Illini break school’s win streak record

Illinois expects to have much more important wins the rest of the season. That’s not going to stop the Illini (26-0, 12-0 Big Ten) from enjoying every victory that puts them in the record book.

Roger Powell Jr. went 10 for 10 from the field and scored 21 points and Dee Brown added 19 points to lead the top-ranked Illini to their 26th straight win, 83-63 over Penn State (7-17, 1-10) on Wednesday night at State College, Pa.

Illinois topped the school record of 25 consecutive wins that was set over three seasons from February 1914 to February 1916.

Geary Claxton led the Nittany Lions with 19 points. No one else reached double figures.

(4) North Carolina 85, Virginia 61: At Chapel Hill, N.C., Rashad McCants had 23 points and Sean May added 17 points and 16 rebounds, helping the Tar Heels (21-3, 9-2 ACC) pull out a victory over the Cavaliers (12-10, 4-8).

(6) Boston College 74, Rutgers 64: Sean Marshall scored 22 points and Jared Dudley had 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Eagles (21-1, 10-1 Big East) escaped a scare to beat the Scarlet Knights (8-14, 2-10) at Boston.

(11) Michigan St. 81, Minnesota 62: At East Lansing, Mich., Paul Davis gave Michigan State four 1,000-point scorers on the same team for the first time, and Shannon Brown had 18 points to lead the Spartans (18-4, 9-2 Big Ten) past the Golden Gophers (16-9, 6-6).

(16) Alabama 72, Arkansas 63: An ailing Chuck Davis scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half to lead the Crimson Tide (20-4, 9-2 SEC) to a victory over the Razorbacks (17-8, 5-7) at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

(20) Wisconsin 76, Michigan 50: At Madison, Wis., Mike Wilkinson’s 22 points and nine rebounds helped the Badgers (17-6, 8-4 Big Ten) hand the Wolverines (12-14, 3-9) their school record-tying ninth straight loss.

(21) Oklahoma 83, Nebraska 60: Terrell Everett scored 18 points, Drew Lavender added 10 in his first game coming off the bench and the Sooners (18-6, 7-4 Big 12) beat the Cornhuskers (11-11, 4-7) at Norman, Okla.

N.C. State 82, (22) Maryland 63: At Raleigh, N.C., Ilian Evtimov and Tony Bethel each scored 17 points to lift the Wolfpack (15-10, 5-7 ACC) to a victory over the Terrapins (15-8, 6-6).

(23) Charlotte 66, DePaul 62: Eddie Basden scored 15 points and tipped a key missed free throw as the 49ers (18-4, 9-2 C-USA) held off a 3-point barrage by Drake Diener of the Blue Demons (16-6, 8-3) for a win at Charlotte, N.C.

(24) Cincinnati 83, Southern Mississippi 51: At Cincinnati, Jason Maxiell scored 20 points and Eric Hicks had 18 points and 12 rebounds, setting up a victory over the Golden Eagles (10-14, 1-11 C-USA) for the Bearcats (19-6, 7-4).

Women’s Top 25

With Sophia Young playing only 5 minutes in the first half after picking up her second foul, Steffanie Blackmon responded with a career-high 31 points to lead No. 7 Baylor to a 74-57 win over Missouri at Waco, Texas. … (8) North Carolina 78, Wake Forest 69: At Winston-Salem, N.C., Nikita Bell had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Erlana Larkins added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Tar Heels (21-3, 9-2 ACC) defeated the Demon Deacons (13-11, 2-9). … (10) Rutgers 64, Syracuse 54: Cappie Pondexter finished with 25 points, and the Scarlet Knights (19-5, 10-2 Big East) beat the Orange (11-13, 3-10) at Syracuse, N.Y. … (11) Connecticut 67, Georgetown 49: At Washington, D.C., Ann Strother scored 20 points, and the Huskies (17-6, 10-2 Big East) overcame a second straight sloppy first half in their victory over the Hoyas (9-14, 4-8). … (13) Texas 64, (18) Kansas State 60: Jamie Carey scored 21 points and the Longhorns (16-7, 9-3 Big 12) withstood a late rally to beat the Wildcats (17-6, 8-4) at Manhattan, Kan. … (15) Texas Tech 66, Kansas 53: At Lawrence, Kan., LaToya Davis had 14 points and seven rebounds to lead the Raiders (18-5, 9-3 Big 12) to a win over the Jayhawks (11-12, 4-8). … (19) Iowa St. 90, Oklahoma St. 65: Mary Fox came up with just one rebound against the Cowgirls (7-15, 2-10 Big 12) – but scored a career-high 28 points, making all but one shot in the Cyclones’ (19-4, 9-3) victory at Ames, Iowa.