Morning Box Score: Blackhawks Owned by Kings, Northwestern Keeps NCAA Tournament Hopes Alive
By Tim Bearden in News on Feb 26, 2012 3:30PM
The Blackhawks suffered their seventh shutout of the season Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. The Hawks squandered six opportunities on the power play, one of those was a 5 on 3 advantage for 29 seconds, causing the struggling former point leaders to go 0 for 39 on the man advantage since January 24. Kings forward Dustin Brown, rumored to be on the trading block, put up a natural hat trick for Los Angeles Saturday with two power play goals of his own. The Blackhawks remain in sixth place in the Western Conference.
Northwestern 67, Penn State 66
Northwestern edged out Penn State in the final seconds to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. John Shurna, the Big Ten's leading scorer, put up 23 points for the Wildcats and nailed two free throws to put Northwestern up by one over the Nittany Lions with 2.6 seconds remaining. Penn State's buzzer beater was off the mark. The Wildcats went 15-of-29 from three point range, while Penn State struggled behind the arc shooting only 3-of-14.
Green Bay 71, Illinois-Chicago 63
The Flames claimed the ninth seed in the Horizon League tournament following their loss to Green Bay Saturday. Hayden Humes led Illinois-Chicago with 13 points on three 3-point attempts followed by Paris Carter with 10. The Flames have now lost three in a row.
Urbana had never beaten a Division I collegiate rival in school history until Saturday night. Chicago State fell to the Division II Blue Devils, who are now 1-21 against Division I teams, reflecting the struggles all season. Lee Fisher tallied 12 points for the Cougars and they were within two going into the final minute, but free throws sealed the win for Urbana.
Milwaukee 78, Loyola of Chicago 69
Loyola now has the 10 spot in the Horizon League tournament following their loss to Milwaukee on Saturday. Ben Averkamp put up 16 points for the Ramblers, but fouled out of the game. Jordan Hicks put up 13 points and Denzel Brito tallied 10. Loyola will play fifth ranked conference rival Detroit in the tournament on Tuesday.