THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SUNDAY JANUARY 8, 2023

*************THE SCOREBOARD**************

***********INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES***********

ADAMS CENTRAL	49	JAY COUNTY	37
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE	47	SOUTH KNOX	40
BEECH GROVE	89	MONROVIA	38
BEN DAVIS	67	INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON	36
BETHANY CHRISTIAN	49	BREMEN	43
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN	53	TIPTON	38
BLACKFORD	58	SOUTH ADAMS	35
BLOOMINGTON NORTH	40	SEYMOUR	38
CALUMET CHRISTIAN	40	TRINITY GREENLAWN	36
CALUMET	53	RIVER FOREST	44
CARMEL	49	WESTFIELD	38
CARMI (ILL.)	66	EVANSVILLE DAY	52
CENTER GROVE	68	JENNINGS COUNTY	66
CHARLESTOWN	76	MADISON	55
CHESTERTON	74	MERRILLVILLE	54
CLARKSVILLE	67	NEW WASHINGTON	58
CLAY CITY	61	BLOOMINGTON LIGHTHOUSE	35
COLUMBIA CITY	49	BELLMONT	45
COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN	61	CANNELTON	56
CONNERSVILLE	54	NEW CASTLE	48	OT
COVINGTON	53	WEST LAFAYETTE	52
COWAN	60	EASTBROOK	52
CRAWFORD COUNTY	68	SALEM	67	OT
DELPHI	48	CASTON	35
EAST CENTRAL	51	ROSS (OHIO)	48
EASTERN (PEKIN)	65	AUSTIN	58
EDGEWOOD	59	SOUTH PUTNAM	35
EMINENCE	65	MEDORA	56
EVANSVILLE BOSSE	84	VINCENNES LINCOLN	71
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL	63	PIKE CENTRAL	46
EVANSVILLE HARRISON	73	ROBINSON (ILL.)	45
FAITH CHRISTIAN	54	PIONEER	51
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK	58	FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA	46
FORT WAYNE SOUTH	86	MARION	81
FRONTIER	51	TRI-TWP.	45
GARY 21ST CENTURY	67	INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS	63
GARY WEST	64	CHICAGO FARRAGUT (ILL.)	49
GIBSON SOUTHERN	59	EVANSVILLE MATER DEI	52
GREENSBURG	51	SHELBYVILLE	42
GRIFFITH	56	WHEELER	28
HAMMOND NOLL	59	ANDREAN	57	OT
HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)	66	LAKE CENTRAL	34
HENRYVILLE	69	TRINITY LUTHERAN	43
HERITAGE	61	SOUTHERN WELLS	40
HOMESTEAD	49	WAWASEE	31
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN	57	CHICAGO CHRISTIAN	54
INDIAN CREEK	82	BROWN COUNTY	25
INDIANA DEAF	73	INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL	65
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL	77	FLOYD CENTRAL	63
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA	70	VICTORY COLLEGE PREP	35
INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE	57	GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN	56	OT
INDIANAPOLIS TECH	52	FORT WAYNE WAYNE	49
IRVINGTON PREP ACADEMY	37	INDIANAPOLIS HERRON	28
JASPER	60	EVANSVILLE NORTH	46
KNOX	60	WINAMAC	29
KOKOMO	74	FORT WAYNE NORTHROP	46
LAKE STATION	81	WHITING	61
