THE SCOREBOARD
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL
| BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE | |||||
| SILVER CREEK | 57 | FLOYD CENTRAL | 41 | ||
| SEYMOUR | 51 | NEW ALBANY | 34 | ||
| EVANSVILLE HARRISON | |||||
| JASPER | 54 | EVANSVILLE HARRISON | 29 | ||
| EVANSVILLE CENTRAL | 63 | CASTLE | 49 | ||
| MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) | |||||
| EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL | 62 | MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) | 33 | ||
| EVANSVILLE MATER DEI | 60 | BOONVILLE | 47 | ||
| EASTERN GREENE | |||||
| LINTON-STOCKTON | 31 | EASTERN GREENE | 28 | ||
| NORTH KNOX | 55 | MITCHELL | 48 |
TONIGHT
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SECTIONAL BRACKETS
INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES
INDIANA WRESTLING REGIONAL SITES
1. HOBART | 9 AM CT
FEEDER SECTIONALS: EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL, PORTAGE.
2. CROWN POINT | 8 AM CT
FEEDER SECTIONALS: CROWN POINT, LAPORTE.
3. PENN | 9 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: MISHAWAKA, PLYMOUTH.
4. LOGANSPORT | 10 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: LAFAYETTE JEFFERSON, WINAMAC COMMUNITY.
5. GOSHEN | 9:30 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: ELKHART, WEST NOBLE.
6. CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) | 8 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: CARROLL (FORT WAYNE), NEW HAVEN.
7. PERU | 8 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: PERU, OAK HILL.
8. JAY COUNTY | 8 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: DELTA, JAY COUNTY.
9. NORTH MONTGOMERY | 8 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: CRAWFORDSVILLE, FRANKFORT.
10. PENDLETON HEIGHTS | 8 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: ELWOOD, INDIANAPOLIS ARSENAL TECHNICAL.
11. PERRY MERIDIAN | 9 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: WARREN CENTRAL, SOUTHPORT.
12. RICHMOND | 8 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: SOUTH DEARBORN, SHENANDOAH.
13. MOORESVILLE | 8 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: AVON, MOORESVILLE.
14. BLOOMINGTON SOUTH | 8 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: BLOOMINGTON NORTH, SOUTHRIDGE.
15. JEFFERSONVILLE | 8 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: JEFFERSONVILLE, JENNINGS COUNTY.
16. CASTLE | 8 AM CT
FEEDER SECTIONALS: CASTLE, EVANSVILLE CENTRAL.
TOP 25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
#3 HOUSTON 70 WICHITA STATE 61
#5 ARIZONA 91 OREGON 76
#9 UCLA 70 WASHINGTON 61
#12 GONZAGA 88 SANTA CLARA 70
#18 ST. MARY’S 68 SAN FRANCISCO 59
ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 86 #19 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 77
ELSEWHERE:
MILWAUKEE 72 IUPUI 69
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 82 OAKLAND 73
TENNESSEE STATE 87 SOUTHERN INDIANA 76
MICHIGAN 68 NORTHWESTERN 51
WISCONSIN 65 OHIO STATE 60
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 65 ROBERT MORRIS 52
DETROIT 85 CLEVELAND STATE 67
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 91 WRIGHT STATE 89 3OT
ARIZONA STATE 68 OREGON STATE 57
STANFORD 78 UTAH 72
COLORADO 59 CALIFORNIA 46
USC 80 WASHINGTON STATE 70
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230202
TOP 25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
#1 SOUTH CAROLINA 87 KENTUCKY 69
#3 LSU 82 GEORGIA 77 OT
#6 IOWA 96 #8 MARYLAND 82
#9 NOTRE DAME 72 BOSTON COLLEGE 59
#11 NORTH CAROLINA 73 VIRGINIA 62
#13 VIRGINIA TECH 78 SYRACUSE 64
GEORGIA TECH 68 #15 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 62
#16 DUKE 53 PITTSBURGH 44
SANTA CLARA 77 #17 GONZAGA 72
#18 MICHIGAN 74 ILLINOIS 57
UTEP 65 #21 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 62
#23 FLORIDA STATE 72 WAKE FOREST 44
ELSEWHERE:
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 67 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 65
ILLINOIS STATE 84 BRADLEY 52
PENN STATE 74 NORTHWESTERN 64
NEBRASKA 71 MICHIGAN STATE 67
CLEVELAND STATE 61 ROBERT MORRIS 43
COLORADO STATE 86 UTAH STATE 64
FLORIDA 61 TEXAS A&M 54
WRIGHT STATE 80 NORTHERN KENTUCKY 70
TENNESSEE 65 OLE MISS 51
MIAMI FLORIDA 69 CLEMSON 66 OT
WYOMING 68 SAN JOSE STATE 54
AIR FORCE 74 FRESNO STATE 59
MISSOURI 86 VANDERBILT 69
UNLV 93 NEW MEXICO 75
BOISE STATE 62 NEVADA 58
UC DAVIS 57 HAWAII 47
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230202
NBA
LA LAKERS 112 INDIANA 111
CLEVELAND 128 MEMPHIS 113
NEW YORK 106 MIAMI 104
CHICAGO 114 CHARLOTTE 98
DALLAS 111 NEW ORLEANS 106
DENVER 134 GOLDEN STATE 117
MILWAUKEE 106 LA CLIPPERS 105
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP
NHL
ALL-STAR BREAK
BOX SCORES:
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
NFL NEWS
CHIEFS BANKED ON ROOKIE RETURNS TO REACH SUPER BOWL AGAIN
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Andy Reid remembers talking to the Kansas City Chiefs at some point last year, back when veterans were getting to know rookies and the season still seemed so far off, and he brought up the San Francisco 49ers under Bill Walsh.
It was 1981 and the 49ers had drafted a quartet of defensive backs that they expected to contribute right away.
They did so much more.
Ronnie Lott went on to start all 16 games, beginning a Hall of Fame career and becoming one of the finest safeties to play the game. Eric Wright and Carlton Williams, who both went on to play in Pro Bowls, started alongside Lott every week, and Lynn Thomas appeared in 15 games.
Together, that group carefully selected by Walsh helped the 49ers win their first conference championship before beating the Bengals for their first Super Bowl title.
“It seems like a long time ago that I mentioned that to our guys,” Reid said this week.
The reason for bringing it up? Chiefs general manager Brett Veach also drafted four defensive backs last year. And much like the 49ers, the Chiefs banked on their rookie quartet to get back to the Super Bowl after a one-year absence.
“I mean, here we sit,” Reid said with a smile.
First-round pick Trent McDuffie, who dealt with a hamstring injury sustained in their opener, emerged as a lockdown cornerback. Jaylen Watson had a 99-yard pick-6 that helped the Chiefs beat the Chargers early in the season, and has since picked off two more passes in the playoffs.
Josh Williams also intercepted Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the AFC title game, catching the deep throw in the closing minutes after rookie safety Bryan Cook had batted it into the air.
The pressure on the four last Sunday night went soaring on the game’s fourth play, when one of the few veterans in the secondary — L’Jarius Sneed — was sidelined by a concussion. Yet they were undaunted.
“Obviously there was concern,” Reid said, when asked about his rookies playing so much so soon, “but there was an optimism that it can be done. Then the kids, just their work ethic — they showed us this in training camp. They showed it all the way through the season. If they got beat, they came back and fought back.”
Indeed, all of them took regular-season lumps. But you wouldn’t know it by the playoffs.
Did they exceed even Veach’s expectations?
“I think so,” he replied. “Maybe it was a necessity because we had a lot of turnover. Again, every time we approach an offseason, whether it be a free-agent signing or draft pick, we have full confidence in our staff’s ability to bring talented players in and our coaches to get the most out them. I think you saw early on — you guys were at the OTAs the training camps — I think it was pretty clear early on that this would be a special group.”
It hasn’t just been the four defensive backs, either. It’s been an entire rookie class outperforming expectations.
Defensive end George Karlaftis had six regular-season sacks, then another of Burrow in the AFC title game. Skyy Moore played a crucial role against the Bengals after three wide receivers were lost to injuries, and his punt return helped set up the winning field goal. Leo Chenal has appeared in every game at linebacker. And seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco not only assumed the role of lead running back but has become a bona fide star.
The returns on the Chiefs’ rookie investments are even more impressive given the fact that Kansas City, like other teams that make deep playoff runs each year, are usually picking after just about everyone else.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of a guy named Brett Veach,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said, “but he has brought in some amazing talent when he put this team together. We’re the best team in the AFC because of what he’s been able to do, on top of what these coaches have been able to do in terms of teaching these guys how to make plays.”
It’s been a long time since Reid was teaching them a little bit of history, too. But the parallels between that bunch of 49ers in the early 1980s and this group of Chiefs in the early 2020s just might go all the way to a Super Bowl title.
Lott and those young 49ers hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. The Chiefs have a chance to do the same.
“I was optimistic,” Reid said, “but you don’t know how that journey’s going to go. But they’ve sure done a nice job.”
BENGALS’ JOE MIXON CHARGED WITH POINTING GUN AT WOMAN
CINCINNATI (AP) Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has been charged in a warrant with pointing a gun at a woman and threatening her, according to court documents.
Mixon faces a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing, according to the documents, which were filed Thursday in Hamilton County Municipal Court and obtained by The Associated Press. No attorney is listed for him in court records.
According to the warrant, Mixon pointed the gun at the woman and told her, “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you, the police (can’t) get me.”
The incident occurred on Jan. 21, the day before the Bengals beat the Buffalo Bills in a divisional-round playoff game.
The 26-year-old Mixon rushed for 814 yards and seven touchdowns this season, his sixth. He also had 60 receptions for 441 yards, both career highs, and two touchdowns.
A second-round draft pick out of Oklahoma in 2017, Mixon has spent his entire career with Cincinnati and rushed for career highs of 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2021.
In 2014, when he was 18, Mixon punched a female Oklahoma student in the face, an attack captured on surveillance video. He was suspended from the football team for a year and entered an Alford plea, in which a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges there is sufficient evidence for a conviction. He received a deferred sentence and was ordered to perform community service and undergo counseling.
The incident hurt his standing in the draft, with several teams saying they passed on him because of concerns about his character.
CARR SAYS HE WON’T EXTEND DEADLINE TO ASSIST RAIDERS TRADE
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) Derek Carr said Thursday night he will not extend the Feb. 15 deadline to help facilitate a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders must trade or release the quarterback by that date – three days after the Super Bowl – or Carr’s contract will become guaranteed and Las Vegas will have to pay him $40.4 million over the next two years.
Because a trade wouldn’t be official until March 15 when the new league year begins, a team could renege on a deal made before then. Carr would have to agree to extend the mid-February deadline to ensure any agreements remained in place.
“I don’t think that would be best for me,” said Carr, who has a no-trade clause in his contract.
Even so, Carr said a trade could be reached by Feb. 15, but didn’t sound as though he was in a hurry to make it happen.
The Raiders have not given Carr or his agent, Tim Younger, permission to speak with other teams regarding a potential deal.
“I’m just abiding by the rules,” Carr said. “If it gets to that date, then it gets to that date, and I’ll be able to talk to all my friends.”
Carr competed in the precision passing contest at Raiders headquarters as part of Pro Bowl festivities, and his event-high 31 points helped give the AFC an early 9-3 lead over the NFC. When asked on ESPN’s broadcast whether he had ever been that hot in Las Vegas, Carr quipped: “Not that hot. Probably why I’m going somewhere else.”
Carr played nine seasons for the Raiders and holds club records for career yards passing (35,222) and touchdown passes (217). But he also never won a playoff game. And after struggling late in the season, Carr was benched with two games remaining and acknowledged he was angry about the decision.
He said he is prepared to try free agency should the Raiders release him, and said Peyton Manning shared his experiences with him after going through a similar situation. The Indianapolis Colts released Manning, who is coaching the AFC team at the Pro Bowl, in 2012 and he went on to win a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.
“He’s like, `Man, it was kind of surreal in the moment. Like, wow, you can’t even believe it. But then you just go to the next place and you move on and do your best there,'” Carr said. “It’s nice to hear that from someone who I think is the best to play the game.”
Carr said he will always consider himself as part of the Raiders organization and anticipates possibly returning for team events in the future, but is looking forward to what might be coming next for his playing career.
“I’m just looking for teams that have made that decision consistently that they’ll do whatever it takes to put a winning program out there,” Carr said. “So for me, that’s just to win, win a championship. That’s at the forefront of the mind. It’s not money.”
NFL PROSPECTS SAFEGUARDED FROM INAPPROPRIATE TEAM QUESTIONS
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — NFL prospect Jake Andrews fielded questions from teams designed to probe his personality and attitude more than just his football IQ.
Those questions — such as, would you rather be a Super Bowl champion or Hall of Famer? — are standard issue for teams vetting potential draft picks leading up to all-star games like Saturday’s Senior Bowl and at the NFL combine. What aren’t deemed acceptable anymore: the outlier questions that a player might find demeaning or embarrassing, a nod to the greater attention being paid to mental health concerns among athletes.
Andrews, a Troy offensive lineman, and other players said former NFL running back Brian Westbrook spoke this week emphasizing the changes in the 21 years since he arrived in the league.
“When he first got in the league, if you wanted to see a psychiatrist or something, if you were having a down day, when it was time to negotiate that next contract, you knew (general managers) were going to bring that up,” Andrews said. “And that stuff just can’t happen in this day and age.
“I think it’s a good thing. A lot of people struggle with mental health and it’s really important to keep that in check. The questions can really expose people, so I think it’s a good thing that they protect us.”
The league warned teams in a memo last January they could be forced to forfeit a draft pick between the first and fourth round and be fined a minimum of $150,000 for out-of-bounds questions. Individual club employees could also face fines or suspensions.
There have been isolated reports in recent years of inappropriate questions being asked of draft prospects.
In 2010, then-Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland apologized to Dallas Cowboys first-round draft pick Dez Bryant for asking during a pre-draft visit whether his mother was a prostitute.
In 2016, then-Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn apologized to Eli Apple because one of his coaches asked the cornerback about his sexual preference.
Two years later, former LSU running back Derrius Guice said one team at the combine asked about his sexuality and another inquired if his mother was a prostitute.
“Whether you’re a professional athlete or not, there’s a level of dignity and respect that comes with an interview,” NFL executive Troy Vincent said at the owners meetings in December. “I think we all can appreciate that.
“Sometimes they (players) share things with you and you scratch your head. Other times, you’re embarrassed. These are things we can fix.”
Mental health professionals say the move is a step forward at a time when the spotlight has shined on the psychological well-being of athletes like Olympians Simone Biles and Michael Phelps, NBA star Kevin Love and former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall.
“Certainly, organizations look to protect their integrity and financial investments in players,” Dr. Stephen Ferrando, director of psychiatry for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network in New York, wrote in an email. “The efforts to uncover such problems, however, do not justify intrusive questioning of athletes. In fact, such questioning is likely to lead athletes to hide their problems out of fear of reprisal.
“Furthermore, such intrusive questioning may be based on assumptions, and this is likely to compound negative emotions. The NFL has taken a major step to reinforce boundaries when interviewing players.”
Joshua Norman, a psychiatrist at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, said “it’s important to preserve prospective employees’ dignity” in any type of job interview.
“Throughout the years in the NFL, there was always these kinds of offhand questions coming out of the interview process as college prospects were coming up through the ranks,” said Norman, who works with Buckeyes athletes. “I think it’s good they’re putting a little bit of structure behind that to kind of preserve players’ dignity. And also to be respectful of any type of mental health condition.”
Both Ferrando and Norman said studies have shown that athletes have about the same incidence of mental health struggles as the rest of the population.
Illinois safety Sydney Brown is OK with facing tough questions from NFL teams, saying his worst infractions amount to old parking or speeding tickets.
“I think at the end of the day as a player, you’ve got to be ready for those questions and whatever you’ve done in your history is going to trail with you,” said Brown, playing in the Senior Bowl along with teammate and brother Chase Brown.
“If they’re not asked today, they’re going to be asked eventually. It’s nice that they have our backs, but these are informal job interviews. This is football, right? You’ve just got to be ready for anything that’s thrown your way.”
Kansas defensive end Lonnie Phelps said he hasn’t been asked any questions that struck him as wrong, but he appreciates the efforts to protect players.
“I see that they actually care about the players’ mental health,” Phelps said. “They’ve got psychiatrists and stuff like that for free.
“They really care about the mental health.”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
AP SOURCES: SABAN TALKS WITH NOTRE DAME’S REES ABOUT OC JOB
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has spoken with Alabama coach Nick Saban about filling a vacancy on the Crimson Tide’s coaching staff and was scheduled to be in Tuscaloosa on Thursday, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
Both spoke on condition of anonymity because Saban and Alabama were not making details about their search for a replacement for offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien public. ESPN first reported the talks between Saban and Rees.
O’Brien spent the last two seasons directing the Crimson’s Tide offense and coaching quarterbacks. The former Houston Texans head coach left last month to join Patriots coach Bill Belichick in New England as offensive coordinator. O’Brien was a New England assistant before becoming Penn State head coach in 2012.
Rees, a former Notre Dame quarterback, has been an assistant at his alma mater since 2017 and offensive coordinator since 2020. He also spent a year with the San Diego Chargers in 2016 before returning to South Bend, Indiana, as quarterbacks coach.
The 30-year-old Rees was wooed by Brian Kelly when he left Notre Dame for LSU and by Miami last year, but decided to stay and work for first-year Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman. Notre Dame finished 9-4 last season.
Notre Dame’s offense have been solid statistically under Rees, ranking 45th (last season), 43rd (2021) and 39th (2020) nationally in yards per play.
Alabama will be breaking in a new starting quarterback next season after Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young declared for the NFL draft.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
BIG BATTLE TAKES CENTER STAGE IN NO. 1 PURDUE-NO. 21 INDIANA
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Zach Edey arrived on Purdue’s campus three years ago as an intriguing, inexperienced prospect. Today, college basketball’s biggest player also is its most immovable force.
At 7-foot-4, 305 pounds and armed with a standing reach of 9 feet, 9 inches, Purdue’s starting center towers over essentially everyone and overpowers defenders daring to get between him and the basket.
Unlike other recent college big men, he’s not just another curiosity. The Toronto native, dubbed “Big Maple” by his proud mother, Julia, is a legitimately dominant athlete.
Roughly five years into his basketball journey, the former youth hockey and baseball star has emerged as a polished passer, rugged rim protector and double-double machine. His evolution has been so complete even the nation’s best coaches struggle to solve Purdue’s befuddling offensive riddle with Edey as the center of attention.
“He’s bigger than any player I’ve ever coached against,” Tom Izzo said after Edey had a career-high 38 points and 13 rebounds against Michigan State last Sunday. “When at the end of the day you can stop anywhere this side of the equator and throw the ball in the air and this monster is going to go get it, it makes it a little easier (for Purdue).”
On Saturday, though, Edey faces his toughest challenge yet when No. 1 Purdue (22-1, 11-1 Big Ten) visits No. 21 Indiana and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The league’s top big men are playing the best basketball of their careers as Purdue tries to protect the nation’s top ranking in what will be the 216th meeting.
Edey has averaged 22.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. during Purdue’s current nine-game winning streak. This season, he’s shooting 61.7% from the field, has the longest active streak of consecutive double-digit games in Division I (39) and has 18 double-doubles.
Jackson-Davis’ recent numbers are actually better. Over the past six games, with five wins, he has played like the preseason favorite for Big Ten player of the year — averaging 24.2 points, 14.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. He now holds the school’s career record for blocks (236), is fourth all-time in rebounds (1,010) and needs 41 points to become the first Indiana player to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
In this matchup, though, the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Jackson-Davis stands seven inches shorter and 60 pounds lighter than Edey and it was a problem last season when Edey played fewer minutes and was less influential on the court.
Jackson-Davis got into foul trouble in the first matchup and wound up playing 12 minutes. His two-game totals were 19 points and seven rebounds in 43 minutes. The Hoosiers (15-7, 6-5) will need more out of him Saturday if they hope to close the gap in the Big Ten standings.
“As you know, last year Trayce didn’t even get a chance to play him,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said Thursday. ’I don’t want to get caught up in the Trayce-Edey thing. They’re both great players. They’re playing well for both teams, we’ve just got to see where it leads us.”
How comparable are Edey and Jackson-Davis?
They shared last week’s Big Ten player of the week honor. They’re the only Power Five players averaging 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. Both made the 20-player cut for the John R. Wooden Award list and the 15-player cut for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Woodson believes both are bound for the NBA, where he coached for a quarter-century.
Still, there is one major difference.
While Edey developed into an elite player, Jackson-Davis came to Bloomington as the state’s 2019 Mr. Basketball Award winner and amid expectations he would put the school’s prestigious program back on the national map.
Winning the most anticipated rivalry game in years and outperforming a foe many consider the frontrunner for national player of the year would help Jackson-Davis cement his legacy.
“It’s the biggest game in the state of Indiana,” Woodson said. “The rivalry is just what it is, man. The games have been pretty competitive. I know last year both games were very, very competitive. I can’t help but think Saturday is going to be a competitive game, as well.”
But it’s the inside battle — Edey vs. Jackson-Davis — everyone will be watching and the battle that could dictate who wins Round 1.
“You have a decision to make when you play us, and sometimes we don’t know what the decision is going to be. But when you have Zach Edey, you really, deep down, don’t know how they’re going to do things,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “It’s good to be 7-4 when you’re double-teamed and you can be patient and just see over people (to pass).”
IOWA VOIDS ILLINI STUDENTS’ TICKETS WHEN IT DISCOVERS PRANK
(AP) — It would have been a great college prank, but the Iowa athletic department crushed it.
The Illinois student spirit group “Orange Krush” had its order for 200 tickets to the men’s basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday canceled Wednesday after Iowa discovered the person who made the purchase falsely claimed the tickets were for a Boys and Girls Club in Champaign.
Iowa issued a refund for $5,400 and donated the 200 tickets to the Boys and Girls Club of Cedar Rapids.
Iowa athletics tweeted that when it contacted the Champaign Boys and Girls Club about the order, it was obvious the club did not buy the tickets.
“When contacting the individual who made the original ticket order,” the statement said, “they admitted to falsely ordering tickets under the non-profit organization.”
That person was Kilton Rauman, an Illinois senior and vice president of Illini Pride, the umbrella organization for Orange Krush.
Rauman said Thursday the group routinely uses an assumed identity to buy tickets for its annual road trip to an opponent arena. The reason, he said, is that he would expect an order from a group that cheers for the visitor and heckles the home team would be rejected.
For last year’s trip to Purdue, he said, he successfully bought 50 tickets for a group of “Boy Scouts.” He said he also has bought tickets for a “family reunion.”
