THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SUNDAY DECEMBER 15, 2024

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL

HOMESTEAD.COM

ADAMS CENTRAL	44	FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY	41
ANDERSON PREP	70	SETON CATHOLIC	63
ANDERSON	68	FORT WAYNE NORTHROP	25
ANDREAN	75	MERRILLVILLE	68
AVON	47	SOUTHPORT	43
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN	70	TRADERS POINT CHRISTIAN	38
BLOOMFIELD	68	EDGEWOOD	54
BLUFFTON	60	ELWOOD	15
BORDEN	54	CROTHERSVILLE	37
BREBEUF JESUIT	55	LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC	36
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL	78	MADISON	42
CALUMET	72	WHITING	48
CARROLL (FORT WAYNE)	47	EAST NOBLE	30
CHESTERTON	54	BROWNSBURG	51
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY	57	MORGAN TWP.	27
CINCINNATI ST. XAVIER (OHIO)	67	CENTER GROVE	48
CLAY CITY	66	MONROVIA	44
CLINTON CENTRAL	56	ATTICA	49
CLINTON PRAIRIE	61	WESTERN BOONE	51
COLUMBUS EAST	64	FRANKLIN	50
COLUMBUS NORTH	54	GREENWOOD	44
CONNERSVILLE	44	WINCHESTER	39
CORYDON CENTRAL	56	AUSTIN	30
COVINGTON	55	NORTH MONTGOMERY	39
CROWN POINT	57	FORT WAYNE WAYNE	56
CULVER ACADEMY	64	HAMMOND SCIENCE & TECH	11
DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN	50	NORTH NEWTON	32
DELPHI	67	BENTON CENTRAL	58
DELTA	48	TIPTON	42
DIXIE HEIGHTS (KY.)	55	EAST CENTRAL	31
EASTERN (PEKIN)	82	CLARKSVILLE	79	2OT
EASTERN HANCOCK	66	DALEVILLE	42
FISHERS	70	INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS	55
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK	56	NORWELL	34
FORT WAYNE LUERS	50	PORTAGE	44
FRANKLIN CENTRAL	64	BLOOMINGTON NORTH	59
FREMONT	71	LAKEWOOD PARK	51
FRONTIER	50	CASTON	40
GARY 21ST CENTURY	101	INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY	62
GREENCASTLE	62	SOUTHMONT	59
GUERIN CATHOLIC	64	YORKTOWN	34
HAMILTON HEIGHTS	48	MUNCIE CENTRAL	41
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN	48	CHRISTEL HOUSE	39
HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)	86	DANVILLE	47
HENRYVILLE	43	MEDORA	31
HERITAGE HILLS	61	FLOYD CENTRAL	60
HERITAGE	59	BELLMONT	29
HOBART	69	RIVER FOREST	61
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL	68	NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS)	55
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN	44	GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN	31
INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE	57	RICHMOND	54
JAY COUNTY	58	NEW CASTLE	56	2OT
JIMTOWN	56	JOHN GLENN	16
KNIGHTSTOWN	56	UNION CITY	23
KOKOMO	67	LEBANON	57
KOUTS	70	MARQUETTE CATHOLIC	62
LAVILLE	65	KNOX	27
LAKELAND	66	BETHANY CHRISTIAN	54
LAPEL	81	MUNCIE BURRIS	43
LAWRENCE NORTH	77	GREENFIELD-CENTRAL	59
LAWRENCEVILLE (ILL.)	59	CRAWFORDSVILLE	36
LEO	49	WOODLAN	40
LEWIS CASS	51	MADISON-GRANT	50
LIBERTY CHRISTIAN	56	UNIVERSITY	51
LOOGOOTEE	52	SHOALS	45
MANCHESTER	71	HUNTINGTON NORTH	49
MARION	79	WABASH	34
MARSHALL (ILL.)	62	SOUTH PUTNAM	54
MCLEAN COUNTY (KY.)	68	EVANSVILLE DAY	56
MICHIGAN CITY	81	HAMMOND CENTRAL	72
MILAN	71	EDINBURGH	45
MISHAWAKA MARIAN	73	CAREER ACADEMY	39
MONROE CENTRAL	68	WES-DEL	61
MOUNT VERNON (POSEY)	67	MOUNT CARMEL (ILL.)	25
NEW HAVEN	58	HOMESTEAD	55
NEW PALESTINE	65	ZIONSVILLE	53
NOBLESVILLE	64	JEFFERSONVILLE	54
NORTH JUDSON	52	SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS)	50	OT
NORTH KNOX	50	EASTERN GREENE	41
NORTH VERMILLION	85	DUGGER UNION	27
NORTHWOOD	66	FAIRFIELD	40
NORTHEAST DUBOIS	50	NORTH DAVIESS	39
NORTHRIDGE	80	ANGOLA	20
NORTHWESTERN	64	FRANKFORT	38
OAK HILL	70	MACONAQUAH	68
OLDENBURG ACADEMY	50	NORTH DECATUR	48
OWEN VALLEY	37	WESTVILLE (ILL.)	34
PERRY CENTRAL	58	SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH)	57
PERU	70	NORTHFIELD	48
PIONEER	40	NORTH MIAMI	33
PRAIRIE HEIGHTS	65	EASTSIDE	32
PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY	53	EMINENCE	51
PROVIDENCE	54	SCOTTSBURG	45
ROCHESTER	64	LOGANSPORT	58
SALEM	64	MITCHELL	50
SHAKAMAK	83	WASHINGTON CATHOLIC	7
SHELBYVILLE	67	WHITELAND	64
SILVER CREEK	85	JENNINGS COUNTY	46
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH	85	GOSHEN	44
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON	66	LAPORTE	63
SOUTH DEARBORN	71	HARRISON (OHIO)	64
SOUTH RIPLEY	41	FRANKLIN COUNTY	26
SOUTH VERMILLION	69	GEORGETOWN-RIDGEFARM (ILL.)	35
SOUTHRIDGE	76	PIKE CENTRAL	14
SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER)	56	BATESVILLE	42
SOUTHWOOD	65	EASTERN (GREENTOWN)	39
SPRINGS VALLEY	64	LANESVILLE	49
TERRE HAUTE NORTH	60	CASTLE	55
TIPPECANOE VALLEY	52	BREMEN	33
TRI-CENTRAL	49	ALEXANDRIA	43
TRI-TOWNSHIP	57	NORTH WHITE	39
TWIN LAKES	64	RENSSELAER CENTRAL	33
VALPARAISO	55	KANKAKEE VALLEY	46
WAPAHANI	68	HAGERSTOWN	50
WARREN CENTRAL	65	SOUTH BEND RILEY	55
WARSAW	57	FORT WAYNE SNIDER	38
WASHINGTON	50	FOREST PARK	46
WAWASEE	53	WHITKO	49
WEST LAFAYETTE	79	TRI-WEST	74	OT
WEST NOBLE	49	CHURUBUSCO	39
WEST WASHINGTON	45	TRINITY LUTHERAN	43
WESTERN	57	ROSSVILLE	51
WESTVIEW	59	CENTRAL NOBLE	27
WOOD MEMORIAL	54	WHITE RIVER VALLEY	35
LINTON CLASSIC
LINTON	57	ROCK CREEK ACADEMY	47
EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN	57	PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD	50
ROCK CREEK ACADEMY	63	EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN	53
LINTON	57	PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD	35

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL

ADAMS CENTRAL	55	SOUTH ADAMS	39
ANDERSON PREP	44	UNION (MODOC)	32
ANDREAN	51	GRIFFITH	15
ANGOLA	64	FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA	50
AUSTIN	50	BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL	46
BARR-REEVE	58	BLOOMFIELD	22
BENTON CENTRAL	63	NORTHWESTERN	33
BOONVILLE	56	MOUNT VERNON (POSEY)	30
BORDEN	62	PROVIDENCE	46
BROWNSBURG	68	BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE	21
CARMEL	55	FORT WAYNE SNIDER	52	OT
CASCADE	58	CRAWFORDSVILLE	22
CENTRAL NOBLE	46	WESTVIEW	33
CONNERSVILLE	54	LAWRENCEBURG	33
COVENANT CHRISTIAN	59	INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA	40
CROTHERSVILLE	40	ROCK CREEK ACADEMY	37
CULVER ACADEMY	55	CARROLL (FLORA)	35
DEKALB	43	GARRETT	28
EASTERN HANCOCK	62	INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL	49
EDGEWOOD	47	PAOLI	38
EDINBURGH	38	MILAN	32
ELKHART CHRISTIAN	66	CLINTON CHRISTIAN	19
FAITH CHRISTIAN	64	NORTH NEWTON	11
GEORGETOWN-RIDGEFARM (ILL.)	50	WASHINGTON CATHOLIC	18
GOSHEN	47	DOWAGIAC (MICH.)	27
GREENSBURG	65	RUSHVILLE	24
GUERIN CATHOLIC	46	PERU	27
HAMILTON HEIGHTS	41	WEST LAFAYETTE	39
HAMMOND CENTRAL	56	PORTAGE	31
HAMMOND MORTON	72	HIGHLAND	52
HANOVER CENTRAL	49	RIVER FOREST	26
HENRYVILLE	57	GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN	33
HUNTINGTON NORTH	76	MARION	40
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN	53	CALUMET	13
INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE	52	BETHESDA CHRISTIAN	7
JEFFERSONVILLE	56	COLUMBUS EAST	41
JENNINGS COUNTY	72	NEW ALBANY	55
KNIGHTSTOWN	58	UNION CITY	48
KOUTS	45	MORGAN TWP.	38
LAVILLE	49	LOGANSPORT	8
LAKELAND CHRISTIAN	39	TRINITY GREENLAWN	33
LAKELAND	58	BETHANY CHRISTIAN	21
LANESVILLE	53	CLARKSVILLE	18
LAPEL	86	TIPTON	17
LAWRENCEVILLE (ILL.)	58	SOUTH VERMILLION	17
MADISON	60	SEYMOUR	50
MARQUETTE CATHOLIC	64	EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL	21
MERRILLVILLE	47	PENN	43
MOORESVILLE	52	BLOOMINGTON NORTH	31
MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE)	47	YORKTOWN	44
NOBLESVILLE	58	PLAINFIELD	48
NORTH VERMILLION	53	DUGGER UNION	7
NORTH WHITE	35	TRI-TOWNSHIP	31
OAK HILL	47	MISSISSINEWA	23
OLDENBURG ACADEMY	42	NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC (KY.)	40
ORLEANS	65	TRINITY LUTHERAN	56
OWEN VALLEY	61	WESTVILLE (ILL.)	20
PIKE CENTRAL	42	EVANSVILLE BOSSE	41
PIONEER	67	LAPORTE	32
RANDOLPH SOUTHERN	54	PREBLE SHAWNEE (OHIO)	27
RICHMOND	57	FORT WAYNE SOUTH	33
SHAKAMAK	48	LOOGOOTEE	36
SHAWE MEMORIAL	55	SWITZERLAND COUNTY	44
SHENANDOAH	58	MUNCIE BURRIS	21
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON	63	DETROIT WAYNE (MICH.)	48
SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER)	51	SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH)	46
SULLIVAN	63	BROWN COUNTY	19
TOLEDO BOWSHER (OHIO)	65	INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS	55
TRI-COUNTY	47	ROSSVILLE	34
TRITON CENTRAL	68	SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE)	20
TWIN LAKES	48	WESTERN	46
UNION COUNTY	40	SOUTH DECATUR	33
VALPARAISO	72	MCCUTCHEON	63
VINCENNES LINCOLN	73	EVANSVILLE HARRISON	35
WABASH	52	ROCHESTER	43
WARSAW	75	PLYMOUTH	35
WASHINGTON	71	TELL CITY	28
WEST CENTRAL	54	DELPHI	43
WHITE RIVER VALLEY	74	SHOALS	43
WHITELAND	53	MARTINSVILLE	47
WINAMAC	38	DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN	37
MARION COUNTY TOURNAMENT
LAWRENCE CENTRAL	51	WARREN CENTRAL	27
FRANKLIN CENTRAL	61	BEN DAVIS	39
LAWRENCE CENTRAL	64	FRANKLIN CENTRAL	50
SRC TOURNAMENT
SEVEN OAKS	56	LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN	27
COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN	38	CANNELTON	34

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING RESULTS

DUAL RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/

TOURNEY RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/curtournamentresults.html/

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

SATURDAY, DEC. 14

JACKSON STATE 28, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 7 (CELEBRATION BOWL IN ATLANTA)

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 55, UIW 14 (FCS QUARTERFINALS)

VALDOSTA STATE 35, MINNESOTA STATE 21 (DII SEMIFINALS)

SUSQUEHANNA 24, BETHEL (MN) 21 (DIII QUARTERFINALS)

MOUNT UNION 38, SALISBURY 17 (DIII QUARTERFINALS)

JOHNS HOPKINS 17, MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR 10 (DIII QUARTERFINALS)

NORTH CENTRAL (ILL.) 27, SPRINGFIELD 3 (DIII QUARTERFINALS)

NAVY 31, NO. 22 ARMY 13 (NORTHWEST STADIUM IN LANDOVER, MARYLAND)

SOUTH DAKOTA 35, UC DAVIS 21 (FCS QUARTERFINALS)

NORTH DAKOTA STATE 31, MERCER 7 (FCS QUARTERFINALS)

FERRIS STATE 48, SLIPPERY ROCK 38 (DII SEMIFINALS)

SOUTH ALABAMA VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN (SALUTE TO VETERANS BOWL) | 9 P.M. | ESPN

TUESDAY, DEC. 17

NO. 25 MEMPHIS VS. WEST VIRGINIA (FRISCO BOWL) | 9 P.M. | ESPN

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18

JAMES MADISON VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY (BOCA RATON BOWL) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 24 UNLV VS. CAL (LA BOWL) | 9 P.M. | ESPN

THURSDAY, DEC. 19

SAM HOUSTON VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN (NEW ORLEANS BOWL) | 7 P.M. | ESPN2

FRIDAY, DEC. 20

OHIO VS. JACKSONVILLE STATE (CURE BOWL) | 12 P.M. | ESPN

FLORIDA VS. TULANE (GASPARILLA BOWL) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 8 INDIANA AT NO. 5 NOTRE DAME (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND) | 8 P.M. | ABC/ESPN

SATURDAY, DEC. 21

NO. 10 SMU AT NO. 4 PENN STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND) | 12 P.M. | TNT/MAX

NORTH DAKOTA STATE VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (FCS SEMIFINALS) | 12 P.M. | ABC

VALDOSTA STATE VS. FERRIS STATE (DII CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN MCKINNEY, TEXAS) | 2 P.M. | ESPN2

MONTANA STATE VS. SOUTH DAKOTA (FCS SEMIFINALS) | 3:30 P.M. | ABC

NO. 16 CLEMSON AT NO. 3 TEXAS (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND) | 4 P.M. | TNT/MAX

NO. 7 TENNESSEE AT NO. 6 OHIO STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND) | 8 P.M. | ABC/ESPN

NORTH CENTRAL (IL) VS. SUSQUEHANNA (DIII SEMIFINALS) | TBA | ESPN+

MOUNT UNION VS. JOHNS HOPKINS (DIII SEMIFINALS) | TBA | ESPN+

MONDAY, DEC. 23

COASTAL CAROLINA VS. UTSA (MYRTLE BEACH BOWL) | 11 A.M. | ESPN

NORTHERN ILLINOIS VS. FRESNO STATE (FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL) | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN

TUESDAY, DEC. 24

SOUTH FLORIDA VS. SAN JOSE STATE (HAWAI’I BOWL) | 8 P.M. | ESPN

THURSDAY, DEC. 26

PITT VS. TOLEDO (GAMEABOVE SPORTS BOWL) | 2 P.M. | ESPN

RUTGERS VS. KANSAS STATE (RATE BOWL) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN

ARKANSAS STATE VS. BOWLING GREEN (68 VENTURES BOWL) | 9 P.M. | ESPN

FRIDAY, DEC. 27

NAVY VS. OKLAHOMA (ARMED FORCES BOWL) | 12 P.M. | ESPN

GEORGIA TECH VS. VANDERBILT (BIRMINGHAM BOWL) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN

ARKANSAS VS. TEXAS TECH (LIBERTY BOWL) | 7 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 21 SYRACUSE VS. WASHINGTON STATE (HOLIDAY BOWL) | 8 P.M. | FOX

USC VS. TEXAS A&M (LAS VEGAS BOWL) | 10:30 P.M. | ESPN

SATURDAY, DEC. 28

UCONN VS. NORTH CAROLINA (FENWAY BOWL) | 11 A.M. | ESPN

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. NEBRASKA (PINSTRIPE BOWL) | 12 P.M. | ABC

TCU VS. LOUISIANA (NEW MEXICO BOWL) | 2:15 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 13 MIAMI (FLA.) VS. NO. 18 IOWA STATE (POP-TARTS BOWL) | 3:30 P.M. | ABC

COLORADO STATE VS. MIAMI (OHIO) (ARIZONA BOWL) | 4:30 P.M. | CW NETWORK

NC STATE VS. EAST CAROLINA (MILITARY BOWL) | 5:45 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 17 BYU VS. NO. 23 COLORADO (ALAMO BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC

NO. 22 ARMY VS. LOUISIANA TECH (INDEPENDENCE BOWL) | 9:15 P.M. | ESPN

MONDAY, DEC. 30

NO. 19 MISSOURI VS. IOWA (MUSIC CITY BOWL) | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN

TUESDAY, DEC. 31

NO. 11 ALABAMA VS. MICHIGAN (RELIAQUEST BOWL) | 12 P.M. | ESPN

LOUISVILLE VS. WASHINGTON (SUN BOWL) | 2 P.M. | CBS

NO. 15 SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NO. 20 ILLINOIS (CITRUS BOWL) | 3 P.M. | ABC

LSU VS. BAYLOR (TEXAS BOWL) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 9 BOISE STATE VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — FIESTA BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1

NO. 12 ARIZONA STATE VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — PEACH BOWL) | 1 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 1 OREGON VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — ROSE BOWL) | 5 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 2 GEORGIA VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — SUGAR BOWL) | 8:45 P.M. | ESPN

THURSDAY, JAN. 2

NO. 14 OLE MISS VS. DUKE (GATOR BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

FRIDAY, JAN. 3

NORTH TEXAS VS. TEXAS STATE (FIRST RESPONDER BOWL) | 4 P.M. | ESPN

MINNESOTA VS. VIRGINIA TECH (DUKE’S MAYO BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

LIBERTY VS. BUFFALO (BAHAMAS BOWL) | 11 A.M. | ESPN2

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

TBD VS. TBD (DIII STAGG BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN HOUSTON, TEXAS) | TBA | ESPN

MONDAY, JAN. 6

TBD VS. TBD (FCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN FRISCO, TEXAS) | 7 P.M. | ESPN

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

TBD VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL GAME — ORANGE BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

TBD VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL GAME — COTTON BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

MONDAY, JAN. 20

TBD VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME — IN ATLANTA) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25

MEMPHIS 87 #16 CLEMSON 82 OT

#17 TEXAS A&M 70 #11 PURDUE 66

#2 AUBURN 91 OHIO STATE 53

#22 CINCINNATI 68 XAVIER 65

#20 WISCONSIN 83 BUTLER 74

#24 UCLA 57 ARIZONA 54

#10 KANSAS 75 NC STATE 70

#9 FLORIDA 83 ARIZONA STATE 66

#19 OLE MISS 77 SOUTHERN MISS 77

#5 KENTUCKY 93 LOUISVILLE 85

#1 TENNESSEE 66 ILLINOIS 64

#25 MISSISSIPPI STATE 66 MCNEESE STATE 63

DAYTON 71 #6 MARQUETTE 63

#13 OKLAHOMA 80 OKLAHOMA STATE 65

#18 CONNECTICUT 77 #8 GONZAGA 71

#7 ALABAMA 83 CREIGHTON 75

ELSEWHERE:

PENN STATE 99 COPPIN STATE 51

RUTGERS 66 SETON HALL 63

BALL STATE 86 BELLARMINE 82

VALPARAISO 93 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 77

LINDENWOOD 81 IU INDY 63

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25

#11 OHIO STATE 87 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 39

#19 TENNESSEE 139 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 59

#20 MICHIGAN 100 DETROIT 54

#16 KENTUCKY 82 PURDUE 52

#1 UCLA 102 LONG BEACH STATE 51

#13 KANSAS STATE 74 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 48

ELSEWHERE:

PURDUE FORT WAYNE 115 AQUINAS COLLEGE 41

VANDERBILT 106 EVANSVILLE 40

NBA SCOREBOARD

MILWAUKEE 110 ATLANTA 102

OKLAHOMA CITY 111 HOUSTON 96

NHL SCOREBOARD

NEW JERSEY 4 CHICAGO 1

LOS ANGELES 5 NY RANGERS 1

MINNESOTA 4 PHILADELPHIA 1

EDMONTON 6 VEGAS 3

ANAHEIM 4 COLUMBUS 3 OT

DETROIT 4 TORONTO 2

WINNIPEG 4 MONTRÉAL 2

WASHINGTON 4 BUFFALO 2

OTTAWA 3 PITTSBURGH 2 OT

DALLAS 2 ST. LOUIS 1 OT

COLORADO 5 NASHVILLE 2

UTAH 4 SAN JOSE 3

CALGARY 3 FLORIDA 0

TAMPA BAY 5 SEATTLE 1

BOSTON 5 VANCOUVER 1

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/RELEASES

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

COLORADO TWO-WAY STAR TRAVIS HUNTER WINS HEISMAN TROPHY

Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter was named winner of the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night.

Hunter joins running back Rashaan Salaam in 1994 as the only Colorado players to win the Heisman.

Hunter has 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and ranks second nationally with 14 touchdown catches. On defense, he has four interceptions with 15 passes defensed and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Hunter won the Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player and the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in the country.

Hunter is in his second and final season at Colorado as he has stated that he will enter the 2025 NFL Draft. He began his college career at Jackson State and transferred to the Buffaloes when Deion Sanders departed to become Colorado coach.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel were the other finalists.

Jeanty has rushed for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns, Ward has thrown for 4,123 yards and 36 touchdowns and Gabriel has completed 73.2 percent of his passes for 3,558 yards and 28 touchdowns.