LAKELAND CHRISTIAN	50	CLINTON CHRISTIAN	15
LEBANON	65	BENTON CENTRAL	61
LEWIS CASS	54	PERU	47	OT
LINTON-STOCKTON	72	EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN	62
MADISON-GRANT	65	NORTHFIELD	36
MANCHESTER	54	FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY	51
MICHIGAN CITY	48	KANKAKEE VALLEY	47
MONTPELIER (OHIO)	68	HAMILTON	33
MOORESVILLE	58	FRANKLIN	53
MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE)	74	WHITELAND	62
NEW HAVEN	54	DEKALB	40
NEW PALESTINE	73	SOUTHPORT	68
NOBLESVILLE	59	MUNCIE CENTRAL	45
NORTH DAVIESS	47	WASHINGTON	31
NORTH DECATUR	66	OLDENBURG ACADEMY	34
NORTH HARRISON	72	SCOTTSBURG	52
NORTH JUDSON	55	LAVILLE	52
NORTH KNOX	34	NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG)	27
NORTH POSEY	58	MOUNT VERNON (POSEY)	55
NORTH PUTNAM	56	FOUNTAIN CENTRAL	54	OT
NORTH WHITE	48	SOUTH NEWTON	22
NORTHWESTERN	62	CLINTON PRAIRIE	33
NORWELL	59	LEO	51
OAK HILL	75	EASTERN (GREENTOWN)	41
ORLEANS	58	EASTERN GREENE	23
OWEN VALLEY	70	NORTHVIEW	55
PAOLI	90	TELL CITY	35
PARKE HERITAGE	60	CLOVERDALE	33
PENN	87	VALPARAISO	42
PORTAGE	61	EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL	47
RICHMOND	45	MCCUTCHEON	38
ROCHESTER	60	OREGON-DAVIS	19
ROSSVILLE	54	SHERIDAN	41
SEEGER	55	SOUTH VERMILLION	53
SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH)	60	MITCHELL	56
SOUTH DECATUR	75	EDINBURGH	58
SOUTHRIDGE	66	NORTHEAST DUBOIS	57
SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER)	75	HAUSER	63
TECUMSEH	57	SPRINGS VALLEY	51
TIPPECANOE VALLEY	58	PLYMOUTH	49
TWIN LAKES	55	NORTH NEWTON	52
UNIVERSITY	51	COVENANT CHRISTIAN	44
WAPAHANI	61	MUNCIE BURRIS	45
WARREN CENTRAL	65	HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN	39
WASHINGTON CATHOLIC	57	MARTINSVILLE TABERNACLE	50
WES-DEL	64	TRI-CENTRAL	58
WEST NOBLE	43	EASTSIDE	20
WEST WASHINGTON	60	LANESVILLE	50
WESTERN	51	LOGANSPORT	33
WHITKO	64	LAKEWOOD PARK	53
WOODLAN	72	BLUFFTON	36
HENDRICKS COUNTY TOURNAMENT
DANVILLE	63	CASCADE	37	5TH
AVON	73	TRI-WEST	68	3RD
BROWNSBURG	69	PLAINFIELD	54	1ST
HENRY COUNTY TOURNAMENT
BLUE RIVER	54	SHENANDOAH	28	1ST
RANDOLPH COUNTY TOURNAMENT
MONROE CENTRAL	50	WINCHESTER	44	1ST
RIPLEY COUNTY TOURNAMENT
JAC-CEN-DEL	56	MILAN	43	3RD
BATESVILLE	67	SOUTH RIPLEY	64	1ST
RIVERTOWN TOURNAMENT
RISING SUN	62	SWITZERLAND COUNTY	53	3RD
LAWRENCEBURG	44	SOUTH DEARBORN	36	1ST
SHELBY COUNTY TOURNAMENT
TRITON CENTRAL	68	WALDRON	54	1ST
SUGAR CREEK TOURNAMENT
WESTERN BOONE	49	NORTH MONTGOMERY	31	3RD
SOUTHMONT	32	CRAWFORDSVILLE	30	1ST
WAYNE COUNTY TOURNAMENT
NORTHEASTERN	56	HAGERSTOWN	35	1ST
WHITE RIVER VALLEY TOURNAMENT
SHOALS	42	WHITE RIVER VALLEY	35	3RD
BARR-REEVE	62	SHAKAMAK	33	1ST

**********INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES***********

ANDREAN	54	LOWELL	39
ANGOLA	46	FREMONT	23
ARGOS	65	LAKELAND CHRISTIAN	45
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE	76	CASTLE	57
BETHANY CHRISTIAN	41	BREMEN	34
BLACKFORD	42	OAK HILL	36
BLOOMINGTON NORTH	56	TERRE HAUTE SOUTH	35
BORDEN	50	PAOLI	37
CALUMET CHRISTIAN	35	TRINITY GREENLAWN	30
CARMEL	70	FORT WAYNE SOUTH	27
CASTON	44	LAVILLE	25
CENTER GROVE	54	JENNINGS COUNTY	49
CHARLESTOWN	44	BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL	28
CLINTON PRAIRIE	52	WESTERN BOONE	44
COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN	61	CANNELTON	56
COLUMBUS NORTH	48	BLOOMINGTON SOUTH	39
DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN	59	WEST CENTRAL	45
EAST CENTRAL	53	RUSHVILLE	36
EASTERN HANCOCK	41	UNION COUNTY	22
EMINENCE	55	INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON	24
EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN	50	EVANSVILLE BOSSE	29
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI	62	JASPER	56
EVANSVILLE NORTH	57	JEFFERSONVILLE	49
FISHERS	53	NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS)	46
FLOYD CENTRAL	54	NEW ALBANY	38
FOREST PARK	48	PIKE CENTRAL	32
FORT WAYNE LUERS	67	FORT WAYNE NORTH	34
FORT WAYNE NORTHROP	60	KOKOMO	22
FORT WAYNE WAYNE	50	FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK	49
GIBSON SOUTHERN	73	TELL CITY	43
GOSHEN	42	CONCORD	28
GREENCASTLE	62	CLOVERDALE	32
GREENSBURG	64	FRANKLIN COUNTY	55
HANCOCK COUNTY (KY.)	42	EVANSVILLE HARRISON	31
HOMESTEAD	56	LAWRENCE NORTH	39
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN	40	BOWMAN ACADEMY	17
INDIAN CREEK	60	BROWN COUNTY	33
INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS	52	CENTRAL CHRISTIAN	19
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN	56	GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN	51
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC	72	RENSSELAER CENTRAL	38
LAKE CENTRAL	66	LAPORTE	11
LAKE STATION	74	HAMMOND CENTRAL	37
LAKEWOOD PARK	41	ELKHART CHRISTIAN	33
LANESVILLE	65	CROTHERSVILLE	8
LINTON-STOCKTON	60	WEST WASHINGTON	50
LOGANSPORT	51	KNOX	41
MCCUTCHEON	57	RICHMOND	12
MONROVIA	56	BEECH GROVE	31
MOORESVILLE	56	FRANKLIN	51
MORGAN TWP.	56	HEBRON	20
NEW WASHINGTON	57	CLARKSVILLE	26
NOBLESVILLE	64	INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL	53
NORTH KNOX	51	EASTERN GREENE	27
NORTH MIAMI	72	MANCHESTER	32
NORTH POSEY	58	PERRY CENTRAL	39
NORTHVIEW	52	OWEN VALLEY	48
NORTHWESTERN	35	HAMILTON HEIGHTS	34
ORLEANS	44	HENRYVILLE	26
PARKE HERITAGE	57	WEST VIGO	46
PERU	35	DELPHI	33
PLYMOUTH	49	MISHAWAKA	47
PRINCETON	51	WASHINGTON	47
ROCHESTER	36	WHITKO	27
ROSSVILLE	45	COVINGTON	41
SCOTTSBURG	81	TRINITY LUTHERAN	61
SEYMOUR	69	NORTH HARRISON	38
SILVER CREEK	52	SALEM	32
SOUTH BEND ADAMS	52	VICTORY CHRISTIAN	11
SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER)	51	SOUTH DECATUR	46
SOUTHWOOD	68	MADISON-GRANT	44
SPEEDWAY	52	CRAWFORDSVILLE	34
TERRE HAUTE NORTH	57	SOUTHPORT	53
TRI-TWP.	74	FRONTIER	46
UNIVERSITY	64	COVENANT CHRISTIAN	26
VALPARAISO	54	HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)	38
VINCENNES RIVET	51	SPRINGS VALLEY	34
WABASH	44	MACONAQUAH	41
WARREN CENTRAL	54	WEST LAFAYETTE	42
WARSAW	53	NORTHRIDGE	52
WASHINGTON CATHOLIC	63	MARTINSVILLE TABERNACLE	44
WAWASEE	45	NORTHWOOD	38
WESTERN	38	BENTON CENTRAL	37
YORKTOWN	46	SHELBYVILLE	35
ZIONSVILLE	71	PIKE	32
HENDRICKS COUNTY TOURNAMENT
CASCADE	59	PLAINFIELD	44	5TH
AVON	74	TRI-WEST	29	3RD
BROWNSBURG	53	DANVILLE	36	1ST
HENRY COUNTY TOURNAMENT
TRI	45	BLUE RIVER	35	1ST
LITTLE OKAW VALLEY TOURNAMENT
DUGGER UNION	52	MARTINSVILLE (ILL.)	10	R1
RED HILL (ILL.)	66	DUGGER UNION	57	1ST
MADISON COUNTY TOURNAMENT
ANDERSON	70	ANDERSON PREP ACADEMY	24	5TH
ALEXANDRIA	55	FRANKTON	48	OT | 3RD
LAPEL	42	PENDLETON HEIGHTS	38	1ST
SHELBY COUNTY TOURNAMENT
TRITON CENTRAL	60	WALDRON	29	1ST
WAYNE COUNTY TOURNAMENT
NORTHEASTERN	57	HAGERSTOWN	16	1ST
WHITE RIVER VALLEY TOURNAMENT
WHITE RIVER VALLEY	65	SHOALS	44	3RD
BARR-REEVE	41	SHAKAMAK	36	1ST

