Demons fall to ND in 1st road test
Max Strus scored 15 points and Jalen Coleman-Lands 12, but DePaul lost 95-70 to Notre Dame on Saturday in South Bend, Indiana. It was the first road game of the season for the Demons (3-1).
DePaul trailed 39-36 at halftime, but Notre Dame (5-1) outscored the Demons 32-10 in the first 8:12 of the second half for a 71-46 lead and never saw its advantage dip below 18 the rest of the way.
“I thought we were late to our coverages [in both halves],” DePaul coach Dave Leitao said. “It was just that we made shots [in the first half], so it kind of covered it up. The second half, [Notre Dame] became more aggressive, and we were still a step slow.”
Rex Pflueger, Notre Dame’s only senior scholarship player, scored a career-high 20 points (6-for-7 from the field, including 4-for-4 on three-pointers), while T.J. Gibbs matched his season high with 18 points.
DePaul had outrebounded each of its first three opponents by double digits, but the Irish had a 39-32 advantage on the glass.
◆ Marcus Ottey scored 20 points and Godwin Boahen 19 as UIC (3-3) cruised past visiting Wisconsin-Parkside 94-74.
◆ Eugene German scored 17 points and Lacey James 15, but Northern Illinois (3-2) lost 78-74 to James Madison at the Oakland Hoops Challenge in Rochester, Michigan.
Jets’ Laine scores 5 goals
Patrik Laine scored five goals in the Jets’ 8-4 victory against the host Blues. It was the 61st five-goal game in league history. Darryl Sittler of the Maple Leafs was the last player to score six in a game, in 1976 against Boston. The last player to score five in a game was Johan Franzen of the Red Wings in 2011. The record is seven goals by the Canadiens’ Joe Malone in 1920.
◆ The Sabres won their ninth consecutive game with a 3-2 shootout victory against the Red Wings.
◆ Canucks forward Antoine Roussel was fined $5,000 by the NHL for biting Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
◆ Filip Hronek scored 2:36 into overtime to give the Grand Rapids Griffins a 4-3 victory against the Wolves at Allstate Arena. Tyler Wong, Keegan Kolesar and Griffin Reinhart scored for the Wolves (10-5-2-1).
Warriors’ Durant tallies 44
Kevin Durant scored a seasonhigh 44 points, but the Warriors needed a Klay Thompson putback of his own miss with five seconds left to secure a 117-116 victory against the visiting Kings.
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry (strained groin) was re-examined and is progressing well. He should return during the five-game road trip, which starts Thursday.
◆ Rookie Collin Sexton scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 117-108 victory against the visiting Rockets. James Harden scored 40 points for the Rockets, who played without Chris Paul (rest).
◆ Anthony Davis (strained right hip) did not play, and the visiting Pelicans fell 124-114 to the Wizards.
◆ The Packers put outside linebacker Nick Perry (knee) on injured reserve.
◆ Turner Sports said it will offer refunds to those who paid $19.95 for the pay-per-view golf match between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods after a technical glitch forced providers to stream the event for free Friday.
Liz Kuhlkin had just finished her shift at a local supermarket — her job when not on the bowling tour — the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and was happy to talk about Beat the Champions.
“I am very honored to be invited,’’ Kuhlkin said. “This will be a first for me. I have bowled in some local charity events.’’
She understands the long history of pro bowlers who set target scores in BTC, the Chicagoland Bowling Proprietors Association’s charity bowling event. The SunTimes is the media sponsor.
Kuhlkin and Rhino Page each will get their first chance to set the targets in the 58th BTC. The target broadcast, which will be recorded at Rolling Lanes in Countryside, airs on Christmas on NBC Sports Chicago. Contest week for league bowlers is Dec. 2-8.
Winners of the U.S. Open are invited to set the targets. Kuhlkin won the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open in June in Orlando, Florida, her second Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour title.
Kuhlkin is building an impressive history of her own in bowling. The 25-year-old right-hander was the NCAA Division I Player of the Year in 2015 at Nebraska. Then, on Oct. 17, 2016, she bowled the highest three-game score by a woman (890). She opened with two 300s in Reis Group Kim Brown Memorial League at Schenectady’s Towne Bowling Academy, her home center in upstate New York, then spared and finished with 11 strikes.
“This is a different event, I think about having fun,’’ Kuhlkin said. ‘‘But I definitely am a competitor. Like most athletes, I like to win.’’
Both the men’s and women’s champions in the finals in March win a cash prize of $7,500. But the real winner is charity. More than $2.8 million has been raised in BTC’s first 57 years by nearly six million entries.