CONWAY—Illinois State coach Dan Muller decided to switch things up defensively and told his Redbirds to keep attacking off the dribble through contact – even if there were no fouls called – against a physical power-conference opponent.Turns out, it was the perfect plan to beat South Carolina in the relocated Puerto Rico Tip-Off.Milik Yarbrough had 18 points in an all-around performance to help the Redbirds beat the Gamecocks 69-65 in Thursday’s tournament opener, earning a big win for a Missouri Valley Conference program that lost four starters from a 28-win team last year.

”Now you have to handle it the right way,” Muller said. ”New groups need confidence. New groups like this need to understand if they do what we ask them to do, you can be successful.”

The Redbirds (1-1) frustrated the cold-shooting Gamecocks with an active zone defense that they barely ran during a high-scoring season-opening loss to Florida Gulf Coast. Muller said his team was so bad defensively that he probably should’ve used it more.

”We weren’t really worried about anything they were doing (to attack the zone),” said Keyshawn Evans, who scored 17 points. ”We know if they’re setting ballscreens, we’re getting over ballscreens regardless of what they’re going to do. We’re not going to let them drive, we’re going to move when they kick it.”

Illinois State led by as many as 12 points before halftime and saw the Gamecocks rally to twice tie it after halftime before holding on down the stretch. Evans hit a free throw with 4 seconds left to make it a two-possession game and seal the win.The tournament was set for the coastal city of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, but damage from Hurricane Maria forced it to Coastal Carolina in Conway….The Redbirds responded to the Florida Gulf Coast loss with a tough performance. Yarbrough, who sat out last year as a transfer from Saint Louis, was a particularly frustrating matchup for South Carolina with his ability to attack off the dribble to go with six rebounds and six assists.

KANSAS CITY—Clayton Custer finished 7-of-11 shooting and scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, Aundre Jackson made 6 of 8 from the field to finish with 18 points and Loyola beat Missouri-Kansas City 66-56 on Thursday night.Marques Townes had 12 points and nine rebounds for Loyola (3-0).Custer scored Loyola’s first 11 points in a 17-3 run that gave the Ramblers a 58-46 lead when Custer hit two free throws with 5:06 to play. Xavier Bishop made two foul shots to pull UMKC (1-3) within seven with 2:57 remaining, but Custer hit two free throws and then made a layup to push the lead to 63-52 with 1:24 left.Broderick Robinson scored 16 points, including three 3-pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds for UMKC.The Kangaroos led 26-20 at halftime, but Loyola shot 60 percent (14 of 23) from the field in the second half.

Dominique Matthews had 19 points, Dikembe Dixson scored 16 and the pair combined to make 12 of 19 shots from the field as UIC raced to a 95-55 win over Delaware State on Thursday night.Dixson scored seven and Matthews buried a 3-pointer in a 29-6 game-opening run and the Flames (2-1) were never threatened in building a 53-19 advantage by halftime.Marcus Ottey scored 13 and Godwin Boahen added 12 points and five assists off the UIC bench. Both players hit 4 of 5 from the field as the Flames shot 54.5 percent (30 of 55) from the field. UIC also shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range (12 of 28).Reserve Ameer Bennett led the Hornets (1-3) with 14 points, while Artem Tavakalyan added 12 points and nine boards. Johquin Wiley chipped in with 11 points and four assists, but had six turnovers. Delaware State connected on just 29.2 percent from the field (19 of 65) and 25 percent from behind the arc (5 of 20).

ROSEMONT—Creighton jumped out to a big lead early, Khyri Thomas had a career-high 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, Martin Krampelj added a career-high 17 points and Creighton beat No. 20 Northwestern 92-88 in a Gavitt Tipoff Games matchup.Ty-Shon Alexander had 14 points and Marcus Foster had 12 for the Bluejays (3-0).Vic Law had a career-high 30 points and Bryant McIntosh added 24 for Northwestern (2-1).The Wildcats rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to take the lead in the second half, but couldn’t maintain the momentum as Creighton answered the run and took the lead for good with 14 minutes to go.

”You score 88 points, you should be able to win,” NU coach Chris Collins said. ”We’ve got to be better on the defensive end.”

Law scored 12 straight Northwestern points early in the second half to lead a furious comeback from a 51-43 halftime deficit. Included in that run was a four-point play 3 minutes into the half to put the Wildcats on top 56-55 – their first lead since early in the first half.

”We got rolling early and like I expected, they kind of withstood our fury and were right back in the game at halftime,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. ”Just really proud of my team.”

The Bluejays scored 109 points in their previous game against Alcorn State and were on a pace for 120 or more in racing out to a 44-29 lead 15 minutes into the game. But after Northwestern picked up its defensive intensity, they managed just 11 points over the next 8 minutes in losing the big lead. The players, though, responded and reclaimed control.The Wildcats are coming off their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season and were ranked in the AP preseason poll for the first time. But Wednesday night showed that nothing is going to come easy this season just because expectations are high – especially if they don’t play with the same intensity on the defensive end as last season.

”This was an opportunity to show people what we’re about,” McIntosh said. ”We did the opposite. It’s disappointing.”

Although they don’t have a traditional inside game, the Bluejays outscored Northwestern 48-26 in the paint.

OKLAHOMA CITY—Things are starting to click for the Oklahoma City Thunder.Russell Westbrook had 21 points and seven assists and the Thunder beat the Bulls 92-79 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.Oklahoma City had high hopes coming into the season after trading for All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, but the Thunder had lost four straight before getting things turned around to even their record at 7-7.Anthony returned to the lineup after missing the previous game with a sore lower back and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jerami Grant added 15 points and 11 rebounds.The Thunder led 27-7 at the end of the first quarter to match the fewest points they have allowed in a quarter since the franchise moved from Seattle in 2008. The Bulls made 2 of 16 field goals in the period.

”Just setting the tone,” Westbrook said. ”Thought we did a good job of being aggressive, using our hands. That’s how we win games.”

Lauri Markkanen and Antonio Blakeney each scored 16 points, and Denzel Valentine added 13. The Bulls shot 34.7 percent from the field.

ROSEMONT—Northwestern coach Chris Collins is looking for more communication on defense. He wants to see his team take better care of the ball, and he is searching for more production from his reserves.The Wildcats have been good enough so far. That won’t be good enough in their next game.Bryant McIntosh scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half, and No. 20 Northwestern held off Saint Peter’s for a 75-66 victory on Monday night.

”It’s a long game and we had a couple lapses,” McIntosh said. ”We made a few mistakes, and they made some good plays, too. So it wasn’t just all on us.”

The Wildcats placed each of their starters in double figures in their second straight lackluster win to begin the season. Dererk Pardon scored 15 points, Gavin Skelly finished with 14 and Scottie Lindsey had 12 points and six assists.Northwestern (2-0) made the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time in school history. The Wildcats returned four starters, but they are still looking for a complete effort through two games.They allowed 51 points in the second half of a 79-75 win against Loyola (Md.) on Friday. They committed 17 turnovers against Saint Peter’s, helping smaller Peacocks stay competitive throughout the night.

”We’ve had two games now where we’ve been in the negative, turnovers to assists, and that’s not a good recipe for us,” Collins said, ”because we’re a good team, and we can be a very good team, but we don’t necessarily have the kind of firepower to withstand 17 to 20 turnovers.”

Next up is a step up in competition, with Creighton coming to town on Wednesday night.

”We got to put 40 minutes together,” Collins said, ”and we’re going to have to be really locked in defensively. … I know they’re a really good team.”

Nick Griffin scored 19 points for the Peacocks (0-2), who lost 61-40 to La Salle in their season opener on Saturday. Samuel Idowu and Cameron Jones each had 14 points.

”I thought once we settled into the game we gained confidence and we executed,” coach John Dunne said. ”So I am, I’m proud of my team, for sure.”

Northwestern looked sluggish for much of the first half and Saint Peter’s stayed close by using much of the shot clock when it had the ball, forcing the Wildcats to work on defense. Saint Peter’s also made five of its 10 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, but NU used its superior athleticism and outside shooting to pull away over the middle of the game.Anthony Gaines made a layup and connected from long range to run the Northwestern lead out to 54-36 with 12:22 to go. Saint Peter’s pulled within seven on Davauhnte Turner’s layup with 32 seconds left, but Lindsey hit two free throws to help close it out.

Tre’Darius McCallum had 17 points and six rebounds to help DePaul pick up its first win in its new Wintrust Arena, beating Delaware State 81-57 on Monday night.DePaul (1-1) fell to No. 14 Notre Dame 72-58 in Wintrust on Saturday, but took an early lead to roll over the Hornets (1-1) Monday night. The Blue Demons never trailed, leading 15-3 at the 12:19 mark and taking a 35-21 lead into the locker room. Delaware State made a run to close to 53-41 midway in the second period. DePaul’s Eli Cain, who had 11 points, drove for a layup to start an 11-2 run and the Blue Demons coasted home.McCallum, who was 7 of 12 from the floor, nailed 3 of 5 from long range. Max Strus added 15 points, hitting 6 of 8 field goals.Kobe Gantz led the Hornets with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

The Green Bay Packers finally found a way to win without Aaron Rodgers. All they had to do was show up at Soldier Field.Brett Hundley threw for 212 yards and a touchdown, Nick Perry had three sacks and the Packers beat the Bears 23-16 on Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak.Hundley, starting his third game for an injured Aaron Rodgers, threw a 17-yard touchdown to Davante Adams to make it 23-13 with 5:29 to play, and the Packers (5-4) hung on to beat the Bears (3-6) for the eighth time in nine games.

”It feels amazing,” Hundley said. ”It’s truly amazing, especially a rivalry game. There was a lot going into this game. I just thank the team. Not only the offense, the offensive line, receivers, running backs – but the defense played their butts off, too.”

Hundley completed 18 of 25 passes – even though his hamstring tightened during the game – to help the Packers win their eighth straight at Soldier Field counting the playoffs. He also became the first Green Bay starting quarterback other than Brett Favre or Rodgers to win against the Bears since Don Majkowski on Dec. 17, 1989.

