Morning Box Score
By Matt Motyka in News on Apr 1, 2009 3:20PM
Pacers Bust Bulls
The Bulls lost a thriller on Tuesday versus the Indiana Pacers, 107-105. This one was nip and tuck all the way, and with the score tied at 105 the Pacers' T.J. Ford drove into the paint and nailed a fadeaway jumper to take the lead. This left Chicago down two with only four seconds to play, and Ben Gordon couldn't connect on a hurried three-pointer as the Pacers held on for victory. The shot was one of six missed three-point attempts by Gordon, on an otherwise stellar shooting night for the Bulls. Derrick Rose finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the team, and Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich scored 20 apiece. John Salmons sat this one out with a groin injury; his status appears day-to-day. After dropping two straight on the road, the Bulls return to the United Center on Saturday to host the New Jersey Nets and kick off a much-needed four-game home stand.
Canadiens Deport 'Hawks
The Chicago Blackhawks ran into a streaking Montreal Canadiens team and suffered a 4-1 defeat on Tuesday. Patrick Sharp was the lone scorer for Chicago, who didn't get off the schneid until midway through the third period. By that time Montreal head built a 3-0 lead, and would put the game away with a fourth goal shortly thereafter. The 'Hawks fired 29 attempts on netminder Carey Price, but the Canadiens' goalie was up to the challenge. Cristobal Huet spelled Nikolai Khabibulin and stopped 29 of 33 shots for Chicago. With the loss the Blackhawks drop to fifth in the Western Conference standings, a point behind the Calgary Flames. The 'Hawks host the pesky St. Louis Blues tonight, a team that's beaten them four out of five times this season.
College Basketball
Notre Dame fell to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the NIT semis, 67-59. Penn State was able to maintain the upper hand, despite missing 15 of 17 three-point attempts and shooting a unimpressive 63 percent from the free-throw line. They accomplished this by making 59 percent of their two-point field goals while Notre Dame converted only one-third of their shots. The Fighting Irish never led and trailed by as many as 19 before staging a late-game rally. After closing to within three points on a Luke Zeller shot from behind the arc with 2:38 to play, Notre Dame allowed six straight by the Nittany Lions and fell out of reach. Luke Harangody finished the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and was the only Irish play to crack double figures in scoring.
Bradley surrendered the throne to the Old Dominion Monarchs in the CIT championship game, losing 66-62. The Braves jumped out to an early nine-point lead, but found themselves down 11 midway through the second half. Fighting their way back into contention, the Braves got to within two-points with 1:29 remaining. A subsequent score by the Monarchs and a steal on the defensive end put Old Dominion back command, as they were able to maintain their lead in the waning seconds. Bradley hurt themselves by misfiring on 18 of 22 three-point attempts. Chris Roberts led the Braves with 15 points and senior Theron Wilson recorded 11 points and nine rebounds in his final collegiate game.
AP Photo/Darron Cummings