NCAA Hoops: Purdue too much for Illini

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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
CSNChicago.comAssociated Press
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) Minutes after No. 6 Purdue's 75-67 victory over Illinois, the band played a version of DJ Khaled's "All I Do is Win" before the school honored JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore on Senior Night.

The song title was fitting.

Johnson scored 23 points and Moore added 18 as the Boilermakers (25-5, 14-3) finished undefeated at Mackey Arena and remained in contention for the Big Ten title.

Johnson and Moore came off the court to a standing ovation with 3.6 seconds left.

"Tonight was a special night for us," Moore said. "It was our last night playing in front of our home crowd. Right before the game, I was nervous. I tried not to think about it, but I couldn't help it. I'm glad we got a victory and everything turned out well."

Johnson said the team takes pride in its 16-0 home record.

"I think it says a lot about how we protect our home court," he said. "It also says a lot about Mackey in general, with all the fans getting loud. It's definitely one of the loudest arenas in the country, and this is definitely a big advantage for us every time we play here."

Illinois coach Bruce Weber said Johnson and Moore were too much to handle.

"I think they have two special seniors that rose to the occasion and made some big shots down the stretch," he said.
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UIC eliminated from Horizon tourney

CLEVELAND (AP) Norris Cole scored 26 points as Cleveland State cruised to a 73-61 win over Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday night in the first round of the Horizon League tournament.

The third-seeded Vikings (25-7), who claimed a share of their first Horizon regular-season title Saturday, set a school record with their 16th home win.

Cleveland State will play No. 6 seed Wright State in the second round on Friday in Milwaukee.

The Flames (7-24), the No. 10 seed, ended the season with their fifth straight loss.

The Vikings shot 50 percent in the first half (14 of 28) en route to a 40-23 lead at the break.

The Flames got within five points twice, the last time at 51-46 with 8:55 to go, then Cole answered with a 3-pointer.

Jeremy Montgomery added 17 points for the Vikings and Trevon Harmon had 13.

Paul Carter led Illinois-Chicago with 18 points, hitting 13 of 16 free throws.

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Loyola eliminated in first round

DETROIT (AP) Chase Simon scored 19 points, leading six Detroit players in double figures, and the Titans defeated Loyola of Chicago 90-69 in the first round of the Horizon League tournament Tuesday night.

The Titans (17-15), seeded fifth in the 10-team Horizon League, will face fourth seed Valparaiso in the tournament quarterfinals on Friday in Milwaukee.

Ray McCallum had 16 points, Jason Calliste scored 14 and Nick Minnerath added 12 points. Chris Blake scored 11 points and Eli Holman scored 10 for Detroit. The Titans shot 52 percent from the field in the game, and made 25 of 29 free throws, including 8 for 8 by Calliste.

Ben Averkamp led Loyola with 15 points. Terrance Hill scored 12 points and Andy Polka had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Ramblers (16-15), who were the eighth seed in the tournament.

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Leathernecks drop 13th straight as noose tightens

MACOMB, Ill. (AP) Jovonni Shuler scored 21 points Tuesday night as Savannah State beat Western Illinois 51-47, handing the Leathernecks their 13th consecutive loss.

Joshua Montgomery added 13 points and Jyles Smith 12 rebounds for the Tigers (11-18), whose victory in the nonconference game was their fourth in a row and ninth in their last 10.

Kaimarr Price scored 12 points and Matt Lander 10 for the Leathernecks (7-23). Their season is over after failing to qualify for the Summit League tournament.

Savannah State won despite shooting 34.5 percent and making only 3 of 17 3-pointers.

Western Illinois led 26-21 at intermission, but the Tigers' 17-5 run forged a 38-31 lead with 9:56 left. Montgomery scored seven and Shuler six in the spurt.

Emeka Okafor Jr.'s three-point play brought the Leathernecks within 46-45 with 1:52 to go, but Shuler scored Savannah State's last five points.

The Tigers close against North Carolina Central.

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