ROSEMONT—Butler continued its habit of struggling early in games.This time, the issue nearly resulted in a loss to a last-place team.The 13th-ranked Bulldogs trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half before rallying to hold off DePaul 70-69 in overtime on Saturday.Kethan Savage scored 20 points, Kamar Baldwin added 18 and Kelan Martin had 12 for the Bulldogs (17-3, 6-2 Big East), who improved to 3-3 in road games after trailing at halftime in six straight conference games.

”There are some significant areas that we have to make major strides in, major strides,” Butler coach Chris Holtmann said. ”We are not nearly tough enough and we have to play much smarter as well so perhaps that has something to do with it.”

Eli Cain scored a career-high 32 points for DePaul, which has lost eight of nine. Billy Garrett Jr. added 16 points and Tre’Darius McCallum had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Blue Demons (8-12, 1-6).Baldwin’s 3-pointer put Butler ahead 68-66 with 24.9 seconds left before Garrett’s three-point play gave DePaul the lead with 10.1 seconds left in overtime. Baldwin took the ball nearly the length of the court and was fouled in the lane with 3.7 seconds left. He made both free throws for a 70-69 lead. Garrett missed a 3 at the buzzer.Butler has won three straight and six of seven.

”They have big, strong, older guards that quite honestly we struggled with,” Holtmann said. ”We knew we would struggle with their guards, but when you have Eli Cain and Billy Garrett playing like that … those two played like all-conference players today.”

DePaul most recently beat a ranked team when it upset No. 11 Providence last February.

”We came up a few plays short,” coach Dave Leitao said. ”You’d like to have a couple of those back on both ends.”

Butler had been holding opponents to 30.6 percent shooting from 3-point range. DePaul made 11 of 24 3s.

”Guys think this stuff is easy coming on the road. Although we had unbelievable fan support, coming into a different environment and playing a team that is hungry for a win, it’s not,” Holtmann said. ”We have to do a lot of things better, but I have to give DePaul a lot of credit.”

Avery Woodson’s 3 gave Butler its second lead of the game with 2:14 remaining in regulation to complete a 17-7 run. Savage was called for a reach-in foul with 2.1 seconds left. Cain made one free throw but missed the second to send the game to overtime.DePaul was ahead 33-31 at halftime. Butler has led at the half in just one of eight conference games.Butler is 3-3 on the road but 14-0 at home and on neutral courts. The Bulldogs will have a chance to regroup against opponents at the bottom of the Big East: they next face Seton Hall and Georgetown.DePaul fell to 8-4 at home. The Blue Demons have gone 1-5 since nearly upsetting top-ranked Villanova on Dec. 28.They almost got another upset Saturday.

”Our resilience in both games goes to show the type of guys we have, the high-character guys we have,” Garrett said.

Last week, the Bulldogs dropped one spot after losing 75-64 to No. 7 Creighton. They bounced back to beat No. 15 Xavier, Marquette and DePaul.Butler is off to its best start in four seasons in the Big East at 6-2. .The Bulldogs’ bench outscored DePaul’s reserves 32-4. . Holtmann improved to 6-0 in his career against DePaul, including one victory while he was the coach at Gardner-Webb. . Leitao is 0-3 all-time against Butler.DePaul plays at No. 7 Creighton next Saturday.

BOSTON—Blackhawks backup Scott Darling insists he isn’t trying to take playing time away from No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford.

”I don’t know if you guys know who my goalie partner is,” Darling said with a smile after beating the Boston Bruins 1-0 on Friday night. ”He’s one of the best goalies in the world, hands down, no arguments. So I’m just pretty happy to get any games I can.”

Marian Hossa scored with 1:26 left to break a scoreless tie, and Darling stopped 30 shots to post his second shutout of the season. Darling is 12-4 and he brought a 2.34 goals-against average into the game, even better than Crawford’s 2.54.

”He seems huge there; he’s always making key saves,” Hossa said. ”It’s unreal just the way he’s always been ready when he hasn’t played for a long time. And when he got the chance, he wasn’t afraid of it.”

A three-time All-Star and two-time Stanley Cup champion, Crawford had started five straight games before taking a night off as the Blackhawks prepare for a six-game road trip that will start at the end of the month.Joel Quenneville wouldn’t commit to a starter for the Blackhawks’ next game but said of Darling, ”He certainly helped himself.”

Tuukka Rask made 21 saves for Boston, which has lost three straight games and four of its last five. The Bruins were shut out at home for the second game in a row.

