Cats fade down stretch
Kam Williams scored 21 points, and Ohio State beat Northwestern 65-56 in Evanston for its seventh consecutive victory. Williams finished one point shy of his season high and hit five three-pointers.
He was about the only one connecting for either team, helping the Buckeyes (11-5, 3-0 Big Ten) extend their best streak since a 15-0 start in 2013-14. They pulled away down the stretch to beat Northwestern (13-3, 1-2) for the 28th time in 29 games.
Trevor Thompson had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Ohio State. The Buckeyes prevailed despite shooting 10for-22 from the foul line and 5-for-18 on three-pointers.
Northwestern struggled in a big way from the field, shooting 31 percent overall and 6-for-25 on three-pointers after hitting just 2 of 20 in their loss Saturday to then-No. 4 Maryland.
Northwestern got 15 points and six assists from Bryant McIntosh. Derek Pardon grabbed 14 rebounds, but the Wildcats dropped their second straight after winning 10 in a row.
Northwestern’s Aaron Falzon cut it to 51-50 with a long three-pointer with about six minutes left, but the Buckeyes went on a 14-3 run to seal the win.
Illinois State 54, Loyola 52
Deontae Hawkins scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds as Illinois State won its fourth in a row, beating Loyola in Normal.
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell added 14 points and four rebounds for the Redbirds (9-7, 3-0 Missouri Valley Conference). The team shot 35.3 percent from the field and 57.9 percent from the line.
Montel James led the Ramblers (7-8, 0-3) with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
N. Illinois 80, Ohio 69
Travon Baker and Marin Maric combined to score 47 points to lead Northern Illinois (12-2, 1-0) over Ohio (9-4, 0-1) in the teams’ Mid-American Conference opener in DeKalb.
Baker finished with 25 points and Maric added 22 and grabbed 14 rebounds. Jaaron Simmons led Ohio with 19 points.
Maryland 88, Rutgers 63
Jake Layman scored 18 points, Diamond Stone had 15 points and 10 rebounds and No. 3 Maryland took control early to beat Rutgers in College Park, Maryland.
The Terrapins (14-1, 3-0 Big Ten) never trailed in their eighth straight victory. Using runs of 10-0 and 12-2, Maryland built a 46-18 halftime lead.
Xavier 74, St. John’s 66
Myles Davis scored 19 points, Trevon Bluiett added 18 and Xavier went down to the final minute before securing a victory over St. John’s in New York, the Red Storm’s sixth straight loss.
Villanova 72, Seton Hall 63
Daniel Ochefu had 20 points and 18 rebounds in one of the best games for a Villanova big man in years, leading the Wildcats past Seton Hall in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
Lewis to return for Illinois
An Illinois team hit hard by injuries and illness will get guard Khalid Lewis back in time for Thursday’s game at No. 5 Michigan State.