WEEK 15 NFL CAPSULES

DALLAS COWBOYS (5-8) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (3-10)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET | Bank of America Stadium | Referee: Bill Vinovich

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: DAL leads series, 11-3 (won past 2)

Postseason: CAR leads series, 2-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/19/23: DAL 33 at CAR 10

Postseason: NFC-WC 1/3/04: DAL 10 at CAR 29

COWBOYS NOTES:

QB COOPER RUSH passed for 183 yards & 2 TDs last week, his 4th-career game with 2 TD passes. Aims for his 3rd start in row on road with TD pass. Passed for 247 yards & 2 TDs with career-high 117.6 rating in only road start of season (Week 12 at Was.). • RB RICO DOWDLE had career-high 141 scrimmage yards (career-high 131 rush, 10 rec.) last week, his 5th-career 100-yard game. Aims for his 3rd in row with 120+ scrimmage yards & 4th in row with 85+ rush yards. Has rec. TD in 3 of his past 4 on road & aims for his 4th in row on road with 95+ scrimmage yards. Needs 64 scrimmage yards for 1st-career 1,000-yard season. • WR CEEDEE LAMB led team with 6 catches for 93 yards & had 5th rec. TD of season in Week 14. Ranks 1st in NFC with 85 catches. Has 5+ catches & 60+ scrimmage yards in each of his 6 road games in 2024. Had rec. TD in last meeting. Needs 27 rec. yards for 4th-straight season with 1,000 rec. yards. • WR BRANDIN COOKS aims for his 3rd in row with TD catch. • TE JAKE FERGUSON aims for his 5th in row on road with 6+ catches. • LB MICAH PARSONS has sack in 2 of his 3 road games in 2024. Aims for his 6th in row on road with TFL. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Car. with sack. • LB ERIC KENDRICKS led team with 12 tackles in Week 14, his 3rd-straight game with 10+ tackles. Ranks 3rd in NFC with 119 tackles. • LB MARIST LIUFAU (rookie) had 1st-career sack in Week 14. • CB TREVON DIGGS had season-high 3 PD last week. Aims for his 6th in row with PD. Had 2 INTs in his only career game vs. Car. (10/3/21). • CB DARON BLAND aims for his 3rd in row with PD. Had INT-TD in last meeting. • S DONOVAN WILSON had half sack & FF in Week 14. Had FR in last meeting. • S MALIK HOOKER had 2nd INT of season last week.

PANTHERS NOTES:

QB BRYCE YOUNG had 220 yards (191 pass, 29 rush) & TD pass last week. Aims for his 7th in row with TD pass. Had TD pass in last meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row at home with 250+ pass yards. • RB CHUBA HUBBARD had 107 scrimmage yards (92 rush, 15 rec.) & 8th rush TD of season last week, his 5th game with 100+ scrimmage yards in 2024. Has rush TD in 4 of his past 5. Has career highs in scrimmage yards (1,152), rush yards (1,011) & scrimmage TDs (9) this season, his 1st-career season with 1,000+ rush yards. • WR ADAM THIELEN had season highs in catches (9) & rec. yards (102) in Week 14 & became 3rd undrafted player since 1967 (Rod Smith & Wes Welker) with 25+ games (25) with 100+ rec. yards. Became 4th undrafted player since 1967 with 8,000+ rec. yards (8,063). Had 8 catches for 74 yards in last meeting & has 6+ catches & 70+ rec. yards in 4 of his 5 career games vs. Dal. • TE TOMMY TREMBLE had 1st rec. TD of season last week. Had TD catch in last meeting. • LB D.J. WONNUM has sack in 3 of his 4 games this season. • LB JOSEY JEWELL led team with 10 tackles & had 1.5 sacks & 2 TFL last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with 10+ tackles, 4th in row with sack & 5th in row with TFL. Has 5+ tackles in each of his 10 games in 2024. • LB JADEVEON CLOWNEY aims for his 3rd in row with sack & 4th in row with TFL. • DE A’SHAWN ROBINSON had 5 tackles & 1.5 sacks last week. Has career highs in sacks (4.5) & TFL (7) in 2024. Aims for his 5th in row with TFL & 7th in row with 5+ tackles. Leads all DL with 64 tackles this season. • CB JAYCEE HORN aims for his 3rd in row at home with TFL. • S XAVIER WOODS had 243 tackles, 18 PD & 5 INTs in 60 games (2017-20) with Dal.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (12-1) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-10)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET | Huntington Bank Field | Referee: Tra Blake

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: KC leads series, 14-11-2 (won 5 of past 6)

Postseason: KC leads series, 1-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 9/12/21: CLE 29 at KC 33

Postseason: 1/17/21: CLE 17 at KC 22

CHIEFS NOTES:

CHIEFS clinched AFC West division title for 9th-straight season, 2nd-longest streak of division titles since 1970 (New England – 11 straight from 2009-19). • QB PATRICK MAHOMES completed 24 of 37 atts. (64.9 pct.) for 210 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs last week. Has 0 INTs in 5 of past 6, incl. each of past 3. Aims for 4th in row on road with 2+ TD passes. Is 2-0 with 712 yards (356 per game) & 7 TDs ( 6 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs for 130.3 rating in 2 career starts vs. Cle. Needs 3 TD passes to surpass HOfer Dan Marino (241) for 2nd-most ever by QB in 1st 8 seasons. • RB ISIAH PACHECO rushed for 55 yards last week. Has 60+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his 4 games this season. Has rush TD in 4 of his past 5 on road. • RB KAREEM HUNT has 60+ scrimmage yards in each of his 5 road games this season. Had 141 scrimmage yards (91 rush, 50 rec.) & 3 TDs (2 rush, 1 rec.) in only career game vs. Cle. (11/4/18). Totaled 3,342 scrimmage yards & 32 TDs (25 rush, 7 rec.) over 5 seasons with Cle. (2019-23). • TE TRAVIS KELCE aims for 4th in row with 5+ catches. Has 5 rec. TDs in 3 career games vs. Cle. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Cle. with 75+ rec. yards & 2+ rec. TDs. Ranks tied-2nd among TEs with 80 catches in 2024. • WR DEANDRE HOPKINS had 5th TD catch of season in Week 14. • WR XAVIER WORTHY (rookie) aims for 3rd in row with 5+ catches. • DT CHRIS JONES aims for 3rd in row with TFL. Has 4 TFL & 3 sacks in 2 career games vs. Cle. Is 1 of 4 in NFL with 5+ sacks in each of past 8 seasons. • DT TERSHAWN WHARTON had career-high 2 sacks last week. • LB DRUE TRANQUILL had 7 tackles in Week 14. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Cle. with TFL. • LB NICK BOLTON had 5 tackles & sack last week. Aims for 3rd in row with TFL. Has 0.5+ sacks in 2 of past 3. Had 7 tackles & TFL in last meeting. • CB TRENT MCDUFFIE had season-best 2 PD last week. Has PD in 2 of past 3.

BROWNS NOTES:

QB JAMEIS WINSTON totaled 240 yards (212 pass, season-high 28 rush) & had 2 TD passes last week. Has 2+ TD passes in 3 of past 4. Is 2-1 in 3 home starts this season. Passed for 331 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs with 97.3 rating in only career start vs. KC (11/20/16 w/ TB). • RB NICK CHUBB aims for 5th in row with 45+ scrimmage yards. Has 3 rush TDs in his 4 home games this season. Had 101 scrimmage yards (83 rush, 18 rec.) & 2 rush TDs in last meeting & aims for 3rd in row vs. KC with 90+ scrimmage yards & rush TD. • RB JEROME FORD aims for 3rd in row with 45+ scrimmage yards. • WR JERRY JEUDY had 5 catches for 64 yards & TD last week, 6th-straight game with 5+ catches & 60+ rec. yards. Has rec. TD in 3 of past 4. Since Week 8, ranks 2nd in NFL with 678 rec. yards. Had TD catch in his last game vs. KC (10/29/23 w/ Den.). Ranks 3rd in NFL with 944 rec. yards & can secure 1st-career 1,000-yard season. • TE DAVID NJOKU aims for 3rd in row with 7+ catches & rec. TD. Had 76 rec. yards in last meeting. Is 1 of 3 TEs with 50+ catches in each of past 3 seasons. • DE MYLES GARRETT had sack & 1st FR of season last week. Aims for 4th in row with TFL. Has sack in 2 of past 3. Has 3 sacks in each of past 2 at home. Aims for 3rd in row vs. KC with sack. Ranks tied-2nd in NFL with 11 sacks in 2024, 5th-straight season with 11+ sacks. • LB JORDAN HICKS had 5 tackles & PD last week. Aims for his 6th in row with 5+ tackles. Has TFL in 2 of his past 3 at home. • LB DEVIN BUSH aims for 7th in row with 5+ tackles & 3rd in row with TFL. • LB MOHAMOUD DIABATE led team with 7 tackles & had TFL last week. • CB DENZEL WARD leads NFL with career-high 19 PD in 2024. • S GRANT DELPIT aims for his 12th in row with 5+ tackles.

MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-7) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (8-5)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET | NRG Stadium | Referee: Alex Kemp

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: HOU leads series, 8-3 (MIA won 3 of past 4)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/27/22: HOU 15 at MIA 30

Postseason: —

DOLPHINS NOTES:

QB TUA TAGOVAILOA completed 33 of 47 atts. (70.2 pct.) for 331 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 104.1 rating last week, 4th-straight game with 2+ TD passes, 0 INTs & 100+ rating. Is 1st player in NFL history with 40+ atts., 2+ TD passes & 0 INTs in 3 straight games within single season. Passed for 299 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs with 96.9 rating in last meeting. Since Week 8, leads NFL with 76 comp. pct. & 1,973 pass yards & ranks 2nd with 114.1 rating. • RB DE’VON ACHANE had 69 scrimmage yards (45 rec., 24 rush) & rush TD last week. Aims for 5th in row with TD. Is 2nd player in franchise history with 10+ TDs in each of 1st 2 seasons. • WR TYREEK HILL had season-high 10 catches for 115 yards & TD last week, 11th-career game with 10+ catches, 100+ rec. yards & rec. TD, tied 2nd-most ever by player in 1st 9 seasons. Aims for 5th in row with 5+ catches & 3rd in row with 80+ rec. yards & rec. TD. Has 3 rec. TDs in his past 3 vs. Hou. Has 5 rec. TDs in 2024 & is 5th player all-time with 5+ rec. TDs in each of 1st 9 seasons. • WR JAYLEN WADDLE had season-high 9 catches for 99 yards in Week 14. Aims for 4th in row with 50+ rec. yards. Aims for 3rd in row vs. Hou. with 80+ rec. yards. • TE JONNU SMITH had GW TD catch in OT last week. Has rec. TD in 3 of past 4. • DE CALAIS CAMPBELL has sack in 2 of his past 3 vs. Hou. • DT ZACH SIELER had season-high 2 sacks last week. Aims for 6th in row with TFL & has sack in 3 of past 4. Had 5 tackles, TFL & PD in last meeting. • DT BENITO JONES had career-high 2 TFL last week. Aims for 3rd in row with TFL. • LB JORDYN BROOKS had 9 tackles, sack & PD in Week 14. Aims for 6th in row with 9+ tackles & TFL. Had 10 tackles in only career game vs. Hou. (12/12/21 w/ Sea.). • CB JALEN RAMSEY aims for 5th in row with PD. Had TFL, FF & PD in his last game vs. Hou. (10/31/21 w/ LAR) & aims for his 5th in row vs. Hou. with PD.

TEXANS NOTES:

QB C.J. STROUD completed 22 of 34 atts. (64.7 pct.) for 242 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs with 95.5 rating in Week 13. Has 225+ pass yards in each of 6 home games this season. Is 11-4 in 15 career home starts, incl. playoffs. • RB JOE MIXON had 119 scrimmage yards (101 rush, 18 rec.) & rush TD in Week 13, 7th games this season with 100+ scrimmage yards & TD, tied with Saquon Barkley for most in NFL. Has TD in 7 of past 8. Has 70+ scrimmage yards in each of 3 career games vs. Mia., with TD in 2 of 3 games. Is 1 of 5 in NFL with 800+ rush yards (887) & 11+ rush TDs (11) this season. • WR NICO COLLINS led team with 8 catches for 119 yards in Week 13, 4th 100- yard game this season & his 10th-straight game with 50+ rec. yards. Has 75+ rec. yards & TD catch in each of his 4 home games this season. • WR TANK DELL has 50+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. • TE DALTON SCHULTZ had 5 catches for 61 yards & 1st TD of season in Week 13. Has 5+ catches in 2 of past 3. • DE DANIELLE HUNTER has 8 TFL & 5 sacks in his past 3. Has 5 TFL & 3 sacks in 2 career games vs. Mia. Is 1 of 2 in NFL (Myles Garrett) with 15+ TFL (15) & 10+ sacks (10.5) in 2024, 6th-career season with 10+ sacks. • DE WILL ANDERSON aims for his 3rd in row at home with sack. • LB HENRY TO’OTO’O aims for 5th in row with 5+ tackles. • CB DEREK STINGLEY had season-high 3 PD & 3rd INT of season last week. Has PD in 9 of past 10 & INT in 2 of past 3. Ranks 2nd in NFL with career-high 15 PD in 2024. • CB KAMARI LASSITER (rookie) had career-high 8 tackles & TFL in Week 13. Has 6 PD in his past 4 at home. Ranks tied-4th among rookies with 8 PD. • S JIMMIE WARD aims for 3rd in row with 6+ tackles & TFL. Aims for 3rd in row at home with INT. Had INT in his last game vs. Mia. (12/4/22 w/ SF).

NEW YORK JETS (3-10) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (3-10)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET | EverBank Stadium | Referee: Brad Rogers

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: JAX leads series, 9-7 (won 3 of past 4)

Postseason: NYJ leads series, 1-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 12/22/22: JAX 19 at NYJ 3

Postseason: AFC-D 1/10/99: JAX 24 at NYJ 34

JETS NOTES:

QB AARON RODGERS completed 27 of 39 atts. (69.2 pct.) for 339 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs with 104.5 rating in Week 14. Has 0 INTs in 5 of past 6 overall & has TD pass in 6 of 7 road games this season. Aims for his 4th in row vs. Jax. with 2+ TD passes & 95+ rating. • RB BREECE HALL aims for his 4th in row on road with 80+ scrimmage yards. Has 110+ scrimmage yards & TD in 3 of 4 career games vs. AFC South. • RB ISAIAH DAVIS (rookie) had career-high 67 scrimmage yards (40 rush, 27 rec.) & 1st-career rush TD last week. Aims for 3rd in row with TD. • WR GARRETT WILSON had 7 catches & led team with 114 rec. yards in Week 14. Has 5+ catches in 10 of past 11 overall & 110+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3 on road. Needs 123 rec. yards to become 5th player ever with 80+ catches & 1,000+ rec. yards in each of 1st 3 seasons. • WR DAVANTE ADAMS had 9 catches for 109 yards & TD last week. Needs rec. TD to become 6th player ever with 100+ TD catches in 1st 11 seasons. Has 262 rec. yards (87.3 per game) & 4 TDs in 3 career games vs. Jax. Had 10 catches for 146 yards & 2 TDs in his last vs. Jax. (11/6/22 w/ LV). • DL QUINNEN WILLIAMS has TFL in 5 of past 6. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Jax. with 0.5+ sacks. Had sack, FF & PD in last meeting. • LB QUINCY WILLIAMS has TFL in 3 of past 4 on road. Had 10 tackles & TFL in last meeting. Spent 1st 2 seasons in Jax. (2019-20). • LB HAASON REDDICK aims for 3rd in row with TFL. Had 2 sacks, 2 FF & 2 FR in his last vs. Jax. (10/2/22 w/ Phi.). • LB JAMIEN SHERWOOD led team with career-high 18 tackles & had 2 TFL & PD in Week 14. • CB SAUCE GARDNER had 2 PD last week. Had 7 tackles in last meeting.

JAGS NOTES:

QB MAC JONES completed 23 of 31 atts. (74.2 pct.) for 220 yards in Week 14. Is 5-0 with 1,134 pass yards (226.8 per game), 4 TDs vs. INT & 95.3 rating in 5 career starts vs. NYJ. • RB TRAVIS ETIENNE had 70 scrimmage yards (50 rec., 20 rush) last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 55+ scrimmage yards. Had 112 scrimmage yards (83 rush, 29 rec.) in last meeting. • RB TANK BIGSBY had 62 scrimmage yards (team-high 55 rush, 7 rec.) & rush TD in Week 14. Has 200 rush yards (66.7 per game) & 2 rush TDs in 3 games vs. AFC East this season. • WR BRIAN THOMAS JR. (rookie) led team with 8 catches for 86 yards last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 85+ scrimmage yards. Has rec. TD in 3 of past 4 at EverBank Stadium. • TE EVAN ENGRAM had 4 receptions in Week 14. Aims for 9th in row with 4+ catches. Had 7 catches for 113 yards in last meeting. • DE JOSH HINES-ALLEN had sack & 1st FF of season last week. Has TFL in 4 of past 5. Aims for 3rd in row with sack. Had 2 sacks & FF in last home meeting (10/27/19). • DE TRAVON WALKER has 4+ tackles in 5 of past 6. Has 5.5 sacks in past 4 games at EverBank Stadium. • LB DEVIN LLOYD had 9 tackles & INT in last meeting. • LB FOYESADE OLUOKUN led team with 11 tackles in Week 14. Has 8+ tackles in 3 of his 4 games at EverBank Stadium in 2024. Had 6 tackles, 2 FF & 2 PD in last meeting. • CB MONTARIC BROWN had 2 PD last week & has PD in 3 of past 4. • CB JARRIAN JONES (rookie) had career-high 2 PD & 1st-career sack in Week 14. • S DARNELL SAVAGE had PD in his only career game vs. NYJ (10/16/22 w/ GB).

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (8-5) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-8)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET | Caesars Superdome | Referee: Shawn Hochuli

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: WAS leads series, 17-11 (Home team won 3 of past 4)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/10/21: NO 33 at WAS 22

Postseason: —

COMMANDERS NOTES:

QB JAYDEN DANIELS completed 25 of 30 atts. (83.3 pct) with 4 TDs (3 pass, 1 rush) vs. INT for 114.7 rating in Week 13. Became 3rd rookie QB ever with 2+ TD passes & rush TD in consecutive games & 1st rookie with 3 games of 80+ comp. pct. (min. 15 atts. per game). Has 90+ rating in 5 of his 6 career road starts. Can become 4th rookie QB ever with 3,000+ pass yards & 500+ rush yards. • RB BRIAN ROBINSON rushed for 103 yards & TD in Week 13, his 4th-career game with 100+ rush yards & 15th-career rush TD. Has TD in 10 of his past 11 road games & aims for his 5th in row on road with rush TD. • RB CHRIS RODRIGUEZ had career-high 94 rush yards & 1st rush TD of season in Week 13. Has 50+ rush yards in 2 of his past 3. • WR TERRY MCLAURIN had 8 catches for 73 yards & 2 rec. TDs in Week 13, his 5th-career game with 2 rec. TDs. Has career-high 9 rec. TDs in 2024 & aims for his 3rd in row with rec. TD. Needs 104 rec. yards for 5th-straight 1,000-yard season. • TE ZACH ERTZ had 50th-career rec. TD in Week 13. Has 52 catches for 501 yards in 2024, his 8th-career season with 50+ catches & 500+ rec. yards. Aims for his 4th in row with TD catch. • LB BOBBY WAGNER has 104 tackles in 2024 & joined London Fletcher as only players since 2000 with 100+ tackles in 13 straight seasons. Is 1 of 4 with 13 games of 5+ tackles this season. Has 11+ tackles in 4 of his 5 career games vs. NO. • LB FRANKIE LUVU had career-high 8th sack of season in Week 13. Aims for his 5th in row with TFL. Has 9 TFL in 6 career games vs. NO. • DT DARON PAYNE aims for his 3rd in row with 0.5+ sacks. Had sack & FR in last meeting. Had sack & FF in last road meeting. • CB MIKE SAINRISTIL (rookie) had 1st-career FF & 1st-career FR in Week 13.

SAINTS NOTES:

QB JAKE HAENER can make 1st career start. Has 177 pass yards & TD pass vs. 0 INTs in 7 career games. • QB SPENCER RATTLER (rookie) has 571 pass yards & TD pass in 3 career starts. • RB ALVIN KAMARA had 5 catches & 79 scrimmage yards (44 rush, 35 rec.) in Week 14. Leads all RBs with 64 catches in 2024. Ranks 3rd in NFL with 1,423 scrimmage yards (938 rush, 485 rec.). Can reach 1,000 rush yards for 1st time in his career & reach 500+ rec. yards for 5th time. Had 122 scrimmage yards (71 rush, 51 rec.) & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in last meeting. • WR MARQUEZ VALDES-SCANTLING had 51 rec. yards last week & has 85+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3 at home. Aims for his 4th in row at home with TD catch. • TE JUWAN JOHNSON had season-high 50 rec. yards & 3rd TD catch of season in Week 14 • DL BRYAN BRESEE had sack, 2 PD & FG block in Week 14. Aims for his 4th in row with sack. • DL CHASE YOUNG has TFL in 2 of his past 3 at home. Was selected No. 2 overall by Was. in 2020 NFL Draft & had 14 sacks, 19 TFL & 6 FFs in 34 games (2020-23) with team. • DT KHALEN SAUNDERS had 2nd sack of season last week. • DE CARL GRANDERSON had sack in last meeting. • LB DEMARIO DAVIS had 4th-career INT last week. Has 4 PD in his past 4. Had 8 tackles & sack in last meeting. • LB PETE WERNER aims for his 10th in row with 5+ tackles. • CB ALONTAE TAYLOR had 13th PD of season last week. Has 7 PD in his past 8 at home.

BALTIMORE RAVENS (8-5) AT NEW YORK GIANTS (2-11)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET | MetLife Stadium | Referee: Brad Allen

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: BAL leads series, 4-3 (Home team won past 6)

Postseason: BAL leads series, 1-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/16/22: BAL 20 at NYG 24

Postseason: SB XXXV 1/28/01: NYG 7 vs. BAL 34

RAVENS NOTES:

RAVENS lead NFL in total offense (422.5 yards per game) this season. • QB LAMAR JACKSON totaled 316 yards (237 pass, 79 rush) with 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs & 101.3 rating in Week 13, 8th game this season with 2+ TD passes & 0 INTs, most in NFL. Has 2+ TD passes, 0 INTs & 100+ rating in 6 of past 7. Has 0 INTs in 6 of 7 road games this season. Has 75+ rush yards in each of 2 career starts vs. NYG. Is 23-2 in 25 career starts vs. NFC (1 of 2 losses vs. NYG). • RB DERRICK HENRY led team with 111 scrimmage yards (82 rush, 29 rec.) in Week 13. Aims for 3rd in row with 110+ scrimmage yards. Rushed for 170 yards & 2 TDs in only career game at NYG (12/16/18 w/ Ten.). Tied for NFL lead with 15 TDs (13 rush, 2 rec.) & ranks 2nd with 1,532 scrimmage yards (1,407 rush, 125 rec.) in 2024. • WR ZAY FLOWERS led team with 74 rec. yards in Week 13. Aims for 3rd in row with 60+ rec. yards. Ranks 5th in AFC with 863 rec. yards in 2024 & is 1st player in frachise history with 850+ rec. yards in each of 1st 2 seasons. • TE MARK ANDREWS had 6 catches for 67 yards & TD in Week 13. Has 5+ catches & rec. TD in 3 of past 4. Had 7 catches for 106 yards & TD in last meeting. Ranks tied-2nd among TEs with 7 rec. TDs in 2024. • TE ISAIAH LIKELY had 4th TD catch of season in Week 13. • LB ROQUAN SMITH led team with 11 tackles & had half sack in Week 13. Aims for his 4th in row with 11+ tackles. Ranks tied-5th in NFL with 121 tackles in 2024. • LB KYLE VAN NOY had sack & FR-TD in only career game vs. NYG (10/10/19 w/ NE). • LB ODAFE OWEH aims for 3rd in row on road with sack. • DE BRODERICK WASHINGTON had sack & 1st FF of season in Week 13. Has sack in 2 of past 3. • CB MARLON HUMPHREY had half sack in Week 13. Has PD in 10 of his past 11 & in each of his past 5 on road. Has 4 PD in 2 career games vs. NYG.

GIANTS NOTES:

QB DREW LOCK passed for 227 yards & had career-high 59 rush yards last week. Aims for his 3rd start in row with 20+ completions & 50+ rush yards. • QB TOMMY DEVITO has 1,290 pass yards & 9 TDs (8 pass, 1 rush) with 88.4 rating in 10 career games. Has 100+ rating in 2 of his 3 career home starts. • RB TYRONE TRACY (rookie) had 5 catches, 83 scrimmage yards (45 rush, 38 rec.) & 5th-career rush TD last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with rush TD & 7th in row with 65+ scrimmage yards. Ranks 2nd among rookies in rush yards (664) & 4th in scrimmage yards (880). • WR MALIK NABERS (rookie) had 5 receptions for 79 yards last week & is only player in NFL history with 5+ catches in 10 of his 1st 11 career games. Ranks 2nd among rookies with 80 receptions, most by player in 1st 11 games alltime. Aims for his 7th in row with 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards. • WR WAN’DALE ROBINSON had 4 catches last week & has career-high 67 receptions in 2024. Had 1st-career rec. TD in last meeting. • LB BRIAN BURNS had sack, 2 TFL & 10th-career FF last week. Is 1 of 3 (Maxx Crosby & Myles Garrett) with 7+ sacks in each of past 6 seasons. Had 2 TFL & sack in his only career game vs. Bal. (11/20/22 w/ Car.). • LB BOBBY OKEREKE needs 7 tackles for 4th-straight 100+ tackle season. • LB MICAH MCFADDEN led team with 11 tackles & had career-high 5 TFL last week, 5th player in past 5 seasons with 5 TFL in single game. Aims for his 4th in row at home with 11+ tackles. • LB KAYVON THIBODEAUX had 2 TFL & 3rd sack of season last week. Aims for his 4th in row at home with TFL. Had 1st-career sack & 1st-career FF in last meeting. • S TYLER NUBIN leads all rookies with 98 tackles.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-8) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (3-10)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET | Nissan Stadium | Referee: Craig Wrolstad

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: TEN leads series, 41-35-1 (Home team won 4 of past 5)

Postseason: CIN leads series, 2-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/1/23: CIN 3 at TEN 27

Postseason: AFC-D 1/22/22: CIN 19 at TEN 16

BENGALS NOTES:

QB JOE BURROW completed 33 of 44 atts. (75 pct.) for 369 yards & 3 TDs vs. INT with 112.8 rating last week, 7th game this season with 3+ TD passes & 6th game this season with 300+ pass yards, both most in NFL. Can join HOFer Steve Young (1998) as only QBs ever with 300+ pass yards & 3+ TD passes in 5 straight games. Has 2+ TD passes & 95+ rating in 6 of 7 road games this season. Has 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs in 3 career starts vs. Ten. Leads NFL with 3,706 pass yards & 33 TD passes in 2024. • RB CHASE BROWN had 123 scrimmage yards (season-high 65 rec., 58 rush) & TD catch last week, 5th-straight game with 90+ scrimmage yards & 3rdstraight 100-yard game. Has TD in 5 of past 6. • WR JA’MARR CHASE had season-best 14 catches for 177 yards & 2 TDs in Week 14, 6th-career game with 175+ rec. yards, tied 2nd-most ever by player in 1st 4 seasons. Aims for 10th in row with 5+ catches & 5th in row with 75+ rec. yards & rec. TD. Has 602 rec. yards (150.5 per game) & 8 rec. TDs over past 4 games. Had 7 catches for 73 yards in last meeting. Leads NFL with 93 catches, 1,319 rec. yards & 15 rec. TDs in 2024, joining Carl Pickens (17 in 1995) as only Bengals ever with 15+ rec. TDs in a season. • WR TEE HIGGINS has 60+ rec. yards in 6 of his past 7 & rec. TD in 3 of past 4. • DE TREY HENDRICKSON had sack last week. Had 6 tackles & half sack in last meeting. Leads NFL with 12.5 sacks in 2024, 4th-career season with 12+ sacks. • DT B.J. HILL aims for 3rd in row with sack. Had half sack in last meeting. • LB GERMAINE PRATT aims for 5th in row with 7+ tackles & 3rd in row with TFL. • CB CAM TAYLOR-BRITT has PD in 5 of past 6. Has FF in each of 2 career games vs. Ten. Ranks tied-3rd in NFL with career-high 13 PD in 2024. • S GENO STONE had 5 tackles & 2nd INT of season last week. Aims for 4th in row with 5+ tackles. Had INT in last meeting.

TITANS NOTES:

QB WILL LEVIS aims for 3rd in row with 0 INTs. Has career-high 1,827 pass yards & 12 TD passes this season. • RB TONY POLLARD led team with 124 scrimmage yards (102 rush, 22 rec.) last week, 6th 100-yard game this season. Has 120+ scrimmage yards in 2 of past 3. Has 526 scrimmage yards (87.7 per game) in 6 home games this season. Had 98 scrimmage yards (55 rec., 43 rush) & rush TD in his last game vs. Cin. (9/18/22 w/ Dal.) & has TD in each of 2 career games vs. Cin. Needs 63 rush yards for 3rd-straight season with 1,000+ rush yards. • RB TYJAE SPEARS had 58 scrimmage yards (40 rush, 18 rec.) in last meeting. • WR CALVIN RIDLEY led team with 7 catches for 59 yards last week. Has 50+ rec. yards in 6 of past 7 overall & in each of past 3 at home. Has 2 rec. TDs in 2 career games vs. Cin. Needs 62 rec. yards for 5th-career 800-yard season. • WR NICK WESTBROOK-IKHINE has TD catch in 3 of past 4. Had TD catch in last meeting & aims for 3rd in row vs. Cin. with 50+ rec. yards. Ranks tied-4th in NFL with career-high 8 rec. TDs in 2024. • DT JEFFERY SIMMONS aims for 3rd in row with 5+ tackles. Has TFL & PD in 2 of past 3. Has FR in 2 of past 3 at home. Had half sack in last meeting. • LB HAROLD LANDRY had sack last week & has sack in 2 of past 3. Aims for 4th in row with TFL. Has 7+ sacks for 4th-career season (3rd-straight). • LB ARDEN KEY has 2 TFL & sack in 2 of past 3 at home. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Cin. with 0.5+ sacks. • LB LUKE GIFFORD led team with career-high 11 tackles & had TFL in Week 14. • LB OTIS REESE had 5 tackles, TFL & 1st-career INT last week. • CB CHIDOBE AWUZIE had 1st INT of season last week. • S AMANI HOOKER aims for 3rd in row with 6+ tackles. Had TFL & PD in last meeting.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (3-10) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (6-7)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 4:25 PM ET | State Farm Stadium | Referee: Ron Torbert

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: NE leads series, 9-7 (won 8 of past 9)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 12/12/22: NE 27 at ARI 13

Postseason: —

PATS NOTES:

QB DRAKE MAYE (rookie) completed 24 of 30 atts. (career-high 80 pct.) for 238 yards & TD with 96.9 rating & had 59 rush yards in Week 13. Has 95+ rating in 2 of past 3. Ranks 2nd among rookies with 67.2 comp. pct. (min. 10 att.). • RB RHAMONDRE STEVENSON led team with 94 scrimmage yards (73 rush, 21 rec.) in Week 13, 4th game with 90+ scrimmage yards this season. Has 75+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. Has 810 scrimmage yards (671 rush, 139 rec.) this season & is 1st player in franchise history with 700+ scrimmage yards in each of 1st 4 seasons. • RB ANTONIO GIBSON rushed for 62 yards & 1st TD of season in Week 13. Had rush TD in only career game at Ari. (9/20/20 w/ Was.). • TE HUNTER HENRY led team with 7 catches for 75 yards in Week 13. Aims for 4th in row with 5+ catches. Has 60+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Had 70 rec. yards in last meeting. Has 610 rec. yards in 2024 & needs 43 rec. yards for new career high. • TE AUSTIN HOOPER aims for 3rd in row with TD catch. Had 8 catches for 117 yards & TD in only career game at Ari. (10/13/19 w/ Atl.). • WR DEMARIO DOUGLAS aims for 6th in row with 4+ catches. Has 50+ rec. yards in 3 of past 4. Has 497 rec. yards & needs 65 rec. yards for new career high. • LB JAHLANI TAVAI aims for 3rd in row with PD. Has 5+ tackles in 8 of past 9. Aims for 4th in row on road with TFL & PD. Had 5 tackles & PD in last meeting. • LB CHRISTIAN ELLISS had 1st-career INT in Week 13. Aims for 3rd in row with PD. • CB CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ had TFL & 2nd INT of season in Week 13. • S KYLE DUGGER aims for 3rd in row with 6+ tackles, TFL & PD. Had 8 tackles & FF in last meeting. • S JABRILL PEPPERS led team with season-high 10 tackles & had TFL & 1st FF of season in Week 13. Aims for his 3rd in row with 7+ tackles.

CARDS NOTES:

QB KYLER MURRAY passed for 259 yards & 2 TDs in Week 14 & aims for his 5th in row with 250+ pass yards. Needs 138 pass yards for his 4th-career 3,000-yard season. Has 7 TDs (4 pass, 3 rush) in his past 4 at home. • RB JAMES CONNER had 122 scrimmage yards (90 rush, 32 rec.) & 1st rec. TD of season last week. Is 1 of 2 RBs (Derrick Henry) with 6+ scrimmage TDs in each of his past 7 seasons. Has 100+ scrimmage yards in 6 of his 7 home games this season & aims for his 6th in row at home with 110+ scrimmage yards. Had 6 catches, 114 yards (85 rush, 29 rec.) & rush TD in last meeting. • TE TREY MCBRIDE had 7 catches for 70 yards last week & has career-high 851 rec. yards in 2024, 2nd-most among TEs this season. Ranks tied-2nd among TEs with 80 catches in 2024. Aims for his 4th in row with 7+ catches & 5th in row with 70+ rec. yards. • WR MICHAEL WILSON had 57 rec. yards & career-high 4th rec. TD of season last week. Aims for his 4th in row with 50+ rec. yards. • WR MARVIN HARRISON JR. leads all rookies with 7 rec. TDs in 2024. • S BUDDA BAKER had career-high 18 tackles & career-high 9th TFL of season last week, tied-most tackles by DB in single game since 2000. Leads all DBs & ranks 2nd in NFL with 132 tackles in 2024. Is only player with 13 games of 7+ tackles this season. • LB KYZIR WHITE had season-high 13 tackles last week. Needs tackle for 3rdcareer 100-tackle season. Aims for his 8th in row for 5+ tackles. • LB BARON BROWNING aims for his 3rd in row with TFL. • DL L.J. COLLIER has 3 sacks in his past 3. Has TFL in 4 of his past 5 & aims for his 4th in row with TFL. • CB MAX MELTON aims for his 5th in row at home with PD.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (6-7) AT DENVER BRONCOS (8-5)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 4:25 PM ET | Empower Field at Mile High | Referee: Carl Cheffers

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: DEN leads series, 14-12 (IND won past 2)

Postseason: IND leads series, 3-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/6/22: IND 12 at DEN 9 (OT)

Postseason: AFC-D 1/11/15: IND 24 at DEN 13

COLTS NOTES:

QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON totaled 157 yards (109 pass, 48 rush) & 3 TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) in Week 13, 3rd-career game with 2 TD passes & rush TD. Aims for 3rd in row on road with rush TD. Has 5 rush TDs in 5 career road starts. • RB JONATHAN TAYLOR led team with 103 scrimmage yards (96 rush, 7 rec.) & had 1st TD catch of season in Week 13, 6th 100-yard game of season. Has 474 scrimmage yards (94.8 per game) in his 5 road games this season. Has 50 career TDs (45 rush, 5 rec.) & is 4th player in franchise history with 50+ TDs in 1st 5 seasons (HOFers Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James & Lenny Moore). • WR MICHAEL PITTMAN aims for 4th in row with 5+ catches. Had 5 catches for 59 yards in last meeting. Is 4th player in franchise history with 500+ rec. yards in each of 1st 5 seasons. • WR JOSH DOWNS has 60+ rec. yards in 4 of his past 5 overall & in each of his 5 road games this season. Has TD catch in 3 of his past 4 on road. • WR ALEC PIERCE had career-high 5th TD catch of season in Week 13. Had 8 catches for 81 yards in last meeting. • LB ZAIRE FRANKLIN led team with 12 tackles & had career-high 1.5 sacks with FF & PD in Week 13. Has 10+ tackles in 7 games this season, tied-most in NFL. Aims for 3rd in row with 12+ tackles & sack. Leads NFL with 135 tackles in 2024. • LB E.J. SPEED had 9 tackles, TFL & PD in Week 13. Aims for 4th in row with 9+ tackles. Has TFL in 3 of past 4 on road. Ranks tied-9th in NFL with 117 tackles in 2024. • DT DEFOREST BUCKNER aims for 4th in row with TFL & 3rd in row with 7+ tackles & sack. Has sack in 3 of past 4 on road. Had 2 sacks, FF & PD in last meeting. • S NICK CROSS had 9 tackles & 1st-career sack in Week 13. Has 9+ tackles in 4 of past 5. Aims for 3rd in row with TFL. Ranks 4th in NFL with 125 tackles in 2024. • S JULIAN BLACKMON had 5 tackles & INT in Week 13. Aims for 3rd in row with PD.

BRONCOS NOTES:

QB BO NIX passed for 294 yards & TD in Week 13, 4th game this season with 250+ pass yards, tied-most among rookies. Can become 4th rookie ever with 250+ pass yards in 4 straight games. Has 2+ TD passes, 0 INTs & 90+ rating in 3 of past 4. Has 2+ TD passes in 4 of past 5 at home. Leads rookies with 2,842 pass yards & 17 TD passes this season, both most-ever by Den. rookie. • RB JALEEL MCLAUGHLIN had career-high 84 rush yards in Week 13. • RB JAVONTE WILLIAMS had rush TD in Week 13. Aims for 3rd in row at home with rush TD. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in 2 of past 3 at home. • WR COURTLAND SUTTON had 6 catches for 102 yards in Week 13, 6thstraight game with 6+ catches & 70+ rec. yards, longest active streak in NFL. Had 5 catches for 74 yards in last meeting & aims for his 3rd in row vs. Ind. with 70+ rec. yards. Needs 154 rec. yards for 2nd-career 1,000-yard season. • WR MARVIN MIMS had season-high 105 rec. yards & TD catch in Week 13, 2ndcareer 100-yard game. Has rec. TD in 2 of past 3. • DE ZACH ALLEN had 5 tackles in Week 13. Has 8 TFL in 6 home games this season, with TFL in 5 of 6 games. Has career-high 12 TFL in 2024. • LB NIK BONITTO had sack, 2 PD & 71-yard INT-TD in Week 13, 1st-career INT & TD & longest INT-TD by LB this season. Aims for 11th in row with TFL & 5th in row with sack. Has sack in 5 of 6 home games this season. Ranks tied-2nd in NFL with career-high 11 sacks in 2024, most by Den. player since 2018. • LB CODY BARTON had 8 tackles & INT in Week 13. Aims for 4th in row with PD & has INT in 2 of past 3. • CB PAT SURTAIN II aims for 4th in row with PD. Had FF in last meeting. • CB JA’QUAN MCMILLIAN had 5 tackles, career-high 4 PD & 44-yard INT-TD in Week 13, 1st-career TD. Aims for 4th in row with 5+ tackles.

BUFFALO BILLS (10-3) AT DETROIT LIONS (12-1)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 4:25 PM ET | Ford Field | Referee: Adrian Hill

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: BUF leads series, 7-4-1 (won 6 of past 7)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/24/22: BUF 28 at DET 25

Postseason: —

BILLS NOTES:

BILLS clinched AFC East division title for 5th-straight year, longest streak in franchise history. Lead AFC with 30.5 points per game. • QB JOSH ALLEN totaled 424 yards (342 pass, 82 rush) & career-high 6 TDs (3 pass, 3 rush) with 0 INTs for 117.2 rating last week, becoming 1st player in NFL history with 3 TD passes & 3 rush TDs in a game. Has 5 career games with 2+ TD passes & 2+ rush TDs, most in NFL history. Aims for 5th in row with rush TD & 3rd in row with 2+ TD passes. Totaled 331 yards (253 pass, 78 rush) & 3 TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) in last meeting. Ranks 2nd among QBs with 9 rush TDs in 2024, 5th-career season with 8+ rush TDs, most-ever by QB. • RB JAMES COOK has rush TD in 3 of past 4. Has 7 TDs (6 rush, 1 rec.) in his 6 road games this season. Ranks tied-5th in NFL with career-high 11 rush TDs in 2024. • RB TY JOHNSON had season-high 55 rec. yards & TD catch in Week 14. • WR KHALIL SHAKIR had 5 catches for team-high 106 yards & TD last week. Has 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 6 of past 7 overall & in 5 of 6 road games this season. • WR AMARI COOPER had 6 catches for season-best 95 yards in Week 14. • WR MACK HOLLINS aims for 3rd in row with rec. TD. • LB TERREL BERNARD had 10 tackles last week, 6th-straight game with 8+ tackles. • LB VON MILLER has TFL in 2 of past 3. • DE GREG ROUSSEAU has TFL in 3 of past 4 on road. Has 8 TFL in his past 4 vs. NFC. • CB CHRISTIAN BENFORD set season highs in tackles (8) & PD (2) last week. Aims for 4th in row with PD. • S TAYLOR RAPP led team with career-high 13 tackles in Week 14. Aims for 9th in row with 5+ tackles. • S DAMAR HAMILIN tied career high with 12 tackles last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 5+ tackles. Had 6 tackles in last meeting.

LIONS NOTES:

DETROIT clinched playoff berth for 2nd-straight season, 1st time making postseason in consecutive years since 1993-95. • QB JARED GOFF passed for 283 yards & 3 TDs vs. INT for 109.7 rating last week. Ranks 2nd among qualified passers in rating (109.1) & comp. pct. (72.4) in 2024. Is only QB with 25+ TD passes in each of past 3 seasons & only QB with 3,000+ pass yards in each of past 8 seasons. Has 14 TDs vs. INT for 137 rating in his past 5 at home & aims for his 6th in row at home with 2+ TD passes & 100+ rating. Has 5 TDs (4 pass, 1 rush) vs. INT for 104.8 rating in 2 career starts vs. Buf. • RB JAHMYR GIBBS had 6 catches, 73 scrimmage yards (43 rush, 30 rec.) & 3rdcareer TD catch last week. Has career highs in scrimmage yards (1,328), rush yards (1,016) & scrimmage TDs (12) in 2024. Is only player with 70+ scrimmage yards in 13 games this season. Has 11 TDs (9 rush, 2 rec.) in his past 12 at home. • RB DAVID MONTGOMERY had season-high 5 catches, 84 scrimmage yards (51 rush, 33 rec.) & 12th rush TD of season last week, tied 3rd-most in NFL in 2024. Has 12 rush TDs in 13 reg. season home games with Det. Has 1,081 scrimmage yards in 2024 & is 1 of 4 (Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs & Alvin Kamara) with 1,000+ scrimmage yards in each of past 6 seasons. • WR AMON-RA ST. BROWN has 5+ catches in 5 of his past 6 at home & aims for his 7th in row overall with 5+ catches. Needs 4 catches to become 3rd player ever with 400+ catches in 1st 4 seasons. Had 9 catches for 122 yards & rec. TD in last meeting. • WR JAMESON WILLIAMS led team with 80 rec. yards last week. Aims for his 4th in row with 5+ catches. Has 75+ rec. yards in 5 of his 6 home games in 2024. • TE SAM LAPORTA had 5 catches last week. Leads all TEs with 15 rec. TDs since 2023. • DB KERBY JOSEPH has 5 PD & 3 INTs in his past 5 at home. • DB BRIAN BRANCH had 4th TFL of season last week. Ranks tied-1st in NFC with 13 PD in 2024. • CB CARLTON DAVIS had 4th-career FF last week. Has 5 PD in his past 4 at home. • LB JACK CAMPBELL has 6+ tackles in 6 of his 7 games in 2024. • DL ZA’DARIUS SMITH aims for his 3rd in row overall & 3rd in row vs. Buf. with sack.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-6) AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (8-5)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 4:25 PM ET | SoFi Stadium | Referee: Scott Novak

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: LAC leads series, 8-4 (TB won past 3)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/4/20: LAC 31 at TB 38

Postseason: —

BUCS NOTES:

QB BAKER MAYFIELD passed for 295 yards & 3 TDs for 101.9 rating last week, his 6th game with 3+ TD passes in 2024, 2nd-most in NFL. Ranks tied-3rd in TD passes (28) & 4th in pass yards (3,329) this season. Can make 100thcareer start in Week 15. • RB RACHAAD WHITE had 109 scrimmage yards (90 rush, 19 rec.) & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in Week 14, his 10th-career rush TD & 10th-career rec. TD. Is 1 of 2 RBs (De’Von Achane) with 5+ rec. TDs (5) in 2024. • RB BUCKY IRVING leads all rookies in scrimmage yards (1,035) & rush yards (735) & ranks tied-1st in rush TDs (6). Has 100+ scrimmage yards & rush TD in 3 of his past 4 on road & aims for his 3rd in row on road with 150+ scrimmage yards & rush TD. • WR MIKE EVANS has 5+ catches & 60+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 on road & aims for his 4th in row with 65+ rec. yards. Had 7 catches for 122 yards & rec. TD in last meeting. • WR JALEN MCMILLAN (rookie) had 1st-career game with 2 rec. TDs last week. • TE CADE OTTON led team with 70 rec. yards last week. Has career highs in receptions (57) & rec. yards (576) in 2024. • LB LAVONTE DAVID had 4th sack of season & 19th-career FR last week. Needs 8 tackles for his 11th-career 100+ tackle season. Had INT-TD in his only career game at Chargers (12/4/16 at SD). • NT VITA VEA has career-high 9 TFL in 2024. Has sack in 4 of his past 5 on road. • DL CALIJAH KANCEY aims for his 5th in row on road with sack. • CB ZYON MCCOLLUM has 9 PD in 6 road games in 2024. • S TYKEE SMITH (rookie) had 2nd-career INT last week. • S KAEVON MERRIWEATHER had 1st-career sack last week.

CHARGERS NOTES:

CHARGERS lead NFL in scoring defense (15.9 points per game allowed) this season. • QB JUSTIN HERBERT completed 21 of 30 atts. (70 pct.) for 213 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs with 101.1 rating last week, becoming 2nd player in NFL history (Tom Brady – 2010) with 0 INTs in 11 straight games (min. 15 atts.) within a single season. Has 335 consecutive atts. without INT, 4th-longest streak ever. Has 90+ rating in 5 of 6 home games this season. Completed 20 of 25 atts. (80 pct.) for 290 yards & 3 TDs with 137.9 rating in last meeting. • RB GUS EDWARDS had rush TD last week & has rush TD in 2 of past 3. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. TB with 65+ scrimmage yards. • WR LADD MCCONKEY (rookie) aims for his 7th in row with 50+ rec. yards & 4th in row with 6+ catches & 80+ rec. yards. Ranks 4th among rookies with 815 rec. yards this season, 3rd-most ever by Chargers rookie. • WR QUENTIN JOHNSTON had 5 catches for 48 yards & 7th TD of season in Week 14. Has TD catch in 2 of past 3 on road. • WR JOSHUA PALMER set season highs in catches (6) & rec. yards (78) last week. • TE STONE SMARTT had career-high 54 rec. yards in Week 14. • DL POONA FORD has sack in 3 of past 4 at home. • LB JOEY BOSA had 4th sack of season last week. Has TFL in 2 of past 3 at home. Had sack in last home meeting. • LB DAIYAN HENLEY aims for 8th in row with 8+ tackles. Aims for 5th in row at home with 10+ tackles. Has TFL in 2 of past 3. • LB KHALIL MACK had PD & half sack last week. Aims for 3rd in row with PD. • LB TROY DYE aims for 3rd in row with 6+ tackles. • CB TARHEEB STILL (rookie) has 5+ tackles in 3 of past 4. • S DERWIN JAMES had sack last week. Aims for 3rd in row with TFL.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (10-3) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (11-2)

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: PHI leads series, 48-29-3 (Home team won past 9 of 10)

Postseason: PHI leads series, 1-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/30/22: PIT 13 at PHI 35

Postseason: NFL-D 12/21/47: PHI 21 at PIT 0

STEELERS NOTES:

STEELERS secured 21st-consecutive season without losing record, tied with 1965-85 Dallas Cowboys for longest streak in NFL history. • QB RUSSELL WILSON totaled 175 yards (158 pass, season-high 17 rush) with 2 TD passes vs. 0 INTs with 101.1 rating last week, 73rd-career game with 2+ TD passes & 0 INTs, tied with HOFer Peyton Manning for 5th-most all-time. Aims for 4th in row with 100+ rating & 3rd in row with 2+ TD passes. Has 90+ rating in each of 3 road starts this season. Is 5-0 with 9 TDs (8 pass, 1 rush) vs. INT & 99.7 rating in 5 career starts vs. Phi. Is 6-1 as starter this season. • RB NAJEE HARRIS is only player in AFC with 50+ scrimmage yards in 13 games this season. Aims for 3rd in row with rush TD. Needs 123 rush yards to become 4th player since 2000 & 1st since Adrian Peterson (2007-10) with 1,000+ rush yards & 5+ rush TDs in each of 1st 4 seasons. • RB JAYLEN WARREN had 72 scrimmage yards (47 rush, 25 rec.) last week, 7thstraight game with 55+ scrimmage yards. • WR GEORGE PICKENS has 70+ rec. yards in 5 of his past 6. • WR VAN JEFFERSON had 2nd TD catch of season in Week 14. • TE PAT FREIERMUTH aims for 3rd in row with TD catch. • LB T.J. WATT aims for 5th in row with TFL. Had 3 TFL & sack in only career came vs. Phi. (10/11/20). Needs half sack for 6th-career 10-sack season. • LB ALEX HIGHSMITH had 2 TFL & sack last week. Has 2 TFL & sack in 2 of his past 3. Had TFL in last meeting. • DT CAMERON HEYWARD had 2 sacks in Week 14. Aims for 3rd in row with 2+ TFL & sack. Has PD in 6 of past 7. Aims for 3rd in row vs. Phi. with sack. • CB JAMES PIERRE & DL KEEANU BENTON each had 1st INT of season last week. • S DESHON ELLIOTT led team with season-high 13 tackles & had PD last week.

EAGLES NOTES:

EAGLES clinched playoff berth for 4th-consecutive season. Became 1st team since 1983 (Washington) with 100+ rush yards & rush TD in 12 of its 1st 13 games of season. • QB JALEN HURTS had 3 TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) & 110.8 rating last week, his 8th game with both pass TD & rush TD this season, tied 4th-most such games in single season all-time. Is 1st QB since 1950 with 3 9+ game win streaks in 1st 5 seasons. Became 4th player since 2000 with 13+ rush TDs in 3 straight seasons. Has 13 TDs (9 pass, 4 rush) & 102 rating in 6 home starts in 2024. Passed for 285 yards & 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 140.6 rating in last meeting. Became 4th QB ever with 3,000+ rush yards in 1st 5 career seasons. • RB SAQUON BARKLEY rushed for 124 yards in Week 14 & leads NFL with franchise-recod 1,623 rush yards in 2024, 2nd-most by player in 1st 13 games of season since 2000. Leads NFL with 1,890 scrimmage yards & can become 18th player all-time with multiple 2,000-yard seasons. • WR A.J. BROWN has 5+ catches & 65+ yards in 4 of his past 5. Had 6 catches for 153 yards & career-high 3 TDs in last meeting & aims for his 3rd in row vs. Pit. with 6+ catches, 150+ rec. yards & rec. TD. • WR DEVONTA SMITH had 5th rec. TD of season last week. Has TD catch in 4 of his past 5 at home. Had 5 catches in last meeting. • LB ZACK BAUN had 11 tackles, career-high 3 TFL & sack in Week 14. Ranks 3rd in NFL with career-high 128 tackles. Aims for his 4th in row at home with 10+ tackles & TFL. • LB NAKOBE DEAN led team with 12 tackles last week & has 1st season with 100+ tackles (106) in 2024. Aims for his 3rd in row at home with 10+ tackles. • DT JALEN CARTER had 2 TFL last week & has career-high 12 TFL in 2024. Aims for his 3rd in row with 2+ TFL. • CB DARIUS SLAY had 2 PD last week & has 9th-career season with 10+ PD (10) in 2024. • S C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON had 2 PD & 15th-career INT last week.

GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-4) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (8-5)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 8:20 PM ET | Lumen Field | Referee: Clete Blakeman

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: GB leads series, 12-8 (won 4 of past 5)

Postseason: GB leads series, 3-1 (Home team won past 4)

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/14/21: SEA 0 at GB 17

Postseason: NFC-D 1/12/20: SEA 23 at GB 28

PACKERS NOTES:

QB JORDAN LOVE passed for 206 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs for 111.7 rating in Week 14. Aims for his 3rd in row on road & 5th in row overall with 100+ rating. Needs 276 pass yards for 2nd-straight 3,000-yard season. Aims for his 3rd in row on SNF with 3+ TD passes & 115+ rating. • RB JOSH JACOBS rushed for 66 yards & 3 TDs last week, his 4th-career game with 3 rush TDs. Has 8 rush TDs in his past 4. Aims for his 5th in row on road & 5th in row overall with rush TD. Had career-high 303 scrimmage yards (career-high 229 rush, 74 rec.) & 2 rush TDs in his only career game vs. Sea. (11/27/22 w/ LV). • WR CHRISTIAN WATSON had team-high 114 rec. yards last week, his 5thcareer 100-yard game. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with 100+ rec. yards. Has 312 scrimmage yards (104 per game) & 3 rec. TDs in his past 3 on SNF. • TE TUCKER KRAFT had 7th rec. TD of season last week, tied 2nd-most among TEs in 2024. Has 4 rec. TDs in his past 4 on road. • DL RASHAN GARY had 37th-career sack last week & has sack in 3 of his past 4. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with sack. Has 5.5 sacks in 2024, his 5thstraight season with 5+ sacks. Had sack in last meeting. • DL KENNY CLARK aims for his 3rd in row with TFL. • LB QUAY WALKER had 10 tackles & TFL last week. Has career-high 9 TFL in 2024. Needs tackle for 3rd-straight 100-tackle season. Aims for his 3rd in row with 10+ tackles & 4th in row with TFL. • LB ISAIAH MCDUFFIE had career-high 15 tackles last week & has career-high 84 tackles in 2024. • S XAVIER MCKINNEY has INT in 4 of his 6 road games in 2024. Has 5+ tackles in 6 of his past 7. Had sack in his last game at Sea. (10/30/22 w/ NYG).

SEAHAWKS NOTES:

QB GENO SMITH completed 24 of 30 atts. (season-high 80 pct.) for 233 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs for 110.1 rating in Week 14. Leads NFC in completions (324) & pass yards (3,474) in 2024. • RB KENNETH WALKER has 50+ scrimmage yards in 17 of his 20 career reg. season home games. Aims for his 3rd in row with 90+ scrimmage yards. • RB ZACH CHARBONNET set career highs in catches (7), scrimmage yards (193) & rush yards (134) & had his 2nd career game with 2 rush TDs last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with rush TD. • WR DK METCALF has 50+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 at home. Aims for his 4th in row at home on SNF with 80+ rec. yards & TD catch. • WR TYLER LOCKETT is 1 of 4 (Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins & Travis Kelce) with 500+ rec. yards in each of past 10 seasons. • WR JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA had 5 catches for 82 yards & career-high 5 rec. TD of season last week. Has career highs in catches (75) & rec. yards (911) in 2024. Has 5+ catches in 5 of his past 6. Aims for his 5th in row at home with 5+ catches & 7th in row overall with 65+ rec. yards. • DE LEONARD WILLIAMS aims for his 4th in row with 2+ TFL & PD. Has 5 TFL in his past 4 at home. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. GB with TFL. • LB ERNEST JONES had 1st INT of season last week. Has 8+ tackles in each of his 6 games with Sea. in 2024. Has 107 tackles this season, 3rd-straight 100 tackle season. Had 12 tackles in Week 3 (w/ Ten.) vs. GB. • LB TYRICE KNIGHT (rookie) had career-high 12 tackles & 1st 2 career PD last week. • CB RIQ WOOLEN aims for his 4th in row with PD. • S COBY BRYANT had 5th-career FF & career-high 3rd INT of season last week. Aims for his 4th in row at home with PD.

CHICAGO BEARS (4-9) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (11-2)

Monday, December 16, 2024 | 8:00 PM ET | U.S. Bank Stadium | Referee: John Hussey

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: MIN leads series, 67-57-2 (won 6 of past 7)

Postseason: CHI leads series, 1-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/24/24: MIN 30 at CHI 27 (OT)

Postseason: NFC-WC 1/1/95: CHI 35 at MIN 18

BEARS NOTES:

QB CALEB WILLIAMS (rookie) had 2 TD passes vs. 0 INTs for 116.9 rating last week. Has 255 straight pass attempts without INT, longest-ever streak by rookie QB. Aims for his 4th in row with 2+ TD passes & 5th in row with 95+ rating. Passed for 340 yards & 2 TDs in Week 12 meeting. • RB D’ANDRE SWIFT has 65+ scrimmage yards in 9 of his past 10, incl. 65 scrimmage yards in Week 12 meeting. Has 95+ scrimmage yards in 2 of his 3 career games at Min. Is 1 of 5 RBs with 5+ rush TDs in each of past 5 seasons. • WR DJ MOORE had 6 catches last week & aims for his 5th in row with 6+ catches. Had 7 catches for 106 yards & rec. TD in Week 12 meeting. Had 11 catches for 114 yards in last road meeting. Aims for his 5th in row vs. Min. with 5+ catches & 6th in row vs. Min. with 50+ rec. yards. • WR KEENAN ALLEN has 951 receptions for 11,001 yards in 150 career games, most receptions by player in 1st 150 games all-time. Needs 3 catches & 29 rec. yards for 11th-straight season with 50+ catches & 500+ rec. yards. Had 9 catches for 86 yards & rec. TD in Week 12 meeting. Had career highs in catches (18) & rec. yards (215) in his last game at Min. (9/24/23 w/ LAC). • WR ROME ODUNZE (rookie) had 1st-career game with 2 rec. TDs last week. • S KEVIN BYARD aims for his 3rd in row with PD. Had season-high 13 tackles in Week 12 meeting. Needs tackle for 3rd-straight 100+ tackle season. • LB TREMAINE EDMUNDS has 5 PD in 5 career games vs. Min. • LB T.J. EDWARDS had 10 tackles, 2 TFL, sack & PD last week. Has 103 tackles in 2024, his 4th-straight 100+ tackle season. Has 4 TFL in his past 4. • DB JAYLON JOHNSON had 2nd-career game with 2 TFL last week. Had 3 PD & INT in last road meeting. • DB JONATHAN OWENS had 1st INT of season last week.

VIKINGS NOTES:

QB SAM DARNOLD had career highs in pass yards (347), pass TDs (5) & rating (157.9) in Week 13, 1st Min. QB with 5 TD passes in single game since 2004 (Daunte Culpepper). Has career highs in pass yards (3,299) & pass TDs (28) in 2024, tied most TD passes among NFC QBs. Leads NFL with 10 games of 2+ TD passes & 100+ rating in 2024, incl. 330 pass yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 116.1 rating in Week 12 meeting. Aims for his 5th in row with 2+ TD passes & 100+ rating. • RB AARON JONES had 84 scrimmage yards (73 rush, 11 rec.) & 4th rush TD of season last week. Aims for his 4th in row with TD. Had 129 scrimmage yards (106 rush, 23 rec.) & rush TD in Week 12 meeting. Has 12 TDs (8 rush, 4 rec.) in 14 career games vs. Chi. Aims for his 4th in row v. Chi. with 125+ scrimmage yards. • WR JUSTIN JEFFERSON had 7 catches for 132 yards & 2 TDs last week, his 6th-career game with 2 rec. TDs. Has 33 games with 100+ rec. yards & 22 games with 125+ rec. yards, both most-ever by player in 1st 5 seasons. Reached 7,000 rec. yards in 73 career games, 3rd-fewest games to reach mark all-time. Aims for his 4th in row at home vs. Chi. with 100+ rec. yards. • WR JORDAN ADDISON had 8 catches for 133 yards & career-high 3 rec. TDs in Week 14, his 3rd-career game with 100+ rec. yards & 2+ TD catches. Had 8 catches for career-high 162 yards & TD catch in Week 12 meeting. • TE T.J. HOCKENSON had 7 catches for 114 yards in Week 12 meeting. • LB BLAKE CASHMAN had career-high 6th PD of season last week. • LB ANDREW VAN GINKEL had 5th PD of season last week. Had sack & PD in Week 12 meeting. Leads NFC with career-high 15 TFL in 2024. • LB JONATHAN GREENARD had 4 TFL, 2 sacks & FF in Week 12 meeting. Has 8 sacks in 7 home games in 2024. • CB BYRON MURPHY had career-high 6th INT of season last week. Aims for his 3rd in row overall & 4th in row at home with INT. • S HARRISON SMITH (76 tackles), S JOSH METELLUS (78) & S CAMRYN BYNUM (75) are only trio of DB teammates each with 75+ tackles in 2024. Smith had season-high 11 tackles in Week 12 meeting.

ATLANTA FALCONS (6-7) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-11)

Monday, December 16, 2024 | 8:30 PM ET | Allegiant Stadium | Referee: Shawn Smith

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: ATL leads series, 8-7 (won past 5)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/29/20: LV 6 at ATL 43

Postseason: —

FALCONS NOTES:

QB KIRK COUSINS passed for 344 yards last week, his 53rd-career game with 300+ pass yards. Has 275+ pass yards in 3 of his past 4 on road. Has 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 136.8 rating in 2 career starts vs. Raiders. • RB BIJAN ROBINSON had 101 scrimmage yards (92 rush, 9 rec.) & 8th rush TD of season last week, his 9th game with 100+ scrimmage yards in 2024, 2nd-most in NFL. Has 100+ scrimmage yards in 6 of his past 7 on road. Ranks 4th in NFL with 1,378 scrimmage yards (career-high 977 rush, 401 rec.). Since 2023, ranks 3rd among RBs with 111 receptions. • RB TYLER ALLGEIER had 3rd rush TD of season last week. • WR DRAKE LONDON had 5 catches for 70 yards last week & has career-high 75 receptions in 2024. Aims for his 5th in row with 60+ rec. yards. • WR DARNELL MOONEY had 6 catches for career-high 142 yards last week, his 6th-career game with 100+ rec. yards. Has 85+ rec. yards in 4 of his 6 road games in 2024. • WR RAY-RAY MCCLOUD had season-high 8 catches for career-high 98 yards last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with 95+ rec. yards. • S JESSIE BATES had 9 tackles last week & has 81 tackles in 2024, his 6th-career season with 80+ tackles. Has 5+ tackles in 5 of his 6 road games this season. • LB MATTHEW JUDON had 70th-career sack last week. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with sack. • DL GRADY JARRETT had 2 TFL last week & has 8 TFL in 2024, his 6th-career season with 8+ TFL. • LB KADEN ELLISS had 10 tackles & 15th-career sack last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with sack & 4th in row with TFL. Has 5+ tackles in 12 of his 13 games in 2024. Ranks 4th in NFC with 112 tackles.

RAIDERS NOTES:

QB AIDAN O’CONNELL completed 11 of 19 atts. (57.9 pct.) for 104 yards last week. Has 0 INTs in 2 of past 3. • QB DESMOND RIDDER can make 1st start of season. Completed 12 of 18 atts. (66.7 pct.) for 101 yards last week. Made 17 starts with Atl. in 1st 2 career seasons (2022-23), totaling 18 TDs (14 pass, 4 rush). • RB SINCERE MCCORMICK led team with career-high 89 scrimmage yards (78 rush, 11 rec.) last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 65+ scrimmage yards. • RB ALEXANDER MATTISON has rush TD in 2 of his 4 home games this season. Had TD catch in his last game vs. Atl. (11/5/23 w/ Min.). • TE BROCK BOWERS (rookie) had 49 rec. yards last week. Has 5+ catches & 55+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3 at home. Ranks 2nd in NFL with 87 catches & 5th with 933 rec., yards this season, most catches ever by rookie TE & 3rd-most rec. yards. • TE MICHAEL MAYER had career-high 7 catches for 68 yards last week. • WR JAKOBI MEYERS had 7 catches for 67 yards in Week 14, 3rd-straight game with 6+ catches & 65+ rec. yards. Has 5+ catches in each of his 4 home games this season. Has TD catch in 2 of his past 3 on MNF. • DE MAXX CROSBY had TFL & PD last week. Aims for 4th in row with TFL. Aims for his 4th in row vs. NFC with PD. Tied for NFL lead with 17 TFL in 2024. • DE K’LAVON CHAISSON had half sack & 1st-career INT in Week 14. Aims for 3rd in row with 0.5+ sacks. Has TFL in 3 of past 4. • DT ADAM BUTLER had sack last week. Aims for 5th in row with TFL & 3rd in row with 0.5+ sacks. Has 0.5+ sacks in 3 of past 4. • LB ROBERT SPILLANE is 1 of 4 in NFL with 5+ tackles in 13 games this season. • S TREVON MOEHRIG had 8 tackles, career-high 3 PD & 1st-career FR last week. Has PD in 3 of past 4.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 1 TENNESSEE PULLS OUT BUZZER-BEATING WIN VS. ILLINOIS

Jordan Gainey drove the length of the court and scooped in a right-handed layup on the left side of the hoop at the buzzer to lift No. 1 Tennessee to a 66-64 nonconference victory over Illinois before a sellout crowd Saturday afternoon in Champaign, Ill.

Gainey came off the bench to deliver 18 of his game- and season-high 23 points in the second half for the Volunteers (10-0). Chaz Lanier scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half before fouling out with 3:42 to play, while Igor Milicic Jr. posted seven points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis scored 22 points for Illinois (7-3), but split a pair of free throws with 5.7 seconds left to set up Gainey’s last-second heroics. Tre White contributed 11 points while Kylan Boswell and Will Riley added 10 points apiece as Tennessee’s defense limited the Illini to 29 percent shooting.

Illinois forged the game’s seventh and final tie on Jakucionis’ free throw. With Zakai Zeigler and Lanier fouled out, the Volunteers inbounded the ball to Gainey, who charged down the middle of the floor; his layup fell through the hoop as the horn sounded.

No. 2 Auburn 91, Ohio State 53

Johni Broome had 21 points, a career-best 20 rebounds and also had six assists as the Tigers routed the Buckeyes in the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta.

Broome, among the leaders in the national player of the year conversation, controlled play with Ohio State missing 7-foot-1 center Aaron Bradshaw. Denver Jones added 14 points and was 4 of 5 from 3-point range for Auburn (9-1), while Dylan Cardwell scored 10 and added eight rebounds and four blocks. Jakhi Howard scored 11 points, all in the second half.

Devin Royal (14 points) and Micah Parrish (10) led Ohio State (6-4) in scoring. Leading scorer Bruce Thornton had just three points on 1-of-8 shooting.

No. 5 Kentucky 93, Louisville 85

Lamont Butler returned to the lineup in spectacular fashion, scoring a career-high 33 points to lead the Wildcats past the visiting Cardinals in Lexington, Ky.

The fifth-year point guard missed the last two games for the Wildcats (10-1) due to an ankle injury. Butler went 10-for-10 from the floor, including six from beyond the 3-point stripe to keep the pesky, undermanned Cardinals (6-5) from scoring an upset.

Butler became the fourth player in Kentucky history to shoot 10 or more shots and make them all. Louisville never led past the first minute but stayed in the game behind the play of Chucky Hepburn, who scored 26 points, and Terrence Edwards Jr., who scored 23. It was Edwards’ third consecutive 20-point performance, all as a reserve.

Dayton 71, No. 6 Marquette 63

Zed Key and Javon Bennett each had 15 points and led a second-half charge that helped the host Flyers erase a 13-point deficit and beat the Golden Eagles.

Key had four dunks in the second half for the Flyers (9-2), who shot 55.6 percent from the field following intermission after making just 36 percent of their first-half shots to trail 36-26 at halftime. Enoch Cheeks added 14 points for Dayton, which held the Golden Eagles (9-2) to 35.7 percent shooting overall after the break and owned a 21-10 advantage in second-chance points for the game.

Chase Ross had 19 points and star Kam Jones added 18 for Marquette, which was the highest-ranked team to visit Dayton since Pittsburgh, also ranked No. 6 at the time, lost there in December 2007.

No. 7 Alabama 83, Creighton 75

Mark Sears recorded 27 points and six rebounds to help the Crimson Tide notch a victory over the Bluejays at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Labaron Philon added 16 points and five rebounds and Derrion Reid scored 12 points for the Crimson Tide (8-2). Grant Nelson had 10 rebounds as Alabama held a 46-32 advantage on the boards.

Steven Ashworth registered 20 points and nine assists and Ryan Kalkbrenner added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Bluejays (7-4), who had a three-game winning streak snapped.

No. 18 UConn 77, No. 8 Gonzaga 71

Liam McNeeley scored a career-best 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Huskies recorded a victory over the Bulldogs at New York.

Tarris Reed Jr. contributed 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots and Jaylin Stewart scored 10 points for the Huskies (8-3), who won their fourth consecutive game. The Huskies improved to 6-2 against the Bulldogs, including a memorable 82-54 stomping in the Elite Eight of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Khalif Battle scored 21 points for Gonzaga (7-3), which lost its second straight game. Ryan Nembhard had 16 points and seven assists and Michael Ajayi had 14 points and six rebounds. Gonzaga star Graham Ike had just three points and no rebounds in 12 minutes while battling foul trouble.

No. 9 Florida 83, Arizona State 66

Walter Clayton Jr. scored 25 points and the unbeaten Gators rode early 3-point shooting to knock off the Sun Devils in a Holiday Hoopsgiving game in Atlanta.

Will Richard added 16 points and Alijah Martin 15 as the Gators (10-0) tied the second-best start in program history. They also went 10-0 in 1951-52.

Adam Miller led the Sun Devils (8-2) with 18 points, and Jay Quaintance netted 14 to go with eight rebounds and four steals. Basheer Jihad chipped in 13 points.

No. 10 Kansas 75, NC State 60

Zeke Mayo had a season-high 26 points and Hunter Dickinson had 21 points and 14 rebounds as the Jayhawks defeated the Wolfpack at Lawrence, Kan.

Kansas (8-2) also got 15 points and six assists from Dajuan Harris. It was the Jayhawks’ 13th straight victory over NC State.

NC State (7-4) was led by Ben Middlebrooks with 14 points and eight rebounds. Bradley Huntley-Hatfield added 12 points off the bench and Marcus Hill scored 10.

No. 13 Oklahoma 80, Oklahoma State 65

Sam Godwin registered game highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds Saturday night, while Kobe Elvis added 15 points as the Sooners improved to 10-0 with a thumping of the Bedlam rival Cowboys in Oklahoma City.

In the first nonconference game between the two since 1958, it was all Sooners as they led for all but 25 seconds. Oklahoma shot 49.2 percent from the field and earned a 42-26 advantage in points in the paint. Jeremiah Fears contributed 17 points for the Sooners, which stifled the Cowboys (6-3) on the defensive end.

Oklahoma State hit only 39.3 percent from the field, including just 5-of-18 from 3-point range, and coughed up 16 turnovers that led to 21 points. Marchelus Avery came off the bench to score 19 points for the Cowboys, who got only 23 points from their starters.

No. 17 Texas A&M 70, No. 11 Purdue 66

Zhuric Phelps and reserve Pharrel Payne each scored 16 points as the Aggies knocked off the 11th-ranked Boilermakers in the Indy Classic in Indianapolis.

Wade Taylor IV added 15 points, five assists and five steals for the Aggies (9-2) before leaving in the final minute of the game with a leg injury. Texas A&M, which has won five in a row, forced 16 turnovers that led to 22 points.

Four players scored in double figures for the Boilermakers (8-3), led by Braden Smith with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Fletcher Loyer added 12 points, all in the first half, and Trey Kaufman-Renn was held to 11 before fouling out. C.J. Cox came off the bench to contribute 10 points.

Memphis 87, No. 16 Clemson 82 (OT)

Tyrese Hunter scored 23 points, including matching his career high of seven 3-pointers, as Memphis went on the road to defeat Clemson.

Colby Rogers added 22 points while PJ Haggerty chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Memphis (8-2), which shook off Sunday’s 13-point home loss to Arkansas State. Dain Dainja scored 11 off the bench.

Viktor Lakhin scored 23 points with 11 rebounds for Clemson (9-2), which had its six-game winning streak snapped. Ian Schieffelin and Chase Hunter each had 17 points, followed by Jaeden Zackery’s 11 and Dillon Hunter’s 10.

No. 19 Ole Miss 77, Southern Miss 46

Sean Pedulla canned six 3-pointers and scored 18 points as the Rebels rolled to a win over the in-state rival Golden Eagles in Biloxi, Miss.

Pedulla, a Virginia Tech transfer, added four assists against just one turnover in 31 minutes for the Rebels (9-1). Jaylen Murray chipped in 14 points, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range as Ole Miss converted 13 of 32 attempts from behind the arc as a team.

Denijay Harris scored 16 points to pace the Golden Eagles (4-6) but simply didn’t have enough help. Southern Miss made only 32.7 percent of its field-goal tries, going 4-for-23 on 3-point attempts. It also coughed up 17 turnovers that led to 24 points for Ole Miss.

No. 20 Wisconsin 83, Butler 74

The Badgers ended a three-game losing streak behind Nolan Winter’s career-high 20 points, defeating the Bulldogs at the Indy Classic in Indianapolis.

Steven Crowl added 18 points and six rebounds and Max Klesmit scored 11 points for Wisconsin (9-3), which saw all five starters score in double figures. The Badgers had a quieter shooting performance from beyond the arc, hitting six shots from deep after entering Saturday averaging 9.2 makes per game. It was a different game for Wisconsin inside the paint, thriving with 40 points.

Jahmyl Telfort finished with eight points and seven rebounds on 3-of-10 shooting for Butler (7-4). Leading Butler was Pierre Brooks II, who scored 23 points on 5-of-6 shooting inside the arc, adding two 3-pointers.

No. 22 Cincinnati 68, Xavier 65

Simas Lukosius had 11 of his team-leading 14 points in the second half and the host Bearcats rallied from a seven-point deficit to defeat the cross-town rival Xavier Musketeers.

Cincinnati (8-1) snapped a five-game losing streak to Xavier in another epic game in the rivalry. Dillon Mitchell added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Bearcats, while Aziz Bandaogo was a force inside with three dunks and a layup to finish with 12 points.

Xavier’s Zach Freemantle had a potential game-tying 3-point attempt bounce off the back of the rim as time expired. Freemantle had 16 of his team-leading 18 points in the first half while Ryan Conwell added 17 points for Xavier (8-3).

No. 24 UCLA 57, Arizona 54

Tyler Bilodeau scored a game-high 17 points as the Bruins used a second-half rally to beat the Wildcats as part of the Hall of Fame Series in Phoenix.

UCLA trailed 49-36 with 10:49 left but outscored the Wildcats 21-5 down the stretch. The Bruins (9-1) have won eight straight games, while the Wildcats (4-5) dropped to 0-5 against power-conference opponents. Skyy Clark scored 15 points and Kobe Johnson chipped in seven points and seven rebounds for UCLA.

Jaden Bradley scored 12 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out six assists for the Wildcats. Trey Townsend added 10 points. Arizona leading scorer Caleb Love (14.1 points per game) was held to seven points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field.

No. 25 Mississippi State 66, McNeese 63

RJ Melendez scored 18 points, Josh Hubbard added 16 and the Bulldogs held off the Cowboys in Tupelo, Miss.

The Bulldogs (9-1) overcame a sluggish first half offensively and outscored McNeese 37-34 in the second half.

Joe Charles scored 19, Sincere Parker had 16 and Javohn Garcia and Brandon Murray added 10 each for the Cowboys (5-5).

NBA NEWS

REPORTS: WARRIORS ACQUIRING G DENNIS SCHRODER FROM NETS

The Golden State Warriors will acquire point guard Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets, according to reports on Saturday.

Golden State will reportedly send injured guard De’Anthony Melton and three second-round picks to the Nets. Brooklyn will also send a second-round pick to the Warriors.

Schroder is averaging 18.4 points and a career-best 6.6 assists in 23 games for the Nets this season. He is making 38.7 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaging 1.1 steals.

Schroder, 31, is in his 12th NBA season and the Warriors will be his eighth team. He spent his first five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before he began bouncing around the league.

The trade can’t go through until Sunday when Melton becomes eligible to be traded.

Melton underwent season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in his left knee on Dec. 4. Melton is expected to be fully recovered prior to the 2025-26 season.

Melton was injured during a game against the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 12.

Melton, 26, averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in six games (two starts) this season.

Melton has career averages of 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 356 games (148 starts) with the Phoenix Suns (2018-19), Memphis Grizzlies (2019-22), Philadelphia 76ers (2022-24) and the Warriors.

GIANNIS, BUCKS TOP HAWKS 110-102, EARN SPOT IN NBA CUP CHAMPIONSHIP GAME VS. THUNDER

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and was an assist away from a triple-double, Damian Lillard added 25 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 on Saturday to earn a spot in the NBA Cup championship game.

The Bucks will meet Oklahoma City, which beat Houston in the other semifinal, for the title on Tuesday night.

Antetokounmpo finished with 14 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks for the Bucks, who improved to 11-1 all-time in NBA Cup games — the only loss coming in last year’s semifinals.

Brook Lopez scored 16 for Milwaukee.

Trae Young had 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Hawks, who got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Jalen Johnson and 15 points from De’Andre Hunter.

Takeaways

Hawks: Young drew 11 fouls in the game, a season-high. He drew 10 fouls in two other games this season; the Hawks won both of those. Since Young joined the NBA, he’s drawn at least 10 fouls in a game 52 times. Every other Hawk, combined, in that span has done it once.

Bucks: Antetokounmpo was brilliant, shooting 10 of 15 from the field and 12 of 18 from the foul line. And Bobby Portis provided his usual boost off the bench with 10 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes.

Key moment

Antetokounmpo blocked an alley-oop dunk try by Capela at the rim with 2:35 left, preserving what was a five-point Bucks lead.

Key stat

Going back to last season, including playoffs, Milwaukee had lost 20 consecutive games when trailing entering the fourth quarter. The Bucks trailed 83-82 going into the fourth on Saturday.

Up next

The Bucks will play Oklahoma City in Tuesday’s championship game — which does not count in the standings — before returning to regular season play on Friday at Cleveland. The Hawks return to regular season play Thursday at San Antonio.

GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER SCORES 32 POINTS TO LEAD THUNDER PAST ROCKETS 111-96 AND INTO NBA CUP FINAL

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 of his 32 points in the second half, and the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away late Saturday night to defeat the Houston Rockets 111-96 and advance to the NBA Cup championship.

The Thunder take a five-game winning streak into Tuesday night’s final against the Bucks. Milwaukee defeated the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 in the Eastern Conference semifinal. The title game does not count in the league standings.

Isaiah Hartenstein added 21 points for the Thunder, Jalen Williams scored 20 and Luguentz Dort finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Amen Thompson led Houston with 19 points, one of six Rockets in double figures, and Alperen Sengun had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Rockets and Thunder have two of the three best records in the Western Conference, making Saturday’s second semifinal a potential playoff preview.

Takeaways

Rockets: Fred VanVleet’s 3-point shooting woes continued. He made 6 of 29 in his previous three games and missed his first nine shots from 3 and finished 1 of 11 against OKC.

Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander entered this game averaging 30.2 points and shooting 51.5% but struggled to find his offensive game early. He found a way to get to the free throw line, making 14 of 15 to help surpass his season average.

Key moment

Oklahoma City went on a 13-3 run to go ahead 97-82 with 4:57 left and break open what was a close game.

Key stat

The Thunder scored 70 points in the second half. That second-half surge enabled Oklahoma City to turn a 42-41 halftime deficit into a fairly easy victory.

Up next

The Thunder will play Milwaukee in Tuesday’s championship game before returning to regular season play on Thursday at Orlando. The Rockets also return to regular season play on Thursday against New Orleans.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: OILERS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT, DOUBLE UP KNIGHTS

Leon Draisaitl scored his league-leading 22nd goal and also had two assists as the host Edmonton Oilers jumped out to a five-goal lead and then held on for a 6-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor Brown each added a goal and an assist for Edmonton, which extended its win streak to a season-best five games. Zach Hyman and Corey Perry scored goals, Darnell Nurse added two assists and Stuart Skinner made 38 saves for the Oilers, who improved to 8-2-0 over their last 10 games.

Ivan Barbashev scored his team-high 15th goal and Brett Howden and Victor Olofsson also scored for Vegas, which had a four-game win streak snapped. Noah Hanifin added two assists and Adin Hill finished with 28 saves while allowing a season-high six goals for the Golden Knights, who had allowed a total of just five goals in their previous four games.

The Oilers opened the second period with four consecutive goals by Hyman, Brown, Draisaitl and Perry on just eight shots in the first 12:53 to extend their lead to 5-0. The Golden Knights cut it to 5-3 a minute into the third period, but the Oilers added an insurance goal to secure the win.

Senators 3, Penguins 2 (OT)

Brady Tkachuk fired in the overtime game-winner as Ottawa won its season-high third straight game, edging visiting Pittsburgh.

Tkachuk took a stretch pass from Jake Sanderson, toe-dragged his way by defenseman Erik Karlsson and beat goaltender Tristan Jarry (28 saves) for his club-best 15th goal. Thomas Chabot had a goal and an assist and Drake Batherson netted his 13th as the Senators moved to 5-1-1 in their past seven matches.

Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark was back in goal on the back-to-back and recorded 25 saves for his fifth straight victory. Pittsburgh’s Blake Lizotte scored for the fifth time in nine games, while Kris Letang hit the net.

Stars 2, Blues 1 (OT)

Matt Duchene scored on an overtime rush up the ice to lift Dallas past visiting St. Louis.

Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist for the Stars and Jake Oettinger made 15 saves while making his fifth straight start. He extended his left pad to deny Pavel Buchnevich in overtime before Duchene scored the winner.

Jordan Kyrou scored for the Blues, who are 5-2-2 under new coach Jim Montgomery. Jordan Binnington made 35 saves to earn St. Louis a point.

Ducks 4, Blue Jackets 3 (OT)

Alex Killorn capped his two-goal performance by scoring 1:43 into overtime, fueling the visiting Anaheim to a victory over Columbus.

Killorn scored in the second period, then in overtime, he accepted an outlet feed from Robby Fabri and beat Jet Greaves on a partial breakaway to end the game. Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe collected a goal and an assist and Mason McTavish scored a goal to record his 100th career point.

John Gibson turned aside 39 shots for the Ducks, who snapped a season-high five-game skid. Kirill Marchenko and Cole Sillinger scored 34 seconds apart late in the first period and Greaves made 23 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have lost six of their last seven games (1-4-2).

Devils 4, Blackhawks 1

Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier scored in a span of about two minutes to cap a four-goal, third-period flurry by host New Jersey, which beat Chicago in Newark, N.J.

Dawson Mercer began the comeback 2:45 into the third for the Devils, who won the final two games of a five-game homestand (3-1-1). Goalie Jacob Markstrom made 16 saves.

Jason Dickinson scored in the second for the Blackhawks, who endured some familiar struggles while losing for the seventh time in eight games. Chicago goalie Drew Commesso, making his second NHL appearance and first start, recorded 20 saves.

Bruins 5, Canucks 1

Czech linemates David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha each scored a goal and combined for seven points as Boston eased past host Vancouver.

Pastrnak (one goal, three assists) became the 11th player in Bruins history to reach 400 career assists after contributing to the team’s first three goals before scoring 26 seconds into the third period. Zacha (one goal, two assists) and Morgan Geekie (one goal, one assist) also recorded multiple points while Brad Marchand and Marc McLaughlin added goals for Boston, which has won five of seven despite starting 0-2-0 on its five-game road trip.

For Vancouver, which has won just one of its last four (1-2-1), Max Sasson netted his first NHL goal and Thatcher Demko made 23 saves in his second start following a knee injury.

Kings 5, Rangers 1

Los Angeles erupted for three goals in the second period to take a commanding lead and finished off a road victory over New York.

Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte, and Warren Foegele each tallied a goal and an assist while Darcy Kuemper turned aside 31 of 32 shots. Anze Kopitar added two assists for the Kings, who won for the seventh time in their past eight games.

Byfield, Kempe, and Phillip Danault all scored in the first 5:04 of the second period to make it 5-0 and chase Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (16 saves) from the net

Wild 4, Flyers 1

Kirill Kaprizov scored a pair of goals to lead Minnesota to a win over Philadelphia in Saint Paul, Minn.

Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi added one goal apiece for Minnesota, which bounced back from a 7-1 loss in its previous game against the Edmonton Oilers. Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves on 21 shots for his 567th career victory, which remains second all-time behind Martin Brodeur (691).

Travis Sanheim scored the lone goal for the Flyers, who lost for the first time in their past three games. Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson stopped 19 of 22 shots.

Red Wings 4, Maple Leafs 2

Jeff Petry scored his first two goals of the season as host Detroit downed Toronto.

Petry helped goaltender Ville Husso (23 saves) earn his first victory in over a year. Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond also scored for the Red Wings, who won for just the second time in eight games. Raymond put home an empty-netter for his 10th goal in his past 12 games.

Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies had the goals for Toronto, which had won five of its last seven games. Joseph Woll made 22 saves.

Lightning 5, Kraken 1

Jake Guentzel scored for the sixth consecutive game and added an assist as Tampa Bay defeated host Seattle.

Brandon Hagel tallied twice, Brayden Point added a goal and an assist, Nikita Kucherov had two helpers and Declan Carlile, recalled earlier in the day, scored his first NHL goal for the Lightning, who went 3-1-0 on their four-game Western swing. Goaltender Jonas Johansson made 21 saves in his first appearance since Nov. 29.

Brandon Montour scored for Seattle, which lost for just the second time in regulation in its past seven games (4-2-1). Philipp Grubauer stopped 26 of 30 shots.

Capitals 4, Sabres 2

Dylan Strome scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help Washington to a win against visiting Buffalo.

Tom Wilson scored twice and John Carlson had three assists for the Capitals, who have won four straight and are 8-0-1 in their past nine. Logan Thompson made 19 saves.

Jason Zucker and Jiri Kulich scored and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves for the Sabres, who have lost nine games in a row (0-6-3).

Jets 4, Canadiens 2

Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist as host Winnipeg regained first place in the Central Division by doubling up Montreal.

Josh Morrissey had two assists. Adam Lowry and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for Winnipeg, while Nino Niederreiter, Dylan DeMelo and Alex Iafallo added assists. Connor Hellebuyck made 26 stops for the Jets.

Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson scored goals for Montreal, with assists from Mike Matheson, Cole Caufield, Christian Dvorak and Brenden Gallagher. Sam Montembeault made 23 saves for the Canadiens.

Avalanche 5, Predators 2

Mackenzie Blackwood had 37 saves in his team debut and Colorado beat Nashville in Denver.

Blackwood, acquired from the San Jose Sharks on Monday, just missed a chance for his second shutout of the season. Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Artturi Lehkonen also had two goals, Ross Colton added a goal and Mikko Rantanen had three assists for Colorado.

Steven Stamkos and Luke Evangelista scored goals and Juuse Saros turned away 28 shots for the Predators, who lost for the ninth time in 10 games.

Flames 3, Panthers 0

Nazem Kadri scored a goal for the third straight game, and Dustin Wolf snapped his three-game losing streak as host Calgary defeated struggling Florida.

Coleman and Mikael Backlund also scored for Calgary. Wolf made 32 saves for his second shutout of the season. He improved to 9-5-1, and one of his biggest saves came with 15:05 left in the third as he used his right pad to stop a Sam Bennett breakaway.

The Panthers, shut out in their last two games, rested starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Backup Spencer Knight made 24 saves, but his record fell to 5-5-1.

Utah Hockey Club 4, Sharks 3

Clayton Keller scored the game-winner and added an assist as Utah edged San Jose in the Bay Area.

Nick Schmaltz added a goal and an assist; Dylan Guenther and Michael Carcone had the other goals. Logan Cooley and Mikhail Sergachev added two assists each for Utah, which has won back-to-back games and four of five. Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves.

Fabian Zetterlund scored and added an assist, and Alexander Wennberg and Mikael Granlund had the other goals for San Jose, which has lost four of five. Vitek Vanecek stopped 36 shots in the loss.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES

COLTS NEWS

COLTS PLACE T BRADEN SMITH ON RESERVE/NFI LIST, ELEVATE G MARK GLOWINSKI TO ACTIVE ROSTER FROM PRACTICE SQUAD FOR WEEK 15

The Indianapolis Colts today placed tackle Braden Smith on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list and elevated guard Mark Glowinski to the active roster from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Smith, 6-6, 312 pounds, has played in 94 career games (92 starts) in seven seasons (2018-24) with the Colts. He has also started three postseason contests. Smith was originally selected by the team in the second round (37th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Auburn. In 2024, he started all 12 games he appeared in at right tackle.

Glowinski, 6-4, 310 pounds, was elevated in Week 13 at New England and started at right guard. He was signed to the team’s practice squad on November 21, 2024. Glowinski rejoined Indianapolis after spending five seasons (2017-21) with the team. He has played in 125 career games (97 starts) in his time with the Colts, New York Giants (2022-23) and Seattle Seahawks (2015-17). Glowinski has started seven postseason contests. He was originally selected by the Seahawks in the fourth round (134th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft out of West Virginia.

INDIANA PACERS

GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS PELICANS

The Pacers (11-15) return to action on Sunday, when they host the New Orleans Pelicans (5-21) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It will be the third meeting this season between Indiana and New Orleans.

The Pelicans prevailed on Nov. 1 in New Orleans, while the Pacers won at home on Nov. 25. This third meeting was added to the regular season slate after the conclusion of NBA Cup group play on Dec. 4.

Indiana is hoping to build momentum after a 121-107 victory on Friday night in Philadelphia. All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton had one of his best performances of the season in the win, tallying 32 points and 11 assists while going 7-for-15 from 3-point range. Two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam added 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and eight rebounds and the Pacers matched their season high with 35 assists.

The Pelicans have been ravaged by injuries this season, with virtually every key member of their rotation missing significant time. Former All-Stars Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are currently sidelined and the Hornets have lost three straight and 12 of their last 13 contests.

New Orleans still has some offensive firepower, particularly in sharpshooting guard CJ McCollum. McCollum is averaging 21.5 points per game this season and scored a season-high 36 points while going 14-for-24 from the field and 6-for-11 from 3-point range on Thursday in a loss to Sacramento.

Projected Starters

Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Bennedict Mathurin, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner

Pelicans:  G – Dejounte Murray, G – CJ McCollum, F – Trey Murphy III, F – Herbert Jones, C – Yves Missi

Injury Report

Pacers:  Isaiah Jackson – out (torn right Achilles tendon), Aaron Nesmith – out (left ankle sprain), Ben Sheppard – out (left oblique strain), James Wiseman – out (torn left Achilles tendon)

Pelicans: Javonte Green – questionable (left ankle sprain), Jose Alvarado – out (left hamstring strain), Jordan Hawkins – out (lumbar spine annular fissure), Brandon Ingram – out (left ankle sprain), Karlo Matkovic – out (lower back disc protusion), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – out (non-COVID illness), Zion Williamson – out (left hamstring strain)

Last Meeting

Nov. 25, 2024: Tyrese Haliburton’s brilliant offensive performance carried Indiana to a 114-110 win on the second night of a back-to-back.

Haliburton scored a game-high 34 points and dished out 13 assists in the win. He made nine 3-pointers on 18 attempts, coming within one of his own franchise record for threes made in a single game.

“Feels good to win,” Haliburton said. “At the end of the day, I think that’s all that really matters. My individual performance, and how I view that … if we’re winning, I really don’t care.”

All five starters finished in double figures for Indiana. Myles Turner tallied 17 points and nine rebounds, while Pascal Siakam stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, seven boards, and seven assists. Bennedict Mathurin and Quenton Jackson each added 12 points.

Trey Murphy III led New Orleans with 24 points and CJ McCollum added 23. Elfrid Payton was outstanding in the loss, scoring 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting and dishing out a career-high 21 assists.

Noteworthy

The Pacers have won four straight home games against New Orleans. The Pelicans’ last win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was on Feb. 5, 2021.

Because of the quirks of the NBA Cup scheduling format, this will be the first season that Indiana and New Orleans play more than twice in the regular season since New Orleans moved to the Western Conference for the 2004-05 season.

Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell are both narrowing in the same milestone of 5,000 career points. Haliburton needs 48 points to reach 5,000 and McConnell needs 37.

INDY FUEL

FUEL BREAK FRANCHISE TEDDY BEAR RECORD IN SELL OUT GAME

FISHERS- In front of a sold out crowd of 6,610 fans, the Fuel hosted the Kalamazoo Wings for their annual Teddy Bear Toss game where they collected a franchise high 6,852 stuffed animals for charity after a second period goal by Ryan Gagnier. The game headed to overtime and ultimately, Kalamazoo took the 4-3 win.

1ST PERIOD

The K-Wings got to work early with a goal at 2:04 by Travis Broughman but the Fuel dominated possession for the next ten minutes, pouring on shots.

At 17:30, Jermaine Loewen was called for tripping giving the Fuel a power play chance but just 17 seconds later, Nathan Burke was also called for tripping.

Lee Lapid scored at 18:38 to make it 2-0 in favor of Kalamazoo and the period ended soon after.

Shots were 12-8 in favor of Indy after one, despite the score.

2ND PERIOD

At 3:35, Nathan Noel took a hooking penalty putting the K-Wings on a power play, however the Fuel killed it off.

Ryan Gagnier made the teddy bears rain at 6:41 with a goal assisted by Colin Bilek and Bryan Lemos. After a quick clean up of 6,852 bears, it was 2-1 and the game resumed.

After a holding call on Lucas Brenton at 15:06, Jordan Martin scored the Fuel’s second shorthanded goal of the season to tie the game 2-2.

That goal was assisted by Darby Llewellyn, who had the team’s first shorthanded goal last weekend, that one assisted by Martin.

At 15:59, Kalamazoo’s Max Humitz was called for hooking but the K-Wings killed it off before the period ended.

3RD PERIOD

At 2:56, Ryan Cox scored to give Kalamazoo a 3-2 lead early in the third frame.

Things got progressively chippier through the third period but these two teams, who meet again tomorrow, stayed out of the box.

Colin Bilek scored at 14:26, tying the game 3-3. Ty Farmer and Thomas Farrell both claimed assists on that goal.

At the end of regulation, the score was tied 3-3 with Indy outshooting Kalamazoo 26-22 so they headed to overtime.

OVERTIME

At 2:32, Kalamazoo’s Zach Okabe scored on the second shot of OT, giving them the 4-3 win.

These two teams meet again tomorrow in Kalamazoo for what is sure to be a fiery rematch.

ABOUT THE INDY FUEL:

The Indy Fuel are the proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks and the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs.

PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

#11 PURDUE FALLS TO #17 TEXAS A&M IN 2024 INDY CLASSIC

[17] Texas A&M 70, [11] Purdue 66 (Postgame Notes)

No. 11-ranked Purdue fell to 8-3 overall with a 70-66 setback to No. 17-ranked Texas A&M in the Indy Classic held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Boilermakers fall to 2-1 overall all-time in the Indy Classic and the loss was their first in Gainbridge Fieldhouse since the Big Ten Tournament title game against Iowa in March 2022.

The Aggies were the fourth ranked team that Purdue has faced this year (2-2 record), matching the school record for most, non-conference ranked teams on the schedule. Auburn next weekend will be the fifth.

The loss to Texas A&M snapped a six-game winning streak against the SEC (Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Alabama, Tennessee, Tennessee) dating to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Purdue fell to 40-2 since the start of the 2021-22 season in non-conference play – the best record in the country. Its losses have come this season to Marquette and Texas A&M.

Purdue had 16 turnovers, resulting in 22 Texas A&M points. In Purdue’s three losses, the Boilermakers average 18.3 turnovers per game (55 total), resulting in 72 opponent points.

Since the start of last season, Purdue is 36-1 when it has a turnover percentage under 20 percent. It is 6-7 when it has a turnover percentage above 20 percent.

Braden Smith scored 15 points with 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocked shots, becoming the second player nationally this year to reach that in a single game (Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin vs. Penn State).

Smith is the first Big Ten player to reach those marks in a game since Even Turner (Ohio State vs. Minnesota) on Jan. 9, 2010.

C.J. Cox scored 10 points off the bench and now has two double-figure scoring outings in his last three games.

Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 11 points with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. He has scored in double-figures every game this season.

Fletcher Loyer scored 12 points with three assists.

The Boilermakers lost for just the second time when Smith and Loyer combine for 25 points, now owning a 25-2 career record.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Zhuric Phelps and Pharrel Payne each scored 16 points Saturday to lead No. 17 Texas A&M past No. 11 Purdue 70-66 in the first of two games at the Indy Classic.

The Aggies (9-2) have won five straight. Payne had season-high totals in points and rebounds with nine. All-SEC guard Wade Taylor IV finished with 15 points and five assists before an injury forced him to leave with 1:36 to play.

Braden Smith led the Boilermakers (8-3) with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Fletcher Loyer had 12 points as Purdue lost for the second time in three games.

It was a physical contest between two teams who thrive on rebounding with bodies repeatedly hitting the floor and multiple players departing with injuries. Smith left briefly in the first half when his head appeared to hit Payne’s knee, and the refs stopped play for Taylor when he struggled to dribble past midcourt. Taylor did not return.

Texas A&M’s defense swung the game by keeping the Boilermakers scoreless for a stretch of 6:35 in the second half, allowing the Aggies to extend a two-point lead to 62-50.

Takeaways

Texas A&M: The Aggies rebound and defend as well as any team in the country. That devastating combination helped the team pin a rare non-conference loss on Purdue — and added a strong line to their NCAA Tournament resume.

Purdue: The Boilermakers’ bugaboo this season has been turnovers and that was the case again Saturday. Purdue struggled for long stretches in the second half and committed another 16 turnovers, giving it 48 in its last three games.

Key moment

After Purdue trimmed a seven-point deficit to 52-50, the Aggies held the Boilermakers and scored 10 straight points to extend the lead to 62-50 with 4:44 to play.

Key stat

Purdue had its third-lowest shooting percentage of the season (45.3%). Texas A&M has held all 11 of its opponents below their season averages.

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BOILERMAKERS DROP SATURDAY MATCHUP TO #16 KENTUCKY

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team fell 82-52 to No. 16 Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in Mackey Arena.

Lana McCarthy led Purdue (5-5) in scoring with 12 points and on the boards with seven rebounds. The Boilermakers finished the night shooting 35.4% from the field with a trio of 3-pointers, including a pair from McKenna Layden.

Kentucky (9-1) countered with a 48% shooting clip and went 10-of-33 from behind the arc. Amelia Hassett led the way for the Wildcats with Georgia Amoore added 21 points.

KEY MOMENTS

• Both clubs struggled shooting early, going a combined 3-of-19 to start the game.

• McCarthy and Amiyah Reynolds gave Purdue an early 4-0 lead, before Rashunda Jones came off the bench to score four points in the first quarter. Purdue led 12-8 after 10 minutes.

• Defensively, the Boilermakers held the Wildcats to 38% shooting and just 3-of-18 from behind the arc over the opening 20 minutes.

• On the offensive end, Purdue tallied 16 of its 23 first half points in the paint, while shooting 40%.

• Kentucky used a 14-2 run in the second erase a six-point Purdue advantage and carry a 32-23 lead into the break.

• Again, McCarthy and Reynolds opened the second half with six combined points to chip the gap down to six points early in the third.

• The Wildcats took control on a 13-point run to close the third.

• All three of Purdue’s 3-pointers came in the fourth quarter with one from Sophie Swanson and the from Layden. Swanson scored all seven of her points in the fourth.

• Kentucky pulled away in the second half going 17-of-29 from the field and 7-of-15 from behind the arc.

NOTES

• Purdue leads the all-time series 2-1.

• The Boilermakers grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and tallied 12 second chance points.

• Purdue outscored Kentucky in the paint 32-24.

• Rashunda Jones dished out a career-high five assists, her third career game with five helpers.

• Layden’s two 3-pointers matched her career high set against Southern Indiana last season.

• Destini Lombard matched her season high with four steals. Purdue recorded seven steals on 11 Kentucky turnovers.

• Purdue committed a season-low 11 turnovers.

UP NEXT

After eight games at home and two neutral site contests, the Boilermakers will play their first true road game of the season on Tuesday night at Miami (Ohio). Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

NOTRE DAME HOCKEY

IRISH END 2024 SLATE IN BATTLE WITH BUCKEYES

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The University of Notre Dame hockey team closed out its 2024 slate with a battle at No. 16/15 Ohio State, ultimately falling 3-1 to the Buckeyes Saturday night.

Ohio State came out firing at the Irish net early but Owen Say stood tall in the crease, turning aside the Buckeyes’ first eight shots as the Irish looked for their first shot on goal.

The Irish starters eventually got the offense rolling with Ryan Helliwell sending the first official shot on goal at the Buckeye net but his chance was padded to the side and play continued in a scoreless battle.

The Irish were whistled for the first penalty of the night and were forced to skate shorthanded just over halfway through the opening frame. Notre Dame was successful in killing off the infraction, holding the Buckeyes to only three shots during their man-advantage.

The two teams looked to be headed to a knotted break through 20 minutes played but a late goal by the Buckeyes, at 19:31 of the frame, had the Irish trailing at the first intermission.

Danny Nelson tied things up at 4:55 of the second period when he corralled a rebound off the glass and fired it top shelf into the back of the net.

The Irish continued to press the Buckeye end but a shot by Justin Janicke trickled just wide of the net and the game remained tied.

OSU would eventually get the edge with 3:58 to play in the second after the initial save by Say bounced back onto the stick of a Buckeye who buried the rebound to make it 2-1.

The score would hold through the end of the second period despite a late push from the Irish offense which included chances from Carter Slaggert and Hunter Strand.

The Buckeyes were called for their first penalty of the night at 4:55 of the third frame when Ian Murphy went awkwardly into the boards. The interference call gave the Irish their first powerplay opportunity of the night, still trailing by a goal.

Strand nearly had the equalizer as he was alone out front but the pass from Murphy tapped the toe of his stick and soared high into the netting.

Shortly after the expiration of the Buckeye penalty, Notre Dame was called for cross-checking at 8:52 and the Irish were tasked with killing off their second infraction of the night.

The Irish opted for the extra attacker with 2:19 to play after the Buckeyes iced the puck and thought they had the tying goal as Cole Knuble’s one-timer went through the legs of Eberly in the OSU net but a net front scramble resulted in the puck behind the net and play continued.

Notre Dame was then called for a penalty in the final two minutes after a race to the puck got a Buckeye tripped up and OSU would convert on the man-advantage to take the two-goal lead with just 1:10 to play in regulation.

A series of extracurriculars after Owen Say was taken out in the crease resulted in the Irish being assessed two minors to OSU’s one as the final 30 seconds wound off the clock and the 3-1 score went final.

GOALS

Sophomore center Danny Nelson got the Irish on the board for the second consecutive night with a goal at 4:55 of the second period Saturday. Linemate Brennan Ali fired a shot high from the slot that bounced off the glass behind the net and back in front of the crease. Nelson fought off a defender as the two scrambled to the loose puck before firing his shot over the glove of Kristoffer Eberly in the OSU net. Axel Kumlin also picked up an assist on the goal.

KEY STATS

With his team-leading eighth goal of the season, Danny Nelson extended his point streak to eight games, a career best for the sophomore. In his last eight outings, he boasts five goals and four assists for nine points.

UP NEXT

The Irish head into the winter break following the weekend series at Ohio State. The team will report back to campus after the Christmas holiday before celebrating the New Year in Chicago as they prepare for the 2025 Frozen Confines: A Big Ten Series at Wrigley Field on January 3, 2025.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

EASTERN MICHIGAN VISITS PURCELL FOR SUNDAY MATINEE

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Before the Irish take a week off for final exams, No. 8 Notre Dame (8-2) will host regional foe Eastern Michigan (1-5) on Sunday afternoon at Purcell Pavilion.

The Irish are coming off of their third top-five win of the season after defeating No. 2 UConn, 79-68, in front of a sold out arena on Thursday. It is the first time in program history the group has three top-five wins during the regular season.

Hannah Hidalgo led the way with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, and Liatu King notched her fifth double-double of the young season with 16 points and 12 boards. With her 12 rebounds, King reached the century mark on the season in just nine games. She is the fastest Irish player to do so in the last 25 seasons.

Notre Dame fans got a welcomed surprise on Thursday before the game, as Irish forward Liza Karlen returned to the floor to warm up following a foot injury during the Oct. 30 exhibition. In her Notre Dame debut, the Marquette transfer and graduate student played nearly 10 minutes and notched 4 points and a pair of rebounds.

Eastern Michigan’s last game was back on Dec. 1. The Eagles earned their first win of the season by downing Xavier, 72-60, and coming back from down 21 points in the second quarter. In her last two contests, forward Sisi Eleko averaged 27 points and 10.5 rebounds en route to being named the MAC Player of the Week on Dec. 3. She leads the conference in scoring (23.2) and rebounds (11.0) and ranks 10th and third, respectively, in the nation.

Despite having an offense that has struggled to score at times, the Eagles have a strong air attack. Eastern Michigan leads the MAC with 7.7 buckets made per game from beyond the arc.

Notre Dame is 4-0 all-time against Eastern Michigan. Sunday’s game can be streamed on ACCNX and tips off at 2 p.m.

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

NO. 20/22 WISCONSIN GETS TO THE LINE AND CONVERTS IN 83-74 WIN OVER BUTLER

No. 20/22 Wisconsin utilized an extremely efficient offensive performance to post an 83-74 win over Butler Saturday afternoon as part of the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

The Badgers entered the game as the nation’s best free throw shooting team and reinforced that by making 25 of their 27 attempts, including their first 23 of the game.

With the win, Wisconsin improves to 9-3. Butler falls to 7-4 on the season with their third consecutive loss.

HOW IT TRANSPIRED:

A 10-0 Wisconsin run to close the first half gave the Badgers their largest lead of the first half at 47-33.

Jahmyl Telfort picked up his second half with 8:28 remaining in the first and the Bulldogs only down five (16-21); he sat out the remainder of the half.

A Telfort make in the lane with 14:05 remaining in the contest cut Wisconsin’s lead to five at 53-48, but the Badgers responded with the next seven points to get the lead back to double figures.

Butler was able to cut the lead to seven on multiple occasions from that point forward, but could never string enough possessions together to put together a significant run.

NOTEWORTHY:

Wisconsin shot 45 percent from the floor and committed only three turnovers. The Badgers handed out 19 assists.

The Badgers were able to overcome a 6-for-25 performance from three-point range.

Nolan Winter led Wisconsin with 20 points. He and Steven Crowl (18) did a majority of their damage in the paint as Wisconsin had a 40-24 advantage in the lane.

Five Badgers scored in double figures.

Pierre Brooks II, one game after matching his career-high 26 points, once again led the Bulldogs with 23 points. 

Butler shot 43 percent from the field and committed only six turnovers.

As they have done all season long, Butler got to the free throw line at a high rate. They had 32 attempts, but only made 22, which is the first time this season registering less than 70 percent (68.8) from the free throw line.

Patrick McCaffery added 16 points for Butler. Kolby King added 10.

Telfort, despite that first-half foul trouble, scored eight points to go along with seven rebounds.

The Bulldogs were without Augusto Cassia, who was injured in Tuesday’s game with North Dakota State. A ligament injury in his right knee will keep him out indefinitely, but the injury does not require surgery and is not season-ending.

The Bulldogs are now 12-8 all-time at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Bulldogs are in the midst of a five-game stretch that includes four Top 25 opponents (having played Houston and Wisconsin, with Marquette and Connecticut upcoming). 

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs open BIG EAST play Wednesday night, traveling to Marquette for a match-up against the Top 10 Golden Eagles. The 9 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. Milwaukee) tip will air on FS1. Fans can listen to the game as part of Butler Basketball Live with Mark Minner and Nick Gardner via the Varsity Network app. Butler returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse Saturday to host two-time defending national champion Connecticut. A limited number of tickets remain for that contest.

IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL

JAGUARS OUTCLAWED BY LIONS ON THE ROAD IN 81-63 LOSS

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The IU Indianapolis men’s basketball continued to find life on the road rough as the Jaguars fell at Lindenwood on Saturday (Dec. 14), 81-63. Paul Zilinskas led three Jaguars in double-digits with 18 points and Jarvis Walker added 13 points. Senior guard Alec Millender contributed 11 points and five assists in defeat.

Jaylon McDaniel led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and Markeith Browning II had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Lindenwood (5-6) shot 50 percent from the floor and an uncharacteristic 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from three. The Jaguars (5-8) shot 39 percent from the floor and from three, but were outrebounded 40-25 and outscored 44-18 in the paint. The opportunistic Lions also outscored IU Indy 21-4 in points off turnovers and 23-6 in fast break points.

Lindenwood led virtually wire-to-wire, building an early lead and only allowing the Jags to draw even at 14-14 on a Julian Steinfeld dunk. The Lions responded with a 7-0 run and kept the Jaguars at arm’s length to build a 39-29 halftime lead. The lead swelled as large as 16 early in the second half before the Jaguars used an 8-0 run to cut the advantage in half.

Timaris Brown opened the run with a pair of free throws before Zilinskas and Walker connected on consecutive triples. Lindenwood responded by scoring 12 of the game’s next 16 points to regain the 16-point lead and never let the Jags closer than 10 from there.

The IU Indy offense struggled inside the arc as the Jags made just 9-of-24 (37.5 percent) of its two-point attempts. And while both teams committed 12 turnovers, Lindenwood was far more efficient, using 12 offensive rebounds to earn 11 second chance points.

Sean Craig closed with eight points, three rebounds and three steals and Steinfeld played his most extensive minutes of the season with eight rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. The Jags finished 11-of-28 from three with Millender and Zilinskas each connecting on three apiece.

The Jaguars will close out the non-conference slate next Saturday (Dec. 21) at Florida International at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

CARDINALS TRIUMPH 86-82 AT BELLARMINE

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Ball State men’s basketball team rode a high-efficiency shooting performance and clutch free throws to an 86-82 win at Bellarmine Saturday afternoon at Knights Hall.

The Cardinals (4-6) held an 11-point advantage at two occasions late in the second half, but the Knights (3-8) fought back to within three points at 79-76 with 2:30 to play and 83-80 with 1:18 left. Mason Jones made one of two free throws with 15 seconds to go on the clock before Mickey Pearson Jr. clinched the road win for Ball State with a pair of free throws with 6.2 seconds to play and the Cardinals up 84-82.

Ball State shot 54.2 percent (26-48) from the field for the game including 52.6 percent (10-19) from distance and 75 percent (24-32) on free throws. Juanse Gorosito tied his career-high with seven 3-pointers for 21 points while adding four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Pearson Jr. went a perfect 12-for-12 at the foul line on his way to 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Ben Hendriks made his first start of the season and scored on a hook shot for the game’s first points while Jeremiah Hernandez (10 points and four rebounds) and Jones (four points and three rebounds) started their third game each of the campaign.

Bellarmine led for much of the first half but a 10-0 Ball State rally featuring two triples by Gorosito propelled the Cardinals to a 36-30 advantage with four minutes left in the first half. Ball State had its highest offensive output in a first half of the season to take a 47-42 lead into the break.

Bellarmine’s Billy Smith went 6-for-8 on 3-pointers on his way to 33 points, but the Knights were limited to 18.2 percent (2-11) shooting from distance in the second half to prevent them from completing a comeback. For the game, the hosts shot 47.5 percent (29-61) on field goals, 37.9 percent (11-29) on triples and 86.7 percent (13-15) on free throws.

Ball State led 35-11 in bench points primarily from Pearson Jr. and Payton Sparks (12 points, four rebounds), while Joey Hart put up five points including a 3-pointer from the left wing with 5:24 to go to extend the visitors’ edge to 75-65.

Up next for the Cardinals is a 2 p.m. home game against Evansville next Saturday. It will be the first game for Ball State at Worthen Arena since Nov. 20.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

PURDUE FORT WAYNE HITS 16 3-POINTERS TO MOVE PAST AQUINAS

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball hit 16 3-pointers on Saturday (Dec. 14) to knock off Aquinas 115-41 in the Gates Sports Center. The Mastodons’ 115 points is the third-most in a game in program history.

The Mastodons jumped out to a 9-0 lead thanks to four different scorers early and led for all but six seconds of the contest. The ‘Dons registered 25 steals, tying the second-most in a game in program history. The Saints had 36 turnovers.

Sydney Freeman and Taeya Steinauer had five steals each, becoming the first duo to have five steals in the same game since Rachel Rinehart and Josie Fisher in 2015.

Steinauer and Lauren Ross led all scorers with 19 points each. Audra Emmerson and Freeman scored 16 each, Sydney Graber had 12 points in the first start of her career, and Renna Schwieterman added 10 points. All 11 active Mastodons scored at least once.

The Mastodons were at their best in the third quarter when they went on a 33-0 run. In the 7:26 stretch, Purdue Fort Wayne was 11-of-14 from the floor, 9-of-10 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Seven ‘Dons scored in the run with Steinauer leading the way with nine. The ‘Dons held the Saints to 0-for-10 from the floor and forced them into six turnovers, five of which were live-ball steals.

The Mastodons’ 37 points in the third quarter is the most in a quarter since they scored 39 in the second quarter against Great Lakes Christian last season.

While not getting her traditional level of scoring done, Amellia Bromenschenkel added things elsewhere on the court, finishing with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Ross hit five of her eight 3-point attempts, bumping her season-long percentage up to 51.2 from beyond the arc.

With the win, Purdue Fort Wayne moves to 7-5. The Saints remain at 7-5 since they played the game as an exhibition. Purdue Fort Wayne has a week off for final exams, but will return to the Gates Sports Center next Saturday (Dec. 21) against Western Michigan.

EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

UE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL DROPS GAME AT RV VANDERBILT

NASHVILLE – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team wasn’t able to contain the Vanderbilt Commadores explosive offense in a 106-40 loss.

The Purple Aces returned to historic Memorial Gymnasium after 30 years on Saturday afternoon. Playing at the only Power Four opponent on the season schedule UE struggled to get around Vanderbilt’s Top 20 defense. Freshman guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS) led Evansville through 40 minutes with 11 points, five rebounds, an assist, and a block.

The Aces had a quick start to the game taking an early lead on freshman guard Kaiden Kreinhagen’s (Indianapolis / North Central HS) three in the first minute. UE held the lead a minute and a half into the game before the Commodores offense got going with an eight-point run. Sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig (Sauk City, Wis. / Sauk Prairie HS) broke Evansville’s scoring drought with a jumper with six on the clock. Vandy put together another run before the Aces hit a three in the sixth minute. UE made only one more basket in the first quarter as it was 34-12 going into the second.

It was a slow beginning to the second quarter as it took almost two minutes for either team to make a basket. Evansville’s first points were scored by senior guard Julia Palomo (Spain) after three minutes. It’d be another two minutes before the Aces found the net again as freshman guard Logan Leubbers Palmer (Union, Ky. / Randall K. Cooper HS) had her first collegiate points at the free throw line. UE had another perfect trip to the free throw line from Runner while Hartwig had Evansville’s last basket of the half. The Aces headed into halftime trailing by 38.

UE was able to score in double digits during the third quarter as Runner led the team with four points. Hartwig got Evansville back on the board just over a minute into the quarter. The Aces built some momentum with back-to-back fast break layups midway through the third. Runner then added her second three pointer of the game with four minutes to go. UE added two more points from the line for 11 in the third quarter and went into the final frame down 86-31.

Hartwig had the first basket of the fourth quarter less than 10 seconds in as junior forward Tamesha Dozier (Louisville, Ky. / Wabash Valley) had Evansville’s next field goal two minutes later. The Aces wouldn’t score again over the next four minutes until Leubbers Palmer made the first three of her Purple Aces career. She also had UE’s final basket of the game on a driving layup with 1:19 left on the clock. Evansville ended the game with 40 points as the Commodores beat the Aces 106-40.

Runner led the team on offense, while Hartwig had her first double-digit rebound performance in a month. The sophomore pulled down 10 boards while scoring eight points. In her first game with UE, Leubbers Palmer had nine points, two rebounds, and was second on the team in assists with three. While Palomo was Evansville’s assist leader with four helpers in 26 minutes.

The Aces have a quick turnaround for their next game on Tuesday, December 17th. UE will host its annual Education Day game at the Ford Center against NAIA IU Columbus. Tip-off for the game is set for 11 a.m.

VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

WRIGHT, SCHMIDT HELP VALPO PULL AWAY FOR IMPRESSIVE VICTORY OVER CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Freshman All Wright (Durango, Mexico / Link Year) poured in a personal-best 26 points, while fifth-year senior Tyler Schmidt (Valparaiso, Ind. / Victory Christian Academy) added 21 to help the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team pull away for a 93-77 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The Beacons defeated a Chippewa team that entered the contest with a NET ranking of 122.

How It Happened

Making his first start in a Valpo uniform, Schmidt made an immediate impact by drilling a 3-pointer on the game’s opening possession. Valpo started with a 6-0 lead, but after that the bulk of the first half was played within a three-point window.

Wright hit a triple with 9:33 left in the first half to break a 19-all tie, then connected once again from distance on the next Valpo possession to put the Beacons back ahead by three at 22-19. Wright continued to rain in the 3s at the 7:24 mark of the first half to lift the lead to four.

A bit of a drought from the Beacons helped CMU score the next six points to take a 27-25 lead. A burst off the bench from freshman Justus McNair (Joliet, Ill. / Joliet West) aided the Beacon cause in the final two minutes of the first half. Schmidt hit another big 3 with 22 seconds left of first-half time, breaking a 31-31 tie. The second technical foul of the half against the Chippewas helped Schmidt add two free throws in the final seconds of the half to put Valpo up 36-31 at the break.

Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Shaw (Phoenix, Ariz. / Davidson Academy) hit a 3 early in the second half to put Valpo ahead 41-38. The Beacons built up a six-point edge, but the Chippewas came back to tie it at 49 with 13:23 on the clock.

The game was still tied at the midway mark of the second half when Schmidt swished a 3 to put Valpo ahead 57-54.

Sophomore Cooper Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest) chipped in a few key buckets to help Valpo open the lead to eight. Wright drained another trey with 4:19 on the clock to give the Beacons their first double-figure advantage at 76-66. They would lead by double digits the rest of the way.

Inside the Game

The game featured 12 ties and four lead changes and was tightly played throughout until Valpo pulled away down the stretch.

Wright’s 26 points doubled his previous career high of 13 that occurred on Nov. 27 vs. Northern Illinois. Wright went 8-for-8 at the free-throw line while draining four 3s.

Over the last 16 seasons, Wright became just the fourth different Valpo freshman to score at least 26 points in a game, joining Cooper Schwieger (twice), Javon Freeman-Liberty, Alec Peters (three times) and Matt Kenney.

Wright’s 26 points were the most scored by a Missouri Valley Conference freshman in a game this season. The last freshman on any Valley team to score at least 26 points in a game was Cooper Schwieger on March 3, 2024 vs. Illinois State (28).

Wright’s performance was just the 13th time nationally this season that a freshman scored at least 26 points in a game and he became just the 10th different freshman in the nation with a 26-point performance this year. The only non-power conference freshmen in the country who have scored 26 points or more in a game are Wright and San Francisco’s Tyrone Riley IV (twice).

Schmidt delivered his second straight game with 20+ points, once again rewriting his season high by outdoing his 20 vs. Drake with 21 on Saturday. Schmidt went 7-of-8 at the free-throw line and 4-of-5 from 3-point territory. He also grabbed a season-high six rebounds. Schmidt is now shooting 91.2 percent (31-of-34) from the free-throw line this season.

Junior Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro (LaSalle, Quebec, Canada / Orangeville Prep) tallied a season-high 16 points including an 8-for-8 free-throw shooting performance. He has scored at least nine points in all nine games this season including seven double-figure performances.

Sophomore Kaspar Sepp (Tartu, Estonia / Fairmont Academy) squeezed 11 rebounds, matching his season high set on Nov. 24 vs. Eastern Illinois and one shy of his career high that was established in last year’s matchup with the Chippewas. Sepp has at least seven rebounds in six of his nine games.

The Beacons continued their stellar free-throw shooting, going 28-of-31 (90.3 percent) at the line. Valpo has shot 79 percent or better in seven out of nine games and has now shot over 90 percent at the stripe twice this year. The Beacons are shooting 82 percent at the foul line overall in 2024-25.

This marked the first time Valpo shot 90 percent at the foul line with a minimum of 30 attempts since Nov. 29, 2013 vs. Mercer (29-32 FT, 90.6 percent).

Valpo’s 11 made 3s on Saturday tied a season high set on Nov. 8 vs. Concordia Ann Arbor.

The team overcame a rare high turnover number as the Beacons gave it away a season-most 16 times, but they did record a season-best nine steals.

Valpo handed Central Michigan its most lopsided loss of the season after the Chippewas had previously not fallen by double figures, with the only setbacks by one against Stony Brook, eight against Marquette and three against Minnesota.

The 93 points were the most allowed by Central Michigan since Dec. 9, 2023 at Creighton (109). The Chippewas were allowing just 67.5 points per game entering Saturday, second in the Mid-American Conference and 95th nationally.

The 93 points marked Valpo’s most against a Division-I opponent since Nov. 15, 2017 at SIUE (94) and the most against a Division-I opponent at the ARC since Jan. 22, 2017 vs. UIC.

Valpo held a 35-33 rebounding advantage against a Central Michigan team that entered the contest leading the MAC and ranked 27th nationally in rebounding margin at +8.6 per game.

The home team has won 10 straight matchups between Valpo and Central Michigan.

Postgame Press Conference

Click here for postgame press conference.

Up Next

The Beacons (5-4) will visit Ohio State on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on Peacock.

UINDY WRESTLING

THREE GREYHOUNDS REMAIN AFTER DAY ONE OF MIDWEST CLASSIC

INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 10 ranked UIndy wrestling team will be around for day two of the 45th Annual Midwest Classic. The Midwest Classic is one of the largest NCAA Division II wrestling tournaments in the country, consisting of 44 total teams, and 21 of the top-25 nationally ranked teams.

Cale Gray advanced to the quarterfinals in the 285 championship bracket, while Nathan Smith (125) and Toby Billerman (133) are still alive in the consolation brackets. 

INS & OUTS

Gray started out his day strong with a comfortable 15-0 tech fall victory over McKendree’s Dustin Olmstead. These two faced off two weeks ago, and resulted in a similar outcome to today’s first round win for Gray.

He then backed up his first win with another comfortable 14-5 major decision over King’s Jacob Telles, before advancing to the quarterfinals in a thrilling overtime decision.

Gray secured the third round victory with a 7-4 overtime decision after taking down #11 Jake Swirple from Minot State with a walk-off take down.

At 125, Smith began his day with a loss to fellow GLVC competitor Jason Strope from McKendree, but went on a roll after that, winning two straight en route to a place in the fifth round wrestleback.

Smith racked up a 12-4 major decision over Grand Valley State’s Orion Wilson, and eventually punched his ticket to the second day with a convincing shutout victory in three periods over Joshua Jasionowicz from East Stroudsburg.

In the 133 weight class, Billerman had a similar start to the day as Smith, but rebounded quickly with two pin victories with a spladle over Western Colorado’s Devin Gomez and American International’s Joseph Aldrich.

The Hounds had three pin victories on the day, Billerman’s pin against Gomez was the Hounds quickest pin of day one at 1:01 in the first period.

The other pin for the Hounds came from Aidan Petersen in the second round of the 184 wrestleback against Emmanuel’s Chase Bisel.

Along with Petersen’s pin victory in the third round wrestleback, he also picked up an 18-1 tech fall victory in the third round wrestleback, before falling to the University of Mary’s Dante Roggio via tech fall.

Zach Haughton (141) also earned a strong victory against Motevallo’s Chad Strickland, but later bowed out to Quincy’s Sabian Russell in a closely fought match.

UP NEXT

Tomorrow Gray and others will look to take home the crown in the 45th Annual Midwest Classic.

MARIAN MEN’S BASKETBALL

MARIAN FALLS IN NON-CONFERENCE CLASH AGAINST DII ROOSEVELT

CHICAGO, Ill. – The Marian men’s basketball team fell behind early on Saturday as they traveled to the Windy City to take on NCAA DII Roosevelt, and despite a strong rally in the second half, the Knights were unable to overcome a 20-point halftime deficit as they fell 78-63 against the Lakers. Marian is 6-5 overall on the season.

Marian started the road battle strong on Saturday, scoring the first four points of the game as they began the matchup 2-2 from the field with makes from Elhadj Diallo and Gavin Foe. The fast start quickly fell off after a good defensive run, as the Lakers scored five unanswered to take their first share of the lead. Marian would rebound with four points after the first media stoppage, but a 10-0 run by Roosevelt gave the home side a 15-8 lead as the game reached the midway mark in the opening half.

Dylan Moles kept Marian fighting as he knocked down a pair of jumpers to cut the Roosevelt’s lead to three points, but the Lakers continued to come up with answers after their lapses, pushing their lead to 11 with five minutes to play in the period. Roosevelt extended a 14-0 run into the final two minutes of the half, carrying a 34-16 lead with 1:30 to play. Hayden Nahra and Gavin Foe would score for the Knights before the half, but the offense was not enough to cut the score under 15, as the Lakers went in front 40-20 at halftime.

In the second half Roosevelt carried their lead to 27 points within the first five minutes of the second half, putting Marian in a greater hole. Despite the large deficit, the Knights continued to fight as baskets from Noah Lovan and Josiah Gustin sparked a 12-0 run in under three minutes of game time to bring the margin within five scores. Roosevelt would answer Marian’s run with five quick points to push their lead back to 20 points, however Marian’s fight remained strong as a three from Moles after the second media timeout in the half brought the score back to a 15-point difference.

Marian trailed 56-41 with 11:05 to play after the trifecta from Moles, as they remained in a battle with the Lakers in their effort to get the score within 10 points. Lovan and Moles continued to carry the offense, and with 6:57 to play in the game, a basket from the freshman brought the margin to an even 10, as the Knights trailed 62-52. After a steal by Moles the sophomore was unable to connect from downtown, resulting in a pair of back-to-back three point shots made by the Lakers, expanding their advantage to 16 points. The Knights would cut the lead to 14 points in the final three minutes of play, but were unable to regain their momentum, as Roosevelt pulled away with a 78-63 victory.

Despite limited minutes in the first half after getting in foul trouble, Noah Lovan would lead Marian in scoring in the game, as the freshman picked up 23 points off the bench. Moles played a team-high 35 minutes and scored 13 points, while Gavin Foe, Reis Butcher, and Josiah Gustin each scored six points. Foe led the team in rebounds, blocks, and steals, and Butcher had a team-high four assists. Marian finished the game shooting 35 percent from the floor and 2-of-16 from three.

MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

NO.15 MARIAN FALLS TO NO.10 GEORGETOWN

Georgetown, Ky. – The Marian women’s basketball team fell 57-76 to No. 10 Georgetown Tigers on the road Saturday afternoon. The Knights are now 10-2 overall on the season and 4-0 in the Crossroads League.

Taylor Double opened up the first quarter with a three to secure the Knights first lead of the game but the Tigers quickly followed up with a three to bring the game to a standstill. Abbey McNally’s pair of layups and Kenna Kirby’s singular layup helped Marian maintain their lead bringing the score 9-8 before Georgetown answered with free throws to take the lead into their own hands. McNally continued to fire for Marian with a layup to take back the lead with 5:29 remaining in the quarter. Kirby and Double each claimed a three-point jump shot to increase the margin by five. The Tigers fought back with a layup followed by a free throw off of a Marian foul to decrease the margin to two points with a minute and a half remaining. McNally was the last to fire in the quarter with a free throw to bring the score 18-15 in favor of the Knights.

Double and McNally opened up the second quarter with a Taylor’s three and Abbey’s layup to increase the lead to eight. The Tigers were able to benefit off of a Marian foul to shoot a pair of free throws bringing the score 23-17. Kiley McNally got her hand in the mix with back-to-back layups to increase Marian’s double-digit lead. Georgetown attempted to chip away at Marian’s push with a layup but Abbey McNally countered with a free throw. The Tigers attacked once more with a free throw off of a Marian foul as well as a three-pointer to bring the margin down to five. Double fought back with a jump shot and a layup to increase the Knights lead 32-23 and draw a Georgetown timeout at the 3:19 mark. Out of the timeout, the home team fired off a three but came up short with Double and Zoe Wheeler firing back with Taylor’s layup and Zoe’s jump shot to increase Marian’s lead to double digits once more. With less than a minute left the Tigers fired a three-pointer bringing the score 36-29 going into the half.

Eva Fisher opened up the third quarter by attacking with free throws off of a Georgetown foul to increase Marian’s lead to nine. The Tigers fired back with more effectiveness in the third quarter with five free throws and a pair of layups to bring the game to a tie for the first time since the first quarter at the 6:54 mark to draw a Marian timeout with the score set at 38-38.  Out of the timeout, Olivia Faust made a layup after rebounding off of her missed three but allowed the Tigers to shoot free throws off of a foul by Faust to once more tie the game. Double fired back with a jump shot to bring the score 42-40 right before the second Media Timeout was called. Georgetown once more benefitted off of a Marian foul to bring the score to a standstill with 4:21 remaining in the quarter. The home team struck once more with a free throw followed by a three-pointer jump shot and layup to secure the 48-42 lead over the Knights for the first time since the start of the game. Coming out of a 30-second Marian timeout, Georgetown fired with another layup but Emily Grim was able to attack with a layup with 1:14 left in the quarter. The Tigers were the next to attack with a three-pointer jumping shot to increase followed by a free throw to end the quarter 54-44.

Abbey McNally opened up the fourth quarter with a free throw to decrease the Tigers’ lead but Georgetown fought back extending their lead with a free throw followed by a jump shot to bring the score 58-45. Wheeler continued to chip away at the Tigers’ lead with a layup but came up short with Georgetown’s strike of a free throw and jump shot to increase their lead to 14 at the 5:07 mark. The home team continued to dominate with free throws to secure the largest lead of the day. Kirby struck down a free throw followed by a layup from Double to bring the score 63-50 to draw a Georgetown timeout. Out of the timeout, the Tigers fired off a layup and three-point jump shot to extend their lead to 18 points with 2:21 remaining on the clock. McNally and Madisyn Bailey fired off a layup from Abbey and a jumper from Madisyn to decrease the margin to 14 but were struck down once more with a three-pointer from the Tigers bringing the score 71-54 with 57 seconds remaining. Georgetown continued to capitalize on Marian’s fouls to claim five more points off of free throws claiming the 76-57 win over the Knights.

Taylor Double led the team in points with 19 while Abbey McNally was close behind with 16. Abbey led the team in rebounds with 12 and led the team with three assists. Madisyn Bailey also had three assists in the game. McNally went 4-8 from the free throw line, Eva Fisher went 2-2, and Kenna Kirby went 1-2.

The Knights will be back in action on Monday, Dec. 16 as they take on Florida Memorial on the road in Adrian, Mich. at 6:00 p.m.

INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB 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”

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

9 – 7 – 31 – 16 – 3 – 14

December 15, 1925 – 1st hockey game played at Madison Square Garden, NYC took place on this day between the Montreal Canadiens 3, NY Americans 1

December 15, 1959 – Ballon d’Or: Real Madrid forward Number 9,  Alfredo Di Stéfano won his second award for best football player in Europe ahead of teammate Number 7, Raymond Kopa and Juventus’ Welsh utility John Charles

December 15, 1973 – Tennessee beats Temple 11-6 in low scoring NCAA basketball game

December 15, 1980 – New York Yankees Number 31, Dave Winfield became the highest-paid MLB player, on a  10 years $15 million contract

December 15, 1997 – SF 49ers retired Joe Montana’s Number 16 jersey

December 15, 2002 – 68th Heisman Trophy Award was won by USC Quarterback Number 3, Carson Palmer

December 15, 2008 – 74th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Oklahoma Quarterback Number 14,  Sam Bradford

FOOTBALL HISTORY

December 15, 1929 – Memphis, Tennessee – National Football League Champion Green Bay Packers who sported an unblemished record 12-0-1 in League play played an exhibition game against the Memphis Tigers. A story on the PackersHistory.net site explains that the Tigers were an independent team owned by the man who eventually started the Piggly Wiggly Grocery chain, Clarence Saunders. Austin Applewhite, Bucky Moore and Tiny Drouilhet all scored for the Sole Owner Memphis team to shock the World Champs with a 20-6 upset. As for the NFL title, remember that there were no games to determine the champs of the NFL back then, it was strictly the team with the best record that won the crown. With no game gate there was no revenue to pay the players for the accomplishment so the Green Bay Press-Gazette led a community fund drive to raise money for the players. In 1929, each player was given $220 plus a watch from the more than the $5,000 that was raised. I would bet this is yet another reason why after winning the title that the Pack would risk their reputation by going on a barnstorming tour to play an exhibition game. As far as reputation, they had everything to lose and nothing to gain. But in the individual pockets of the players, they were trying to scrape out a living.

December 15, 1935 – University of Detroit Stadium – The National Football League Championship game pitted the New York Football Giants against the Lions of Detroit. This was the third time that the League had a final game pitting the top two teams from each division to determine the title. The Lions jumped out to an early two touchdown lead and never looked back as their defense frustrated the G-men most of the game according to the American Football Database. Four different Detroit Lions ran the ball across the goal line as the Football Men of the Motor City beat New York Giants, 26-7 to win the Lions first championship title.

December 15, 1946 – Polo Grounds, New York City – National Football League Championship the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants, 24-14 in front of a record crowd of 58,346. In an interesting bit of news that came out just before kick off two players on the Giants were allegedly offered a bribe to throw the game by a person in the underworld. Vice.com covers the story well. Giants All-Star halfback Frank Filchock and Merle Hapes were under investigation by NFL Commissioner Bert Bell. Filchock was allowed to play but Bell suspended Hapes when he didn’t report the bribe attempt to anyone.

December 15, 1982 – The New York Giants hired Bill Parcells as their new coach. Parcells was the 12th person in history to serve in that role for the franchise.

December 15, 1997 – The San Francisco 49ers franchise retired Joe Montana’s #16 jersey number from ever being worn by another player for the Niners.

December 15, 2002 – Southern Cal Quarterback Carson Palmer won the voting for the 68th Heisman Trophy Award. According to Heisman.com Palmer threw for 3,639 yards and 32 touchdowns as the Trojans finished 10-2 and earned a trip to the Orange Bowl. He really blossomed into an elite passer under the instruction of coordinator Norm Chow.

December 15, 2008 – The 74th Heisman Trophy went to Sam Bradford, the fantastic Quarterback from the Oklahoma Sooners. According to Heisman.com, Sam’s combined 53 touchdowns from the run and the pass are tied with Oregon’s Marcus Mariota for the most in Heisman history. Sam Bradford and his Sooners teammates were the highest-scoring offense ever in NCAA history.  Passing for 4,464 yards with 48 touchdowns and just six interceptions was a monumental feat as Braford again led the nation in passing and also added five rushing touchdowns as the Sooners went 12-1 and qualified the BCS national title game.

December 15, 2019 – Oakland, California – Raiders play their final NFL home game in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas.  The Jon Gruden-led Raiders gave up 17 unanswered second half points to fall at the hands of the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-16.

Hall of Fame Birthday for December 15

December 15, 1938 – Natchez, Mississippi – Billy Shaw the standout guard from Georgia Tech was born. Billy was an All-America selection in 1961 and was coveted by teams from both the NFL and the AFL in their respective drafts according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s bio on Billy Shaw. The Dallas Cowboys picked him but so did the AFL’s Buffalo Bills and Billy chose to go with the Bills so that he could concentrate on playing on the offensive line. Well his decision was a great one as he and the Bills won back to back AFL Championship Titles in 1964 & 1965. He was selected to the All-AFL team five times and played in 8 All-Star games. At the Enshrinement Ceremony of 1999 Billy Shaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

December 15, 1940 – Springfield, Massachusetts – The great linebacker from the University of Notre Dame, Nick Buoniconti was born. Nick was picked by the Patriots in the 13th round of the 1962 AFL Draft. His bio on the Pro Football Hall of Fame website tells how he made an immediate impact with the defense of the Patriots by in the 1963 season the Pats captured the Eastern Division of the AFL. The “undersized” linebacker that no NFL team dared to pick registered 5 interceptions in 1964, and in a game against the Bills in 1968 he picked off 3 passes alone to help him achieve a total of 24 in his 7 seasons with the Patriots. In 1969 he was traded to the Dolphins and helped that team eventually go undefeated and win the Super Bowl in 1972 and appear in 3 straight NFL Title games, The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Nick Buoniconti in 2001.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

Dec. 15

1925 — The first NHL game is played at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The Americans score first, but the Montreal Canadiens prevail 3-1, before 17,000 in attendance.

1929 — The Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 in their first game at Chicago Stadium. Vic Ripley scores twice in 35 seconds during the second period to the delight of the 14,212 fans in attendance.

1935 — Detroit Lions win NFL championship with a 26-7 win over the New York Giants.

1946 — Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 24-14 at the Polo Grounds for the NFL championship. A record crowd of 58,326 attend the game. Sid Luckman’s 19-yard touchdown run in the fourth puts the Bears ahead 21-14. Before the game, New York’s star fulback Merles Hapes is declared ineligible by NFL commissioner Bert Bell for not reporting bribe attempt to throw the game. New York police phone taps produced coversations with gambler Alvin J. Paris and Hapes. The Bears were 10-point favorites.

1964 — San Francisco’s Wilt Chamberlain scores 58 points, including nine in overtime, to give the Warriors a 134-132 victory over the New York Knicks.

1970 — Glenn Hall of the St. Louis Blues becomes the second goaltender in NHL history to reach 400 victories. Hall makes 38 saves in a 2-1 win against the Minnesota North Stars. Hall joins Terry Sawchuk in the 400-win club.

1973 — Tennessee beats Temple 11-6 in the lowest scoring NCAA basketball game since 1938. With 11:44 left in the first half and Tennessee leading 7-5, Temple holds onto the ball without a shot. Tennessee doesn’t take a shot in the second half, but manages four free throws by John Snow.

1973 — Sandy Hawley becomes the first jockey in history to win 500 races in a single year, riding Charlie Jr. to victory in the third race at Laurel Race Course.

1974 — Oakland’s Jim “Catfish” Hunter is ruled a free agent by arbitrator Peter Seitz when A’s owner Charles O. Finley fails to live up to the terms of Hunter’s contract.

1984 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky has five goals and an assist to lead the Oilers to an 8-2 triumph over the St. Louis Blues.

1995 — The Vancouver Grizzlies avoid tying the NBA record for consecutive losses in a season by snapping a 19-game losing streak with a 104-100 overtime victory over Portland.

2000 — Georgia Southern beats Montana 27-25 for a second-straight Division I-AA championship and its a record sixth championship.

2012 — Matt Scott throws two touchdown passes in the final 46 seconds and college bowl season starts with a wild one when Arizona rallies to beat Nevada 49-48 in the New Mexico Bowl. Arizona trails 45-28 entering the final quarter. The teams combine for 1,237 total yards, the second most of any bowl game.

2013 — Jamaal Charles ties a franchise record with five touchdowns in a game as the Kansas City Chiefs beat Oakland 56-31. The Chiefs become the fourth team ever to make the playoffs a year after losing at least 14 games.

2016 — In the biggest Division I women’s basketball rout ever, No. 3 Baylor overwhelms Winthrop 140-32. The 108-point margin of victory surpasses the 102 set by Grambling when it beat Jarvis Christian College 139-37 in 1986.

2017 — Mount Union wins its 13th Division III football national championship with a 12-0 victory over defending champion Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Purple Raiders (15-0) limit Mary Hardin-Baylor to 144 yards. The Crusaders (14-1) had not trailed all season and had their 29-game winning streak snapped.

2019 — Raiders play their final NFL game in Oakland conceding 17 unanswered 2nd half points to go down 20-16 to the Jacksonville Jaguars; team to play out of Las Vegas in 2020

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Dec. 16

1918 — Jack Dempsey knocks out Carl Morris in 14 seconds in a heavyweight bout in New Orleans.

1930 — Golfer Bobby Jones wins the first James E. Sullivan Award. The award is given to “the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.”

1940 — Joe Louis knocks out Al McCoy in the sixth round at the Boston Garden to retain the world heavyweight title.

1945 — The Cleveland Rams beat the Washington Redskins 15-14 for the NFL championship. The deciding play turns out to be a first-quarter automatic safety when the Redskins’ Sammy Baugh passes from his own end zone and the wind carries the ball into the goal post.

1967 — Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scores 68 points in a 143-123 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

1973 — O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills rushes for 200 yards in a 34-14 victory over the New York Jets and sets an NFL record with 2,003 yards rushing for the season. Simpson needed 61 yards to break Jim Brown’s NFL single season rushing record of 1,863 yards set in 1963.

1990 — Warren Moon passes for a 527 yards — the second-greatest passing day in NFL history — as the Houston Oilers beat Kansas City 27-10.

2003 — New Orleans Saints receiver Joe Horn is fined $30,000 by the NFL for making a choreographed cell-phone call in the end zone to celebrate a touchdown during the Saints’ 45-7 rout of the New York Giants on Dec. 14.

2006 — Morten Andersen becomes the greatest scorer in NFL history. The 46-year-old Andersen breaks Gary Anderson’s career scoring record of 2,434 points with the second of four extra points in the Atlanta Falcons’ 38-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

2007 — Brett Favre passes for 227 yards in Green Bay’s 33-14 win over St. Louis, eclipsing Dan Marino to become the NFL career leader in yards passing. Favre, in his 17th season, finishes the game with 61,405 yards. Marino had 61,361 in 17 seasons.

2007 — Kikkan Randall becomes the first U.S. woman and second American to win a World Cup cross country race when she defeats world sprint champion Astrid Jacobsen of Norway in the final meters of a 1.2-kilometer freestyle race. Randall is the first American to win a World Cup cross country race since Bill Koch in 1983.

2010 — American Ryan Lochte sets the first individual swimming world record since high-tech bodysuits were banned, winning the 400-meter individual medley at the short-course world championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

2012 — Ryan Lochte wins two more races at the short-course world championships in Istanbul, finishing the event with six golds and one silver. The result matches his medal total from the last championships, in Dubai in 2010.

2013 — Justin Tucker makes six field goals, including a 61-yarder in the final minute, to give the Baltimore Ravens an 18-16 win over the Detroit Lions.

2014 — Nick Bjugstad scores the game-winning goal in the longest shootout in NHL history to lift the Florida Panthers over the Washington Capitals 2-1. Bjugstad’s goal comes in the 20th round of a shootout — on the 40th shot — and beats Braden Holtby on the right side.

2016 — James Harden gets his sixth triple-double of the season and the Houston Rockets make an NBA-record 24 3-pointers in a 122-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

2019 — Drew Brees breaks Peyton Manning’s NFL record (539) for career touchdown passes as New Orleans Saints rout Indianapolis Colts, 34-7; Brees 29 of 30 for 307 yards & 4 TDs for record 96.7% pass completion.

2020 – US Major League Baseball announces it is elevating the Negro Leagues to Major League status

Dec. 17

1933 — The Chicago Bears win the first NFL championship with a 23-21 victory over the New York Giants. The Bears score the winning touchdown on a 36-yard play that starts with a short pass from Bronko Nagurski to Bill Hewitt, who then laterals to Bill Kerr for the score.

1944 — National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, NYC: Green Bay Packers beat New York Giants, 14-7 for 6th and final league title under long-time coach Curly Lambeau.

1983 — In his 352nd NHL game, Wayne Gretzky scores a goal & 5 assists in 8-1 rout of Quebec Nordiques to record his 800th point and 500th assist; averages 2.27 points, 1.42 assists, 0.85 goals per game to start career.

1987 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan scores 52 points to lead the Bulls to a 111-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

1991 — The Cleveland Cavaliers turn a 20-point halftime lead over Miami into the most lopsided victory in NBA history, 148-80 over the Heat. The 68-point margin eclipses the mark of 63 set March 19, 1972, when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 162-99.

1993 — Julio Cesar Chavez secures his place in boxing history, retaining his WBC super lightweight title with a fifth-round victory over Britain’s Andy Holligan. It’s the 27th time Chavez fought for a title without a loss since 1984, breaking Joe Louis’ mark of 26.

1993 — Virgil Hill becomes the most successful light heavyweight in boxing history, winning a record 15th title defense with a unanimous decision over Guy Waters of Australia. Hill, the WBA champion for five of the last six years, had been tied with Bob Foster, who held light heavyweight titles from 1968 to 1974.

2000 — Terrell Owens catches an NFL-record 20 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 17-0 victory over Chicago. Jeff Garcia completes 36 of 44 passes for 402 yards and two touchdowns for the 49ers.

2005 — John Ruiz loses the WBA heavyweight title, dropping a disputed majority decision to 7-foot Nikolay Valuev of Russia in Berlin. Valuev, the first Russian heavyweight champion, also becomes the tallest and heaviest (323 pounds) champion of all-time.

2006 — LaDainian Tomlinson breaks Paul Hornung’s 46-year-old NFL single-season scoring record on a 15-yard run in the first quarter of San Diego’s game against Kansas City. The touchdown run gives him 180 points, breaking Hornung’s record of 176 set with the Green Bay Packers in 1960.

2006 — Gilbert Arenas sets a franchise record with 60 points, 16 of them in overtime, to lead Washington to a 147-141 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

2013 — Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scores 21 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers and No. 1 Connecticut beat second-ranked Duke 83-61. Breanna Stewart has 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies as coach Geno Auriemma earns his 850th career win.

2016 — Donnel Pumphrey breaks the NCAA career rushing record in his college finale, running for 115 yards and a touchdown in San Diego State’s 34-10 victory over Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl. Pumphrey passes former Wisconsin star Ron Dayne’s mark of 6,397 yards on a 15-yard run early in the fourth quarter and wraps up his sensational career in his Nevada hometown with 6,405 yards. Pumphrey’s senior total of 2,133 yards rushing ranks in the top 10 for a FBS player.

2016 — Malik Monk scores a Kentucky freshman record 47 points and hits the go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds left to lead the sixth-ranked Wildcats past No. 7 North Carolina 103-100 in a thrilling showdown of traditional powers.

2022 — Minnesota Vikings recover from 33-0 down at halftime to beat Indianapolis Colts, 39-36 in overtime at US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN; biggest comeback in NFL history.

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Dec. 18

1930 — Adolph Rupp coaches his first game at Kentucky, a 67-19 win over Georgetown College in Kentucky. Rupp retires in 1972 after winning 879 games and four national titles.

1949 — The Philadelphia Eagles win the NFL championship with a 14-0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

1954 — Montreal’s Maurice Richard becomes the first player in NHL history to score 400 goals during the Canadiens’ 4-2 road victory against the Chicago Black Hawks.

1961 — Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph wins The Associated Press’ female athlete of year award for the second consecutive year.

1962 — Wilt Chamberlain of the San Francisco Warriors scores 61 points in a 130-110 over the St. Louis Hawks.

1964 — Oscar Robertson of the Cincinnati Royals scores 56 points, including 18 in the final quarter, in a 111-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

1976 — Oakland quarterback Kenny Stabler scores with 14 seconds left to give the Raiders a 24-21 comeback victory over the New England Patriots in the in the AFC divisional playoffs.

1983 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores his 100th point of the season the Edmonton Oilers’ 34th game, a 7-5 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Gretzky scores two goals and has two assists to get to 100 points faster than any player in NHL history. He finishes the season with 205 points.

1995 — Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers records the fifth-highest yardage total by a receiver in NFL history with 289 yards, and catches three touchdown passes in a 37-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

1997 — Germany’s Katja Seizinger wins her sixth straight race to tie former French star Jean-Claude Killy’s World Cup record for consecutive victories.

2005 — Indianapolis, which won its first 13 games, the fourth team in NFL history to do so, loses 26-17 at home to San Diego.

2006 — Tenth-ranked Arizona State beats Texas Tech 61-45 when the second outdoor game in women’s college basketball history is called on account of rain with 4:18 to play at Chase Field, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.

2007 — Edmonton sets an NHL record by competing in its fourth straight shootout, but loses to Dallas 2-1. The Oilers, who had won the first three, lose for the second time in their 12 shootout appearances.

2008 — Steve Asmussen is the first North American trainer to win 600 Thoroughbred races in a single year as Storm Trust captures the fifth race at Delta Downs.

2011 — The Green Bay Packers’ 19-game winning streak, second-longest in NFL history, is snapped with a 19-14 loss at Kansas City.

2011 — Brittney Griner scores 12 of her 25 points in the closing run that pushes the top-ranked Baylor Lady Bears past No. 2 UConn 66-61.

2016 — New England defeats Denver 16-3 to clinch the AFC East and earn a first-round bye. It marks the eighth consecutive division title for the Patriots, the longest streak in NFL history, breaking a tie with the 1973-79 Los Angeles Rams (seven). New England is the only team in NFL history to win 13 division titles in a 14-year span.

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Dec. 19

1913 — Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson fights to a 10-round draw with Battling Jim Johnson in Paris.

1917 — The NHL begins play. Joe Malone of the Montreal Canadiens scores five goals in a 9-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Harry Hyland of the Montreal Wanderers scores five goals in a 10-9 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1943 — Harry Lumley, at 17 years and 38 days old, becomes the youngest goaltender in NHL history when he plays for the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

1948 — The Cleveland Browns complete an undefeated season beating the Buffalo Bills 49-7 in AAFC championship game.

1948 — The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Chicago Cardinals 7-0 in a major snowstorm for the NFL title. Philadelphia’s Bucko Kilroy recovers a fumble on the 17-yard line in the fourth period, and Steve Van Buren later scores from the 5.

1976 — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Colts 40-14 in an AFC playoff game. Ten minutes after the game, Donald Kroner, a former charter pilot, crashes a rented, low-wing, Piper Cherokee into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium. No one is seriously hurt as most of the capacity crowd of 60,020 left the one-sided contest early or were heading down the exit ramps.

1987 — Boston and St. Louis combine for the fastest two goals in NHL history. Ken Linseman puts the Bruins ahead 6-5 with 10 seconds left in the third period. Doug Gilmour of Boston wins the faceoff and shoots the puck into an empty net two seconds later to wrap up a 7-5 win over the Blues at Boston Garden.

1990 — Los Angeles Raiders running back Bo Jackson is named to the AFC team, as a reserve, becoming the first athlete chosen for All-Star games in two sports.

2001 — Marshall, led by Byron Leftwich, comes back from a 38-8 halftime deficit to beat East Carolina 64-61 in double-overtime in the GMAC Bowl for the highest scoring bowl game in history.

2007 — New York Islanders forward Chris Simon is banned for 30 games, drawing the longest suspension in NHL history again. Simon’s latest infraction was stepping on Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu with his skate during a Dec. 15 game. This is the seventh suspension of Simon’s career.

2009 — Michael Phelps helps his American team trounce a group of European all-stars in the Duel in the Pool, anchoring a relay to one of the eight world records the U.S. sets over the two-day meet in Manchester, England.

2010 — Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson returns a punt 65 yards for a touchdown as time expires in the Eagles’ 38-31 comeback win at the New York Giants. It’s the only game-winning punt-return touchdown in NFL history as the Eagles come back from a 31-10 fourth-quarter deficit. It marks the ninth time in NFL history in which a team trailed by at least 21 points in the fourth quarter and wins the game.

2010 — The Detroit Lions stop their record road skid at 26 games with a 23-20 overtime win at Tampa Bay. It’s the first road win since Oct. 28, 2007, when they beat the Bears 16-7 at Chicago.

2017 — Freshman Trae Young has 26 points and ties an NCAA Division I record with 22 assists as No. 17 Oklahoma rolls past Northwestern State 105-68.

2017 — North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell becomes the third women’s Division I coach to register her 1,000th career victory after the Tar Heels beat Grambling State 79-63.

2017 — Geno Auriemma wins his 1000th game as top-ranked UConn beat Oklahoma 88-64 in the Hall of Fame women’s Holiday Showcase. Auriemma becomes the fourth women’s coach to reach the 1,000-win mark, joining Pat Summitt, Tara VanDerveer and Sylvia Hatchell, who earned her milestone victory earlier in the day.

2018 – Houston Rockets set NBA single-game record with 26 three-pointers in 136-118 victory over Washington Wizards

TV SPORTS

Sunday, Dec. 15

COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)

1 p.m.

CBSSN — Omaha at Iowa St.

2 p.m.

BTN — New Orleans at Iowa

4 p.m.

BTN — Georgia Tech vs. Northwestern, Milwaukee

6 p.m.

BTN — Stephen F. Austin at Oregon

8 p.m.

BTN — Montana St. at Southern Cal

COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)

Noon

ACCN — Miami at Pittsburgh

BTN — Iowa at Michigan St.

SECN — Longwood at Florida

1 p.m.

ABC — NC State at Louisville

2 p.m.

ACCN — Georgia Tech at North Carolina

ESPN2 — West Virginia at Temple

SECN — South Florida at South Carolina

3 p.m.

ESPNU — Penn St. at Kansas

4 p.m.

ACCN — Clemson at Wake Forest

SECN — Lipscomb at Missouri

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)

3 p.m.

ABC — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Regional Final

8:30 p.m.

ESPN — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Regional Final

GOLF

4:30 a.m.

GOLF — DP World Tour: The Alfred Dunhill Championship, Final Round, Leopard Creek Country Club, Malelane, South Africa

1 p.m.

GOLF — LPGA/PGA Tour: The Grant Thornton Invitational, Final Round, Tiburon Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Naples, Fla.

2 p.m.

GOLF — Korn Ferry/PGA Tour: The Q-School, Final Round, Sawgrass Country Club, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

NBC — LPGA/PGA Tour: The Grant Thornton Invitational, Final Round, Tiburon Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Naples, Fla.

HORSE RACING

2:30 p.m.

FS1 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races

NBA G-LEAGUE BASKETBALL

3 p.m.

NBATV — Greensboro at Westchester

NFL FOOTBALL

1 p.m.

CBS — Regional Coverage: Kansas City at Cleveland, Baltimore at N.Y. Giants, Miami at Houston

FOX — Regional Coverage: Cincinnati at Tennessee, Washington at New Orleans, Dallas at Carolina, N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville

4:25 p.m.

CBS — Regional Coverage: Indianapolis at Denver, Buffalo at Detroit, New England at Arizona

FOX — Regional Coverage: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, Tampa Bay at L.A. Chargers

8:20 p.m.

NBC — Green Bay at Seattle

PEACOCK — Green Bay at Seattle

NHL HOCKEY

3 p.m.

NHLN — N.Y. Islanders at Chicago

6 p.m.

NHLN — Vegas at Minnesota

SKIING

4 p.m.

NBC — FIS: Alpine World Cup, Beaver Creek, Colo. (Taped)

SOCCER (MEN’S)

9 a.m.

USA — Premier League: Crystal Palace at Brighton & Hove Albion

11:30 a.m.

USA — Premier League: Manchester United at Manchester City

2 p.m.

USA — Premier League: Brentford at Chelsea

SOCCER (WOMEN’S)

7 p.m.CBSSN — Serie A: Sassuolo at Inter Milan (Taped)