late in the first half. The severity of the injury is unknown, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.The Spurs were without three starters and two key reserves. In addition to Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, who have yet to play this season due to quadriceps injuries, San Antonio was also without Danny Green. Manu Ginobili rested on the second night of a back-to-back. The Spurs still had the depth to hand the rebuilding Bulls their fourth straight loss.

”Having people out and having lost the last game at home last night, I guess you’re (playing) more with an edge,” Gasol said.

San Antonio raced to a 30-8 lead in the opening quarter, extending the margin to 22 points at the close of the period.The Bulls shot 35 percent and did not have any fastbreak points in the first quarter while the Spurs had eight.

PHILADELPHIA—Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek each had a goal and two assists to lead the Philadelphia Flyers over the Blackhawks 3-1 on Thursday night.Brian Elliott made 38 saves and Sean Couturier also scored for the Flyers, who avenged last Wednesday’s 3-0 loss at the United Center while beating the Blackhawks for the 14th straight time in Philadelphia during the regular season.The Hawks last regular-season victory at Philadelphia came on Nov. 9, 1996 at the Spectrum. The Blackhawks did clinch their 2010 Stanley Cup title with a Game 6 win on the Flyers’ home ice.Connor Murphy scored for the Blackhawks.Couturier upped his team-leading total to 10 goals by finishing Giroux’s pass from close range four minutes into the second period to give Philadelphia a 3-0 lead.The Hawks got on the board with 3:47 remaining in the second when Murphy scored on a rebound from the left circle. Murphy’s father, Gord, is a Flyers assistant and watched the goal from the bench.That was the only goal the Blackhawks could muster despite coach Joel Quenneville reuniting the top line of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp in hopes of kick-starting a tepid offense. It was to little avail, though, and the Blackhawks now have three goals in their last three games.The Blackhawks had a chance to pull closer during a 5-on-3 power play near the end of the period, but the Flyers were able to kill it off.The Flyers, playing with pep in their step after four days off, took a 2-0 lead with a pair of first-period goals in a strong opening 20 minutes.Giroux opened the scoring five minutes in by firing a one-timer from the slot past Corey Crawford. Voracek put Philadelphia ahead by two with 7:52 left in the period when he scored on a one-timer from the right circle after a cross-ice pass from Shayne Gostisbehere.Crawford stopped 28 shots.

NOTES—D Gustav Forsling returned after missing three straight games with an upper-body injury. . Flyers rookie Nolan Patrick missed his seventh consecutive game with an upper-body injury, but did skate on his own during the morning skate. He is targeting a return next Tuesday at Minnesota. . The Flyers held a moment of silence before the game for former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, who died in a plane crash Tuesday…..The Blackhawks are at Carolina on Saturday night.

LAKE FOREST—Former Bears great Joe Fortunato passed away Monday in Mississippi. He was 87.Fortunato played his entire 12-year NFL career with the Bears from 1955-66. A five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, he was named to the NFL 300 greatest players team in the early 2000s as well as the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1950s.Fortunato was selected by the Bears in the seventh round of the 1952 draft (80th overall) out of Mississippi State, where he played fullback and linebacker and was voted an All-American in 1951. He did not join the Bears until 1955 due to a military commitment.Fortunato played in 155 career games, recording 16 interceptions and 22 fumble recoveries.After retiring as a player, Fortunato spent two seasons as a Bears assistant, working as linebackers coach in George Halas’ final year as head coach in 1967 and then as defensive coordinator on Jim Dooley’s staff in 1968.

“Joe Fortunato was not only a great player for the Chicago Bears,” Bears chairman George H. McCaskey said in a statement, “including being a part of our 1963 championship at Wrigley Field, he was a key figure in one of the greatest linebacker trios in Bears history alongside Hall of Famer Bill George and Larry Morris. The Chicago Bears family extends our condolences to the Fortunato family on the passing of Joe.”

• 
• JOE FORTUNATO in 1960

TORONTO—Bobby Portis gave the Bulls a boost in his first game back from suspension. Just not enough to top DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors.DeRozan scored 24 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Raptors beat the Bulls 119-114 on Tuesday night for their first three-game winning streak over the Bulls since 2009.Portis had 21 points and 13 rebounds in his return after sitting out his team’s first eight games.

”Bobby gave us a great lift out there,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”He played with great emotion. He went out there and gave us energy when we needed it.”

The Bulls suspended Portis after he punched teammate Nikola Mirotic during a preseason practice. Mirotic, who suffered facial fractures and a concussion, is expected to miss four to six weeks.

”I got my dream taken away from me for three weeks,” Portis said. ”I don’t want my dream taken away from me anymore.”

DeRozan called Portis ”a solid player” after watching the third-year forward make 8 of 13 field goal attempts.

”He’s got a great touch on his jump shot,” DeRozan said. ”He came out and played well for them tonight.”

Before the game, Portis said Mirotic did not reply to his phone and text messages following the incident, adding that the two have not yet spoken.Kyle Lowry scored 17 points and Serge Ibaka had 16 for the Raptors, who had lost 11 straight meetings with the Bulls before the current streak began with an overtime victory on March 21. Toronto beat the Bulls 117-100 on Oct. 19, the opening game of the season for both teams.Robin Lopez scored 20 points and Justin Holiday had 15 as the Bulls lost for the fourth time in five games.Toronto led by as many as 23 but the Bulls cut the deficit to 115-112 following a hook shot by Portis with 41 seconds left. DeRozan answered with a turnaround jump shot with 20 seconds left, leading to a Bulls timeout.Hoiberg said Mirotic is responding well to having his activity level increased daily, but has yet to resume running. … The Bulls had held three previous opponents below 100 points. … The Bulls are 1-4 on the road.Raptors: Toronto recorded more than 20 assists for the seventh time in their first 10 games, finishing with 22. … The five-point margin of victory was the smallest of the season for the Raptors, who had won by nine points or more in their five previous wins. … Toronto matched a season-high with 13 made 3-pointers. All five starters made at least one. … The Raptors assigned F Bruno Caboclo to its G-League team, Raptors 905.Hoiberg said he tore into his team at halftime after what he called an ”awful” defensive performance in the first two quarters. Toronto ended the second with a 16-4 run.

”They got anything they wanted in the first half,” Hoiberg said. ”We didn’t take anything away from them. It was too easy.”

Charlie Lindgren is not Ken Dryden or Carey Price,,,but he kept the Montreal Canadiens in the game until they finally solved Corey Crawford.Not bad for a 23-year-old goaltender making his first appearance of the season.Lindgren had 38 saves in his first career shutout, helping the Canadiens beat Crawford and the Blackhawks 2-0 on Sunday night.

”We needed a solid performance from Charlie and he gave us that,” coach Claude Julien said.

With Carey Price sidelined by a minor lower-body injury and Al Montoya coming off a 19-save performance Saturday night in a 5-4 overtime win at Winnipeg, Julien turned to Lindgren for Montreal’s third game in four nights. The Lakeville, Minnesota, native responded with Montreal’s first shutout while improving to 4-0 in four career NHL starts.Lindgren was promoted from Laval of the American Hockey League on Friday.

”I think down there the last four games or so I was really starting to kind of get into a groove and playing really good,” he said. ”I came up here and definitely want to make the most of my opportunity.”

Lindgren and Crawford were locked up in a scoreless duel before Jonathan Drouin skated through the slot and shot the puck into the left side of the net at 1:54 of the third. Drouin’s third goal of the season stopped Crawford’s scoreless streak at 173 minutes, 9 seconds.Defenseman Joe Morrow added his third career goal at 7:45, helping Montreal to its fourth win in five games. Morrow blasted a slap shot by a screened Crawford for his first goal since Oct. 27, 2015, for Boston against Arizona.
“‘We played solid,” Montreal forward and for Hawk Andrew Shaw said. ”We didn’t give up too many prime scoring chances, but when we did Charlie was there.”

Coming off consecutive shutouts against Philadelphia and Minnesota, Crawford finished with 33 stops in his first career regulation loss against his hometown team. He was 8-0-2 with a 1.49 goals-against average in 10 games against Montreal.The Blackhawks have scored just 11 goals in their last six games.

”We know what we have behind us,” Ryan Hartman said. ”Crow’s been playing great for us. He’s kept us in some games, like in Minnesota. Even versus Philly too. We need to generate some offense for him.”

Lindgren got over for a great blocker save on Jonathan Toews with 1:40 left in the first. Toews banged a shot off the left post early in the second, and Lindgren gloved another solid opportunity for Chicago’s captain with about seven minutes left in the third.Lindgren also robbed Richard Panik with 15 seconds left.