“In the past we’ve been turned away for ordering under Orange Krush, which is completely understandable,” Rauman said. “I don’t think our athletic department would want to sell to a group of 200 kids from the Paint Crew at Purdue.”
Rauman said he called Iowa in September to order discounted group tickets for “a Boys and Girls Club.” The purchase went through in October and the tickets arrived at the mailing address for the Illinois athletic department, where Illinois Pride has its headquarters.
“I was shocked that it worked,” he said.
Well, it worked until Wednesday. That’s when Iowa notified Rauman the ticket barcodes would not scan and that a refund had been issued. Iowa declined to comment beyond its statement.
In retrospect, Rauman said, the Champaign mailing address attached to a large ticket order should have made Iowa suspicious before this week. Because of the late notice, he said, Orange Krush lost $6,000 having to cancel charter busses.
“Obviously, it did not pan out how we were hoping,” Rauman said. “There was no malice behind it.”
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL NEWS
NO SPECTATORS AT SCHOOL BASKETBALL GAMES AFTER FIGHT, DEATH
ALBURGH, Vt. (AP) — Spectators are not allowed to attend home basketball games for the rest of the season at a middle school in northern Vermont after a brawl broke out and one of the participants died, school officials said Thursday.
“We recognize that the vast majority of spectators at our events support and model the values of teamwork, collaboration, sportsmanship, health and well-being in student activities. However, we cannot ignore the increase in spectator misconduct at school sporting events throughout Vermont, including in our gymnasiums,” Grand Isle Supervisory Union administrators said in a statement.
State troopers were called to the Alburgh Community Education Center on Tuesday night after a report of a large fight involving spectators during a seventh- and eighth-grade boys basketball game between Alburgh and St. Albans.
The fight ended before troopers arrived, and many of the participants had left. Russell Giroux, 60, of Alburgh, sought medical attention, police said. He was taken by ambulance to the Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, where he was pronounced dead.
The administrators called their decision “difficult,” and said they would call on all leaders in Vermont to not only condemn spectator violence at sporting events “but also consider how best to respond to misbehavior by spectators; and how to better structure educational athletic events to ensure all participants, including spectators, support and exhibit the values of teamwork, collaboration, sportsmanship, and health and well-being.”
The administrators welcomed ideas about improving the current environment, calling it a “We are all participants” campaign.
The state police and Grand Isle state’s attorney’s office are investigating Giroux’s death. An autopsy was done, but the cause and manner of death are listed as pending further investigation, including toxicology testing and ongoing work by investigators, police said.
Alburgh is a town of about 2,100 in northwestern Vermont, surrounded on three sides by Lake Champlain. The northern part of the community borders Canada.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
UAB BEATS NO. 19 FAU, ENDING NATION-BEST 20-GAME WIN STREAK
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Eric Gaines, Jordan “Jelly” Walker and UAB figured out a way to end the nation’s longest winning streak.
Gaines scored 21 points, Walker returned from an injury with 13 points and six assists and the Blazers ended No. 19 Florida Atlantic’s 20-game winning streak with an 86-77 victory on Thursday night.
The Owls (21-2, 10-1 Conference USA) hadn’t lost since falling 80-67 to Mississippi on Nov. 11 and made their debut in the AP Top 25 2 1/2 weeks ago.
“I don’t say we’re glad it’s behind us, because we wish it was behind us after the season was over,” Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May said. “Now, we’ll fade back into a really good team instead of a media darling.”
Walker returned from a foot injury that had sidelined him since Jan. 11. He came in averaging 23.8 points a game and the Blazers (16-7, 7-5) had averaged just 62 points in their last three outings, while winning two of them.
“When he’s on the floor it’s just as important with the spacing he creates to allow others to finish,” UAB coach Andy Kennedy said. “He goes for a very pedestrian 13 but we score 86. That’s usually two games’ worth without him. It’s good to see us scoring the ball efficiently.”
The Blazers closed the first half on a 14-2 run capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Walker and Ty Brewer for a 43-30 lead.
Tavin Lovan added 10 points for UAB.
Nick Boyd led Florida Atlantic with 18 points. Johnell Davis added 17 on 5-of-19 shooting. Vladislav Golden had 13 points and seven rebounds, scoring 10 in the first half.
FAU outscored the Blazers 10-2 in the first 3:28 of the second half to get within three points. UAB regained control and twice built 16-point leads. The last one came with 4:55 left following five consecutive points by Walker.
Florida Atlantic made one last push after falling behind 78-62, starting with an 8-0 run. Davis hit a pair of 3s and made two free throws – and Boyd also made a 3 – to cut it to 80-73 with 1:49 left.
The Blazers didn’t let the Owls get any closer. May wasn’t surprised that Walker was back in the lineup.
“We prepared for Jelly to play,” he said. “Obviously, he’s been day-to-day, game-to-game for a couple of weeks. With the number next to our name, the winning streak, he’s a good player that’s very competitive.
“We felt like the adrenaline would probably push him over the top.”
BIG PICTURE
Florida Atlantic: Despite the late 3-pointers, it was a bad night outside the arc for the Owls. They made 8 of 36 (22%). FAU will have to wait to set the program’s single-season win record.
UAB: The Blazers, who have struggled at the free-throw line in some losses, were 26 of 31 from the line (84%). Gaines was 10 of 11. They also made 27 of 60 shots (45%) from the field.
UP NEXT
Florida Atlantic visits Charlotte on Saturday.
UAB hosts Florida International on Saturday.
TUBELIS SCORES 40 IN NO. 5 ARIZONA’S 91-76 ROUT OF OREGON
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) Azuolas Tubelis took his family and friends from Lithuania to breakfast in the morning, then to see the desert surrounding Tucson.
After a 40-minute nap, the Arizona big man arrived at McKale Center and started roasting Ducks.
Not a bad way to show off for his mother and sister.
Tubelis scored 40 points, most by an Arizona player in 28 years, and the fifth-ranked Wildcats avenged an earlier loss to Oregon with a 91-76 rout Thursday night.
“She didn’t see me like basically the first two years, so it was pretty cool,” Tubelis said of his mother. “Her friends are supporting here, too. They all flew here on Monday. It’s really cool. I think she’s proud of me.”
The Ducks (13-10, 7-5 Pac-12) manhandled Arizona 87-68 at home last month in Arizona’s biggest loss under coach Tommy Lloyd.
The Wildcats (20-3, 10-3) returned the favor with a dominant performance, riding an early 21-2 run to a 15-point halftime lead. Arizona kept its foot on the gas from there, shooting 54% and dishing out 23 assists on 31 field goals.
Tubelis was the catalyst.
Limited to 14 points in the first meeting, the 6-foot-11 Lithuanian overpowered and outran the Ducks in transition, hitting 16 of 21 shots. It was the most points by an Arizona player since Damon Stoudamire had 40 against Washington State in 1995.
Tubelis didn’t score in the final 7 1/2 minutes and fell one point shy of the McKale Center record set in 1976 by Al Fleming, who was honored posthumously at halftime.
“What he did today, I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Arizona point guard Kerr Kriisa said. “I’ve never witnessed anything like this.”
Oregon won the first meeting by shooting 53% from the floor and outmuscling the Wildcats in the paint.
This time, Arizona grounded the Ducks early with stifling defense and crisp offense, using a 21-2 run to build an early 14-point lead.
Oregon tried to get back in it, but Tubelis seemed to have an answer each time.
With N’Faly Dante on the bench in foul trouble, the athletic big man bulled his way through Oregon’s lankier frontcourt players for a trio of three-point plays.
Tubelis had 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the first half, putting Arizona up 50-35 on a breakaway dunk with 27 seconds left that sent roars echoing off the McKale Center ceiling.
“We didn’t take away strengths,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We let him get to that left hand, right shoulder time and time again, and he’s going to score. He’s talented that way.”
Oregon again tried to make a run starting the second half, but Tubelis turned back the Ducks once more. He hit a jumper, scored on a reverse layup and beat Oregon’s big men down the floor for a dunk. Kriisa hit two 3-pointers and Cedric Henderson Jr. added another to put Arizona up 69-51.
Will Richardson had 20 points to lead the Ducks, who rallied late to pull within 10 in the closing minutes.
“We gave up a lot of easy baskets and Tubelis really got going, went to his strengths, and we couldn’t slow him down,” Altman said.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon: The Ducks’ dominance of Arizona came to a crashing end. Oregon had won eight of nine in the series, including three of four in Tucson, but took an early body blow and had no answer for Tubelis all night.
Arizona: The loss at Oregon on Jan. 14 seemed to spark the Wildcats. Arizona has won six straight since and is back to playing the type of basketball that led to early-season Final Four projections.
KRIISA’S IMPACT
Kriisa struggled to get shots to fall early in the game before hitting four 3-pointers in the second half.
He ran Arizona’s offense effectively all night, making good decisions and keeping it flowing against Oregon’s pressure defense.
“He did a really good job controlling the game and in managing their defenses,” Lloyd said. “A lot of good decisions.”
Kriisa finished with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3 with seven assists and two turnovers.
UP NEXT
Oregon plays at Arizona State on Saturday.
Arizona hosts Oregon State on Saturday.
TIMME REACHES 2,000 POINTS, NO. 12 GONZAGA TOPS SANTA CLARA
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Drew Timme scored 15 points and surpassed 2,000 for his career, leading No. 12 Gonzaga past Santa Clara 88-70 on Thursday night.
Timme, who also had 10 rebounds, became the third player in school history to reach the scoring milestone on a dunk with 16:02 remaining. He needs eight points to pass Jim McPhee for second on Gonzaga’s career scoring list. Timme also needs to average 18.9 points during the next 10 games to surpass Frank Burgess for the top spot.
“It’s kind of crazy, to be honest,” Timme said. “I hit that number in high school and it’s pretty cool. It’s a lot of points. Like I’ve been saying all year, it’s super cool, but as long as we win that puts a smile on my face.
“We can enjoy the milestones when I’m done here.”
After having its 75-game home win streak snapped against Loyola Marymount, the Bulldogs (19-4, 8-1 West Coast Conference) relied on scoring in the paint and efficient shooting to extend their home winning streak over Santa Clara to 15.
Rasir Bolton scored 16 points and Julian Strawther added 12 for Gonzaga.
Carlos Stewart had 22 points for Santa Clara (16-8, 4-5). Brandin Podziemski was held to 14 points after scoring 38 against Pacific in the Broncos’ last game.
Santa Clara challenged early after Stewart’s 3-pointer opened the game – but that basket gave Santa Clara its only lead of the night.
The Bulldogs outscored the Broncos 28-4 in the paint and held an eight-rebound advantage in the first half. A 13-1 run midway through the first gave Gonzaga a 16-point lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Anton Watson scored 11 points to pace the Zags in the first, finishing with 18.
“To be able to do that defensively to such a good offensive team, they showed in the second half what they were capable of doing,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “I would definitely say it was up there with some of our better halves.”
Bolton’s corner 3-pointer in the second half gave the Zags a 22-point lead – their largest of the night.
“We had a really hard time throughout the game getting stops,” Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek said. “They were really executing and scoring at a high level in a variety of ways. … Our offense got a little better in the second half, but in the first half, their defense made it really tough on us.”
BIG PICTURE
Santa Clara: The Broncos have lost three straight and are tied for fourth in the WCC with Pacific with eight regular-season games remaining. Santa Clara hasn’t beaten Gonzaga in Spokane since 2007 and the Zags have won 49 of the last 51 meetings.
Gonzaga: The Zags have won three straight games ahead of a Saturday matchup with No. 18 Saint Mary’s. The Gaels hold a one-game lead in the WCC and beat the Zags 67-57 last time they played in Moraga, but are 2-8 in the last 10 games against Gonzaga.
UP NEXT
Santa Clara: At San Francisco.
Gonzaga: On the road at Saint Mary’s.
BENNETT EARNS 500TH WIN AS NO. 18 SAINT MARY’S BEATS USF
MORAGA, Calif. (AP) Randy Bennett earned his 500th win as Saint Mary’s coach when the 18th-ranked Gaels beat San Francisco 68-59 on Thursday night for their 11th straight victory.
Alex Ducas had 18 points and Aidan Mahaney scored 13 of his 17 in the second half to lead the Gaels (20-4, 9-0 West Coast Conference) on a milestone night for Bennett.
But his focus was on beating a neighborhood rival and remaining perfect in conference play.
“It’s really hard to think about it in any other way than that right now,” Bennett said. “In time you’ll reflect back, and the memories you’ll have of the players and coaches. That’s why we’re sitting here. We’ve had really good players, really good assistant coaches and great administration, and I work at a great place.”
Bennett took over a team coming off a 2-27 season in 2001 and has built Saint Mary’s into one of the most consistent winners on the West Coast over more than two decades at the small school in the San Francisco suburbs.
The Gaels have won at least 20 games in 15 of the last 16 seasons – missing out only in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season – and his 500 wins are the sixth-most among active coaches at their current school.
“That’s special,” he said about winning 500 games at one school. “It’s hard to do. It’s just cool to do it at one place, so hopefully we’ll get some more. I’m glad it happened at one place.”
Khalil Shabazz scored 16 points and Marcus Williams added 15 for San Francisco (15-10, 4-6).
The Dons had won three in a row since losing at home to Saint Mary’s last month, but struggled down the stretch and lost the rematch.
“Just a few minor mistakes like offensive rebounds,” Williams said. “It comes down to tough plays and mental toughness. For some reason we couldn’t get that down.”
San Francisco trailed by 13 early in the second half but used a 12-0 run fueled by a pair of 3-pointers from Williams to take a 50-49 lead with less than six minutes left.
But the Gaels responded and scored eight straight points capped by Mahaney’s 3 that made it 61-55 with 1:45 to play.
They sealed it at the free throw line and then celebrated with a photo at midcourt of Bennett and his players – followed by an ice-cold water bath in the locker room.
“It’s beautiful,” guard Logan Johnson said. “Just to be a part of his 500th, that’s huge. It’s an honor to be a point guard for him right now.”
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, combining to go nearly five minutes without making a shot from the field.
But the Gaels managed to get to the foul line frequently, making 11 of 12 free throws, and led 36-27 at the break after Johnson hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
BIG PICTURE
San Francisco: The Dons have lost eight straight in the series but nearly broke through under first-year coach Chris Gerlufsen. They fell to 3-31 against ranked teams since the start of the 2012-13 season, with one of the wins coming earlier this season against Arizona State.
Saint Mary’s: The Gaels were far from their best in this game, missing 14 of 15 shots from the field during one stretch in the second half and shooting 32.7% for the game. But they made 32 of 37 free throws to maintain their perfect conference record.
HONORING A LEGEND
The teams honored late Dons star Bill Russell, who died last summer at age 88. Russell led San Francisco to back-to-back national titles in 1955 and ’56 before going on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, winning 11 championships in 13 seasons.
The players wore shirts with Russell’s No. 6 during warmups and there was a brief video tribute to him.
UP NEXT
San Francisco: Hosts Santa Clara on Saturday night.
Saint Mary’s: Hosts No. 12 Gonzaga in a WCC showdown Saturday night.
NBA NEWS
CAVS ALL-STAR MITCHELL CALLS GRIZZLIES’ BROOKS DIRTY PLAYER
CLEVELAND (AP) Donovan Mitchell took his most vicious shots at Dillon Brooks after the game.
Accusing Brooks of being a dirty player, Mitchell said the NBA needs to do something about the Memphis guard’s unruly bad behavior after he smashed Cleveland’s All-Star guard in the groin during the Cavaliers’ 128-113 victory over the Grizzlies on Thursday night.
“That’s just who he is,” said Mitchell, who was ejected in the third quarter for throwing the ball at Brooks. “We’ve seen it a bunch in this league with him. Him and I have had our personal battles for years.
“There’s no place for that in the game. This has been brewing for years with me and other guys in the league. You all see it. This isn’t new.”
Darius Garland scored 32 points shortly after being left off the All-Star team and carried Cleveland following Mitchell’s ejection as the Cavs handed the Grizzlies their seventh loss in eight games.
Garland was one of several players having All-Star-caliber seasons not named an Eastern Conference reserve by the coaches. He added 11 assists as the Cavs bounced back from a tough loss to Miami on Tuesday night.
“He was brilliant,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He knew how important this game was to us and what we needed from him. That’s what leaders do.”
Mitchell, voted an All-Star starter last week, was tossed in the third quarter for throwing the ball at Brooks after the pair tangled under the basket. Brooks also was thrown out.
With the Cavs leading 81-76, Brooks missed a shot and fell in the lane. While on the floor, he flung his arm back and struck Mitchell, who was standing over him, in the groin area. Mitchell dropped in pain and retaliated by firing the ball at Brooks and then charging and shoving him along the baseline in front of the Memphis bench.
As the altercation threatened to spill into the seats, officials and players were able to get things under control before any punches were thrown.
It’s possible the league could punish Brooks further, and Mitchell believes additional penalities are warranted.
“There should be something,” he said. “This isn’t just a Donovan thing. This has happened to other players throughout this league, and it’s complete (expletive). Those guys talk (junk) and that’s fine, that’s all a part of basketball. We all grew up playing that way.
“But when you start doing cheap (stuff), that ain’t it. That’s where my frustration lies. It’s not about talking back and forth. That’s cool, but when you start doing little stuff like that.”
Bickerstaff felt Mitchell, who said he has had previous run-ins with Brooks, had every right to defend himself.
“That was a cheap shot in multiple ways,” he said. “A guy should have the right to stand up for himself. I thought Donovan did that. I’m proud of our guys. We don’t have those guys that start (expletive)t, but we have guys who don’t run from (expletive) shit and you have to in this league.
“You have to stand up for yourself. That’s what he did and his teammates had his back.”
Brooks refused to discuss the altercation with Mitchell in any detail. When he was asked about the exchange, Memphis All-Star Ja Morant stepped in and said the Grizzlies would not talk about the incident.
Brooks did say he agreed with the flagrant-2 call.
“It saved me some T’s (technicals),” he said.
The Grizzlies have a reputation as the NBA’s most talkative team, but Morant believes they’re being unfairly judged.
“Anything when it comes to negative about the Grizzlies, we normally, you know, get the punishment,” Morant said. “It ain’t the same. They (the NBA) hate us.”
While Mitchell said he and Brooks have a long history, Morant denied the Grizzlies having any issues with the four-time All-Star.
“We don’t got no history with nobody,” Morant said. “We don’t beef with nobody.”
Cedi Osman scored 21 points and Jarrett Allen added 18 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland.
Evan Mobley had 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Desmond Bane scored 25 points and Morant had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Grizzlies despite being in foul trouble most of the night.
Memphis played without All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who sustained a thigh bruise in Tuesday night in a loss to Portland.
FLY EAGLES FLY
Bickerstaff has a healthy rooting interest in the Super Bowl. He’s a devoted Eagles fan.
Because he bounced around as a kid due to his dad, Bernie, being an NBA coach, Bickerstaff didn’t have a favorite team. He found a favorite player.
“I loved Randall Cunningham,” he said, mentioning Philadelphia’s elusive quarterback and the reason why he pulls for the Eagles.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Jackson Jr. is on pace to become the first player to average at least 16 points and three blocks since Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning did it in 1999-2000. … C Steven Adams (right knee sprain) was unavailable for the sixth consecutive game. … G Danny Green sat out after making his Memphis debut on Wednesday. He had been sidelined all season while rehabbing a torn left ACL.
Cavaliers: G Ricky Rubio scored 11 in the fourth. … Caris LeVert was out with right hamstring soreness.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host Toronto on Sunday.
Cavaliers: At Indiana on Sunday.
DOSUNMU, WHITE LEAD WAY AS BULLS BEAT HORNETS 114-98
CHICAGO (AP) Ayo Dosunmu matched a season high with 22 points, Coby White scored 20 points and the Chicago Bulls overcame shaky outings by DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine to beat the Charlotte Hornets 114-98 on Thursday night.
Dosunmu made 9 of 10 shots, and White hit three 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Andre Drummond had 15 points and 11 rebounds in just under 15 minutes.
The Bulls used a big third quarter to turn a four-point halftime lead into an 85-70 advantage heading to the fourth.
They stayed in control the rest of the way and got some payback for a loss one week earlier in Charlotte even with DeRozan and LaVine not performing to their usual standards.
“It’s just a testament to our team,” Dosunmu said. “We have a very deep team. At this point of the season, we’re gonna need everyone to come out and play on both ends.”
DeRozan finished with 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting, after getting his sixth All-Star selection and second in as many seasons with the Bulls. LaVine scored 10 points. But even with its two best players not scoring the way they normally do, Chicago had six players in double figures and made enough plays to beat the team with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Terry Rozier scored 23 points for Charlotte. LaMelo Ball, coming off a triple-double Tuesday night in a loss at Milwaukee, added 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists before getting ejected with 1:21 remaining. He was furious about a non-call after LaVine blocked his layup and picked up two separate technical fouls. Mason Plumlee had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bulls scored the first 10 points of the second half to bump a four-point lead to 63-49.
Dosunmu started the run and finished it with layups, and Vucevic and Patrick Williams made back-to-back 3-pointers.
BIG SPARK
Drummond became the first NBA player since Darryl Dawkins in 1978-79 to record at least 15 points and 11 rebounds while playing 15 minutes or less, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The two-time All-Star signed with Chicago last summer to back up Vucevic. He’s been in and out of the rotation and been used sparingly of late.
“At the end of the day, I just have to be a good teammate,” Drummond said. “That’s what I can focus on. When you focus on the stuff you can’t control, that’s when you start getting to that dark place.”
Drummond played just 3:31 in Tuesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and did not appear in five of the seven games prior to that.
“Am I OK with it?” he said. “I’m never OK with it. I’m a basketball player. I want to play. But circumstances that I’m in, I have to work my way back to get to where I want to get to.”
Drummond said the best path for him is “being a good teammate” and doing “whatever it takes to help this team win.”
ON POINT
This was only the second time this season that DeRozan, LaVine or Vucevic did not lead the Bulls in scoring. Javonte Green did it in a win over Charlotte on Nov. 2. Williams also tied DeRozan for the lead in a win over Brooklyn on Jan. 4.
TIP-INS
Hornets: The Hornets, last in the NBA in 3-point percentage coming in, made 7 of 35 from beyond the arc.
Bulls: G Alex Caruso left the game with a sprained right foot. He scored seven points in seven minutes before exiting early in the second quarter. … Williams tweaked his right ankle in the fourth quarter, but said he’ll be fine. … Coach Billy Donovan said the All-Star break will be “important” for Green as he recovers from right knee surgery. Sidelined since Dec. 31, Green has been riding a bike but is not cleared to run.
UP NEXT
Hornets: At Detroit on Friday night.
Bulls: Host Portland on Saturday night.
