Phil Fayne came up big down the stretch, scoring seven straight points in the final two minutes to lead Illinois State from behind for a 72-68 win over Missouri Valley Conference favorite Missouri State at Redbird Arena. Fayne and Milik Yarbrough both scored 23 points in the win.
Illinois State’s women lost at Loyola, 62-59, dropping the Redbirds to 0-3 in MVC play.
In other college basketball, top-ranked Michigan State was taken down by Ohio State. University High alum Keita Bates-Diop scored 32 points in the Buckeyes win.
In the football playoffs, the New Orleans Saints have reached the NFC divisional playoffs against Minnesota by stopping Carolina’s late drive in a 31-26 win over the Panthers. The Jacksonvile Jaguars scored the game’s only touchdown on a fourth and goal for a 10-3 victory over Buffalo. The Jaguars play at Pittsburgh next Sunday.
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated Edmonton 4-1.
