UIC ends 9-game losing streak
Brad Birton and Paul Carter had double-doubles to lead host UIC to its first conference victory of the season, 83-61 decision over Youngstown State on Saturday.
Birton had 14 points and 14 rebounds while Carter had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Flames (6-16, 1-9 Horizon League), which had dropped nine in a row since upsetting Illinois on Dec. 18.
Robo Kreps added 12 points and a game-high 6 assists, and Dipanjot Singh scored 11 points. The Penguins (7-14, 1-10) lost their fifth in a row.
Wichita St. 61, Bradley 41:Ben Smith scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help host Wichita State (18-4, 9-2 Missouri Valley) beat Bradley (6-16, 0-11). Andrew Warren had 15 points for Bradley.
Buffalo 63, Northern Illinois 52:Zach Filzen scored 21 points and Byron Mulkey 19 as host Buffalo (13-6, 5-2 Mid-American) pulled away in the second half to beat Northern Illinois (7-12, 3-4). Xavier Silas struggled from the field (4 of 15) but got to the free-throw line enough to compensate, making 12 of 13 to lead NIU with 20 points. But the Huskies hurt themselves with 17 turnovers, leading to 16 Buffalo points, and never led.
Cleveland St. 81, Loyola 70:Trevon Harmon scored 21 points, and Cleveland State (20-3, 9-2 Horizon) defeated host Loyola (13-9, 4-7). The Vikings have won at least 20 games in three of the past four seasons. Walt Gibler led the Ramblers with 25 points and 9 rebounds.
IUPUI 56, Western Illinois 45:Alex Young scored 10 points and pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds to help IUPUI (13-10, 7-3 Summit) beat host Western Illinois (7-14, 2-8). Matt Lander scored 15 points to lead Western.
Jacksonville St. 56, E. Illinois 46:Jeremy Bynum scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, to lift Jacksonville State (4-18, 2-9 Ohio Valley) over host Eastern Illinois (8-13, 4-7). Shaun Pratl and Jeremy Granger led the Panthers with 14 points each.
Evansville 66, S. Illinois 49:Colt Ryan scored 23 points and keyed a second-half run that led host Evansville (12-9, 6-5 Missouri Valley) past Southern Illinois (10-12, 4-7). Carlton Fay scored 18 points to lead SIU, which has lost five of its last six games. The Salukis led 21-18 at halftime.