Ricciardo set the fastest lap of 1:54.249 followed by S

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Perhaps prematurely looking ahead to its marquee weekend, Northwestern nearly stumbled into a crushing midweek upset.The Wildcats needed several clutch baskets late Wednesday night to overcome a second-half deficit and defeat Chicago State 68-64.Vic Law led Northwestern (8-2) with 18 points, Sanjay Lumpkin had 11 rebounds and the Wildcats edged the Cougars for their fifth straight victory.Every time we started to get a little momentum, they came right back at us, Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said. Every time we threw a punch, they came with a counterpunch.Fred Sims Jr. and Trayvon Palmer led Chicago State (3-7) with 22 and 18 points, respectively. They sparked a 20-6 run that left the Cougars ahead 52-50 with 8:06 remaining.Northwestern, which led by 14 at one point, jumped back ahead 54-52 with 6:07 remaining on Bryant McIntoshs jumper, giving the Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish.The win capped a perfect five-game homestand for the Wildcats, whose next game will be at the United Center in Chicago as part of the State Farm Chicago Legends. Illinois, BYU and Dayton are the other participants.I dont want to say we disrespected them because we didnt, Collins said when asked whether his team overlooked the Cougars. We prepared. But was our energy the same as its been in other games? I think we had some critical breakdowns tonight.Anthony Eaves 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining moved Chicago State within three, but Northwestern scored on its next possession to secure the victory.When you play a seasoned team, theyre going to find a way to win, Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy said. And we just havent gotten there. When they needed a basket, they got that basket.The Cougars converted a season-best 13 3-pointers, and outrebounded Northwestern 40-33.McIntosh finished with 14 points and seven assists, and Scottie Lindsey scored 13.Northwestern is 11-0 all-time against Chicago State. The Wildcats set a season-high with 27 3-point attempts.Northwestern, which ranked among the Big Tens leaders with a plus-2.4 turnover margin entering the night, held a 12-0 halftime advantage in that category, but was minus-4 in the second half.A NIGHT OF MILESTONESLumpkin achieved several landmarks in Wednesdays game, starting both his 100th career game at Northwestern and recording his 500th career rebound.NOT QUITE NO. 1Dildy, in his seventh year as head coach of the Cougars, remains tied with Bob Hallberg for the most Division-I wins at Chicago State. His record with the Cougars is 49-152.BIG PICTUREChicago State: The Cougars are in the midst of a 12-game road swing that will take them through the calendar year. The Cougars, who will not return home until Jan. 5, are 1-5 through six games of the trip.Northwestern: The Wildcats finished their season-long homestand unblemished. The Wildcats, who do not open Big Ten play until Dec. 27 at Penn State, have won their last 19 nonconference home games.UP NEXTChicago State: On the road against DePaul on Saturday.Northwestern: Will face Dayton in Chicago on Saturday. Dikembe Mutombo Jersey .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. Allen Crabbe Hawks Jersey .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/Josh-Smith-City-Edition-Jersey/ . 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SILVERSTONE, England -- Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg showed once again he has the car to challenge the top drivers, clocking the fastest lap in practice Friday at the rain-soaked British Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Rosberg, who won the Monaco GP and was on pole at the Spanish GP, was 0.299 seconds faster than Webber. It was the first time the Australian had been on track since surprising his team on Thursday by announcing he would be leaving Formula One at the end of the season to race sports cars. "On one lap the car is still quick, so qualifying should be OK," Rosberg said. "But the question mark is our race speed. We practiced the race speed today and it felt decent so far. But it could be a completely different picture on Sunday as the weather should be a lot warmer, so we dont know where we are right now compared to the others. Im still quite confident that we can have a good weekend." Vettel, the three-time defending champion, was 0.432 seconds behind as he looks to extend his lead atop the drivers championship. The German has a 36-point lead over Ferraris Fernando Alonso with 12 races remaining. Lotus driver Raikkonen is another eight points back in third and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is fourth. "I think overall we can be pretty happy. It was a good day," Vettel said. "Obviously it was important to get some laps in the dry as we expect dry conditions on Sunday. Now we need to have a look at what we can improve, have a look what the others did and then well know a little bit more for tomorrow." Hamilton was the closest among Vettels rivals, coming in fifth fastest while Alonso settled for 10th and Raikkonen 13th. Hamilton, the 2008 champion, called it "quite a challenging day." "Im struggling a little with the balance of my car so theres some work to do overnight to get us into shape for qualifying," Hamilton said. "We havent quite got it hooked up yet and you can really tell that on this circuit." On a rainy day at Silverstone, teams were forced to get muchh of their track time in on the second session after rain washed out most of the first practice.dddddddddddd The track was mostly dry but it still caused plenty of problems for Alonsos teammate, Felipe Massa. Massa spun and crashed into a wall on Turn 15, the latest setback for the Brazilian who has had crashes in two earlier races. He crashed in practice and the race at Monaco and then in qualifying at the Canadian GP. "I am very disappointed about what happened today as the accident cost me valuable time, especially in terms of getting an understanding of the tire behaviour here at Silverstone," Massa said. "At the exit of the corner, I found myself on a piece of track that was still very damp and I lost control of the car. Luckily, the car only suffered slight front end damage and tomorrow we will comfortably be able to pick up where we left off with the work." In the first session, Toro Rossos Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap of 1:54.249 followed by Saubers Nico Hulkenberg, who was 0.784 seconds off the pace. Williams driver Pastor Maldonado was third fastest. Fans in the packed grandstand were left frustrated, since the track remained empty for most of the 90-minute session while it rained on Silverstone. Expecting dryer conditions this weekend, teams gambled they would learn little from a wet track. The teams defended the decision, citing safety concerns. But many did apologize for letting down fans at a circuit that often draws some of the biggest and boisterous crowds in Formula One "Im sorry for the fans who packed the circuit today, who did not get to see the show they were expecting because of the rain," Ferraris Pat Fry said. "In the morning, track conditions were extremely difficult and with the few sets of tires available, we preferred to stay in the pits, as did almost all the other teams." Half the drivers went out in the session, though Hamilton was the only title contender to set a lap time. Several drivers struggled with the wet track including Caterhams Charles Pic, who slid into a wall. He was unhurt. ' ' '