MURRAY, JOKIC LEAD CHARGE AS NUGGETS BEAT WARRIORS 134-117
DENVER (AP) Jamal Murray just nodded when asked if this might be the most confident he’s ever been.
Nothing else really needed to be said.
Murray had 33 points and Nikola Jokic recorded his 17th triple-double of the season, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 134-117 win over the short-handed Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
“Jamal, his greatness is on full display,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who campaigned for Murray to be added to the All-Star roster should a replacement be necessary.
Murray scored 17 of his points in a pivotal third quarter, when the Nuggets broke open a tight game with a 16-0 run.
“Guys are shooting well,” Murray explained. “Everybody.”
Jokic had another big night with 22 points, 16 assists and 14 rebounds. The reigning two-time MVP had a triple-double by the midway mark of the third quarter as the Nuggets remain unbeaten this season when he reaches the plateau.
With that performance, Jokic is now averaging a triple-double for the year. It’s latest into a season a player 6-foot-11 or taller has averaged a triple-double in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
“He’s good at everything,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Literally every time he has the ball, everybody is a threat. Your entire defense has to be engaged.”
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 18 points for the Western Conference-leading Nuggets, who improved to 24-4 at home.
Stephen Curry had 28 points and Jordan Poole added 22 on a night when Golden State hit 19 3-pointers. The Warriors started off hot – building an 11-point lead in the second quarter – before losing steam. They lost in overtime a night earlier at Minnesota.
The reigning NBA champions fall to 26-26. No panic, though.
“I’m very optimistic we can get it turned around,” Curry said. “But we do have to address certain issues with our team, whether it’s performance issues or whether it’s trying to find the right combinations.”
Both teams were missing key components. The Warriors were without Klay Thompson (injury management) and Draymond Green, who was a late scratch with tightness in his right calf. Denver didn’t have Aaron Gordon due to a sore ankle.
Jokic was just named the Western Conference’s player of the month. He picked up where he left off after averaging 24 points, 11.6 rebounds and 11.3 assists in January.
“There’s a reason he’s a two-time MVP and obviously a front-runner for a third one,” Kerr said.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State is 5-6 on the second night of a back-to-back. … Forward Andrew Wiggins had 10 rebounds.
Nuggets: Guard Bones Hyland, whose name has been mentioned in trade speculation, didn’t play. … Michael Porter Jr. had five 3-pointers. … Vlatko Cancar finished with 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting. The reason for his efficiency? “Being the worst player in the starting five,” he cracked.
SNUBBED
Malone was disappointed that Gordon didn’t make the reserve squad for the All-Star Game. Gordon’s averaging 16.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.
“As disappointed as we all are, our goals are much higher than the individual accolades that come along,” Malone said. “We are striving to win a championship and we know that Aaron Gordon is a huge part of that.”
SUPPORT
Malone has been checking in on Porter and offering support. Porter’s brother, University of Denver basketball player Coban Porter, was charged Wednesday with felony counts of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault stemming from a suspected drunken-driving crash that killed a 42-year-old woman.
“Without getting into details, it’s just showing Michael Porter how much we all care about him and letting him know that if there’s anything that I or we can do for him and his family, to make sure he lets us know,” Malone said.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Home against Dallas on Saturday.
Nuggets: Host Atlanta on Saturday.
ANTETOKOUNMPO SCORES 54 POINTS, BUCKS BEAT CLIPPERS 106-105
MILWAUKEE (AP) Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 of his 54 points in the fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-105 on Thursday night for their sixth consecutive victory.
Antetokounmpo also had 18 rebounds. The Greek star reached the 50-point mark for the third time in his last 11 games. He had a career-high 55 on Jan. 3 against Washington and scored 50 in only 30 minutes Sunday against New Orleans.
The Clippers lost for the second time in eight games and failed to capitalize on a couple of Milwaukee turnovers in the closing seconds. Kawhi Leonhard missed an 18-footer in the final second while being guarded by Wesley Matthews with help from Pat Connaughton.
Antetokounmpo made two free throws with 1:47 remaining to put the Bucks ahead 106-105, giving them their first lead since the second quarter. Kawhi Leonard missed a 12-footer and Paul George had an air-ball a 3-pointer on the Clippers’ next two possessions.
George stole the ball from Jrue Holiday and the Clippers called a timeout with 27.1 seconds left, but Leonard missed a jumper. Antetokounmpo got the rebound but threw the ball out of bounds, giving Los Angeles possession with 15.1 seconds left.
The Clippers again got the ball to Leonhard, who missed once more.
Norman Powell scored 26 points to lead the Clippers. Leonard had 17 points, 11 rebound and five assists, but shot 7 of 26. Marcus Morris and George had 16 points each. Zubac had 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Khris Middleton had 16 points and Holiday added 12 for the Bucks. Holiday missed his first eight shots and didn’t get his first basket until late in the third quarter.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Morris returned after missing four games with a bruised rib. . George got his eighth career All-Star selection earlier in the day.
Bucks: Holiday was named an All-Star reserve, marking his first All-Star selection since 2013 when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers. He joins Antetokounmpo on the All-Star team. This is the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Bucks have had multiple All-Stars.
UP NEXT
Clippers: At New York on Saturday night.
Bucks: Host Miami on Saturday night.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
PACERS BASKETBALL
For much of Thursday night, it felt like a celebration at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton was back on the court for the first time in three weeks, a newly minted All-Star, and seemingly leading Indiana to a comfortable win over the Lakers.
But LeBron James and Anthony Davis spoiled the party, as Los Angeles (25-28) rallied from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to come away with a 112-111 win over Indiana (24-29).
The Pacers were in control for most of the night and led 98-84 early in the fourth quarter. But Indiana went cold in the final frame, allowing the Lakers to climb back into the game.
The visitors used a 12-3 run over the next five minutes of action, trimming the Pacers’ lead to 101-96 as the game hit the seven-minute mark.
Haliburton rattled in a three with 6:31 remaining to stop the bleeding, but the Lakers kept coming. Patrick Beverley’s 3-pointer with 3:23 to play pulled the visitors within one at 106-105.
After Aaron Nesmith missed a three from the corner, Russell Westbrook corralled the rebound and hoisted it down the floor to James, who swished a three from the left wing to give the Lakers their first lead of the night with 2:35 to play.
The Pacers responded, as Buddy Hield knocked in a three while falling down to put Indiana back in front with 2:08 remaining. After the two teams traded turnovers, Hield was whistled for a foul on an entry pass to James in the post with 1:09 to play. The Lakers were already in the bonus, so the four-time MVP headed to the line, where he knocked down both free throws to give the visitors a one-point lead.
Rookie guard Andrew Nembhard put the Pacers back in front with a jumper from the left elbow with 48.9 seconds remaining, but Davis answered with a fall-away shot from the right block with 34.3 seconds to play.
Haliburton then took it upon himself to put Indiana back in front. He attacked the basket and tried to get off a reverse layup, but Davis was there to meet him at the rim. The Lakers recovered the rebound and Indiana was forced to foul Beverley with 10.2 seconds left.
Beverley left the door open for the Blue & Gold, missing both free throws, the third time a Laker missed both foul shots in the final frame.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle called a timeout to draw up the final play. Nembhard inbounded to Haliburton, who was fouled by Beverley with 6.1 seconds left with Indiana not yet in the bonus. Beverley knocked the ball out of bounds on the next inbound attempt, forcing Nembhard to throw in from the corner by the Pacers bench. He wound up essentially handing the ball to Hield, who hoisted a turnaround jumper that bounced off the rim and into Davis’ arms as the buzzer sounded.
The loss spoiled a stellar return for Haliburton, who was back in the lineup after missing 10 games with left knee and elbow injuries. He found out just before Thursday’s game tipped that he had been named an All-Star for the first time, then he took the floor and quickly showed why he was deserving of that honor.
Indiana’s 22-year-old guard scored a team-high 26 points and dished out 12 assists in 36 minutes in his return.
“It’s good to be back out there,” Haliburton said. “I love playing basketball, so it’s good to be on the floor again.”
Aaron Nesmith added a career-high 24 points while going 9-for-12 from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point range, but James and Davis spoiled the Pacers’ efforts late.
Davis had a game-high 31 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks in the victory. James added 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting, seven rebounds, and seven assists. He is now just 63 points away from surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
The Pacers, meanwhile, have dropped 11 of their last 12 games dating back to the Jan. 11 game in which Haliburton was originally injured.
It ended on a sour note, but the night started so promising for Indiana.
Haliburton missed his first shot on Thursday, but scored on a layup just over three minutes into the contest. He drained a three at the 7:25 mark, another layup at 5:27, a jumper at 4:32, and another jumper at 3:55.
That added up to 11 points and two assists over his first eight-minute shift, with his final shot pushing the Pacers’ lead to 27-16 and forcing a Lakers timeout.
As a team, Indiana went 7-for-14 from 3-point range in the opening quarter and led by as many as 12. The Lakers closed the frame with a 10-3 run, but Indiana still led 35-30 after one.
The Lakers continued their charge at the start of the second quarter, drawing within two on James’ jumper with 9:47 remaining in the period.
But the Pacers quickly built their lead back to double digits. Myles Turner reeled off seven straight points, as Haliburton set him up for two straight layups and then he drained a three from the top of the key.
After a Davis layup, rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin converted a jumper, Haliburton threw a behind-the-back dish to Nesmith for a breakaway slam, and then Haliburton drilled a trey from the right corner to cap a 14-2 Indiana run that put the Blue & Gold up 54-40.
“He’s a floor-spacer, he’s a playmaker, and he makes everybody’s job easier,” Nesmith said of Haliburton’s impact. “You saw that tonight, especially with the way we started. The ball was moving, ball was popping, guys were getting easy shots. It’s night and day when we have him out there.”
James and Davis helped Los Angeles whittle the Pacers’ lead down with eight unanswered points, but the Blue & Gold rebuilt the lead before halftime. A three from Nembhard and a four-point play by Nesmith put Indiana up 67-52 in the final minute before a Dennis Schroder jumper trimmed the lead to 13 entering the intermission.
James had a three assists and a layup as the Lakers opened the second half with a 12-4 spurt to get back within five. But after a timeout by Carlisle, Haliburton and the Pacers got the offense rolling once again.
The newly-minted All-Star showed off his passing chops with another behind-the-back feed to Nesmith and a no-look dish to Turner for a dunk. He then scored seven points in the ensuing minutes to push Indiana’s lead back up to 88-74 with 4:31 remaining in the third quarter.
The Blue & Gold led 94-84 as the final seconds ticked away in the frame. Chris Duarte hoisted a shot from the left corner that missed long, but second-year forward Isaiah Jackson flew in, catching the ball the well above the rim and throwing it in with one hand to the amazement of everyone in the building, most notably his own teammates on the Indiana bench.
T.J. McConnell scored on the opening possession of the fourth quarter to pad the hosts’ lead. But the next several minutes were all Lakers and the visitors ultimately got the last laugh.
The loss spoiled what otherwise was a celebratory day for Indiana, as Haliburton became the 15th player in franchise history to be named an All-Star and the first since Domantas Sabonis — who was traded for Haliburton last February — in 2020-21.
“Tyrese has earned it,” Carlisle said. “He’s done everything the right way. He was disappointed in the trade initially, but then he saw the opportunity here and embraced it. He’s planted his foot in here, he’s committed himself to being the on-court leader of this franchise, and he’s performed at an amazing level.”
Turner finished with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds and two blocks. Hield added 14 points and five rebounds, while McConnell chipped in 11 points and four assists off the bench.
Schroder finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists for the Lakers. Thomas Bryant added 11 points off the bench, while fellow reserve Westbrook went just 2-for-16 from the field but still recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.
The Pacers will remain at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a busy weekend. Indiana welcomes Sacramento to the Fieldhouse on Friday night before hosting Cleveland on Sunday.
Inside the Numbers
Haliburton recorded his team-leading 23rd double-double of the season on Thursday, while Turner registered a double-double for the 14th time.
Nesmith set a new career high with 24 points, one more than his previous high mark, which he set on Dec. 18 against New York. His five 3-pointers matched his career high, a feat he originally accomplished in a Nov. 19 win over Orlando.
The Pacers outscored the Lakers by 30 points from beyond the arc on Thursday. Indiana went 16-for-41 (39 percent) from long distance, while Los Angeles was just 6-for-22 (27.3 percent).
The Lakers, meanwhile, had a decisive advantage at the free throw line. Los Angeles went 22-for-31 from the charity stripe, while Indiana attempted a season-low six foul shots, converting five.
The Lakers outrebounded Indiana 51-46 overall and 13-6 on the offensive glass. The visitors had eight offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter alone.
You Can Quote Me On That
“He just lights up our building. Our team plays a different game. I was trying to keep his minutes reasonable, (but) to win the game he needed to go back in there with nine minutes to go.” -Carlisle on the boost from Haliburton’s return
“I’m just excited that it’s official. I worked really hard to get here. Obviously, making it in year three, I never would have expected to accomplish this in three years in the NBA. But I’m really excited. I just thank my teammates, thank my coaching staff and front office for believing in me. You don’t do this alone. It takes a village. I’m just really excited to go to Utah and represent the Indiana Pacers.” -Haliburton on his first All-Star selection
“A 20-and-10 point guard is gold in this league, particularly one that also has the ‘it’ factor when it comes to the crowd identifying with him. I see so much of Reggie (Miller) in him, just the way that these guys move on the court, their emotions, what they’re about, how they work, all those things.” -Carlisle on Haliburton’s star qualities
“I thought Aaron Nesmith was terrific. He started out the game hitting shots, running on the break. It’s a hard challenge guarding James. He was able to stay reasonably out of foul trouble…Tonight shows why we’re excited about him as a player in the future.” -Carlisle on Nesmith’s two-way impact
“The ball started sticking a little bit. It wasn’t moving as much. They started pressing and really denying our point guards so our pace slowed down, our movement slowed down.” -Nesmith on Indiana’s offensive struggles in the fourth quarter
Stat of the Night
The Pacers scored a season-low 15 points in the fourth quarter on Thursday. Indiana went 6-for-22 from the field, 3-for-11 from the free throw line, and did not attempt a free throw over the final 12 minutes.
Noteworthy
The Lakers have won three straight games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana’s last win over the Lakers on its home court came on Dec. 17, 2019.
Daniel Theis made his Pacers debut on Thursday after missing the first 52 games of the season due to knee surgery. The 6-8 center, who was acquired from Boston via trade last summer, played 7:14 in the first half.
Hield made two 3-pointers on Thursday and now has a league-leading 199 on the season. With his next three, Hield will become the third player in franchise history to make 200 3-pointers in a season, joining Reggie Miller (229 in 1996-97) and Paul George (210 in 2015-16).
James now has 38,325 points over his 20-year career as he chases Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 career points. The Lakers next play in New Orleans on Saturday, then will return to host Oklahoma City on Tuesday and Milwaukee next Thursday.
Up Next
The Pacers host Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:00 PM ET.
ALSO:
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS KINGS
The Indiana Pacers will need to immediately put a tough loss behind them when they host the Sacramento Kings on Friday for the second leg of a back-to-back.
Indiana (24-29) enters the game coming off a 112-111 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
With NBA All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton back in the lineup after missing 10 games due to left knee and elbow sprains, the Pacers led until there was 2:35 left in the game. In the final 35 seconds, down by a point, the Pacers had a pair of opportunities to take the lead but came up short.
Haliburton finished with 26 points and 12 assists, Aaron Nesmith scored a career-best 24 points and Myles Turner totaled 20 points to go along with 13 rebounds against Los Angeles.
The loss extended the current streak to three games for the Pacers, who have struggled as of late going 1-11 over their last 12 games. Still, the Blue & Gold are 16-11 at home.
Sacramento (29-21) has been among the biggest surprises this season in the standings, as they currently sit in third place in the Western Conference and are 5.5 games back of the first-place Denver Nuggets (35-16).
The Kings have won seven of their last 10 games and have a record of 13-10 on the road. This season, the Kings are the highest-scoring team in the NBA averaging 119.5 points per game while having the third-best field goal percentage at 49.4 percent.
The players on Indiana and Sacramento know each other well, as Haliburton and Buddy Hield were a part of the trade last season that sent forward Domantas Sabonis to the Kings.
Since the trade, Haliburton and Hield have shined in the Blue & Gold.
Haliburton, is averaging 20 points, 10.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds this season while Hield has made more 3-pointers than any other player in the league this season.
Sabonis, who was also named an All-Star on Thursday (his third overall selection), is also having a strong season, averaging 18.8 points on 61.5 percent shooting along with 12.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game for the Kings.
Sabonis will play in his first game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse since the trade. The last time he played against the Pacers in Indy was on Feb. 6, 2017, as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sacramento enters the game winning back-to-back games, most recently with a 119-109 victory at the San Antonio Spurs. Sabonis had 34 points and 11 rebounds in the game while speedy point guard De’Aaron Fox collected 31 points and 10 assists.
The Kings, however, will be without Fox on Friday as he has been ruled out due to personal reasons.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Buddy Hield, F – Aaron Nesmith, C – Myles Turner
Kings: G – Davion Mitchell, G – Kevin Huerter, F – Harrison Barnes, F – Keegan Murray, C – Domantas Sabonis
Injury Report
Pacers: None
Kings: De’Aaron Fox – out (personal reasons)
Last Meeting
Nov. 30, 2022: The Pacers fell behind by double digits early before the Kings bolstered their lead in the second half by putting up 44 points in the third quarter in a 137-114 win over the Blue & Gold.
Seven Kings players scored in double figures, led by 22 points by Harrison Barnes and 20 from Malik Monk off the bench.
Jalen Smith and rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin each scored 22 points to top the Pacers. The only other Pacers player to score in double figures was Buddy Hield (17 points) while Tyrese Haliburton finished with nine points and 10 assists.
The Pacers were outrebounded 58-47 and outscored in fastbreak points 31-8, which Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said was the difference.
Noteworthy
Thus far this season, the Pacers are 6-4 on the second legs of back-to-backs.
Center Daniel Theis made his Pacers debut on Thursday after missing every other game due to an offseason knee surgery he was recovering from.
Hield is one 3-pointer away from making 200 for the season.
In the Sacramento era, the Pacers have a record of 23-12 against the Kings at home.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Tickets
The Pacers host Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:00 PM ET.
AND:
ALREADY AN ALL-STAR, HALIBURTON HAS PACERS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
The Pacers always knew they were getting a special player in Tyrese Haliburton.
“We have a point guard of our future,” Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard proclaimed last February after the blockbuster trade that brought Haliburton and Buddy Hield to Indiana from Sacramento. “And if you have been in this business a long time, getting a point guard that is young with upside and you feel like you can build around for the next 10 years, those don’t come around very often.
“Tyrese is that guy. We feel like not only on the court, but off the court, he brings a persona that we need.”
By the time Haliburton arrived in Indiana, he had already shown plenty of potential during his first year and a half in the NBA. But no one in the organization, from Pritchard to head coach Rick Carlisle and on down the line, could have expected Haliburton to be this good this quickly.
It isn’t hyperbole to say that Haliburton has completely altered the direction of the Pacers franchise over the course of his first year with the Blue & Gold. On Thursday, six days shy of the one-year anniversary of the trade that sent him to Indiana, Haliburton was named an All-Star for the first time.
The 22-year-old has quickly won over fans and peers alike with his dynamic play on the court. He has also earned the respect of coaches across the league, who voted him as one of seven All-Star reserves from the Eastern Conference.
The pace at which Haliburton plays on the court mirrors his meteoric rise into the NBA’s upper echelon. Upon his arrival in Indiana, Carlisle handed Haliburton the keys to the Pacers’ offense and he immediately flourished in his first opportunity as a full-time point guard.
Haliburton averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists in 26 games for Indiana after the trade deadline last season. He dedicated his summer to getting better and building bonds with his teammates — Haliburton was notably present at offseason workouts at the Ascension St. Vincent Center throughout the summer — and has reached another level this season.
Through 40 games, Haliburton is averaging 20.2 points and 10.2 assists. He leads the team in both categories and leads the NBA in assists. If he can hold onto that title, he would be the first player in franchise history to lead the league in assists and shatter the franchise record for assists in a season (Mark Jackson has the highest single-season average at 8.7 assists per game in the 1997-98 season).
Haliburton is also aiming to join rarified air. Just 13 players in NBA history have averaged 20 points and 10 assists over the course of a season — a group that includes Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and LeBron James. No one has ever accomplished the feat while also shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, but Haliburton is right on the precipice with a .399 3-point percentage entering Thursday’s game against the Lakers.
With his skills as a passer, it’s no surprise that Haliburton has made quick friends in the Pacers locker room. He’s always looking to set up his guys for an open three or connect with them on a lob. But Haliburton’s connection with his teammates goes beyond the court. He has created genuine relationships with every player in Indiana’s locker room, a rapport on display after every practice, where you can always find Haliburton hanging around with his teammates, flashing the same trademark smile Pacers fans have grown accustomed to seeing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Between his stellar play and his ability to bring people together, Haliburton deserves plenty of credit for the Pacers’ outstanding start to the season. Indiana was 23-18 and sixth in the East on Jan. 11 before Haliburton injured his left knee and elbow in a game at New York.
It’s also a testament to Haliburton’s importance that the Blue & Gold scuffled against a difficult schedule in his absence, going 1-9 with Haliburton sidelined before he returned for Thursday’s game against the Lakers.
It may have seem far-fetched a year ago that Haliburton would make the All-Star team at 22, but by the time Thursday’s announcement rolled around, it was a foregone conclusion.
It has been obvious for weeks that Haliburton had built a resume worthy of an All-Star nod. Carlisle said as much back on Dec. 23 after Haliburton delivered the pinnacle performance of his superb season, scoring a career-high 43 points and setting a new franchise record with 10 3-pointers — including a game-winner in the closing seconds — to lead Indiana to a win in Miami.
“Tyrese Haliburton is our All-Star,” Carlisle said that night. “In less than a year, he’s completely changed the trajectory of our franchise, he’s completely changed the vibe and the direction of our franchise. Nights like tonight show the type of great young player he is.”
In fact, there’s a real argument that Haliburton should have been chosen as one of the two starting All-Star guards from the Eastern Conference instead of making it as a reserve. That doesn’t matter to Haliburton as he celebrates his first All-Star selection, but he should be an annual fixture in that conversation moving forward.
A year ago, the Pacers were a team searching for a new direction. They traded for Haliburton, hopeful that he could one day lead them to new heights.
12 months later, he is an All-Star.
The Pacers not only have a new direction, but they’ve started to climb back up the mountain of NBA relevancy. With Haliburton leading the charge, the sky is truly the limit.
INDY ELEVEN
INDY ELEVEN PARTS WAYS WITH DEFENDER A.J. COCHRAN
INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, January 31, 2023) – Indy Eleven has announced the club and defender A.J. Cochran have mutually decided to release the veteran center back from his contract, effective today.
The St. Louis native spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with Indiana’s Team and scored the lone goal of his 47 USL Championship regular season appearances (39 starts) for the squad during his final home match at Carroll Stadium last October 9 versus the Charleston Battery.
“The club and our fans thank A.J. for the work he put in for the club and for always being a professional both on and off the field,” said Indy Eleven Head Coach Mark Lowry. “This move is something that the staff and A.J. felt would be in his best interest professionally and personally, and we were happy to work with him to make it happen. We wish him the best of luck as he takes the next step in his career.”
Prior to joining the Boys in Blue, the 29-year-old Cochran amassed three goals and eight assists in 118 matches during USL Championship stints with Charleston (2015), Saint Louis FC (2016-17), Atlanta United 2 (2018), and Phoenix Rising FC (2019-20). The University of Wisconsin product began his pro career with 26 games played for Houston Dynamo FC across the 2014-15 Major League Soccer campaigns.
Indy Eleven will officially kick off its 2023 preseason camp tomorrow morning at its training home of Grand Park in Westfield. The team’s nearly six-week camp – including a five-game exhibition slate – will build up to the Eleven’s tenth season overall and sixth in the USL Championship. Below is the current roster of players currently under contact as Lowry’s squad heads into the preseason:
Goalkeepers: Yannik Oettl, Tim Trilk
Defenders: Younes Boudadi, Robby Dambrot, Mechack Jerome, Gustavo Rissi, Ecris Revolorio, Jesus Vazquez
Midfielders: Jack Blake, Cam Lindley, Aodhan Quinn, Bryam Rebellon, Diego Sanchez, Alann Torres
Forwards: Solomon Asante, Jonas Fjeldberg, Sebastian Guenzatti, Juan Tejada
INDIANA MEN’S BB
INDIANA BASKETBALL GAME NOTES – GAME 23 VS. NO. 1/1 PURDUE
Opening Tip
• Indiana University continues its 123rd season of competition in men’s basketball with a top-25 showdown with archrival Purdue on Saturday afternoon. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Feb. 4 from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
• The Boilermakers, led by 18-year head coach Matt Painter, enter the matchup with a 22-1 record and a 11-1 mark in B1G play. Purdue is ranked No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches Poll.
Game Information
Feb. 4, 2023 • 4 p.m. ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: ESPN (Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale, Kris Budden)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Series History: Indiana trails, 90-125
Last Meeting: PUR 69, IU 67 on March 5, 2022 in West Lafayette
Series History
• For the 216th time in program history, Indiana will take on archrival Purdue. The Boilermakers hold a 125-90 advantage in the series, the most victories of any opponent against the Hoosiers. No team has appeared on IU’s schedule more often than Purdue.
• Indiana picked up head coach Mike Woodson’s first signature victory in collegiate basketball with a 68-65 win over No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 20, 2022. Senior guard Rob Phinisee scored 20 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 17 seconds on the clock. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak for IU against Purdue.
• The two programs have met 16 previous times with both teams ranked inside the top-25 of the Associated Press. IU holds a record of 11-5 in the ranked matchups, including three-straight games dating back to Feb. 29, 2000. Ten of the games have been played at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. No. 21 Indiana defeated No. 16 Purdue by a score of 77-73 on Feb. 20, 2016 in the last matchup of ranked rivals.
Last Time Out
• Indiana saw its five-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of Maryland on Jan. 31 at the Xfinity Center. The Hoosiers fell 66-55.
• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis paced the Hoosier attack with 18 points and 20 rebounds. The game marked his seventh double-double in his last eight outings.
• Sixth-year senior forward Race Thompson added 11 points and four rebounds in the loss.
Jackson-Davis’ Historic January
• In the month of January, senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis averaged 23.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 3.4 blocks per game.
• Over the last 25 years of basketball only Jackson-Davis, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O’Neal have averaged at least 23.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game in a calendar month (min. 5 games) in Division I basketball or the NBA.
• Jackson-Davis made 83-of-151 (55.0%) of his shots from the floor and 41-of-57 (71.9%) of his free throw attempts in the opening month of the calendar year.
• TJD posted three 30-pooint games in the month, including back-to-back games with 35 points at Illinois (Jan. 19) and 31 points against Michigan State (Jan. 22). He also grabbed at least 20 rebounds three times during the stretch of nine games.
• He has posted nine or more rebounds in nine-straight games, the longest streak of his career. During that stretch, Jackson-Davis is averaging 14.6 boards per game.
Reneau for Two
• After scoring 64 total points (10.7 per game) in his first six collegiate games, freshman forward Malik Reneau tallied just 64 points (4.9) in his next 13 games.
• The Miami native has regained his footing and has averaged 10.3 points in his last three games, including a career-high-matching 15 points against Ohio State.
• The 6-9 forward is averaging 8.4 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 61.5% (16-of-26) from the floor in his last five games.
Indiana Versus No. 1-Ranked Teams
• The Indiana Hoosiers will take on the top-ranked team in the Associated Press Top-25 poll for the 25th time in program history. IU has posted seven wins against No. 1-ranked opponents.
• Indiana’s last win over a No. 1-ranked team came over the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Feb. 2, 2013. Current Team & Recruiting Coordinator Jordan Hulls was one of five Hoosiers to score in double figures in the 81-73 win.
• Christian Watford won an ESPY for Best Play after drilling a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to down No. 1 Kentucky (73-72) on Dec. 10, 2011. Dick Vitale, who will be serving as the analyst for the Purdue game, was on the call for ESPN that night.
• On Jan. 7, 2001, a Kirk Haston triple at the buzzer sank top-ranked Michigan State by a score of 59-58. Haston finished with a game-high 27 points in the win.
The Trey Gallo-Way
• In his last five starts, junior guard Trey Galloway has averaged 8.8 points per game on 14-of-26 (53.8%) shooting from the floor and 8-of-12 (66.7%) shooting from the 3-point line. He has made more 3-pointers (19) this season than his first two seasons on campus (12) combined.
• Galloway scored a career-high 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from deep in IU’s first Big Ten win of the season over Nebraska on Dec. 7.
• The Culver Academies graduate scored 17 points on 4-of-4 shooting from behind the arc against Michigan State on Jan. 22.
Double Double, Double Double (CAREER)
Trayce Jackson-Davis: 43; last at Maryland, 1/31/23
Race Thompson: 9; last vs. Elon, 12/20/22
Xavier Johnson: 4; last vs. Arizona, 12/10/22
Jordan Geronimo: 2; last vs. Wisconsin, 1/14/23
The Voice of Indiana Athletics
Veteran voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer enters his 50th season as the play-by-play voice of Indiana Men’s Basketball. During that time, he’s called more than 2,000 games and four NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship games. He’s been honored as the National Sports Media Association’s Indiana Sportscaster of the Year 27 times, and earlier this summer was awarded the prestigious National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame’s Chris Schenkel Award. He was also awarded with the Indiana University Bicentennial Award in 2019 in recognition for his enormous contributions to Indiana University and IU Athletics. He was induced into the IU Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall of 2022.
Longest-Tenured DI MBB Radio Announcers
55th season – Ray Goss, Duquesne
54th season – Bill Hillgrove, Pittsburgh
52nd season – Jay Jacobs, West Virginia
50th season – Don Fischer, Indiana
50th season – Kevin McKinney, Wyoming
49th season – Rich Chvotkin, Georgetown
45th season – John Cox, Southern Miss
TJD, The Big Fundamental, and The Diesel
• In the last 30 seasons of Division I men’s college basketball, only senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan have averaged at least 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game.
• Over the last 25 years of basketball only Jackson-Davis, Duncan, and Shaquille O’Neal have averaged at least 23.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game in a calendar month (min. 5 games) in Division I basketball or the NBA.
Chasing History
• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis currently sits eighth all-time at IU in scoring (1,959), fourth in rebounds (1,010), and holds the school record for blocked shots (236). He joins Alan Henderson as the only Hoosiers to be top-10 all-time in career scoring, rebounding, and blocks.
• The Center Grove product is the only active men’s Division I player to tally at least 1,950 career points, 1,000 career rebounds, and 225 career blocks. In the last 25 seasons, only nine players have achieved those numbers in college basketball. Only Kyle Hines (UNCG) produced those numbers on a higher career scoring average.
• Jackson-Davis is one of two high-major players (Zach Edey; Purdue) to average at least 19.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game this season.
Career Tallies
• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis has notched 10 career 30-point games, the most recent coming against Michigan State on Jan. 22.
• The preseason All-American has recorded 17 career 20-point, 10-rebound outings, with the most recent coming against Minnesota on Jan. 25.
• The former McDonald’s All-American has recorded 10 career 15-point, 15-rebound games in his career, the third most among active major-conference players. He ranks behind Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe (19) and North Carolina’s Armando Bacot (13).
• In 113 career games, TJD has scored at least 10 points in 99 outings.
• The senior forward has swatted at least two shots in 70 of his 113 career games played. He has blocked at least one shot in 93-of-113 career starts.
INDIANA WRESTLING
NO. 18 INDIANA TO HOST NO. 1 PENN STATE FOR SUNDAY DUAL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– No. 18 Indiana Wrestling will host No. 1 Penn State at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Wilkinson Hall for its final home dual of the season.
The Hoosiers will also conduct senior day ceremonies prior to the dual’s start.
PROJECTED LINEUPS:
No. 1 Penn State (11-0)
125: Gary Steen (5-9)
133: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (10-0)
141: No. 5 Beau Bartlett (14-1)
149: No. 13 Shayne Van Ness (11-3)
157: No. 9 Levi Haines (13-1) OR Terrell Barraclough (6-3)
165: No. 8 Alex Facundo (11-2)
174: No. 1 Carter Starocci (11-0)
184: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (7-1)
197: No. 4 Max Dean (13-2)
285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (9-1)
No. 18 Indiana (7-2)
125: Jacob Moran (19-10)
133: No. 29 Henry Porter (16-6)
141: Cayden Rooks (10-8)
149: No. 30 Graham Rooks (22-5)
157: No. 21 Derek Gilcher (21-7)
165: Nick South (7-6)
174: No. 15 DJ Washington (18-3)
184: Clayton Fielden (9-9)
197: Nick Willham (14-8)
285: No. 24 Jacob Bullock (16-2)
______________________________________________________________________
PREMIER PENN STATE MATCHUP:
-Indiana welcomes the defending national champion and No. 1 Penn State to Wilkinson Hall this Sunday for senior day.
-It will be Indiana’s toughest dual of the year as the Nittany Lions are 11-0 on the season and return much of the fuel to last year’s national title run.
-Of their projected lineup, nine of their starters are ranked. Eight of the ten are ranked in the top-ten.
-Three Penn State grapplers, Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (184) are all ranked No. 1 at their weight class.
HISTORIC PURDUE MATCH:
-Indiana came away victorious in West Lafayette last weekend as Indiana defeated Purdue, 17-16.
-Indiana had to come from behind to pull off the win. At intermission, IU trailed 13-4 with just one win through the first five bouts. Graham Rooks won at 149 by major decision.
-The Hoosiers found some much-needed momentum with Nick South (165) picking up a huge victory over Cooper Noehre, 3-1, in Sudden Victory.
-This was followed by a major decison win for DJ Washington at 174, 19-11, over Jake Null. That win pulled the Hoosiers to a 13-11 deficit with three bouts to go.
-Purdue won by decision at 184 to make it a 16-11 advantage before IU’s heavyweights took care of business.
-Freshman Gabe Sollars picked up a 4-0 decision victory in his first career Big Ten dual match.
-Then, senior Jacob Bullock (285) clutched up to win it for Indiana in the final bout of the day.
-He was up 1-0 after the second period, and in the third period he started on top, and rode Purdue’s Hayden Copass out for the final two minutes to secure riding time and the win.
-It was the Hoosiers’ first win over Purdue since 2010, snapping a 12-dual losing streak.
LINEUP STRENGTH:
-Indiana’s starting lineup continues to showcase its depth by the week at numerous weight classes.
-The Hoosiers’ regular starting lineup has a combined record of 152-63.
-Graham Rooks (149) has won three of his last four matches as part of his 22-5 season.
-Jacob Bullock (285) continues to be steady at 16-2 this year and a winner of his last three bouts. Bullock has also clinched a team victory in the final bout in his match twice now this year.
-Thirteen of DJ Washington’s (174) 18 wins have been bonus-point victories. (Six major decisions, five tech falls, two pins)
DOWN THE ROAD:
-Indiana has reached the home-stretch of the season.
-The Hoosiers have three more weekends of duals remaining, prior to the postseason of the Big Ten and NCAA Championships.
-The remaining opponents for the Hoosiers are Penn State, at Michigan State, at Michigan and at Chattanooga.
-In a little under two months, the NCAA Wrestling Championships will be taking place in Tulsa, Okla. from March 16-18.
RANKINGS REBOOT:
-Through another week, Indiana is holding steady in the national rankings, both as a team and individually.
-As a team, Indiana is No. 18 in FloWrestling rankings and No. 22 on both InterMat and the NWCA poll.
-The usual five Hoosiers are ranked individually, too.
-At the lower to middleweights, Henry Porter is No. 29 at 133, Graham Rooks is No. 30 at 149 and Derek Gilcher slides in at No. 21 at 157.
-In the upperweights, DJ Washington moved up to No. 15 at 174 and Jacob Bullock is No. 24 at heavyweight.
ON A RECRUITING ROLL:
-Indiana Wrestling has hit a groove on the recruiting trail as the Hoosiers have signed three new recruits in the last week.
-Cheaney Schoeff, Anthony Bahl and Bryce Lowery have all officially become Hoosiers. They join Sam Goin and Aidan Torres who signed in the fall.
-All five recruits are Indiana natives. Bahl and Goin are teammates at Crown Point High School, Torres competes for Chesterton High School, Lowery is from Indianapolis and goes to Roncalli, and Schoeff is from Avon.
-The group all has state-placer accolades throughout their careers and are currently competing in the state tournament.
IUPUI MEN’S BASKETBALL
JAGUARS DROP HEARTBREAKER TO MILWAUKEE, 72-69
INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI basketball team went toe-to-toe with one of the Horizon League’s top teams on Thursday morning (Feb. 2) but fell one trip shy in a 72-69 defeat inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Sophomore Jlynn Counter finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists and DJ Jackson added 15 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Freshman Vincent Brady II had a potential game-tying three from the left wing ring off the back iron in the closing seconds and fall harmlessly as time expired. On the prior possession, Counter had a potential game-tying left-handed layup swatted away by Milwaukee’s Amhad Rand as the visiting Panthers maintained the lead for the final 16 minutes of the contest.
“Honestly, I thought it was a spirited, tough game. The IPS kids were loud and made it a true home court advantage for us today and both teams kind of fed off that energy. There were a lot of adjustments being made throughout the game today on both sides and a lot of players just stepped up and made plays on both sides,” head coach Matt Crenshaw said. “We had a look to tie it at the end of regulation against one of the best teams in this league and that shows you just how competitive this league is. We were right there.
“We need to take that next step and start winning these close games, but I’m proud of my guys and I’m proud of the overall effort.”
NOTRE DAME MEN’S BB
GAME 23 PREVIEW: IRISH LOOK FOR TWO IN A ROW ON SATURDAY
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team will try to build off last week’s Louisville win and some much-needed rest on the bye week, and make it two wins in a row when Wake Forest rolls into town. The Irish and Demon Deacons square off on Saturday, Feb. 4, with a 1 p.m ET tipoff time inside Purcell Pavilion. The game will be broadcasted on RSN – a full list of channels can be found in the table above.
ND vs WAKE
Notre Dame leads the all-time series versus Wake 8-6, as Saturday will mark the 15th meeting between the two. The Irish also own a strong 5-1 mark against the Demon Deacons at home.
Last season, the Irish fell at Wake, 79-74. The game featured 12 lead changes and four ties. In terms of returning/current players who made an impact in that game – Cormac Ryan produced 12 points while Nate Laszewski added 11. The Irish shot better, 47.1 percent to their 41.4. However, Wake dominated the boards 43-27.
THREAT FROM THREE
Notre Dame’s offense may fluctuate from time to time but you can’t argue with the team’s three-point shooting ability. The Irish rank 1st in the ACC in made three-pointers per game and 2nd in three-point shooting percentage. They are averaging 9.3 threes per game, which would rank 4th all-time in program history – the program record is 9.7 set by the 19-20 squad. That number also ranks 22nd in the country.
They are converting 37.4 percent from beyond the arc, which checks in 43rd nationally.
Since Nov. 30 (16 games), Notre Dame has knocked down 158 three-pointers (9.9 per game) which leads all Power-Five schools since that date and ranks ninth overall.
Most recently, the Irish have connected on double-digit three-pointers in three of the last five games.
23 IN ‘23
Goodwin has found his offensive rhythm and is Notre Dame’s best player right now with 10 straight games in double figures. He’s amassed 131 points in the last 10 games, averaging 13.1 ppg. He is 54-of-117 (.462) from the field in that stretch.
In 2023 (8 games), Goodwin is averaging 13.1 ppg. Plus, he’s also been more active on the glass in 2023 grabbing 55 boards over the last 8 games aka 6.9 rpg.
He had a season high 6 assists to go with his 15 points at Syracuse on Jan. 14. A game prior vs Georgia Tech, he produced a team high 19 points and a career best 12 rebounds. Goodwin connected on a big three in the overtime period to help seal the win.
“THAT WAS MARCUS HAMMOND”
Marcus Hammond is starting to get in a groove as of late and be that guy that Coach Brey thought he could be for the Irish.
Three double-digit scoring performances in the last 5 games. He led the team in scoring in two of them (Syracuse + BC, Jan. 14-17) –> had back-to-back games with a season high in made threes (4+5). Hammond is averaging 12.6 ppg over said 5-game span.
Hammond recently produced his first double-double of the season, and 5th of his career, with 11 points and 10 rebounds at NC State.
JJ STEPS UP
Freshman JJ Starling showed up and showed out with a game high 22 points, helping lift the Irish to the 76-62 victory over Louisville.
Starling had 16 points at the half and ultimately finished one shy of his season high of 23. The New York native was 9-of-16 from the field and grabbed six boards as well.
And how about this – last 2 games – 40 points / 16-of-30 shooting / 13 rebounds.
ALSO TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Cormac Ryan has produced 3 straight games in double figures, amassing 43 points in that span. Most recently, he recorded a career high of 8 assists to go with his 11 points against Louisville.
Ryan is averaging a career best 11.5 ppg. He’s also 7 three-pointers away from 200 in his career.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BB
‘THAT’S MY GIRL’: MILES, CITRON HAVE BIG NIGHTS TO LEAD IRISH PAST EAGLES
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Just 3 minutes into the first quarter, the broadcast of Thursday’s Notre Dame-Boston College game went to break. The Irish had an 8-2 lead. Their shots were falling. The Eagles’ were not. It looked like the game was headed for the same fate as the Jan. 1 matchup between the two teams, a blowout in favor of the Irish.
Boston College (14-11, 4-8) had other plans, storming back midway through the second quarter to cut Notre Dame’s (18-3, 9-2) lead to just a point on multiple occasions. After 20 minutes, it remained just 32-30 in favor of the ninth-ranked visitors. The second quarter belonged to the Eagles, 20-13. Sonia Citron paced the game with 12 points in the first half, including a pair of treys to continue her hot streak from deep.
Out of the break, it was more of the same. With 2:58 to go, a scrappy Boston College squad tied the game at 43. It was shaping up to be another tough road game for the Irish.
Unlike last weekend’s loss at NC State, this one turned in favor of Notre Dame in part thanks to a 10-0 run to end the third frame. Olivia Miles scored one basket in that run and assisted on three others. It was at that point the Irish put the Eagles’ upset bid to rest, ultimately winning 72-59.
“Boston College got on a roll and was shooting really well,” said Niele Ivey, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach. “I thought in the second half we really turned it on. Our press was really great. There was a lot of forcing steals and getting out in transition.”
Notre Dame totaled 13 fast break points and outscored Boston College in the paint, 44-32. The Irish forced 22 turnovers and had 7 steals.
Citron and Miles finished with 23 and 22 points, respectively, the second time the two guards have each posted 20+ in a game this year (Northwestern). For the fifth time this season, Miles had at least 10 assists. For the second time in four games, Citron had at least three treys.
“That’s my girl,” Miles said of Citron after the game with an ear-to-ear grin. “We went to college together for a reason, to do these things. We love bouncing off of each other, playing off of each other. I told Soni I needed two more assists for the double-double, and she was like ‘Yeah, I got you.’”
On the topic of assists, Boston College’s Taina Mair was tied with Miles for the assist lead in the ACC entering Thursday (7.0). Notre Dame held her to 9 points and 4 assists on the night. Center Maria Gakdeng led the Eagles with 16 points.
Up next, Notre Dame has a much-needed four-game home stand. The Irish are undefeated at home in conference play and average 83.9 points per game in Purcell Pavilion on the year. No. 16 Duke (19-3, 9-2) is up first at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The winner of the game will take sole possession of first place in the ACC.
BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
CARDINALS READY FOR NATIONALLY TELEVISED SHOWDOWN WITH THE EAGLES
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s basketball team is returns to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for a Friday night showdown with Eastern Michigan on CBS Sports Network. The Cardinals and Eagles are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday is a “Red Out” game, fans are encouraged to wear red. The game is presented by Community Hospital Anderson.
BSU students, be among the first 500 in The Nest and receive a free hot dog, a slice of pizza, a fountain drink, or a beer. Arrive early, cheer loud, and enjoy responsibly.
Last Time Out
The Cardinals are coming off a 69-60 victory on the road against the BGSU Falcons. Jarron Coleman finished with a game-high 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Jaylin Sellers tallied 11 points with two rebounds and one block. Payton Sparks finished with a game-high 10 boards along with five points, one assist, and one steal. Demarius Jacobs led the team with three assists, and added eight points, five rebounds, two steals, and one block.
Boogie on Down
Coleman is averaging a team-high 15.2 points per game. He leads the team with 53 made 3-pointers and is shooting 38.1 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 75 assists and in steals with 34. Coleman has added nine blocks. He has compiled five games of 20 or more points, including two of the last three games. Earlier this season, Coleman recorded his 1,000th career point.
Sensational Sellers
Jaylin Sellers is second on the team with 13.0 points per game. He is shooting 47.8 percent from 3-point range, which leads the team. He is averaging 3.9 rebounds per game. He has produced a field-goal percentage of 48.9 on the season. Sellers has collected 17 assists, 16 steals and 11 blocks. He has notched four games with 20 or more points for the season.
Spark Plug
Sparks leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game, which is tied for 96th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.05 offensive rebounds per contest have him tied for 39th in the nation and tied for third in the MAC. He is tied for third on the team averaging 12.0 points per game. He is shooting 59.7 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has five double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 96th in the country and tied for fourth in the MAC. He is third on the team with 40 assists, second on the team with 18 blocks, and has added 10 steals.
Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Demarius Jacobs rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.0 points a contest. He has a team-high 32 blocks, which is tied for 74th in the NCAA and most in the MAC. His 1.45 blocks per contest is 79th in the nation and first in the conference. He second on the team in assists with 72 and is second on the team in steals with 31. He is averaging 4.0 boards per contest. Mickey Pearson Jr. is second on the squad with 5.3 rebounds per contest and is averaging 7.0 points a game. Pearson is shooting 49.0 percent from the field.
Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.9 free throws per game, which is fourth in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.6 free-throws made per contest, which is tied for 15th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is 10th in the nation with 158 free-throw attempts, which second in the MAC.
Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 46.8 percent from the field, which is tied for 61st in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. Ball State has been effective from behind the arc with a combined 37.8 percent from 3-point range, which is tied for 30th in the country and second in the MAC.
Series History with EMU
Friday will mark the 114th meeting between Ball State and Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals lead the series 66-45. BSU has won the last six meetings, including a 75-64 victory in Muncie on Feb. 26, 2022. The Cardinals are 29-20 at home against the Eagles and 17-12 inside Worthen Arena.
Scouting the Eagles
Emoni Bates is averaging 20.3 points per game, which is 19th in the country and second in the conference. He is tied for 33rd in the NCAA with 326 field-goal attempts, which is second in the MAC. Bates is averaging 2.76 3-pointers per game, which is 45th in the nation and third in the MAC. He also leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per contest. He is second on the squad with eight blocks. He has added 27 assists and 16 steals. Tyson Acuff is second on the team with 13.1 points a contest. He leads the team with 63 assists to go along with 2.9 boards a game. He also paces the team 32 steals. Noah Farrakhan rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.8 a contest. He is averaging 4.1 rebounds a game to go along with 56 assists, 17 steals, and three blocks. Jalin Billingsley has a team-best 12 blocks.
INDIANA STATE FOOTBALL
MALLORY ANNOUNCES BRAD WILSON PROMOTION, HIRING OF KENNY-RAY AUGUSTUS AS NEW DEFENSIVE LINE COACH
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head football coach Curt Mallory announced the promotion of Defensive Coordinator Brad Wilson to Assistant Head Coach as well as the hiring of Kenny-Ray Augustus to work with the defensive line on Thursday afternoon.
Wilson will continue to serve as the Indiana State defensive coordinator as he assumes the new role. His defensive unit has been one of the top units in the Missouri Valley Football Conference over the last seven years, while he also mentored former All-American and current Denver Broncos linebacker Jonas Griffith.
Wilson will remain the defensive coordinator as takes over the role that belonged to now-retired former Assistant Head Coach and defensive line coach Mark Smith.
“The title of Assistant Head Coach is something I hold very serious,” Mallory said. “Brad has been with me for several years now and I respect him and how he has represented this program both on and off the field. I love what he and his wife Amber have done in our community, and it was an easy decision for him to be named the Assistant Head Coach.”
Augustus will work primarily with the Sycamore defensive tackles as ISU boasts one of the stronger units in the Missouri Valley Conference following the 2022 season. Among the key returners this season include All-Conference defensive lineman Lucas Hunter, as well as ISU 2022 sack leader Gianini Belizaire.
“I’ve known Kenny-Ray for over 20 years and I’m excited to get the opportunity to work with him,” Mallory said. “The relationship that I’ve had with him and the respect I’ve had for him and his ability to work and develop young men make him a great asset for the Sycamore football program. I look forward to welcoming him, his wife Amber, and his family into the fold.”
Augustus has made coaching stops with the University of Indianapolis, McKendree University, Butler University and most recently Ball State University. He has also been a part of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship Program joining the San Diego Chargers (2010), Carolina Panthers (2012), and Cincinnati Bengals (2020 & 2021) over his coaching career.
In his most recent collegiate stop, Augustus served as a defensive analyst at Ball State (2022) assisting in academics, coaching, and recruiting. He helped support the overall vision, defensive scheme and philosophy within a 3-4 system, while also managing defensive line rotation and working with weekly scouting reports.
Prior to that, he served as the defensive line coach and pass rush specialist at Butler University from 2021-22. Working within the Bulldogs’ 3-4 system, Augustus monitored student-athlete academic development, as well as daily performance evaluation and technique instruction. He also actively coached special teams for up backs and returners on kickoff return and the P.A.T/field goal block units.
Augustus spent four years working at McKendree University from July 2018-21 working as the defensive line coach and the defensive run game coordinator. Among the highlights from his time at McKendree included coaching the 2019 GLVC Special Teams Player of the Year and NFL undrafted free agent Matt Cole.
Augustus started his coaching career at the University of Indianapolis from 2005-18 where he served as the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator. Over his time at Indianapolis, the team won five GLVC Championships and made four NCAA Division II playoff appearances. The team went undefeated in the 2017 regular season and posted five seasons of 25.0-plus sacks. The 2017 team also had the distinction of all four defensive line starters earning All-Conference recognition. During his time at Indianapolis, he also established the Tim Jones Iron Man Award.
Augustus lined up and played for the University of Cincinnati (1997-99) following an All-American career at Joliet Junior College (1995-97). He graduated from Cincinnati in July 1999 with a degree in criminal justice.
Augustus and his wife Amber have one daughter (Gabi-Rae).
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SELLERS’ LATE BASKET LIFTS ‘DONS TO THRILLING 67-65 WIN OVER PRESEASON FAVORITE YSU
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Shayla Sellers’ layup with 22 seconds left in regulation lifted the Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team to a thrilling 67-65 victory over the Horizon League preseason favorite Youngstown State Penguins. The late basket capped a hard-fought, come-from-behind effort and helped lift the Mastodons to their fourth straight win.
Thursday’s win was the first time Purdue Fort Wayne has beaten Youngstown State since November 20, 2010. It also marks the first time since the 2013-14 season that the program has had a 10-win season.
After a back-and-forth contest through 30 minutes of play, the Mastodons rode an extremely efficient fourth quarter to earn Thursday’s victory. Purdue Fort Wayne shot 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the field in the final period, while holding the visiting Penguins to just 3-of-10 shooting.
After a 3-pointer by YSU’s Megan Callahan gave the Penguins a 56-54 lead with 5:21 remaining, Audra Emmerson answered with a 3-pointer of her own to give the Mastodons the lead right back. Youngstown State tied the game a minute later, but baskets by Amellia Bromenschenkel and Sellers helped the ‘Dons build a four-point advantage.
Youngstown State made one final push in the game’s closing minute. A 3-pointer by Megan Callahan and three free throws by Paige Shy tied the game once more at 65 with just 34 seconds remaining in regulation.
Sellers provided the game-winning basket in the paint for the ‘Dons with 22 seconds remaining. Purdue Fort Wayne’s defense stymied the Penguins on the game final’s possession as Sellers came away with a blocked shot to seal the victory.
Sellers led Purdue Fort Wayne with 19 points on the strength of 8-of-13 shooting. Jazzlyn Linbo added a career-high 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Linbo also added three blocks and played a large role in slowing YSU’s Lilly Ritz. Ritz, who came into Thursday’s game shooting 62 percent on the season, was held to 5-of-16 shooting (31.3 percent). Bromenschenkel also scored in double figures with 10 points.
The ‘Dons finished Thursday’s game shooting 26-of-54 from the field (48.1 percent), which was their best shooting effort of the season. Purdue Fort Wayne also came up clutch at the charity stripe, converting 9-of-11 free throw attempts. Youngstown State finished 22-of-53 shooting, while finishing 11-of-19 from the free throw line. Purdue Fort Wayne also dominated points in the paint, outscoring the Penguins 40-16.
The Mastodons had eight turnovers, their fewest against a Division I team since eight against Denver on February 27, 2020.
The ‘Dons extended their winning streak to four games following Thursday’s win. Purdue Fort Wayne improved to 10-13, 7-6 Horizon. Youngstown State had its four-game win streak snapped on Thursday. The Penguins fell to 16-6, 10-3 Horizon.
The Mastodons will host their Pink Out game in their next outing on Saturday (Feb. 4) against Robert Morris. Saturday’s game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the Gates Center.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL
GODFREY AND BILLUPS REACH SCORING MILESTONES IN WIN AT OAKLAND
ROCHESTER, Mich. – Jarred Godfrey went over 2,000 career points and Deonte Billups hit the 1,000-point mark in Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball’s 82-73 victory at Oakland on Thursday (Feb. 2) evening at the O’Rena.
Godfrey scored a season-high 32 points with seven rebounds and three assists. He made 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. It is his third highest scoring game in his career. Godfrey went over the 2,000-point mark near the end of the game thanks to a free throw. He is only the second Mastodon in program history to reach 2,000 points. Godfrey also recorded one steal in the game to bring his career total to 200 steals.
Billups finished with 10 points, all in the second half, to go over the 1,000 mark. He was one of three Mastodons in double-digits as Damian Chong Qui added 15 points.
The ‘Dons held a lead as large as 15 in the game and never trailed thanks to an 11-2 start to the contest. Purdue Fort Wayne led 36-29 at the break and scored the first eight points of the second half.
The ‘Dons shot 54.9 percent in the game (28-of-51) while limiting Oakland to 37.3 percent shooting (25-of-67).
Oakland falls to 9-15 (7-6 Horizon League). Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 15-9 (7-6 Horizon League). The ‘Dons are at Detroit Mercy on Saturday (Feb. 4).
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S GOLF
SELECTED FOURTH IN #HLGOLF PRESEASON POLL
INDIANAPOLIS – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s golf team was picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League for the 2022-23 season, the league announced on Thursday (Feb. 2)
The Horizon League Preseason Poll was voted on by the head coaches of each institution, which put the Mastodons in fourth behind Wright State, Oakland and Northern Kentucky.
During the fall season, the Mastodons were 14-8 against Horizon League schools. Kasey Lilly and Hunter Mefford were the Mastodons’ best players in the fall season, averaging 73.20 and 73.36 per round, respectively.
2023 #HLGOLF Men’s Preseason Poll
Pl. Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1. Wright State (9) – 99
2. Oakland (1) – 90
3. Northern Kentucky – 75
4. Purdue Fort Wayne – 69
5. Cleveland State – 54
6. Youngstown State – 50
7. Robert Morris – 38
8. Green Bay – 35
9. IUPUI – 30
10. Detroit Mercy – 10
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
USI SOFTBALL SELECTED 5TH IN OVC
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball is projected to place fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference in a vote submitted by the league’s head coaches and communication directors. USI heads into its first season as an OVC member and NCAA Division I program.
The nine-team OVC will feature a schedule with each team playing each other in one three-game series for a 24-game conference schedule from March 11 through May 7. The conference’s season concludes with the OVC Softball Championship Tournament taking place in Oxford, Alabama March 10-14.
The University of Tennessee at Martin was projected first in the OVC preseason poll with 123 points and 11 first-place votes. Southeast Missouri State University was selected second with 119 points and seven first-place votes. Tennessee Tech University rounded out the top three with 91 points.
Eastern Illinois University was picked fourth with 86 points ahead of Southern Indiana in fifth with 70 points. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville earned 61 points for a projected sixth-place finish. Lindenwood University was picked seventh with 45 points while Tennessee State University (30) and Morehead State University (23) round out the preseason poll.
As part of the OVC’s preseason announcement, sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) represented USI on the 2023 OVC Softball Preseason Players to Watch List. Coming off a standout, freshman season in the circle in 2022, Newman went 17-3 with a 1.74 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 144.2 innings pitched. Newman made 21 starts in 31 appearances, recording 12 complete games and six shutouts with one no-hitter. The right-hander held opposing batters to a .171 batting average.
Newman’s 185 strikeouts were third in the NCAA II Great Lakes Valley Conference and 29th in the nation. Plus, her four saves last season ranked first in the GLVC and 14th nationally. Additionally, Newman was a Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Freshman of the Year finalist, named second-team All-GLVC, voted second-team All-Region by D2CCA, and earned Academic All-GLVC laurels.
The 2023 USI squad features 19 players – 12 returning players and seven newcomers, beginning its 22nd season under the leadership of Head Coach Sue Kunkle, who has a 628-420-1 career record. The 2022 GLVC Coach of the Year has her squad primed to make the jump, however, as her squad is coming off a historic 2022 season that saw the Eagles go 49-13 overall and 26-2 in GLVC play. Her staff was named NCAA II Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year for the third time after the Eagles won the GLVC regular-season, GLVC Tournament, and NCAA II Midwest Region titles, marking the first time in program history USI has won all three championships in the same season.
Additionally, Kunkle’s Eagles set numerous records including the most wins in a single season, the most GLVC wins in a single season, and the best start to GLVC play (16-0). USI, which had its best 40-game stretch (37-3) in program history, tied the program record for consecutive wins (18) and set program records for triples (28), runs (353), RBI (327), and doubles (96).
Alongside Newman in the circle, USI also returns sophomore pitcher Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) and senior utility pitcher Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana). Gotshall was 8-1 with 38 strikeouts last season, posting a 2.96 ERA in 68.2 innings pitched. Gotshall made 10 starts in 20 appearances. Goodin tallied a 16-4 record with a 2.03 ERA in 144.2 innings, striking out 96 hitters. Goodin made 26 starts in 30 appearances, going the distance in 11 games. Goodin earned second-team All-Midwest Region honors from both the D2CCA and the NFCA and was a unanimous first-team All-GLVC selection last year.
Goodin was just as good in the box, batting .350 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs. The senior posted a 1.030 OPS in her junior season. Also, back in the Screaming Eagles’ lineup with Goodin is junior infielder Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana). Fair recorded a .389 batting average with a team-best 13 home runs and 56 RBIs. Fair also scored 41 runs, hit 20 doubles and three triples, and posted a 1.230 OPS while starting all 62 games in 2022. The Greenwood, Indiana native collected second-team All-Region by D2CCA, second-team All-GLVC, and Academic All-GLVC last season.
Opening day for the Screaming Eagles in 2023 will be February 10 at the Elon Softball Classic when USI opens against Winthrop University. USI will play five games from Elon, North Carolina to begin the 2023 campaign. Southern Indiana will start conference play March 11-12 at Morehead State before hosting its home-opening series from USI Softball Field March 18-19 against Lindenwood University.
2023 OVC Softball Predicted Order of Finish
(as voted on by the league’s head coaches and communication directors)
UT Martin (11 first-place votes) – 123
Southeast Missouri (Seven first-place votes) – 119
Tennessee Tech – 91
Eastern Illinois – 86
Southern Indiana – 70
SIUE – 61
Lindenwood – 45
Tennessee State – 30
Morehead State – 23
2023 OVC Softball Players to Watch
Morgan Lewis, Eastern Illinois
Amanda Weyh, Lindenwood
Madeline Gailor, Morehead State
Paige Halliwill, Southeast Missouri
Lauren Yslava, SIUE
Josie Newman, Southern Indiana
Maria Mauroschadt, Tennessee State
Haeli Bryson, Tennessee Tech
Kallie Pickens, UT Martin
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
USI LOSES 2ND HALF LEAD, FALLS 80-76
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball could not hold onto a 12-point second half lead and fell to Tennessee State University, 80-76, Thursday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Eagles go to 13-11 overall and 6-5 in the OVC, while the Tigers are 13-11, 5-6 OVC.
With the loss, USI falls into a three-way tie for fourth in the OVC standings and two games out of first.
USI and TSU traded baskets and leads through the first six minutes before USI went on a 6-0 run to take a five-point lead, 13-8, on pair of buckets by sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) and a basket by junior guard Gary Solomon (Detroit, Michigan). The Tigers responded with a burst of their own to retake the lead, 17-16, on a 9-3 dash.
A 9-2 surge by the Eagles would match the earlier five-point lead, 30-25, with 3:23 left in the opening half. Junior guard Tyler Henry (Brooklyn, New York) led run with six of the nine points.
The Tigers bounced back for a second time and used an 8-0 run to get their largest lead of the half, 33-30, with 50 second left before the intermission. Swope, who had 12 first half points, would get the Eagles back to within a point, 33-32, with the final bucket of the first half.
The second half started in the Eagles favor as USI regained the lead, and largest to that point, 39-33 on a 7-0 run. USI’s defense was the star of the second half opening run, holding TSU scoreless for the first 3:51 of the final stanza.
USI’s overall run to start the second half was 16-5 and gave the Eagles a 10-points advantage, 48-38, with 13:23 to play. The Eagles pushed the lead to as many as 12, 54-42, on a Swope three-pointer with 11:38 to play.
TSU would once again rally to re-take the lead, 67-66, with a 25-12 wave and 5:42 to play in the contest.
The Tigers would expand their new lead to as many as five points, 71-66, before USI came back to knot the game, 73-73, on a pair of buckets and a free throw by Swope. TSU, however, would score seven of the final 10 points of the game, for the 80-76 final, holding USI to one-of-five from the field in final three minutes.
USI had four players score in double-digits for the game, led by Swope, who had 24 points and six assists. Swope was nine-of-18 from the field, four-of-nine from beyond the arc, and two-of-three from the line.
Senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) continued his march to becoming the 23rd Eagle to reach 1,000 points at USI by posting 14 points. Simmons, who has 1,370 career in his career at USI and Youngstown State University, has 940 points in his three seasons as an Eagle.
Henry and graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.
Next Up For USI:
USI concludes the homestand Saturday when it hosts Morehead State University for the Homecoming game at Screaming Eagles Arena. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
The game, which is slated for a 3:30 p.m. tip, will be streamed on ESPN+ in addition to being heard on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin.
Morehead watched its season go to 15-9 overall and 8-3 in the OVC after defeating Tennessee Tech University, 64-45, this evening at home. The Morehead Eagles, who maintained at least a share of first in the OVC standings, were led by senior guard Mark Freeman with 18 points.
USI lost the first ever meeting with Morehead, 84-80, January 5 in Morehead, Kentucky. The USI Eagles were led by Swope with a 25-point, four assists game, while the Morehead Eagles were paced by 24 points by Freeman and 22 points by senior guard Jake Wolfe.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
RALEY MATCHES CAREER-HIGH 23 POINTS, USI DROPS CLOSE CONTEST
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball had another Ohio Valley Conference contest come down to the final seconds on Thursday, but Tennessee State University came away with a 59-55 win against USI.
Thursday’s game at Screaming Eagles Arena was the sixth OVC game for USI that was determined by single digits. Unfortunately, the scoreboard has been unkind to Southern Indiana in each of those six outings.
The game started with a tightly contested first quarter. The score was tied at 10 with 3:35 left in the opening period. Over the course of the next two minutes, Southern Indiana received a solid stretch of play from graduate forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio). A layup by Brown put USI ahead, 12-10, and then Brown cashed in on a three-point play off an offensive putback to give USI a 15-10 lead.
Brown tallied nine first-quarter points, as USI took a 17-14 advantage into the second period. The Screaming Eagles established an inside presence in the opening quarter with 12 points in the paint and were plus-six on the glass.
Both teams’ pressuring defense in the first quarter continued in the second period. Each team also showed zone defense at times. The game remained a close battle.
Inside four and a half minutes in the second quarter, USI got two passes inside to senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio), who put both receptions up and in the basket. Her second layup pushed USI ahead, 26-20, with 3:23 remaining until halftime. With under 1:45 left on the first-half clock, junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) converted a layup and then a straightaway triple a couple of possessions later. The three-pointer gave Raley 10 points in the first half, as USI went into the intermission in front, 31-27.
Out of halftime, both teams came out with high energy and tried to push the tempo. Southern Indiana went inside repeatedly, and despite the hard effort and hustle plays, the basket became unfriendly to USI. In the middle minutes of the third quarter, each side went scoreless for three-plus minutes. Haithcock snapped USI’s scoreless run with a layup at the four-minute mark, giving USI a 39-33 lead. The Screaming Eagles led 41-37 entering the fourth quarter.
Just over two minutes into the fourth period, Tennessee State jumped ahead by one. As the battle went on, Raley caught fire for Southern Indiana. After an early basket in the fourth, Raley splashed down back-to-back threes within a minute to give her 20 points and put USI back in front, 49-47, with 6:37 left. Near the halfway point of the quarter, Raley scored another bucket to give USI a five-point advantage.
Tennessee State continued to fight, bringing USI’s edge down to one, 54-43, and 1:40 remaining in the fourth. After a free throw by Raley gave USI a two-point lead, the Tigers tied the game at 55 with a minute left. TSU went on to get the go-ahead score on a three-pointer with nine seconds left, as Southern Indiana’s equalizing attempts from outside did not fall.
The Screaming Eagles were led on the evening by Raley, who matched a career high with 23 points. The junior forward was 9-15 from the field and 3-5 from outside. Raley also claimed six rebounds. Brown finished with 12 points after a 3-for-3 effort from the floor and a 6-for-7 night at the foul line. USI was 22-for-60 for 36.7 percent overall and 8-for-11 for 72.7 percent at the stripe with three triples. USI outrebounded TSU 40-28 with 15 offensive rebounds that led to 10 second-chance points. Southern Indiana also had 36 points in the paint compared to 24 for Tennessee State.
Graduate guard Erica Haynes-Overton led Tennessee State with 15 points, while two other Tigers players scored in double figures. TSU was 22-for-50 for 44 percent shooting and 8-for-12 at the free-throw line with seven three-pointers.
Thursday’s result moved Southern Indiana’s record to 9-13 overall and 3-8 in the OVC. The win gave Tennessee State an 8-13 overall record and a 4-7 mark in conference play, moving ahead of USI in the OVC standings.
The Screaming Eagles continue the homestand Saturday against Morehead State at 1 p.m. USI will be celebrating Homecoming and Family Weekend on the USI campus.
VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL
VALPO TO HOST PRESEASON FAVORITES ON SATURDAY NIGHT
Drake (18-6, 9-4 MVC)
at Valparaiso (10-14, 4-9 MVC)
Game No. 25 – Saturday, Feb. 4, 6 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Indiana Pacers Power Pack dunk crew will perform at halftime on Saturday night as Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite Drake comes to town to meet the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team in a Missouri Valley Conference showdown. The Beacons will look to extend their home winning streak to three and bounce back from a heartbreaking overtime loss at Missouri State on Wednesday.
Last Time Out: Valpo led by seven with just over three minutes remaining and held a five-point edge with 1:21 on the clock, but Missouri State rallied to force overtime and eventually dominated the extra session for a 76-67 victory on Wednesday night at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Mo. The Beacons were led in scoring by Ben Krikke with 19 points.
Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Jamie Stangel (analyst)
Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App –
Twitter updates – @ValpoBasketball
Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (107-110) is in his seventh season as the head coach of the men’s basketball program in 2022-2023. Twice during his tenure, Valpo has upset Top-25 opponents, defeating Drake and Rhode Island at the ARC. Valpo has four wins over AP Top 25 teams in program history, and two have come under Lottich. In 2019-2020, Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness, the annual Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis, to reach the title game after playing in the opening round by winning three games in three days. Lottich, hired as the 22nd head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program in April 2016, graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and New Trier High School (Illinois) in 2000.
Series Notes: Drake took a slight 9-8 edge in the all-time series by winning 68-63 back on Dec. 29 in Des Moines. The Bulldogs hold a 7-4 lead in Missouri Valley Conference matchups and possess a three-game head-to-head winning streak. Valpo owns a 5-4 lead in home games against the Bulldogs including the memorable 74-57 upset on Feb. 7, 2021, Valpo’s fourth win over an AP Top 25 opponent in program history.
Dec. 29 – Drake 68, Valpo 63 (Des Moines, Iowa): Valpo put together a valiant effort against the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa, leading Drake 26-24 at halftime and twice rallying from double figures down late to stay in the game until the final horn. The Bulldogs shot 26 percent in the opening half and MVC Preseason Player of the Year Tucker DeVries was limited to five points on 1-of-5 shooting before the break, but DeVries scored 13 after halftime and Darnell Brodie finished with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting for the Bulldogs. Ben Krikke led the Beacons with 15 points on 6-of-9 from the floor.
ARC Excellence
Valpo owns a home record of 7-4 entering Saturday’s game vs. Drake with three games remaining following the battle with the Bulldogs.
That means a win on Saturday would allow Valpo to clinch a winning record at home.
This would secure the team’s 31st consecutive season with a home record of .500 or better.
Working Overtime
The 76-67 loss at Missouri State on Feb. 1 marked the team’s third overtime game of the year and first since Dec. 4.
After beating James Madison 81-79, Valpo has come up on the wrong end of both Missouri Valley Conference games that have gone beyond 40 minutes – falling 77-70 vs. Murray State on Dec. 4.
The nine-point margin of defeat was Valpo’s largest in a game that went to overtime since Jan. 2, 2015, an 89-75 setback at Oakland.
This marked the second time the Beacons and Bears have played overtime since Valpo joined The Valley. Missouri State has captured both OT affairs with the previous one coming 55-54 on Jan. 29, 2019 at the ARC.
Valpo has played nine overtime games in the last two seasons and owns a 4-5 mark. During the Matt Lottich Era, the team is 8-10 when bonus basketball is needed.
Oh So Close
On three occasions in Missouri Valley Conference play, Valpo has come extraordinarily close to pulling out a victory before going on to drop the contest. The Beacons are 4-9 in Valley action, but could easily have that record rearranged at 7-6.
First came a 77-70 overtime loss to Murray State on Dec. 4 where Valpo held a five-point lead with 5:21 left in regulation and a four-point edge with 3:03 left in overtime.
The next close call was on Jan. 4, when UNI won 69-67 on a tip-in buzzer-beater.
The Feb. 1 game at Missouri State saw Valpo lead by seven with just over three minutes remaining and by five with 1:21 on the clock before falling in overtime.
Conversely, all four of Valpo’s wins have come by seven points or more and the Beacons own an average margin of victory of 12.3 points per game in those wins.
Rebounding Roll
On Feb. 1, Valpo outrebounded Missouri State 37-36 including a 13-10 advantage on the offensive glass, the team’s fourth consecutive game outrebounding the opponent. Valpo was +1 at Illinois State, +4 at UNI and + 10 vs. Evansville.
The Beacons have held the upper hand on the glass in six of their last seven games. This marks quite the turnaround from early in the season, when Valpo was outrebounded six games in a row from the outset.
This marks the first time Valpo has won the rebounding battle in four straight games since the 2018-19 season.
Krikke Named MVC Player of the Week
Ben Krikke was tabbed Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 30 after averaging 26.0 points and 8.5 rebounds over two contests while shooting 86.7 percent from the free-throw line (13-of-15) and 61.3 percent from the field (19-of-31).
Krikke became the first Beacon this season to garner MVC Player of the Week accolades and the second to achieve an MVC weekly award as Quinton Green was Newcomer of the Week the previous week.
This was Krikke’s second career MVC Player of the Week accolade and the first by any Valpo player since his previous honor, which came during his sophomore season on Jan. 26, 2021.
After the award, Krikke had his third straight game with 19 points or more on Feb. 1 at Missouri State. That was also his fourth straight game with seven or more rebounds. Over the last three games, Krikke is averaging 23.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Krikke Goes the Distance
Ben Krikke subbed out with one second remaining in the first half on Feb. 1 at Missouri State, and that was the only breather he would receive in an overtime affair.
Krikke’s 45 minutes were the most played by a Beacon since Kevion Taylor’s 47 in a double overtime game vs. Indiana State on Feb. 5 of last season.
Krikke became the first Valpo player to see the floor in every minute of a game that went beyond regulation since Alec Peters and Shane Hammink both played all 50 minutes of a double overtime game vs. Santa Clara on Dec. 22, 2016.
Krikke was productive in those 45 minutes, scoring 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Krikke Keeps Climbing
Ben Krikke moved up another two spots on Valpo’s all-time scoring list in the Feb. 1 game at Missouri State.
He bumped Jeff Simmons (1978-82; 1,395) from the top 15 and also passed fellow Canadian and current graduate assistant Tevonn Walker (1,405) for 14th.
Entering Feb. 4 vs. Drake, Krikke has scored 1,410 career points, 14th in program history. He is 20 away from 13th (John Wolfenberg, 1970-73) and 26 away from 12th (Jim Ford, 1985-89).
Krikke cracked the top 20 on Valpo’s all-time scoring list when he scored the first basket of the game on Dec. 18 vs. Elon, and moved up to 19th on Jan. 4 vs. UNI.
Ben Bits
Ben Krikke has reached double figures in 22 of his 24 games this season including eight outputs of 20 points or more.
Krikke has scored 15+ points in 19 out of 24 contests.
Krikke has tallied double figures in 12 consecutive games and all 13 league contests this season.
Last season, Ben Krikke was one of three players in the Missouri Valley Conference to shoot 50 percent or better from the floor and 80 percent or better from the free-throw line, joining Isiaih Mosley of Missouri State and Malevy Leons of Bradley while owning the highest field-goal percentage of that elite group.
Krikke entered the season with a career field-goal percentage of 53.4, a mark that ranks seventh in program history.
Krikke had a 12-game double-figure scoring streak that was snapped in the final game of the season, the MVC Tournament quarterfinal vs. Missouri State. He totaled 22 double-figure outputs and seven performances of 20 points or more while pacing the team in scoring on 11 occasions.
After earning third team honors for the second straight year, Krikke became the first Valpo player to earn All-MVC accolades in two different seasons. The program’s last multi-time all-conference honoree was Alec Peters, who was a first-team all-Horizon League pick in each of his final three seasons, concluding in 2016-17.
He earned MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team status for the second straight year. He is the only Valpo player who has been part of the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team since the department joined the conference.
Other Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 1: Missouri State 76, Valpo 67
Ben Krikke (19), Kobe King (14) and Quinton Green (13) all scored in double figures.
Nick Edwards dished out a team-high five assists.
Valpo held a 13-10 advantage in offensive rebounding.
The 3-point shot was a bugaboo once again as Valpo shot 6-of-29 (20.7 percent).
Missouri State’s Alston Mason had a career game with 27 points and nine assists.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Own a 15-1 record in home or neutral site games but are just 3-5 in true road contests.
On a four-game winning streak including a double overtime 88-81 victory over UNI on Wednesday. The streak also features triumphs at Belmont (79-61), vs. Indiana State (70-68) and at Evansville (97-61).
Hold a 7-1 record in their last eight games with the only loss coming in overtime at Missouri State.
Led in scoring by Tucker DeVries at 18.6 points per game, while he is joined in double figures by Roman Penn’s 11.3.
Preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference.
J. Wilkins (Merrillville) and Roman Penn (Bishop Noll) both attended high school in Northwest Indiana.
Starters Cemented?
Ben Krikke, Kobe King and Quinton Green have been fixtures in the starting lineup this season as all three have started each of the first 24 games.
The other two spots rotated some earlier in the season, but Valpo seems to have found a consistent starting five with Maximus Nelson (15 starts) serving as Krikke’s front court mate.
Nick Edwards (16 total starts) has started 13 straight games at point guard.
Valpo has featured the same starting five in nine straight games.
VALPO WOMEN’S SOCCER
SOCCER ANNOUNCES PAIR OF ADDITIONS
Valpo soccer head coach John Marovich announced today the Beacons have added two more players to their squad in advance of the fall 2023 campaign. Aubrey Ramey has enrolled at Valpo for the spring semester after playing the last three seasons at DePaul, while England native Daisy Boardman will come across the pond to join the program this coming fall as a freshman.
Aubrey Ramey – 5’7” – MF – Jacksonville, Fla. – The Bolles School – DePaul – Florida Elite Soccer Academy
Ramey joins the Beacons after playing the last three seasons in the Big East for DePaul. Ramey appeared in a total of 22 matches for the Blue Demons over her three years and saw her most extensive action in 2022, when she made eight starts out of her 13 appearances and played a total of 738 minutes. A two-time Big East All-Academic Team member, Ramey will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at Valpo.
Ramey played her prep soccer at The Bolles School, helping her side to a trio of Florida Class 2A state titles. She was a Florida All-Star and All-First Coast Team member as a senior. With her club team, Ramey was a three-time national qualifier.
Ramey on why she chose Valpo: “I chose Valpo for its sense of community and competitive environment. I am so excited to call Valpo home!”
Marovich on Ramey: “Aubrey is an athletic player who brings Big East playing experience in both attacking and defensive roles. She is a person of high character and fit into our team environment immediately. Aubrey has a comfort on the ball which leads to her ability to connect passes. We are excited to have her on campus during this spring semester.”
Daisy Boardman – 5’6” – D – Warrington, England – Liverpool Academy
Boardman has been in the Liverpool system for eight years. Playing for the Liverpool U21s in the FA WSL Academy League this year, she has made 12 appearances and scored a pair of goals. Boardman will become the first player from England in program history.
Marovich on Boardman: “Daisy has many qualities, but her ability to read the game, her knowledge in how to create combination play and her passing range are a few that stand out. Her experience playing with the Liverpool U21 Academy team in the UK adds additional experience to our 2023 fall squad. Daisy can play in multiple positions, but primarily has seen action at the outside back or center back positions.”
U OF I MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL OUTLASTS BULLDOGS IN THURSDAY THRILLER
INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 7 UIndy men’s basketball team (19-2, 11-2 GLVC) survived a scare from Truman (10-12, 5-9 GLVC) on Thursday evening, using a 21-9 run down the stretch to up its winning streak to 13 with a 83-76 victory.
Kendrick Tchoua led four Greyhounds in double figures with 22 points, recording his sixth double-double of the winter. Meanwhile, Jakobie Robinson filled the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Truman shot efficiently from the field, finishing with a 53.4 percent clip and 50.0 percent (12-of-24) mark from 3-point land.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The key moment in the game came with under seven minutes remaining, as Truman built a five-point advantage before Josiah Tynes jumpstarted the emphasizing 21-9 run with a 3-pointer from the corner. From there, Jesse Bingham tallied six of the team’s eight points to give the Greyhounds the lead for good.
A jumper from TSU’s Elijah Hazekamp with 20 ticks left inched the visitors within three, but Tchoua followed with a pair from the charity stripe to ice the game. The UIndy center finished 10-of-12 from the free throw line in the win.
The Hounds led for all but 12 seconds in the opening half, scoring 15 points off 10 Bulldog turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Robinson sparked the quick start, drilling three 3-pointers in the early going, while Tchoua added 11 before the break.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Tchoua snagged 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, for his 16th career double-double. The Silver Spring, Md., native is now just 22 points from 1,000 as a Greyhound.
– Leading the Greyhounds with nearly 36 minutes of playing time, Bingham scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting.
– Robinson’s lone bucket of the second half came at an important time, as the senior pulled up from the elbow with 3:06 reading on the clock to give UIndy a 73-71 lead.
– Bruno Williams tallied half of the team’s 22 bench points on Thursday, while Aaron Etherington chipped in a pair of 3-balls in 10+ minutes.
– The Hounds’ 29 free throw attempts is the team’s most since Jan. 7 at Drury.
MORE NOTES
Hunter Strait led all scorers with 25 points, playing nearly all 40 minutes … three Greyhounds dished out five helpers, including Bingham, Robinson, and Tynes … Bulldog Dylan Peeters is the brother of former Greyhound Sean Peeters, who played for the Crimson and Grey from 2020-22.
UP NEXT
The Hounds seek revenge on Saturday when Quincy visits the south side of Indianapolis for a 3 p.m. tip. The Hawks handed UIndy its first loss of the season back in the conference opener on Nov. 26 in Quincy, Ill.
U OF I WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
HOUNDS OVERCOME SLOW START TO COLLECT STRONG WIN OVER TRUMAN
INDIANAPOLIS – Despite trailing 13-0 to start the game, the University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team battled back and took down the Truman Bulldogs on Thursday night at Nicoson Hall by a final of 75-72. The Hounds improve to 12-9 (8-5 GLVC) while the Bulldogs, who were second in the conference standing heading into the contest, fall to 15-7 (11-3 GLVC). UIndy has now won three out of the last four meetings against Truman.
Idalis Ortiz stepped up big for UIndy tonight and produced 16 points and six rebounds on 70 percent shooting from the field. Jodi Mullins (15) and Lauren With (11) also notched double figures.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Nearly five minutes had passed before the Hounds found their first bucket of the game on a turnaround jumper by Jada Patton. Before this happened, Truman was able to tally up its 13-point lead which put the squad in control to begin. Despite this early deficit, UIndy battled back with a force and was able to collect a lead of three points heading into the half. Ortiz had a pair of 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes and led the Hounds in scoring with 10.
Both teams stayed close with the other as play progressed deep into the fourth quarter. Notably, the Hounds had built a lead of seven points with under five minutes remaining which would then quickly be challenged after a 6-0 scoring run by the Bulldogs ensued shortly after. However, clutch free throws with under 15 seconds left by Mullins and Liv Becker, along with a missed 3-pointer on the last possession of the game by Truman, lifted UIndy to victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-The Hounds went 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, continuing a trend of dominance from the line.
-Nine different players for UIndy scored two or more points. Seven players had five or more points.
-Ilani Williams-Harris had a team-high four assists.
-Truman out-rebounded UIndy by four.
UP NEXT
The Hounds will return to Nicoson Hall on Saturday for a battle against Quincy. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
U OF I MEN’S TENNIS
#7 MEN’S TENNIS PICKED AS EAST FAVORITE IN GLVC POLL
LinksINDIANAPOLIS – The No. 7-ranked UIndy men’s tennis team are slotted as the favorites in the GLVC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, earning five first-place votes and 25 votes. They come into the season as the reigning Midwest Region Champions, avenging their loss in the GLVC Championship against Southwest Baptist, who happens to be the top seed in the west division.
Alongside a slew of new faces, the Greyhounds return GLVC Freshman of the Year and unanimous First Team All-GLVC selection, Edgar Destouet, along with fellow honoree Nikolaj Talimaa. Their accolades go past last season with Tom Zeuch and Destouet already having claimed the national title for doubles in the ITA fall tournament.
Coaching wise, Malik Tabet enters his ninth season after a 21-5 overall and 6-0 GLVC record in
2022.
GLVC PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL
EAST
Place School Point (1st-Place Votes)
1. Indianapolis 25 (5)
2. McKendree 21 (1)
3. Illinois Springfield 17
4. Maryville 12
5. Lewis 10
6. Missouri-St. Louis 5
WEST
Place School Point (1st-Place Votes)
1. Southwest Baptist 15 (3)
2. Drury 14 (2)
3. Rockhurst 10
4. Quincy 6
5. William Jewell 5
U OF I WOMEN’S TENNIS
WOMEN’S TENNIS VOTED EAST FAVORITE IN GLVC PRESEASON POLL
INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 8-ranked University of Indianapolis women’s tennis team was voted as the favorite to win east division of the GLVC this season. The Greyhounds made a perfect 12-0 sweep of the conference tournament last season, winning over the Southwest Baptist Bearcats. Last year’s championship extended the Greyhounds streak to three-straight conference championships with the Hounds looking to extend it to four this season.
The Greyhounds went onto turn their GLVC Championship win into a win at the NCAA Midwest Regional, eventually advancing to the NCAA semifinals. The Hounds are coached by reigning GLVC Coach of the Year, Malik Tabet, who enters his ninth season after a 21-3 overall and 6-0 GLVC record in 2022.
Also returning is GLVC Player of the Year, Anna Novikova, who was also a unanimous First Team All-GLVC selection, along with fellow honoree Maisanne Aik.
The Greyhounds received five first-place votes and 25 total points to lead the east while on the west side, Drury and SBU are tied for the top spot with three first-place votes and 23 total points each.
GLVC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
EAST
Place School Point (1st-Place Votes)
1. Indianapolis 25 (5)
2. Lewis 18 (1)
Illinois Springfield 18
4. Maryville 12
5. McKendree 11
6. Missouri-St. Louis 6
WEST
Place School Point (1st-Place Votes)
T1. Drury 23 (3)
T1. Southwest Baptist 23 (3)
3. Rockhurst 17
4. Quincy 13
5. William Jewell 8
6. Truman State 6
VINCENNES MEN’S BASKETBALL
NO. 12 TRAILBLAZERS CLAIM FOURTH-STRAIGHT WIN IN WIRE-TO-WIRE FASHION AT SHAWNEE
ULLIN, Ill. – The No. 12-ranked Vincennes University Trailblazers picked up a big Region 24 road win Thursday night after heading to Shawnee Community College and coming away with the 84-65 win.
The Trailblazers wasted little time grabbing control of this Region 24 showdown, scoring the first 16 points of the game and building a 27-8 lead midway through the first half.
Shawnee would answer back on their home floor however, cutting the VU lead down to single digits before halftime as the Blazers headed into the locker room leading 37-30 at the break.
The Saints would score the first basket out of the halftime break to cut VU’s lead down to just five, but this would be as close as Shawnee would get Thursday night as VU quickly grabbed the momentum back and built a commanding 69-47 lead late in the second half.
Shawnee would again not go away quietly as the Saints were spurred on by a late 8-0 scoring run, but ran out of steam as Vincennes picked up their fourth-straight win, going wire-to-wire to win 84-65 at Shawnee.
“I thought the start was really, really good,” VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. “It wasn’t an accident. Our guys were locked in defensively on what the game plan was and what their tendencies were. I thought Ryan Oliver and Michael Osei-Bonsu were ready to go on the offensive end of the floor. Ryan gave us that punch from the outside that we have been looking for on the road. It was great to see him get over that hump. I thought he hasn’t played as well on the road as he does at home and tonight he did.”
“We were playing well, then we went to the bench and had a couple of defensive breakdowns,” Franklin added. “Shawnee got some easy buckets off of some things that they haven’t been getting. Then the score kind of held at 12 or 14 really for the rest of the half and then we had a bad end of the first half. We just had some guys who didn’t finish and finalize some plays. We had some guys start to get beat on the screens and our bigs that were in at the time didn’t really step up and give any resistance at the rim. Then the next thing you know, it’s a seven-point game.”
“We made some adjustments at halftime as to who was out there on the floor,” Franklin said. “I thought Karyiek Dixon gave us something to start the second half with some physicality. I thought our team was more intense in the second half. They played with a little bit more of that toughness that we always talk about. I know what that is. Obviously we’ve built our reputation on that and I’m trying to get that across to these young men and they don’t really know what it is yet. So it’s constantly every day trying to get them over that line. Sometimes it’s pretty, sometimes it’s not but we have got to get across that line if we want to get done the things that we can.”
“We are in a tremendous position right now,” Franklin added. “We’re 22-2. Playing who we’ve played and are in the position that we are as a legitimate top-10 team. We are going into February with a tremendous chance of going to the National Tournament and a tremendous chance to still get a bye at Hutch. We still have a great chance of being one of those teams at the end that is playing in a Final Four. So I’m going to do everything I can to get us over that hump. I thought we got closer to that in the second half and because of that, we were able to handle a pretty tough situation.”
“Shawnee in the second half, we knew they were just going to drive it right at us,” Franklin said. “Play very physical. Grab us, press us and we were tested. There were a few times where it weighed on us but overall, we did a good job with it. Hopefully that’s a growing moment for us because we are going to have to be extremely tough, mentally, physically and emotionally to compete to beat a tremendous Logan basketball team. I think since December, Logan has probably been the best basketball team in the country. But we want to flip places with them and I thought tonight was some growing things that we can build off of going into our week of preparation.”
VU was led offensively by a breakout performance by freshman Ryan Oliver (Antioch, Tenn.) who set a new career high with 24 points, including a stellar five of eight shooting behind the three-point arc, while also grabbing five rebounds.
Freshman Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) controlled the boards from the jump and finished off a big double-double with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.
Sophomore Caleb Johnson (N. Preston, Nova Scotia) continued his streak of scoring in double-figures Thursday by picking up 14 points and seven rebounds.
“Ryan has done that at home for us this year,” Franklin said. “He’s had those types of nights. He just hasn’t put one of those together on the road. Right now it’s all about getting to that next stage with this team. That’s what’s still exciting about this team, we’ll see if it happens or not, but so many of these guys have an opportunity to go up another level or two. Because they are still new guys who haven’t been through this and haven’t done this yet.”
“Sometimes that can cause you some problems,” Franklin added. “But it also tells you that we’ve been winning at the level that we’ve been winning, that they can learn on the fly and they can still take this to another level. I thought Ryan showed that tonight. We’re learning. I thought Devawn White was a better player in the second half than the first half. I thought Kris King was kind of sleep walking when we put him in in the first half, but I thought he was better in the second half with intensity.”
“You can’t overestimate the power of real determination and focus,” Franklin said. “Just being able to grit those teeth and play with that intensity. It’s so important and you can see a difference in the players when they cross that line or they don’t. This time of year it’s so much about that and I thought we were better tonight. We are still probably not quite where we need to be to be able to beat Logan on Wednesday. But this is a growing point and over the next few days we’ve got to ratchet it up some more. Tonight is going to be very important for us if we can use it as a launching point.”
“But it was good to see us come off that long bus trip,” Franklin added. “Any time you can beat Shawnee there and they’ve won three in a row and they are playing pretty good, any time you can come down here and get a 19-point win, you’ve done some good things. In the second half we obviously got some contributions from Karyiek and Devawn that were big. Caleb, Ryan and Michael were scoring points. I thought Tasos was a little better in the start of the second half, taking the ball to the basket with some physicality and determination. He’s obviously a strong-body guy. We’ve just got to get him into that more.”
The Trailblazers will now get set for a big Region 24 matchup next Wednesday, Feb. 8 when VU hosts No. 4 John A. Logan College at the Physical Education Complex. Tip-off time next week is set for 7 p.m. eastern.
The Volunteers handed VU their first loss of the season back in December in Carterville, as VU fell 80-64. Sophomore Tasos Cook (Columbus, Ohio) finished that game with 19 points, while Caleb Johnson ended with 15.
“I thought tonight was better,” Franklin said. “I thought it was a better fight and I’m going to keep pushing that button right now. Because I think that we can be as good as anybody. Whether we are at the moment, I don’t know. But I think we are in the conversation of being one of the top teams in the country and I think people have downplayed us a little bit. I look up and see teams in front of us in the polls that I don’t understand. I think our history suggests that when we have good teams, we have good teams and this is a good team.”
“But now we want to move from being a good team, now our race is trying to be the best team,” Franklin added. “That’s a different kind of race. We’ve already proven that we are a good team. Now we’ve got to prove that we can be the best team. I think we are playing the best team, in my opinion, since December next week in John A. Logan. But at the end of the day, it’s going to be about who is the best team in March. Right now, the biggest regular season games are in February and obviously we’ve got one of those next Wednesday.”
“We need that place packed,” Franklin said. “We have earned the right to be in a big-time game. Logan has earned the right to be in this big-time game. These are two teams who have earned the right to have Final Four and National Championship discussions and to have a February game at our place, that place better be packed. It’s Vincennes. It better be loud and they should help us get over the top and we need it because this is as big a big-time game as it gets. We are not downplaying it. We are going to try and come nose to nose and when it is over, they will likely have to beat us again, or we will have to beat them again shortly after at the Region tournament.”
“But for that one night, we get an opportunity to play at the highest of highest levels and push ourselves and see where we are really at going down the stretch,” Franklin added. “It’s an opportunity to come and soak up what is going to be great college basketball. The fans should pack it. Vincennes should want to pack the house. They should want to be involved in something of that level. Multiple Division I guys all over the court. Both teams are going to play their tails off. These are National caliber teams. So hopefully everybody in the world comes out. Hopefully it’s packed to the rafters and our fans helping us through. Because we are going to need a herculean effort. But so will Logan. These are two good teams and somebody is going to have to play good to win.”
VINCENNES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
LADY BLAZERS PICK UP BIG REGION 24 ROAD WIN BEHIND BASEYILA AND THORNTON
ULLIN, Ill. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers continued their winning ways Thursday night after overcoming a slow start to pick up a 66-43 road win at Shawnee.
The Lady Blazers got off to a slow start after the long bus trip to Ullin, with the Lady Saints jumping out to an early 9-2 lead in the first quarter.
Vincennes would immediately wake up and battle back in a big way, outscoring the Saints 24-2 to roll into the halftime break holding a 28-15 lead.
VU continued this run in the second half, with an 8-0 run giving the Lady Blazers a 23-point lead in the third quarter.
The Lady Trailblazers would grow their lead to as much as 30 before the Lady Saints answered back late, but were unable to overcome the large deficit as VU finished off a very defensive-minded 66-43 win over Shawnee.
VU was led offensively by a double-double by freshman Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France) who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. This is Baseyila’s eighth double-double this season.
Sophomore Daylynn Thornton (Lafayette, Ind.) also had a big night on both ends of the floor, ending with 14 points, eight rebounds and a team-high six steals.
Sophomore Cherrelle Newsom (Indianapolis, Ind.) ended her night with 13 points including three made three’s, giving her 167 in her VU career, just five away from breaking the Lady Blazers All-Time record for three-point makes in a career.
The Lady Trailblazers controlled a majority of the game on the defensive end of the floor, ending with 16 steals as a team and holding the Lady Saints to 11 points or fewer in three quarters Thursday.
The Lady Blazers will be off this weekend as VU prepares for their Region 24 matchup with John A. Logan College at the Physical Education Complex, Wednesday, Feb. 8. Tip-off time Wednesday is 5 p.m. eastern.
Vincennes defeated the Lady Volunteers 81-62 earlier this season in Carterville behind 20 points and nine rebounds by sophomore Nyre Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.).
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
SPORTS EXTRA
NBA STANDINGS
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| W | L | PCT | CONF GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | LAST 10 | STREAK | |||
| 1 BOSTON | 37 | 15 | .712 | — | 20-6 | 17-9 | 7-1 | 21-11 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 2 MILWAUKEE | 35 | 17 | .673 | 2.0 | 22-5 | 13-12 | 7-4 | 20-13 | 8-2 | 6 W | ||
| 3 PHILADELPHIA | 33 | 17 | .660 | 3.0 | 20-8 | 13-9 | 5-3 | 19-11 | 8-2 | 1 W | ||
| 4 BROOKLYN | 31 | 20 | .608 | 5.5 | 15-8 | 16-12 | 6-5 | 21-11 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 5 CLEVELAND | 32 | 22 | .593 | 6.0 | 22-6 | 10-16 | 8-3 | 18-10 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 6 MIAMI | 29 | 24 | .547 | 8.5 | 17-9 | 12-15 | 6-3 | 13-15 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 7 NEW YORK | 28 | 25 | .528 | 9.5 | 13-14 | 15-11 | 3-7 | 19-15 | 4-6 | 1 W | ||
| 8 ATLANTA | 26 | 26 | .500 | 11.0 | 13-11 | 13-15 | 5-4 | 17-17 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 9 WASHINGTON | 24 | 26 | .480 | 12.0 | 12-10 | 12-16 | 5-3 | 13-15 | 7-3 | 6 W | ||
| 10 CHICAGO | 24 | 27 | .471 | 12.5 | 14-11 | 10-16 | 5-4 | 20-15 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 11 INDIANA | 24 | 29 | .453 | 13.5 | 16-11 | 8-18 | 3-4 | 17-14 | 1-9 | 4 L | ||
| 12 TORONTO | 23 | 30 | .434 | 14.5 | 15-12 | 8-18 | 4-9 | 15-19 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 13 ORLANDO | 20 | 32 | .385 | 17.0 | 13-13 | 7-19 | 2-7 | 10-22 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 14 CHARLOTTE | 15 | 38 | .283 | 22.5 | 7-16 | 8-22 | 5-6 | 8-25 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 15 DETROIT | 13 | 39 | .250 | 24.0 | 6-19 | 7-20 | 0-8 | 5-23 | 2-8 | 2 L | ||
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| W | L | PCT | CONF GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | LAST 10 | STREAK | |||
| 1 DENVER | 36 | 16 | .692 | — | 24-4 | 12-12 | 9-4 | 27-10 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 2 MEMPHIS | 32 | 20 | .615 | 4.0 | 21-4 | 11-16 | 6-2 | 15-16 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 3 SACRAMENTO | 29 | 21 | .580 | 6.0 | 16-11 | 13-10 | 5-5 | 17-10 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 4 DALLAS | 28 | 25 | .528 | 8.5 | 19-9 | 9-16 | 7-2 | 20-12 | 4-6 | 2 W | ||
| 5 LA CLIPPERS | 29 | 26 | .527 | 8.5 | 14-11 | 15-15 | 4-4 | 17-15 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 6 MINNESOTA | 28 | 26 | .519 | 9.0 | 19-11 | 9-15 | 6-6 | 19-17 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 7 PHOENIX | 27 | 26 | .509 | 9.5 | 19-9 | 8-17 | 8-0 | 20-14 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 8 UTAH | 27 | 26 | .509 | 9.5 | 18-9 | 9-17 | 4-5 | 19-15 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 9 GOLDEN STATE | 26 | 26 | .500 | 10.0 | 19-6 | 7-20 | 4-4 | 15-11 | 5-5 | 2 L | ||
| 10 NEW ORLEANS | 26 | 27 | .491 | 10.5 | 17-9 | 9-18 | 7-4 | 16-14 | 0-10 | 10 L | ||
| 11 PORTLAND | 25 | 26 | .490 | 10.5 | 14-11 | 11-15 | 5-7 | 18-15 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 12 LA LAKERS | 25 | 28 | .472 | 11.5 | 13-12 | 12-16 | 1-9 | 12-17 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 13 OKLAHOMA CITY | 24 | 27 | .471 | 11.5 | 15-11 | 9-16 | 4-6 | 11-15 | 6-4 | 2 L | ||
| 14 SAN ANTONIO | 14 | 38 | .269 | 22.0 | 9-20 | 5-18 | 2-7 | 5-30 | 1-9 | 7 L | ||
| 15 HOUSTON | 13 | 38 | .255 | 22.5 | 8-17 | 5-21 | 1-8 | 7-27 | 3-7 | 2 W |
NHL STANDINGS
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | ROW | GF | GA | HOME | ROAD | L10 | ||
| 1 BOSTON BRUINS | 51 | 39 | 7 | 5 | 83 | 37 | 192 | 111 | 22-1-3 | 17-6-2 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 CAROLINA HURRICANES | 51 | 34 | 9 | 8 | 76 | 31 | 173 | 136 | 17-5-2 | 17-4-6 | 9-0-1 | |
| 3 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | 52 | 31 | 13 | 8 | 70 | 31 | 175 | 141 | 20-5-4 | 11-8-4 | 5-4-1 | |
| 4 NEW JERSEY DEVILS | 49 | 32 | 13 | 4 | 68 | 31 | 171 | 131 | 13-10-2 | 19-3-2 | 8-1-1 | |
| 5 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING | 48 | 32 | 15 | 1 | 65 | 31 | 175 | 141 | 20-4-1 | 12-11-0 | 8-2-0 | |
| 6 NEW YORK RANGERS | 49 | 27 | 14 | 8 | 62 | 25 | 157 | 129 | 13-9-4 | 14-5-4 | 6-2-2 | |
| 7 WASHINGTON CAPITALS | 53 | 27 | 20 | 6 | 60 | 26 | 166 | 152 | 14-8-3 | 13-12-3 | 4-6-0 | |
| 8 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS | 49 | 24 | 16 | 9 | 57 | 23 | 161 | 153 | 14-6-4 | 10-10-5 | 4-3-3 | |
| 9 BUFFALO SABRES | 50 | 26 | 20 | 4 | 56 | 25 | 186 | 170 | 11-13-2 | 15-7-2 | 6-2-2 | |
| 10 NEW YORK ISLANDERS | 52 | 25 | 22 | 5 | 55 | 25 | 148 | 144 | 15-9-2 | 10-13-3 | 3-5-2 | |
| 11 FLORIDA PANTHERS | 52 | 24 | 22 | 6 | 54 | 23 | 178 | 183 | 13-7-3 | 11-15-3 | 5-3-2 | |
| 12 OTTAWA SENATORS | 50 | 24 | 23 | 3 | 51 | 23 | 151 | 159 | 14-11-1 | 10-12-2 | 6-4-0 | |
| 13 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS | 51 | 21 | 21 | 9 | 51 | 21 | 142 | 162 | 10-12-2 | 11-9-7 | 5-3-2 | |
| 14 DETROIT RED WINGS | 48 | 21 | 19 | 8 | 50 | 20 | 145 | 160 | 12-10-3 | 9-9-5 | 5-4-1 | |
| 15 MONTREAL CANADIENS | 51 | 20 | 27 | 4 | 44 | 16 | 134 | 189 | 11-14-1 | 9-13-3 | 4-5-1 | |
| 16 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS | 51 | 15 | 32 | 4 | 34 | 14 | 131 | 198 | 11-15-2 | 4-17-2 | 3-5-2 | |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | ROW | GF | GA | HOME | ROAD | L10 | ||
| 1 DALLAS STARS | 51 | 28 | 13 | 10 | 66 | 27 | 173 | 133 | 13-5-6 | 15-8-4 | 4-2-4 | |
| 2 SEATTLE KRAKEN | 49 | 29 | 15 | 5 | 63 | 29 | 177 | 151 | 13-10-3 | 16-5-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 3 WINNIPEG JETS | 52 | 32 | 19 | 1 | 65 | 32 | 166 | 137 | 18-8-0 | 14-11-1 | 5-5-0 | |
| 4 LOS ANGELES KINGS | 53 | 28 | 18 | 7 | 63 | 24 | 173 | 183 | 14-9-2 | 14-9-5 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS | 51 | 29 | 18 | 4 | 62 | 26 | 160 | 148 | 14-13-0 | 15-5-4 | 2-6-2 | |
| 6 MINNESOTA WILD | 48 | 27 | 17 | 4 | 58 | 23 | 151 | 138 | 15-8-1 | 12-9-3 | 5-4-1 | |
| 7 EDMONTON OILERS | 50 | 28 | 18 | 4 | 60 | 28 | 187 | 162 | 13-11-3 | 15-7-1 | 7-1-2 | |
| 8 COLORADO AVALANCHE | 48 | 27 | 18 | 3 | 57 | 23 | 151 | 133 | 13-9-3 | 14-9-0 | 7-3-0 | |
| 9 CALGARY FLAMES | 50 | 24 | 17 | 9 | 57 | 23 | 157 | 152 | 14-9-2 | 10-8-7 | 5-3-2 | |
| 10 NASHVILLE PREDATORS | 48 | 24 | 18 | 6 | 54 | 22 | 137 | 141 | 14-7-3 | 10-11-3 | 6-4-0 | |
| 11 ST. LOUIS BLUES | 51 | 23 | 25 | 3 | 49 | 20 | 156 | 185 | 10-12-2 | 13-13-1 | 3-7-0 | |
| 12 VANCOUVER CANUCKS | 49 | 20 | 26 | 3 | 43 | 17 | 165 | 193 | 10-13-1 | 10-13-2 | 3-7-0 | |
| 13 SAN JOSE SHARKS | 51 | 15 | 25 | 11 | 41 | 14 | 157 | 196 | 5-12-7 | 10-13-4 | 3-4-3 | |
| 14 ARIZONA COYOTES | 50 | 16 | 28 | 6 | 38 | 14 | 131 | 177 | 10-8-2 | 6-20-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 15 ANAHEIM DUCKS | 50 | 16 | 29 | 5 | 37 | 13 | 125 | 205 | 9-13-1 | 7-16-4 | 4-5-1 | |
| 16 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS | 48 | 15 | 29 | 4 | 34 | 15 | 118 | 176 | 9-16-2 | 6-13-2 | 6-4-0 |
FOOTBALL HISTORY
FEBRUARY 3, 1876 – ALBERT SPALDING AND J WALKER SPALDING INVESTED $800 THAT THEIR MOTHER HAD GIVEN TO THEM AND STARTED A SPORTING GOODS COMPANY CALLED A.G. SPALDING AND BRO. ACCORDING TO A STORY ON COXBLUE.COM THE CHICAGO-BASED SPORTS STORE THE BROTHERS OWNED OFFERED HIGH-QUALITY GOODS THAT OTHER MANUFACTURERS FAILED TO MATCH. ALBERT HAD BEEN A PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER EARLIER IN HIS ADULTHOOD PLAYING FOR THE ROCKFORD PIONEERS AND ALSO WAS KNOWN TO HAVE PITCHED FOR THE BOSTON RED STOCKINGS AND THEN MOVED ON TO COACH THE PITCHERS ON THE CHICAGO WHITE STOCKINGS. ALFRED’S EQUIPMENT WAS WHAT SET HIM APART FROM THE REST OF THE LEAGUE. THE COMPANY’S WEBSITE NOTES THAT SPALDING WAS THE FIRST PLAYER TO WEAR A BASEBALL GLOVE AND WAS WIDELY CONSIDERED ONE OF THE FEW WHO WASN’T BOOED BY THE CROWDS BECAUSE OF HIS GEAR. THE COMPANY STARTED BY MANUFACTURING THE FIRST OFFICIAL BASEBALL FOR MLB THEN MOVED ON TO MAKE THE OFFICIAL TENNIS BALL, BASKETBALL, GOLF BALL AND FOOTBALL.
FEBRUARY 3, 1991 – THE NFL PRO BOWL FOR THE 1990 SEASON WAS PLAYED AT ALOHA STADIUM IN HONOLULU, HAWAII. THE GAME WAS AN ENTERTAINING CLOSE MATCH UP AS THE AFC EDGED OUT THE NFC, 23-21. BUFFALO BILLS QUARTERBACK JIM KELLY, WAS THE GAME’S MOST VALUABLE PLAYER.
FEBRUARY 3, 2002 – LOUISIANA SUPERDOME, NEW ORLEANS – SUPER BOWL XXXVI WAS A GREAT GAME. THE ST. LOUIS RAMS WERE THE GREATEST SHOW ON TURF WITH KURT WARNER SLINGING THE BALL TO WEAPONS SUCH AS TORRY HOLT, MARSHALL FAULK, RICKY PROEHL AND ISAAC BRUCE. THE RAMS WERE HEAVY BETTING FAVORITES AGAINST THE PATRIOTS WHO CAME IN WITH A NO NAME SECOND YEAR QUARTERBACK NAMED TOM BRADY THAT STEPPED IN FOR AN INJURED DREW BLEDSOE EARLIER IN THE SEASON. THE GAME STARTED OFF AS THE ODDS MAKERS HAD PREDICTED AS THE RAMS JUMPED OUT TO AN EARLY 3-0 LEAD AND WERE MOVING THE BALL AGAIN UNTIL NEW ENGLAND’S TY LAW PICKED OFF A PASS AND TOOK IT 47 YARDS FOR SIX POINTS. THE NEXT DRIVE AGAIN THE RAMS WERE MOVING THE BALL BUT PROEHL FUMBLED AFTER A BIG CATCH AND THE PATS WERE BACK IN BUSINESS AGAIN. ST LOUIS ACCORDING TO A PATRIOTS.COM ARTICLE, OUT GAINED NEW ENGLAND 427 YARDS TO 267 BUT BEING PLUS THREE ON THE TURNOVER MARGIN HELPED THE PATRIOTS STAY IN THE GAME. IT CAME DOWN RIGHT TO THE END WHEN ADAM VIATIERI KNOCKED THROUGH A 48 YARD FIELD GOAL WITH 0:00 ON THE CLOCK TO PUT NEW ENGLAND OVER THE ST. LOUIS RAMS, 20-17 IN A THRILLER. IT WAS A YOUNG TOM BRADY WHO WAS SELECTED AS THE GAME’S MVP.
FEBRUARY 3, 2008 – UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX STADIUM, GLENDALE, ARIZONA – AT SUPER BOWL XLII THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WERE MUCH MORE ESTABLISHED NOW AS A PERENNIAL POWER IN THE NFL. THE PATRIOTS CAME INTO THE SUPER BOWL WITH AN UNSTAINED 16-0 RECORD AND THEY FACED A 10-6 TEAM IN THE NEW YORK GIANTS PER AN ESPN.COM ARTICLE. AS A MATTER OF FACT THE TWO TEAMS HAD MET IN WEEK 17 IN A GAME THAT MEANT EVERYTHING FOR THE GIANTS AND WAS BUT A PLAYOFF WARM UP FOR NEW ENGLAND AND THE PATRIOTS WON BY 3 POINTS IN NEW YORK. CERTAINLY NO ONE COULD EXPECT THE G-MEN TO WIN THIS GAME, COULD THEY? WELL THERE IS A REASON THEY PLAY THE GAME, BECAUSE THERE ARE PRO PLAYERS ON BOTH TEAMS. THE GIANTS PUT ON A CRAZY PRESSURE GAME ON TOM BRADY ALL DAY AND SACKED HIM FIVE TIMES WHILE THE GIANTS OFFENSE HAD SOME REMARKABLE PLAYS THEMSELVES TO KEEP THE GAME CLOSE. IT ALL CAME DOWN TO THE END AS MOST GREAT GAMES DO. THE PATRIOTS TOOK THE LEAD 14-10 WITH 2:42 REMAINING WHEN RANDY MOSS HAULED IN A 6 YARD PASS FROM TOM BRADY FOR A SCORE. ELI MANNING THEN DROVE HIS TEAM DOWN THE FIELD AFTER GETTING THE BALL ON THEIR OWN 17-YARD LINE WITH 2:39 LEFT AND MARCHED 83 YARDS DOWN THE FIELD. IN THE GAME’S MOST MEMORABLE PLAY, ON 3RD DOWN AND LONG , AS MANNING PLAYED HOUDINI AND ESCAPED AN AGGRESSIVE PATRIOTS PASS RUSH TO LAUNCH A STRIKE TO WR DAVID TYREE WHO MADE THE FAMOUS “HELMET CATCH.” IT WAS A THING OF BEAUTY, A LEAPING ONE-HANDED CATCH PINNING THE FOOTBALL WITH HIS RIGHT HAND TO THE CROWN OF HIS HELMET FOR A 32-YARD FIRST DOWN CONVERSION. A FEW PLAYS LATER, FACING 3 AND 11, ELI FOUND WIDE RECEIVER PLAXICO BURRESS FOR THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN ON A 13-YARD RECEPTION WITH 35 SECONDS REMAINING. THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS DEFEATED THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 17-14. THE GAME’S MVP WAS ELI MANNING.
FEBRUARY 3, 2013 – MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM, NEW ORLEANS – SUPER BOWL XLVII WAS MEMORABLE FOR A COUPLE REASONS BEFORE THE GAME EVEN STARTED. FIRST IT MATCHED A FIRST FOR THE NFL AS THE TWO OPPOSING HEAD COACHES WERE BROTHERS. YES JOHN HARBAUGH LED HIS BALTIMORE RAVENS AGAINST BROTHER JIM HARBAUGH’S SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS. THE SECOND ITEM WAS THAT THE POWER WENT OUT AT THE STADIUM CAUSING A DELAY IN PLAY. THE GAME WAS A GOOD ONE TOO AS BALTIMORE STORMED OUT TO A 21-6 HALFTIME LEAD ONLY TO SEE THE NINERS RALLY BACK IN THE THIRD QUARTER. THE 49ERS CUT THE LEAD TO 2 WITH JUST UNDER TEN MINUTES REMAINING AS A TWO POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT FAILED TO TIE THE SCORE. THE BALTIMORE RAVENS HELD ON AND DEFEATED THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 34-31. THE MVP OF THE GAME WAS QUARTERBACK JOE FLACCO OF BALTIMORE WHO ACCORDING TO THE PFR THREW FOR 287 YARDS AND 3 TOUCHDOWNS.
FEBRUARY 3, 2019 – MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM, ATLANTA – AT SUPER BOWL LIII THE LA RAMS MET UP WITH THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS TO SEE WHO THE TOP TEAM FROM THE 2018 SEASON WOULD BE. THE DEFENSES WERE PREVALENT AS BOTH OFFENSES WERE MET WITH STONE WALLS IN WHAT WOULD BE THE LOWEST SCORING SUPER BOWL TO DATE PER ESPN.COM. THE PATRIOTS SONY MICHEL WOULD SCORE THE GAME’S LONE TD ON A 2 YARD PLUNGE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER AS THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS BEAT LOS ANGELES RAMS, 13-3. PATRIOT WIDE RECEIVER JULIAN EDELMAN CAUGHT 10 BALLS FOR 141 YARDS TO EARN THE MVP HONORS AND GIVE NEW ENGLAND ITS 6TH SUPER BOWL VICTORY.
FEBRUARY 3 FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS
FEBRUARY 3, 1940 – RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – FRAN TARKENTON THE MOBILE HALL OF FAME QUARTERBACK FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, THE NEW YORK GIANTS AND MINNESOTA VIKINGS WAS BORN.
FEBRUARY 3, 1945 – EVANSVILLE, INDIANA – PURDUE UNIVERSITY AND MIAMI DOLPHINS HALL OF FAME QUARTERBACK, BOB GRIESE WAS BORN.
FEBRUARY 3, 1956 – DALLAS, TEXAS – ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY’S BRILLIANT WIDE RECEIVER JOHN J J JEFFERSON WAS BORN. THOUGH PLAYING OUT WEST, AWAY FROM THE SPOTLIGHT OF THE EASTERN TEAMS J.J. EARNED A SELECTION AS A 1977 CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICAN. THE NFF SAYS THAT JEFFERESON GARNERED THE EYE OF THE NATIONAL MEDIA WHEN ASU WAS TRAILING LATE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE ARIZONA GAME. JEFFERSON STRETCHED HIS BODY OUT FLAT DIVING TOWARD A PASS AND, COMPLETELY HORIZONTAL, REELED IT IN FOR A TD. IT WENT DOWN IN THE ANNALS OF SUN DEVIL LORE KNOWN SIMPLY AS “THE CATCH,” THE TOUCHDOWN HELPED RALLY ASU AS THEY PRESERVED AN UNDEFEATED SEASON AND WENT ON TO A VICTORY OVER NEBRASKA IN THE FIESTA BOWL AND A NUMBER TWO NATIONAL RANKING AS THE NATION’S ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM. THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION SELECTED JOHN JEFFERSON FOR ENTRANCE INTO THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME IN 2002. THE SAN DIEGO CHARGERS SELECTED JEFFERSON AS THE FOURTH PLAYER TAKEN IN THE NFL DRAFT. IN THE EIGHT SEASONS HE PLAYED IN THE LEAGUE HE WAS ELECTED TO FOUR PRO BOWLS.
BASEBALL HISTORY
1886 FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER ALBERT SPALDING BEGINS A SPORTING GOODS COMPANY WITH $800. THE FUTURE HALL OF FAMER WILL BECOME THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FIRST OFFICIAL BASEBALL, ADDING TENNIS, BASKETBALL, GOLF, AND FOOTBALLS TO HIS PRODUCT LINE.
1938 THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SUSPENDS LOU BOUDREAU FOR TAKING ILLEGAL PAYMENTS FROM THE INDIANS. THE 19-YEAR-OLD HOOPSTER GOES ON TO HAVE A 15-YEAR HALL OF FAME BASEBALL CAREER IN THE BIG LEAGUES AS A PLAYER-MANAGER FOR CLEVELAND AND THE RED SOX, AND, AS A BROADCASTER, HE WILL BE TRADED TO THE CUBS BY RADIO STATION WGN TO BECOME THE TEAM’S SKIPPER.
1942 AT A MEETING TO DETERMINE NEW GUIDELINES NECESSITATED BY THE US INVOLVEMENT IN WWII, THE MAJOR LEAGUE OWNERS VOTE TO ALLOW EACH CLUB TO PLAY 14-NIGHT GAMES, ALLOCATING THE SENATORS 21 CONTESTS DUE TO THE MANY GOVERNMENT WORKERS IN WASHINGTON, DC METRO AREA. THE REGULATION INCLUDES A PROVISION THAT NO INNING WILL START AFTER 12:50 AM DURING THE EVENING TILTS.
1957 AT A NEW YORK BBWAA MEETING, WALTER O’MALLEY PASSES A NOTE TO CUBS OWNER PHIL WRIGLEY, WHO CONTROLS LA’S TERRITORIAL RIGHTS, OFFERING BROOKLYN’S TEXAS LEAGUE TEAM IN FORT WORTH IN RETURN FOR THE CUBS’ LOS ANGELES PCL MINOR LEAGUE FRANCHISE. THE SWAP OF FARM TEAMS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON FEBRUARY 21ST, CLEARING THE DODGERS’ PATH TO MOVE TO THE WEST COAST.
1961 CHARLIE FINLEY DOUSES AN OLD SCHOOL BUS BEARING THE SIGN “THE KANSAS CITY-TO-NEW YORK SHUTTLE” WITH GASOLINE AND SETS IT ON FIRE IN THE LEFT FIELD PARKING LOT OF MUNICIPAL STADIUM. AS THE VEHICLE BECOMES ENGULFED IN FLAMES, THE NEW OWNER OF THE A’S TELLS REPORTERS THE STUNT SYMBOLIZES THE TEAM’S END OF SENDING TALENTED YOUNG PLAYERS TO THE YANKEES IN EXCHANGE FOR MAJOR LEAGUERS WELL PAST THEIR PRIME, A PRACTICE DEEPLY RESENTED BY THE KANSAS CITY FANS.
1975 THE SPECIAL VETERANS COMMITTEE SELECTS SECOND BASEMAN BILLY HERMAN (CUBS, DODGERS, BRAVES, AND PIRATES), SKIPPER BUCKY HARRIS (SENATORS, TIGERS, RED SOX, PHILLIES, AND YANKEES) AND OUTFIELDER EARL AVERILL (INDIANS, TIGERS, AND BRAVES) TO THE HALL OF FAME. AN OUTSPOKEN AVERILL HAD INFORMED HIS FAMILY ABOUT DECLINING THE HONOR IF HE WAS AN INDUCTEE POSTHUMOUSLY; FORTUNATELY, HE WAS ENSHRINED IN COOPERSTOWN EIGHT YEARS BEFORE HIS PASSING.
1977 THE HALL OF FAME’S SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE NEGRO LEAGUES SELECTS CUBAN NATIVES JOHN HENRY LLOYD AND MARTIN DIHIGO, PREVIOUSLY ACKNOWLEDGED IN MEXICO, CUBA, VENEZUELA, AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FOR HIS OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT INCLUDED PLAYING ALL NINE POSITIONS. POP LLOYD ENDED HIS 27-YEAR CAREER WITH A BATTING AVERAGE OF .343 WHILE BUILDING A REPUTATION AS THE GREATEST SHORTSTOP IN THE HISTORY OF THE NEGRO LEAGUES
1978 UNDER THE FINANCIAL REORGANIZATION OF THE CLUB, FJ ‘STEVE’ O’NEILL, A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF CLEVELAND, BECOMES THE PRINCIPAL OWNER OF THE INDIANS. THE TRUCKING MAGNATE WAS ONCE A LIMITED PARTNER OF THE TRIBE BUT SOLD HIS INDIANS’ INTEREST IN THE TEAM IN 1973 TO BECOME PART OF GEORGE STEINBRENNER’S SYNDICATE THAT BOUGHT THE YANKEES.
1979 THE TWINS TRADE PERENNIAL ALL-STAR AND BATTING CHAMP ROD CAREW TO THE ANGELS FOR OUTFIELDERS KEN LANDREAUX AND DAVE ENGLE AND PITCHERS PAUL HARTZELL AND BRAD HAVENS. THE FUTURE HALL OF FAMER WILL HIT .314 DURING HIS SEVEN SEASONS WITH THE HALOS.
1982 THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUES SUSPENDS MINOR LEAGUE CATCHER ANGEL RODRIGUEZ FOR A YEAR. THE ALEXANDRIA BACKSTOP, WHO MAINTAINS HIS INNOCENCE, IS PENALIZED FOR TIPPING OFF OPPOSING LATIN AMERICAN BATTERS IN SPANISH OF THE UPCOMING PITCH ABOUT TO BE THROWN IN CAROLINA LEAGUE CONTESTS.
1987 THE EXPOS TRADE TOP RELIEVER JEFF REARDON AND BACKSTOP TOM NIETO TO THE TWINS FOR PITCHER NEAL HEATON, CATCHER JEFF REED, AND TWO MINOR LEAGUERS. MINNESOTA’S NEW CLOSER WILL AVERAGE NEARLY 35 SAVES EACH SEASON DURING HIS THREE YEARS WITH THE CLUB, INCLUDING 42 DURING HIS ALL-STAR CAMPAIGN IN 1988.
1989 THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CHOOSES BILL WHITE TO BE THE CIRCUIT’S PRESIDENT, REPLACING BART GIAMATTI, LEAVING THE POST TO BECOME THE COMMISSIONER OF BASEBALL. THE APPOINTMENT MAKES THE FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE FIRST BASEMAN AND YANKEE BROADCASTER THE HIGHEST-RANKING BLACK EXECUTIVE IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS.
1993 MARGE SCHOTT IS SUSPENDED FOR ONE YEAR AND FINED $25,000 BY A COMMITTEE OF HER MAJOR-LEAGUE PEERS FOR BRINGING “DISREPUTE AND EMBARRASSMENT” TO THE NATIONAL PASTIME. THE 64-YEAR-OLD WILL ALSO BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND AND COMPLETE MULTI-CULTURAL SENSITIVITY TRAINING PROGRAMS DUE TO THE NUMEROUS RACIAL AND ETHNIC REMARKS SHE ALLEGEDLY MADE AS THE REDS’ OWNER.
1994 JODY REED AGREES TO A MINOR-LEAGUE CONTRACT FOR UNDISCLOSED TERMS WITH THE BREWERS AFTER REJECTING A THREE-YEAR, $7.8 MILLION OFFER TO STAY WITH THE DODGERS. IN NOVEMBER, LA PULLED THEIR PROPOSAL TO THE 31-YEAR-OLD INFIELDER, WHO WILL NOW GO TO SPRING TRAINING WITH MILWAUKEE AS A NON-ROSTER PLAYER.
1998 THE YANKEES ANNOUNCE BRIAN CASHMAN WILL REPLACE BOB WATSON, WHO RECENTLY RESIGNED AS THE TEAM’S GENERAL MANAGER. DURING WATSON’S BRIEF 2+ YEAR TENURE, THE BRONX BOMBERS WON THEIR FIRST WORLD SERIES SINCE 1978.
1999 THE METS TELL A SURPRISED TIM MCCARVER THAT HE WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO THE TEAM’S BROADCAST BOOTH. THE FRANCHISE’S PITCHING LEGEND TOM SEAVER, WHO WAS IN THE TELEVISION BOOTH FOR THE YANKEES FROM 1989 TO 1993, WILL REPLACE THE HIGHLY REGARDED BUT OUTSPOKEN 57-YEAR-OLD BROADCASTER, WHO SPENT 16 YEARS WITH THE TEAM DOING LOCAL TELECASTS.
2002 YANKEE CATCHER JORGE POSADA (.277, 22, 95) SIGNS A FIVE-YEAR, $51 MILLION CONTRACT WITH A CLUB OPTION FOR A SIXTH SEASON. THE 30-YEAR-OLD BRONX BOMBER BACKSTOP, WITH AN AVERAGE ANNUAL VALUE OF MORE THAN $10 MILLION, IS THE SECOND-HIGHEST AMONG MAJOR LEAGUE CATCHERS, TRAILING ONLY THE RECEIVER MIKE PIAZZA, WHO SIGNED A SEVEN-YEAR, $91 MILLION DEAL WITH THE METS IN 1998 THAT AVERAGES $13 MILLION ANNUALLY.
2008 ELI MANNING LEADS THE GIANTS TO AN UPSET VICTORY OVER THE PREVIOUSLY UNDEFEATED PATRIOTS, MAKING IT THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR A MANNING HAS BEEN THE QUARTERBACK FOR THE VICTORIOUS NFL SUPER BOWL TEAM. ELI AND PEYTON, WHO QBS FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, JOIN A SELECT GROUP OF BROTHERS WHO HAVE WON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES IN BACK-TO-BACK YEARS THAT INCLUDE LIVAN (MARLINS, 1997) AND ORLANDO HERNANDEZ (1998, YANKEES), IRISH (GIANTS, 1922), AND BOB MEUSEL (YANKEES, 1923), AND BUBBA (COLTS, 1970) AND TODY SMITH (COWBOYS, 1971).
2009 OLIVER PEREZ AGREES TO A $36 MILLION, THREE-YEAR DEAL TO STAY WITH THE METS. THE 29-YEAR-OLD INCONSISTENT SOUTHPAW, WHO HAS POSTED A 26-20 RECORD WITH NEW YORK SINCE BEING OBTAINED FROM PITTSBURGH DURING THE 2006 SEASON, WILL BE PART OF THE TEAM’S STARTING ROTATION.
2009 GARRETT ATKINS (.286, 21, 99) AVOIDS ARBITRATION, AGREEING TO A ONE-YEAR DEAL WITH THE ROCKIES. THE 29-YEAR-OLD THIRD BASEMAN’S $7.05 MILLION CONTRACT MAKES HIM THE SECOND-HIGHEST-PAID PLAYER ON THE TEAM, TRAILING ONLY TODD HELTON.
2009 JUSTIN VERLANDER (11-17, 4.84) AGREES TO A ONE-YEAR DEAL WORTH $3,675,000 TO STAY WITH THE TIGERS, A DRAMATIC INCREASE FROM LAST SEASON. THE 2006 AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR’S ORIGINAL FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT, WHICH SLATED THE RIGHT-HANDER FOR A $600,000 SALARY IN 2009, COULD BE TERMINATED IF HE HAD ENOUGH SERVICE TIME TO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR ARBITRATION.
2009 RICKIE WEEKS (.234, 14, 89) AVOIDS ARBITRATION WITH THE BREWERS, AGREEING TO A $2.45 MILLION, ONE-YEAR DEAL. THE 26-YEAR-OLD SECOND BASEMAN, WHO HAS BEEN INJURY-PRONE OVER HIS FIRST FIVE SEASONS WITH THE BREW CREW, CAN EARN MORE WITH PERFORMANCE BONUSES BASED ON PLATE APPEARANCES.
2010 CASEY KOTCHMAN AND THE MARINERS, WHO RECENTLY ACQUIRED THE FIRST BASEMAN IN A TRADE WITH BOSTON FOR BILL HALL, COME TO TERMS ON A ONE-YEAR DEAL WORTH $3,517,500. THE 26-YEAR-OLD SLICK-FIELDING INFIELDER HAS NOT MADE AN ERROR IN HIS LAST 1,584 CHANCES, COVERING 185 GAMES.
2011 A LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY VICTIMS OF BERNIE MADOFF NAMES FRED WILPON AND SAUL KATZ, CONTENDING THE METS OWNERS ENRICHED THEMSELVES WITH MANY YEARS OF PROFITABLE INVESTING IN THE PONZI SCHEME WHILE IGNORING MANY WARNINGS THAT THE PAYOFFS MIGHT HAVE BEEN FRAUDULENT. SPECULATION CONCERNING THE TEAM’S SALE TO MEET THE FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS CAUSED BY A POSSIBLE $1 BILLION SETTLEMENT HAS CIRCULATED IN THE SPORTS AND BANKING INDUSTRIES.
2012 THE CUBS AND MATT GARZA AVOID ARBITRATION WHEN THEY AGREE TO A ONE-YEAR, $9.5 MILLION DEAL. THE 28-YEAR-OLD RIGHT-HANDER POSTED A 10-10 RECORD AND A 3.32 EARNED RUN AVERAGE LAST YEAR, HIS FIRST SEASON WITH THE TEAM.
SPORTS IN NUMBERS
21 – 29 – 44 – 12- 22 -10 -11
FEBRUARY 3, 1942 – IT MAY SOUND ODD TO US TODAY BUT ON THAT DAY BASEBALL OWNERS AGREED TO PERMIT EACH CLUB UP TO 14 NIGHT GAMES DURING THE 1942 SEASON.
FEBRUARY 3, 1976 – AT THE NBA’S 26TH EDITION OF THE ALL-STAR GAME PLAYED AT THE OLD SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA, THE EAST SQUAD DEFEATED THEIR WEST COUNTERPARTS, 123-109 THE GAMES MVP WAS POINT GUARD DAVE BING OF THE WASHINGTON BULLETS WHO WORE NUMBER 21 THAT SEASON FOR HIS TEAM. BING WAS THE 1966-67 SEASONS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, WAS ALSO A 7-TIME ALL-STAR WHO MADE IT TO ALL-NBA STATUS 3 TIMES
FEBRUARY 3, 1979 – THE MINNESOTA TWINS AND CALIFORNIA ANGELS PULLED OFF A MAJOR TRADE ON THIS DAY. THE TWINS SENT STAR BALLPLAYER ROD CAREW TO THE HALOS FOR FOUR PLAYERS IN THIS BLOCKBUSTER DEAL. CAREW WORE NUMBER 29 FOR HIS ENTIRE CARER IN THE MLB. HE WAS A LEAGUE MVP, ROOKIE OF THE YEAR IN 1967 AND MADE IT TO THE PLAY ONM THE ALL-STAR GAME AN AMAZING 17 TIMES. THE HALL OF FAME INFIELDER HLD A .328 BATTING AVERAGE AND STOLE 353 BASES IN HIS CAREER..
FEBRUARY 3, 1980 – 30TH NBA ALL-STAR GAME WHICH WAS PLAYED AT THE CAPITAL CENTRE, LANDOVER, MARYLAND. THE TEAM FROM THE EAST BEAT THE WEST, 144-136 IN AN OVERTIME THRILLER. THE GAME’S MVP WAS GEORGE GERVIN WHO PLAYED WITH THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS THAT SEASON AS A STRONG FORWARD WHO WORE THE NUMBER 44. THE ICEMAN WAS AN NBA 4-TIME SCORING CHAMP THAT EARNED A SPOT ON 12 DIFFERENT ALL-STAR SQUADS. HE WAS ALSO A 2-TIME ALL-ABA PLAYER AND 7-TIME ALL-NBA.
FEBRUARY 3, 1991 – NFL PRO BOWL MVP WAS QB JIM KELLY OF THE BUFFALO BILLS WHO WORE NUMBER 12.
FEBRUARY 3, 1998 – FLORIDA PANTHER DINO CICCARELLI, WHO SPORTED THE NUMBER 22 BECAME 9TH NHL PLAYER TO SCORE 600 CAREER GOALS IN HIS CAREER. HE DID IT IN DRAMATIC FASHION TOO AS THE RIGHT WINGER SLAPPED HOME THE TYING GOAL LATE IN THE THIRD TO HELP THE PANTJERS EARN A 1 ALL TIE WITH THE DETROIT REDWINGS.
FEBRUARY 3, 2002 – NUMBER 12, TOM BRADY WINS THE SUPER BOWL XXXVI MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD AS HE LEADS THE PATRIOTS TO A STUNNING 20-17 WIN OVER THE RAMS.
FEBRUARY 3, 2008 – ELI MANNING, NUMBER 10 TAKES HOME MVP HONORS IN SUPER BOWL XLII AS THE NEW YORK GIANTS UPSET THE PATRIOTS BID FOR AN UNDEFEATED SEASON 20-17.
FEBRUARY 3, 2013 – AT SUPER BOWL XLVII, JOE FLACCO WHO WORE NUMBER 5, BECAME THE GAME MVP AS HIS BALTIMORE RAVENS KNOCK OFF THE 49ERS 34-31 TO WIN THE BROTHER BOWL
FEBRUARY 3, 2019 – AT SUPER BOWL LIII, THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS BEAT LOS ANGELES RAMS, 13-3 AS WIDE RECEIVER JULIAN EDELMAN, NUMBER 11 WAS SELECTED AS THE GAME’S MVP.
TV FRIDAY
| NCAA BASKETBALL GAMES – MEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| YALE AT HARVARD | 5:00PM | ESPNU |
| BROWN AT DARTMOUTH | 6:00PM | ESPN+ |
| EASTERN MICHIGAN AT BALL STATE | 6:30PM | CBSSN |
| VCU AT SAINT LOUIS | 7:00PM | ESPN2 |
| FAIRFIELD AT QUINNIPIAC | 7:00PM | ESPNU |
| MOUNT ST. MARY’S AT IONA | 7:00PM | ESPN3 |
| SIENA AT MANHATTAN | 7:00PM | ESPN3 |
| SAINT PETER’S AT RIDER | 7:00PM | ESPN3 |
| COLUMBIA AT PENN | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| CORNELL AT PRINCETON | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| CANISIUS AT NIAGARA | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| BOISE STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE | 9:00PM | FS1 |
| KENT STATE AT AKRON | 9:00PM | ESPNU |
| FRESNO STATE AT UNLV | 11:00PM | FS1 |
| AIR FORCE AT NEVADA | 11:00PM | CBSSN |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA TOUR: AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM | 3:00PM | GOLF |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| CHARLOTTE AT DETROIT | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| SACRAMENTO AT INDIANA | 7:00PM | NBCS-CA BALLY SPORTS |
| PORTLAND AT WASHINGTON | 7:00PM | ROOT SPORTS NBCS-WSH |
| PHOENIX AT BOSTON | 7:30PM | NBATV BALLY SPORTS NBCS-BOS |
| TORONTO AT HOUSTON | 8:00PM | SPORTSNET ATTSN-SW |
| ORLANDO AT MINNESOTA | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| PHILADELPHIA AT SAN ANTONIO | 8:00PM | NBCS-PHI BALLY SPORTS |
| ATLANTA AT UTAH | 9:00PM | ATTSN-RM BALLY SPORTS |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| BUNDESLIGA: AUGSBURG VS BAYER LEVERKUSEN | 2:30PM | ESPN+ |
| SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP: QUEEN’S PARK VS AYR UNITED | 2:45PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| FIRST DIVISION A: KV OOSTENDE VS ANDERLECHT | 2:45PM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: CHELSEA VS FULHAM | 3:00PM | USA |
| LA LIGA: ATHLETIC CLUB VS CÁDIZ | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: NEWELL’S OLD BOYS VS VÉLEZ SARSFIELD | 6:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: TIGRE VS ROSARIO CENTRAL | 6:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| LIGA MX: NECAXA VS TIJUANA | 8:00PM | TUDN |