”The winning goal goes through three of our guys and it’s in our net with a minute and a half left,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. ”We have to stand there, take the responsibility for our own actions. It’s unfortunate because that minute and a half that was left in the game kind of tarnished everything we had done for the first 58 minutes.”

It was a rematch of the 2013 Stanley Cup finals, when the Hawks scored twice in the final 76 seconds(in a :17 span) of the third period in Game 6 to overcome a one-goal deficit and claim the NHL title.This time, the game was scoreless before the Blackhawks made their final charge.Vinnie Hinostroza picked up the puck at the red line and skated it in, sliding to his right to avoid traffic as he crossed into the Boston zone. He pushed it up to Tanner Kero on Rask’s left, and he backhanded it across the crease for Hossa.

”The clock starts ticking down and you think, OK, maybe we are going to play some extra hockey,” Darling said. ”But, I mean, what a goal.”

ATLANTA—Dennis Schroder scored 23 points, Paul Millsap added 14 and the Atlanta Hawks held back a late scare to beat the Bulls 102-93 on Friday night.The Bulls put up little resistance all night until their reserves went on a 33-4 run in the fourth quarter to pull within five on Bobby Portis’ dunk with 1:08 remaining.The Bulls trailed by 22 at the end of the first, by 29 at the end of the second and 30 at the end of the third.Atlanta’s lead was tenuous enough that Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer brought back Schroder and Millsap, who had rested the entire fourth quarter, for the last 2 minutes.Dwight Howard and Thabo Sefolosha combined by 24 points for Atlanta, which has won 10 of 12.Jimmy Butler finished with 19 points for the Bulls, who looked uninspired most of the night. They have dropped five of seven.For the Hawks, the outcome was the exact opposite from Wednesday’s blowout loss at Detroit. The Hawks trailed by 24 in the first and never recovered.Leading 22-10 in the first quarter Friday, the Hawks went on a 16-3 run that ended with Malcolm Delaney’s 3 early in the second. The lead swelled to 32 on Schroder’s 3 early in the third.The Bulls missed its first 11 attempts beyond the arc before Butler’s 3 cut the lead to 49-26 with 5 minutes left in the second.Atlanta has won six straight in the series.Howard and Bulls C Robin Lopez each received a technical foul late in the third.Lopez laid a hard foul on Howard, who took exception and used his shoulder to lean into Lopez’s shoulder and push Lopez back as he walked slowly to the free throw line. Lopez stood on the side of the lane for the first foul shot and was whistled for the technical as he and Howard kept jabbering at each other.Lopez left the game and sat on the floor near the Bulls’ bench. Howard left the game a minute later. Neither played in the fourth. There were a few thousand Bulls fans among the announced crowd of 16,328. One of the few chances they had to cheer was on Butler’s alley-oop feed to Dwyane Wade for a third-quarter dunk. That was as good as it got until Portis jammed late in the game. Wade, a 12-time All-Star in his first season with Chicago, scored four points on 2-for-10 shooting. … Portis and Paul Zipser each scored 10 points. Jerian Grant had 12.The Bulls host Sacramento on Saturday and have won eight of nine against the Kings.

PEORIA—This chapter of the “War on I-74” goes to Illinois State.Deontae Hawkins scored 20 points and ISU won its eighth straight game 69-49 over Bradley on Wednesday night.Hawkins hit four 3-pointers and added 10 rebounds. Paris Lee finished with 14 points for the Redbirds (15-4, 7-0 Missouri Valley), who sit alone atop the Missouri Valley standings for the first time since 1997-98. It is just the second time in school history the Redbirds have opened 7-0 in conference play since going 9-0 during the 1982-83 season.Antoine Pittman led Bradley (8-12, 3-4) with 11 points. The Braves, who have lost six straight to Illinois State, shot had just 15 field goals on 31.9 percent shooting.The Redbirds opened up a 20-8 lead and limited Bradley to only 17 first half points. Two MiKyle McIntosh free throws to open the second half pushed the Illinois State lead past 20, 38-17, and the Redbirds cruised the rest of the way

CEDAR FALLS—Bennett Koch scored 21 points as Northern Iowa upended Loyola 72-69 in double overtime on Wednesday night.Jeremy Morgan added 17 points for the Panthers (7-11, 2-5 MVC) including a pair of free throws with eight seconds left in regulation that sent the game into the first overtime. Jordan Ashton and Luke McDonnell had 13 points apiece.A Koch three-point play put the Panthers on top for good, 67-63, with 1:29 remaining in the second overtime period and he sank two more foul shots to stretch it to 70-63 with 30 seconds left.UNI trailed by one, 58-57, with 1:09 to play in the first overtime when Ashton went to the line for two, making the first but missing the second, tying the game 58-58 and sending it into double overtime.Donte Ingram led the Ramblers (13-7, 3-4) with 19 points and nine boards.