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING SCORES: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/

***********TOP 25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL***********

#3 KANSAS 76 WEST VIRGINIA 62

#4 UCONN 69 CREIGHTON 60

WASHINGTON STATE 74 #5 ARIZONA 61

#6 TEXAS 56 OKLAHOMA STATE 46

#7 ALABAMA 78 KENTUCKY 52

#8 TENNESSEE 85 SOUTH CAROLINA 42

#9 GONZAGA 81 SANTA CLARA 76

#11 VIRGINIA 73 SYRACUSE 66

#22 AUBURN 72 #13 ARKANSAS 59

ILLINOIS 79 #14 WISCONSIN 69

#16 DUKE 65 BOSTON COLLEGE 64

#25 IOWA STATE 69 #17 TCU 67

#18 XAVIER 88 VILLANOVA 80

KANSAS STATE 97 #19 BAYLOR 95 OT

#20 MISSOURI 85 VANDERBILT 82

UNLV 84 #21 NEW MEXICO 77

#23 CHARLESTOWN 75 DELAWARE 64

ELSEWHERE:

SETON HALL 76 BUTLER 51

NORTH CAROLINA 81 NOTRE DAME 64

YOUNGSTOWN STATE 105 IUPUI 74

MILWAUKEE 74 PURDUE FORT WAYNE 70

BRADLEY 88 VALPARAISO 66

INDIANA STATE 80 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 60

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EDWARDSVILLE 69 SOUTHERN INDIANA 62

MICHIGAN STATE 59 MICHIGAN 53

MARQUETTE 95 GEORGETOWN 73

ILLINOIS STATE 69 EVANSVILLE 61

NEBRASKA 81 MINNESOTA 79 OT

BUFFALO 80 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 62

EASTERN MICHIGAN 62 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 56

PROVIDENCE 83 ST. JOHN’S 80

FLORIDA 82 GEORGIA 75

MEMPHIS 69 E. CAROLINA 59

MISSISSIPPI STATE 64 OLE MISS 54

CLEVELAND STATE 82 GREEN BAY 77

WAKE FOREST 80 LOUISVILLE 72

KENT STATE 69 MIAMI OHIO 66

CLEMSON 75 PITTSBURGH 74

ST. LOUIS 78 ST. BONAVENTURE 55

NEVADA 67 SAN JOSE STATE 40

SAN DIEGO STATE 80 WYOMING 75

COLORADO STATE 79 FRESNO STATE 57

BOWLING GREEN 88 OHIO 79

TEXAS A&M 69 LSU 56

BOISE STATE 82 UTAH STATE 59

OKLAHOMA 68 TEXAS TECH 63 OT

OREGON 70 UTAH 60

NORTH CAROLINA STATE 73 VIRGINIA TECH 69

COLORADO 62 OREGON STATE 42

COMPLETE SCOREBOARD:  HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230107

************TOP 25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL***********

#13 MARYLAND 94 MICHIGAN STATE 85

#16 IOWA 94 #14 MICHIGAN 85

#20 GONZAGA 78 SANTA CLARA 61

#23 BAYLOR 75 #21 KANSAS 62

ELSEWHERE:

INDIANA STATE 66 VALPARAISO 58

BALL STATE 76 WESTERN MICHIGAN 70

ILLINOIS CHICAGO 57 EVANSVILLE 53

RUTGERS 57 NEBRASKA 45

BOWLING GREEN 79 EASTERN MICHIGAN 63

AKRON 77 MIAMI OHIO 66

KENT STATE 60 OHIO 44

MILWAUKEE 72 WRIGHT STATE 61

TEMPLE 77 CINCINNATI 73

COLORADO STATE 76 NEW MEXICO 65

WEST VIRGINIA 77 KANSAS STATE 70

NORTHERN ILLINOIS 67 TOLEDO 66

YOUNGSTOWN STATE 68 OAKLAND 67 OT

MISSOURI STATE 87 BRADLEY 54

GREEN BAY 70 NORTHERN KENTUCKY 53

BUFFALO 70 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 63

BOISE STATE 73 UTAH STATE 56

UNLV 76 SAN DIEGO STATE 70

NEVADA 64 AIR FORCE 59

TEXAS TECH 78 TCU 70

OKLAHOMA STATE 86 TEXAS 82

COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230107

************COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL SCHEDULE***********

SUNDAY, JAN. 8

FCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (FRISCO, TEXAS) | 2 P.M. | ABC