”Give him credit,” Blackhawk star Patrick Kane said. ”I think he played well. Sometimes you can probably make better shots. He was kinda seeing the puck through some traffic, so give him credit.”

The Blackhawks also went 0 for 3 on the power play after scoring with the man advantage in each of their previous two games, including Saturday night’s 2-0 victory at Minnesota.

NOTES—Blackhawks D Gustav Forsling missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury. He could return Thursday night at Philadelphia. ”He’s very close,” Quenneville said. ”I think we give him four more days is what we’re looking at.” . … The Blackhawks wore camouflage-style jerseys for warmups that will be autographed and auctioned off online to benefit USO of Illinois.

LINCOLN—Northwestern has no problem working overtime. None at all, it seems.The Wildcats’ 31-24 victory over Nebraska on Saturday made them the first Football Bowl Subdivision program in history to play three consecutive games that have gone to overtime and win them all.

”I definitely think it’s our mentality going in,” linebacker Paddy Fisher said. ”You get to play some more football. There’s nothing better than that. You just take it up another notch.”
Northwestern had the ball first in overtime for the third straight game, and Thorson sneaked into the end zone on fourth-and-1 for the go-ahead touchdown. The Wildcats’ defense came up with a big sack and pass breakup to give them their fourth straight win after an 0-2 start in Big Ten play.Northwestern (6-3, 4-2), which became bowl eligible for a third straight year, came to Lincoln off a 39-31 triple-overtime win at Michigan State. The week before the Wildcats beat Iowa 17-10 in overtime at home.

”I think our guys have some confidence in tight games,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ”To see the look in their eye in overtime – we’re going to win the game.”

NU scored the tying touchdown with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter, and Thorson’s pass to the end zone was broken up on the final play of regulation.In overtime, the Cornhuskers (4-5, 3-3) kept Thorson out of the end zone on third-and-goal from the 1. Northwestern chose to go for the touchdown rather than kick a field goal, and Thorson got into the end zone on the next play with a push from Trey Pugh.On Nebraska’s possession, freshman defensive tackle Samdup Miller sacked Tanner Lee on second down for a 10-yard loss. After Lee hit Tyler Hoppes for 8 yards to set up a fourth-and-12, Kyle Queiro broke up a pass intended for JD Spielman to end the game.

”We’re obviously disappointed in our finish,” Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. ”It felt like there had been some good football and then it felt deflated right through and into the overtime. The defense did their best after giving up some yardage early in the overtime to keep them out. It went to fourth down and we didn’t quite get it done.”
The Wildcats, who have won three of four meetings in Lincoln since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011, took sole possession of second place in the Big Ten West.Northwestern’s Justin Jackson scored on a 17-yard run in the first quarter, his school-record 39th career touchdown. He ran 31 times for 154 yards and has 798 yards in nine games. He has three games and a bowl to get the 202 yards he needs to hit 1,000 for a fourth straight year.

SOUTH BEND—Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush had a wrap protecting his left hand during the second half of the 48-37 victory over Wake Forest.Good thing he throws with his right.Wimbush passed for a career-high 280 yards, ran for 110 more and totaled three touchdowns as the Irish (8-1, No. 3 CFP) won their seventh straight game Saturday on a day standout running back Josh Adams missed the second half because of weariness.Notre Dame had its best offensive performance of the season with 710 total yards.Of course, the Fighting Irish also gave up 587 yards to Wake Forest (5-4) as quarterback John Wolford threw for 331 yards, rushed for 59 and accounted for three touchdowns of his own (two passing). Running back Matt Colburn became the first back to run for 100 yards against Notre Dame this season, finishing with 120.Adams left the field late in the first quarter and Wimbush joined him late in the first half as Notre Dame Stadium grew silent in a hurry. Wimbush was hit on his planted left leg after a 28-yard gain but suffered a contusion to his left hand when he did a flip. He was fitted with a pad and returned for the second half.Meanwhile, Adams, who was fifth nationally with 1,169 yards entering the game, exited in this first quarter after gaining just 22 yards on five carries. Just before halftime he was seen riding a stationary bike. There were reports on social media that Adams was in the team’s concussion protocol, which Kelly denied afterward.Adams did not return and didn’t need to. The nation’s No. 6 rushing offense, averaging just under 318 yards a game, gained 380 on the capable legs of Wimbush, Deon McIntosh (63 yards) and four others who surpassed Adams’ output.