TALLAHASSEE—Florida State hasn’t found itself in many close games late in the second half this season, but Wednesday night it was trailing No. 15 Notre Dame 64-62 with 5:40 remaining.The 10th-ranked Seminoles then showed that they were able to go on a late run and close out a game, going on an 11-1 run and holding on for an 83-80 victory to move into a three-way tie atop the Atlantic Coast Conference at the one-third mark in conference play.Jonathan Isaac scored nine of his 23 points during the run that put the Seminoles (17-2, 5-1) in the lead for good, including two 3-pointers.The talented 6-foot-10 freshman had 10 rebounds for his second straight game with a double-double and added seven blocked shots.

”I felt like I was in a good position. My teammates found me. I just stepped into them and shot,” said Isaac, who had 13 points in the final 6 minutes. ”I think it’s just my confidence level. I’m figuring out where I can pick my spots, where I can be aggressive. I’m just getting confident.”

Isaac is averaging 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds since the start of conference play. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said he was surprised that Isaac has developed into a reliable jump shooter.

”I knew he was active around the bucket, I knew he could block shots and fly and rebound,” Brey said. ”I didn’t think he could make shots. And that he made them when the game was on the line? I have a lot of respect for that young man.”

The Fighting Irish (16-3, 5-1), who had their seven-game winning streak snapped, were 15 of 21 from 3-point range and made nine in the second half to remain in the game. Rex Pfluegger brought Notre Dame within 79-77 with 17 seconds remaining with a 3-pointer but CJ Walker made two free throws to put the Seminoles up by four.Steve Vasturia (18 points) and V.J. Beachem (14 points) each made four 3-pointers for Notre Dame. Matt Farrell added 17.The Irish came into the game averaging the second-least amount of turnovers in the nation (9.4 per game). They committed a season-high 19, including 13 in the first half. Their previous season high was 13 in wins over Colgate and Saint Peter’s.On a night one of the starters (Terance Mann) was held scoreless and Michael Ojo’s lone points came on the opening dunk of the game, the bench came up big again as they outscored the Irish’s reserves 39-18. PJ Savoy led the way with 12 points, including eight straight during an 11-3 run in the first half, and Jarquez Smith added 10.Florida State is 4-1 in its run of facing six straight ranked teams. It is only the third team in ACC history to have that type of schedule in the regular season. Maryland was 0-6 in 1992-93 and North Carolina State was 1-5 in 1979-80.Vasturia became the fourth Notre Dame player to start 100 consecutive games, joining Pat Connaughton (139, 2012-15), Chris Thomas (128, 2001-05) and Pat Garrity (11, 1994-98). Vasturia’s streak started late in the 2013-14 season. … Dwayne Bacon (11 points) has scored in double figures in 28 straight games, which leads the ACC.

DENVER—Vinnie Hinostroza scored twice in the third period, including the go-ahead goal with 11:49 remaining, and the Blackhawks rallied for a 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.Tanner Kero had two goals and Nick Schmaltz and Brent Seabrook also scored for the Hawks, wo snapped a two-game skid.The Blackhawks switched around their line combinations, breaking up the Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa tandem in an effort to spark the offense. It certainly worked with Hinostroza, Kero and Hossa combining for eight points. Hossa had three assists.Matt Duchene had two goals and Blake Comeau and Matt Nieto also scored for the last-place Avalanche, who wrapped up a four-game homestand with a 1-3 mark. This game felt more like a road game, though, with all the Blackhawk fans in attendance.The loudest cheer of the night came when Hinostroza scored the game-winner by tapping a shot past Semyon Varlamov.Colorado pulled Varlamov with around 35 seconds remaining, but couldn’t get anything past Corey Crawford. Kero added an empty-netter with 10.6 seconds left.Hinostroza tied the game at 4 early in the third period when he took a long pass from Seabrook and skated in all alone, lifting a wrist shot over Varlamov.The 22-year-old Hinostroza entered with four career goals.There were a combined four goals scored in a frenzied second period, with Colorado taking a 3-2 lead on Nieto’s first goal of the season. The advantage lasted all of 19 seconds as Kero answered.On the play, Hossa had his first assist of the night to give him 600 for his career. He’s the 32nd player in NHL history to record 500 goals and 600 assists.In the first period, Duchene scored a rare power-play goal for the Avalanche. They were 2 of 41 on the man advantage over the last 11 games before Duchene tipped Nathan MacKinnon’s shot past Crawford.Given how far they’re fallen, the Avalanche could soon be looking at a possible shake-up. Duchene, the team’s leading goal scorer, captain Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Tyson Barrie have been frequently mentioned in trade rumors. The trio are part of the core that general manager Joe Sakic has been trying to build around for the last few seasons.

NOTES—Schmaltz scored his second goal of the season. The 20-year-old center was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League last Saturday. … Seabrook scored his first goal since Nov. 18 at Calgary. … F Rene Bourque played in his 700th NHL game…..The Blackhawks sre at Boston on Friday.

Wesley Matthews three pointer with 12 second left helped the Dallas Mavericks edge the Bulls 99-98 for their first three-game winning streak of the season.Six players scored in double figures for the Mavericks, including all five starters. Harrison Barnes had 20 points, Seth Curry added 18 and Dirk Nowitzki finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.Dallas trailed 98-96 after Jimmy Butler made a long jumper over Matthews with 23 seconds left, but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle decided against a timeout and Deron Williams drove into the lane before kicking out to Matthews for the 3, The Bulls had one last chance, but Dwyane Wade missed a potential game-winning jumper from the corner on his 35th birthday as time expired.

WEST LAFAYETTE—When Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas are in sync, it’s difficult trying to name a better power forward-center combination in college basketball.No. 21 Purdue’s two interior players certainly were in sync on Tuesday night against outmanned Illinois.Haas had 24 points and six rebounds, and power forward Swanigan added 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Boilermakers’ dominating 91-68 victory.Haas scored 13 points in the second half when the Boilermakers (15-4, 4-2 Big Ten) led by as many as 27. Swanigan had a four-point first half but was almost unstoppable during the second half, accounting for 18 points and five rebounds.

”It was Illinois’ game plan not to double us,” Swanigan said. ”You could hear their coaches yelling to them to pressure the ball. That was their game plan, and we had success with it.”

Purdue placed five players in double figures, also getting 14 from freshman guard Carsen Edwards, 11 from forward Vince Edwards – no relation – and 10 from point guard P.J. Thompson.

”We have to have balance, and we did that tonight,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. ”When Isaac got the ball deep like he did tonight, that’s hard to stop. When Isaac is good and efficient, it really puts the other team in a bind.”

Illinois (12-7, 2-4) got 15 points from Maverick Morgan and 12 from Malcolm Hill but had no answer for the Boilermakers’ two post players, each of whom had his way around the basket.With this victory, Purdue leads the all-time series with Illinois, 100-87.

Wesley Matthews made a go-ahead 3-pointer from the wing with 12 seconds left, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Bulls 99-98 on Tuesday night for their first three-game winning streak of the season.Six players scored in double figures for the Mavericks, including all five starters. Harrison Barnes had 20 points, Seth Curry added 18 and Dirk Nowitzki finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.Dallas trailed 98-96 after Jimmy Butler made a long jumper over Matthews with 23 seconds left, but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle decided against a timeout and Deron Williams drove into the lane before kicking out to Matthews for the 3. The Bulls had one last chance, but Dwyane Wade missed a potential game-winning jumper from the corner on his 35th birthday as time expired.

Tai Odiase scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and swatted away six shots as UIC defeated UW-Milwaukee 71-57 on Tuesday night, leading from start to finish.Odiase pulled down an offensive rebound and went back up for a lay-in to start the scoring with less than a minute gone, and later dunked after grabbing another offensive board. He blocked back-to-back layup tries by UWM’s Brock Stull to prevent the Panthers from getting closer than three.Stull, who averages 12.6 ppg, finished 3 of 11 from the field and scored six points. Odiase has 205 career blocks for the Flames (11-8, 4-2 Horizon League).Bryce Nze led UWM with 22 points on 10-for-12 shooting as the Panthers (5-14, 1-5) held a slim 38-34 edge on points in the paint, and Cody Wichmann added 11 points with three 3-pointers.UIC scored 18 points off 12 UWM turnovers.