MONDAY, JAN. 9

CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA) | ESPN

************NFL WEEK 17************

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2023

KANSAS CITY 31 LAS VEGAS 13… BOX SCORE: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/FB/BOXSCORE.ASP?GAMECODE=20230107013&HOME=13&VIS=12&FINAL=TRUE

JACKSONVILLE 20 TENNESSEE 16…. BOX SCORE: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/FB/BOXSCORE.ASP?GAMECODE=20230107030&HOME=30&VIS=10&FINAL=TRUE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2023

TAMPA BAY AT ATLANTA FOX 1:00

NEW ENGLAND AT BUFFALO CBS 1:00

MINNESOTA AT CHICAGO FOX 1:00

HOUSTON AT INDIANAPOLIS CBS 1:00

NEW YORK JETS AT MIAMI FOX 1:00

CAROLINA AT NEW ORLEANS FOX 1:00

CLEVELAND AT PITTSBURGH CBS 1:00

BALTIMORE AT CINCINNATI CBS 1:00 OR 4:25

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT DENVER CBS 4:25

NEW YORK GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA CBS 4:25

ARIZONA AT SAN FRANCISCO FOX 4:25

LOS ANGELES RAMS AT SEATTLE FOX 4:25

DALLAS AT WASHINGTON FOX 4:25

DETROIT AT GREEN BAY NBC 8:20

***********NBA***********

BOSTON 121 SAN ANTONIO 116

CHICAGO 126 UTAH 118

DALLAS 127 NEW ORLEANS 117

ORLANDO 115 GOLDEN STATE 101

LA LAKERS 136 SACRAMENTO 134

BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP

***********NHL***********

NEW JERSEY 4 NY RANGERS 3

COLUMBUS 4 CAROLINA 3

BUFFALO 6 MINNESOTA 5

TORONTO 4 DETROIT 1

MONTRÉAL 5 ST. LOUIS 4

SEATTLE 8 OTTAWA 4

COLORADO 3 EDMONTON 2

LOS ANGELES 5 VEGAS 1

BOSTON 4 SAN JOSE 2

BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP

************TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES*************

************NFL NEWS*************

JAGS RETURN FUMBLE FOR TD, BEAT TITANS FOR AFC SOUTH TITLE

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) With a scoop and score that will go down in franchise lore, Josh Allen may have put an end to the chaos and disappointment that has defined the Jacksonville Jaguars for the better part of the past decade.

Allen’s 37-yard fumble return with 2:51 remaining helped the Jaguars beat rival Tennessee 20-16 on Saturday night and secure their first AFC South championship since 2017.

“I’m speechless,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said before crediting coach Doug Pederson, general manager Trent Baalke and players. “I’ve always had confidence that we would be getting to where we needed to go.”

Khan easily could have singled out Allen and safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who forced Josh Dobbs’ fumble. Allen picked up the loose ball on a perfect bounce and ran, untouched, the other way for a lead that held up.

Dobbs fumbled again on the ensuing possession, and the Jaguars (9-8) started to celebrate their most significant regular-season victory in history.

“This was one of those games where our defense had to win it for us,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “Us guys on offense, we’re a little frustrated because we left a lot out there. But in these games, just win. Our defense picked us up today. They played great.”

Jacksonville earned the No. 4 seed in the conference playoffs and will host either the Los Angeles Chargers or Baltimore in the wild-card round next weekend.

It’s the 18th time in the last 20 seasons that at least one NFL team won its division after finishing last or tied for last the previous year.

Jacksonville closed the regular season with its fifth consecutive victory and became the fifth team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a five-game losing streak and a five-game winning streak in the same season.

“We just kept believing,” Lawrence said. “Nobody ever lost faith. Everybody believed in one another. We never started pointing the finger. We lost five games straight and we just got tighter.”

Tennessee (7-10) lost its final seven games, a skid that had just about everyone writing them off before Saturday’s finale.

“Nobody wants to finish how we did,” Titans running back Derrick Henry said. “That’s never the plan, never the goal. Like I said, stuff happens, adversity happens.