”Today, he had more opportunities,” coach Mike McCarthy said. ”The two prior games, the sample size wasn’t the size it was today.”

Though he got sacked five times, Mitchell Trubisky threw for a career-high 297 yards. The No. 2 overall draft pick hit Josh Bellamy for a 46-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but the Bears dropped their second in a row after winning back-to-back games.

”I thought statistically and poise-wise, in handling situations, I thought his play was probably the best to date,” coach John Fox said. ”Was it perfect? No. It seldom is. But I was impressed with the young guy.”

The win was Green Bay’s first since a narrow victory at Dallas on Oct. 8. A week later, Rodgers got driven to the turf by the Vikings’ Anthony Barr in a loss at Minnesota week and the Packers haven’t been the same since.Ty Montgomery ran for a 37-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but sat out the second half because of a rib injury. That left the Packers without their top two running backs after Aaron Jones hurt his knee in the first quarter.Green Bay shut down the Bears’ run game, holding the Bears to 55 yards rushing. Jordan Howard ran for 54 on 15 attempts.The Bears had a replay challenge backfire in a big way as they were threatening to score in the second quarter. And the offense stalled after Mason Crosby missed a 35-yard field with just over a minute left, giving the Bears one final chance.The Packers led 10-3 in the second quarter after Montgomery went untouched through the line for his big TD run.The Bears were then driving deep in Green Bay territory when their replay challenge near the goal line backfired in a huge way.Benny Cunningham was ruled out at the 2 after turning a short pass into a 23-yard gain. The Bears challenged the spot, with Fox thinking at the time that it was a touchdown. Worst-case scenario: He figured they would have first-and-goal.He did not envision this.Replay officials ruled Cunningham didn’t have control when he hit the pylon, and with the ball landing out of bounds, Green Bay took over at the 20.The Bears didn’t lose a timeout, since the call was overturned, though that’s a loss they would have gladly taken. Fox screamed at line judge Bart Longson after the ruling and the crowd continued to boo as the Packers took possession.

After a slow start, the New Jersey Devils and Miles Wood blitzed their way back against the Blackhawks.Wood had three goals for his first career hat trick and added an assist to help New Jersey rally for a wild 7-5 win over the Hawks on Sunday night.Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists, and Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist to give him 400 points in the NHL. Andy Greene and Brian Gibbons also scored for the Metropolitan Division-leading Devils, who won their second straight after a four-game skid (0-2-2). Keith Kinkaid stopped 39 shots.With New Jersey trailing 4-1, Wood scored his second goal of the game late in the first period to start a run of five straight Devils goals. Wood came in with three goals and two assists in his first 15 games and nearly matched that in one game.As bad the Devils were early, coach John Hynes was delighted with the way his team responded.Defenseman Jan Rutta had a goal and two assists, Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist for the Hawks. Artem Anisimov, Tanner Kero and rookie Alex DeBrincat also scored for the Blackhawks, who have lost three of four.Corey Crawford took the loss, allowing six goals on 25 shots before being replaced by Anton Forsberg to start the third period. Forsberg stopped 12 of the 13 shots he faced.Crawford has been solid for the inconsistent Blackhawks this season. In this one, neither the goalie of the team in front of him was especially sharp after the first period.

”It was a struggle right from the start,” Crawford said. ”I just couldn’t find a way to make a save.”

Anisimov was credited with his sixth goal on a deflection of Rutta’s shot from the blue line just 41 seconds in to open the scoring. Wood scored from the doorstep on the power-play 2:59 later to tie it.The Blackhawks temporarily took charge with three goals in a 3:20 span late in the period.DeBrincat scored with 6:19 left during a 4-on-4, converting a pass from Nick Schmaltz with a one-timer from the slot. It gave the 19-year-old DeBrincat three goals in two games and five in his last six.Rutta’s power-play goal, on a screened shot from the blue line, made it 3-1 with 3:21 to go in the period. Kero scored on a backhander from the slot 22 seconds later.Wood started New Jersey’s comeback with 2:23 left in the period on a shot from the left circle, cutting it to 4-2.Then New Jersey took over as the Hawks fell apart.

”It was a big second goal for them,” Joel Quenneville said. ”The variance from the first to second was from exactly how you want to play to exactly how you can’t play.”

Greene slipped in alone and stuffed in a goal 3:07 into the second to trim it to 4-3. Hischier picked up a loose puck in the slot and tied it just under 4 minutes later on a shot that trickled in off Crawford’s right arm.Hall got behind Rutta, cut to the net and slipped a shot between Crawford’s pads at 12:15 to give the Devils their first lead at 5-4. Gibbons, left open in the slot, beat Crawford with a high shot with 2:55 left in the second to make it 6-4.Kane fired in a power-play goal from the right circle with 2.7 seconds left in the period to make it 6-5.But Wood completed his hat trick and made it 7-5 at 2:21 of the third when he corralled Jesper Bratt’s shot from the right point and stuffed a shot under Forsberg.