Morning Box Score

By Matt Motyka in News on Mar 29, 2009 4:30PM

Bulls Beat Pacers
The Chicago Bulls claimed a rollercoaster victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, 112-106. The Bulls were up by a dozen early in the fourth quarter, but Indiana rattled off an 18-5 run to take a one-point lead with 3:21 to play. John Salmons answered with back-to-back threes for Chicago, as the Bulls surged back in front once and for all. Salmons finished with 22, three points behind Ben Gordon's 25. Tyrus Thomas continues to shine with 18 points, eight boards and a monsterous seven blocked shots. The Bulls, who have now won four straight, will try to keep their streak alive when they play at Toronto this afternoon.

Fire Tie DC United
It was a tale of two halves in Washington on Saturday, as the Chicago Fire earned a tie with DC United, 1-1. DC United's Luciano Emilio scored from the fringe of the penalty box seven minutes in, while his team managed to control the action for most of the first half. The Fire turned the tables at the break, though, and at 53' Patrick Nyarko knotted the score for Chicago as goalie Josh Wicks made an ill-advised rush on the ball. The Fire were dealt a blow when C.J. Brown left the pitch early in the game with a quad injury and did not return. His status is still unknown. Chicago will play its home opener against the New York Red Bulls next Sunday.

College Hockey
Notre Dame suffered a 5-1 upset at the hands of the Bemidji State Beavers in the opening round of the NCAA Championship on Saturday. Luck seemed to be against the Irish early on, when an odd bounce of the puck caught goaltender Jordan Pearce out of position and the Beavers jumped to a 1-0 lead. That lead would grow to 4-0 before Notre Dame would get on the board, but Dan Kissel's third period goal came well after the damage had been done. It was an early exit for the hopeful Irish, who finished their season with a mark of 31-6-3.

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh