CHICAGO -- After building a big lead in the first half, Northwestern suddenly found itself running out of gas in a tight game down the stretch Saturday night.Coach Chris Collins turned toward the game clock for help or inspiration -- or both.Every dead ball, I saw guys on their knees, Collins said. I kept telling them, `Eight minutes! Six minutes! Four minutes! Two minutes!Sanjay Lumpkin had 14 points and 14 rebounds, Bryant McIntosh had 13 points, and the Wildcats survived a dismal final 10 minutes for a 67-64 victory over Dayton.Scottie Lindsey and Nathan Taphorn added 11 points apiece as Northwestern (9-2) won its sixth straight. The game was the first of a doubleheader at the United Center as part of the State Farm Chicago Legends.We were just trying to get to the finish line, Collins said. Fortunately, we were strong enough and did enough things to do that.Scoochie Smith had 18 points and Charles Cooke added 12 for Dayton (7-3), which had its five-game winning streak snapped.To our guys credit, I think you can see some fight, but we have to be more consistent, Dayton coach Archie Miller said. We have to be better. Whether it be the glass or our inability to run good offense, we just have not been as tough-minded as we needed to be against some of the teams weve played.Northwestern, which led by as many as 24, took charge early and appeared headed for a laugher. The Wildcats raced to an 11-0 lead less than four minutes into the game as Dayton missed its first eight shots.Northwestern took a 40-17 halftime lead as Dayton made just 4 of 28 field-goal attempts, a 14.3 percent shooting percentage.Cooke, who averaged 20 points in the first nine games, was scoreless in the first half on 0-for-5 shooting in 16 minutes.The Wildcats still led 55-33 with 10 minutes to go before Dayton made its furious rally. The Flyers cut the deficit to 59-55 with 1:28 left on a 3-pointer by Smith. Northwestern had missed 10 straight field goals before McIntosh hit an 18-footer to make it 61-55 with a minute to play.The Wildcats hung on from there.In years past, this was a game where maybe we would have given up that lead in the second half, said Lumpkin, a fifth-year senior. Maybe we wouldnt have won that game, made those tough plays. A lot of guys stepped up. Its great to see that growth.BIG PICTUREDayton: Although the Flyers entered the game with a 31-13 record against Power 5 conferences over the last 10 years, they were outclassed early on before rallying in the second half. Had Dayton started the game with some of the fire it showed after halftime, the result might have been different.Northwestern: How the Wildcats perform during Big Ten play will ultimately determine whether they make their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in March, but theyve put themselves in good position with a strong showing in the non-conference portion of the schedule -- despite the limp to the finish line on Saturday. NUs two losses were against teams currently ranked (Butler and Notre Dame) by a combined six points.UNITED FRONTAlthough Northwestern has played 11 Big Ten tournament games in the United Center, it was just its second regular-season game. Collins hopes to get the program to the point where it can play in the citys NBA arena frequently, but there clearly were more Dayton fans in attendance.They have a great program and a great fan base, and thats something we aspire to have, Collins said. You have to win, though. Thats my answer to everything.UP NEXTDayton: The Flyers host Vanderbilt on Wednesday to begin a three-game home stand.Northwestern: The Wildcats wrap up the non-conference schedule with a pair of home games, IUPUI on Tuesday and Houston Baptist on Thursday. Starlin Castro Jersey . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Jeff Locke Jersey . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. http://www.marlinsteamproshop.com/Marlins-Miguel-Rojas-Kids-Jersey/ . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Brad Ziegler Jersey . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. Justin Bour Jersey . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country.NEW YORK -- Key defenceman Marc Staal returned to the New York Rangers lineup Monday night for the first time since he was struck near his right eye by a deflected puck on March 5. Staal logged 17 minutes, 17 seconds of ice time in 21 shifts of the Rangers 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of the best-of-seven, first-round series. New York still trails 2-1 in the matchup, but can get even with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. "I thought I would be more nervous than I was," said Staal, who wore a visor. "I felt pretty good going into the game, and I think the confidence is going to grow the more Im out there and the more Im in game situations. "Ill feel a lot better next game." Rangers coach John Tortorella certainly wasnt going to wait any longer to get Staal right back into the heart of the action. Once Staal was given the go-ahead to play, Tortorella took advantage of the much-needed lineup addition. "Even before you step on the ice, it really helps the room," Tortorella said. "Hes so well-respected. Hes so well-liked. There are times when you can tell its going to take a little bit to totally get back, but he made some really big plays at key times, too. "Just the speed of the game is what hes going to have to get used to." Staals return came at a critical time for thhe Rangers, who were in desperate need of a win after losing the first two games of the series in Washington and mustered only one goal in the process.dddddddddddd. "Its huge," forward Derek Stepan said of Staals return. "He makes the D-core calm. Hes got a presence about him that he can just control a game. He did a great job. Early on, I think he had a little bit of the jitters, but he found a way to just get back to himself." The Madison Square Garden crowd cheered wildly when Staal was shown on the centre-ice video board as part of the starting lineup before the national anthem. "Once we knew he could play, he was going in the top four (defencemen)," Tortorella said. Steve Eminger was scratched from the lineup to make room for Staal, who was on the ice for Jay Beagles tying goal for Washington in the third period. Rangers forward Ryane Clowe (suspected concussion) remained out, and New York also lost Darroll Powe in the first period when the forward was elbowed in the head by Washingtons Joel Ward. Powe remained down on the ice briefly after the hit as play went on. He then gingerly made his way to the bench and didnt play the final 11:18 of the period. The Rangers said in between periods that Powes return was questionable, but he didnt get back onto the ice. Powe played only two shifts, totalling 2:33 of ice time. Discount NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Online NFL Jerseys From China Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Jerseys From China China Womens NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '