DePaul, Loyola now 4-0 for new coaches
DePaul and Loyola are a combined 8-0 in the young college-basketball season under new coaches after winning home games Saturday.
Javon Freeman-Liberty had a careerhigh 33 points on 11-for-21 shooting plus 11 rebounds as DePaul narrowly beat Western Illinois 84-80 at Wintrust Arena.
Brandon Johnson had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Blue Demons, who are 4-0 under coach Tony Stubblefield. Nick Ongenda added 15 points and three blocks. David Jones had 12 points. Luka Barisic scored a career-high 21 points for the Leathernecks (3-1).
Meanwhile, Ryan Schwieger came off the bench to score 22 points as sharp-shooting Loyola beat UIC 80-63 at Gentile Arena.
Schweiger, a 6-7 senior forward, shot 8-for14 and pulled down six rebounds. Lucas Williamson went 5-for-8 in 39 minutes, scoring 16 points and snaring six rebounds.
The Ramblers shot 52.7% (including 8-for14 on three-pointers) in improving to 4-0 under coach Drew Valentine. Braden Norris added 12 points, and Tate Hall had eight rebounds.
Damaria Franklin led the Flames (2-2) with 22 points. Jalen Warren added 13 points. UIC played the Ramblers tight in the first half, trailing 33-31 at the break, but could not sustain the effort.
† Sasha Stefanovic scored 23 points and Jaden Ivey 22 to go with 10 rebounds as No. 6 Purdue beat No. 18 North Carolina 93-84 in the first round of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Boilermakers (4-0) have scored at least 90 points in all of their games. Dawson Garcia led the Tar Heels (3-1) with 26.
† Collin Gillespie, Jermain Samuels and Brandon Slater each scored 14 points as No. 5 Villanova (3-1) posted a 71-53 victory over No. 17 Tennessee (2-1) in another Hall of Fame Tip-Off first-round game.
GOLF Korda, Ko go down to wire in POY race
The race between Nelly Korda and Jin Young Ko to be No. 1 on the LPGA Tour will go all the way to the final round of the season.
Ko rode seven consecutive birdies to a 6-under 66. Korda answered by overpowering the par 5s on the back nine for a 67. They were part of a four-way tie for the lead in the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida,
going into the final round, with $1.5 million and LPGA player of the year on the line.
† Talor Gooch is one round away from his first PGA Tour victory, in the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Gooch hit six fairways but managed a 3-under 67, stretching his lead to three shots going into the final day.
TENNIS
Zverev upsets Djokovic in ATP Finals
For the second time this year, Alexander Zverev has denied Novak Djokovic the chance to play for a big trophy.
Following up his victory over the top-ranked player in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics, Zverev beat Djokovic 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 at the same stage of the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
Zverev will play second-ranked Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final.
HOCKEY
Wolves fall to IceHogs in shootout
Dylan McLaughlin scored in the fourth round of the shootout to give the Rockford IceHogs a 3-2 victory over the Wolves at Allstate Arena. Forwards Stefan Noesen and David Gust scored for the Wolves, who outshot the IceHogs 33-25 in regulation and overtime.