“We wanted to win the division and have a great record, yeah, but it didn’t happen this year. All you can do is go back to work and be thankful for the journey and everybody in their efforts and look forward.”

The Titans rested several starters last week and essentially created a 10-day break to get healthy. They returned to their bruising brand of football and looked like they would pull an improbable turnaround – until Dobbs’ turnover changed the game.

“We just got on a (crappy) streak and couldn’t get off it,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “Couldn’t make the plays when we needed to. We couldn’t be consistent enough when we needed to and it showed up again.”

The Jaguars were 6 1/2-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and a near-sellout crowd was on hand to witness what many thought would be more of a coronation than a scratch-and-claw nail-biter.

The Titans didn’t do anything spectacular. With quarterback Ryan Tannehill (ankle) out for the season, they leaned on Dobbs – an aerospace engineer who has bounced around the league – to be smart with the ball and Henry to grind out tough yards. And they relied on a defense that’s been stout against the run all year.

It worked for 57 minutes – and then it unraveled.

Henry finished with 109 yards on 30 carries. Dobbs completed 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards, with a touchdown, an interception and the fumble.

Lawrence completed 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards, with a touchdown and a fumble. Lawrence had two would-be touchdowns in the second half fall incomplete. He overthrew Zay Jones in the end zone and underthrew Christian Kirk.

Nearly all of the 70,000-plus on hand were waiting for Lawrence to do something down the stretch. Instead, the Jags became the first team since Carolina in 2000 to pull off a fourth-quarter comeback without gaining a first down in the quarter, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

STIFF ARM

Henry added another impressive stiff-arm to his highlight reel filled with them. He tossed Jenkins to the ground in the second quarter to cap a 14-yard gain, setting off a flurry of social media posts about the move.

Henry, who grew up outside Jacksonville in Yulee, finished the first half with 71 yards on the ground, but added just 38 after intermission.

MEMORABLE MOMENT

Both teams gathered at midfield together before the game to pray, some of them still wearing shirts to honor Buffalo’s Demar Hamlin. Tennessee linebacker Rashad Weaver, college teammates with Hamlin at Pitt, wore Hamlin’s No. 3 on his eye black.

Weaver later recovered Lawrence’s fumble on a misguided trick play in the first half.

MAHOMES SETS RECORD, CHIEFS BEAT RAIDERS FOR AFC’S TOP SEED

LAS VEGAS (AP) The Kansas City Chiefs don’t believe in simply wrapping up the AFC’s top seed. They want to have fun doing it.

Late in the first half Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chiefs huddled and spun in a circle, broke out into the shotgun with running back Jerick McKinnon taking a direct snap. He faked a handoff to Kadarius Toney and pitched to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who then threw to Toney for a 9-yard touchdown.

But, it didn’t count. A holding penalty brought back the play. The Chiefs then scored anyway to take full control of what became a 31-13 victory.

The play is called the Snow Globe or Arctic Circle, depending on who is asked. But, even if it didn’t count, it underscored the Chiefs’ creativity and willingness to have fun, even while playing for playoff positioning and a week off.

“We talked about it on the side, `Let’s see if we can get some confusion going and throw something back.'” Mahomes said. “It worked. We just had the holding penalty. We got some good things going for the playoffs, and whatever we run has to work.”

That, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, was the bottom line.

“You do (want to make it fun), but you want to score, too,” Reid said. “It’s not fun when you’re not doing that.”

Almost lost was the NFL record for total yards in a season that Mahomes set. He passed for 202 yards and rushed for 29 against the Raiders, giving him 5,608 total yards this season. That surpassed the record of 5,562 yards set by Drew Brees in 2011 with the New Orleans Saints.

“Pat was on fire,” Reid said. “He’s throwing these (statistics) out there like they’re nothing.”

More than setting the mark, Mahomes helped ensure the top seed for the Chiefs (14-3) and a bye in the first round of the playoffs, which begin next weekend. Kansas City, however, is not assured of home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Because Monday night’s Buffalo-Cincinnati game was canceled, the Chiefs could wind up playing the Bills or Bengals in the AFC championship on a neutral field. The Buffalo-Cincinnati game initially was postponed after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest. Hamlin remains in critical condition, but is improving.

This was the first NFL game played since Hamlin was hospitalized. Both teams wore black shirts in warmups that read “LOVE FOR DAMAR” with his No. 3 in the middle. Mahomes also wore a hoodie that had a drawing of the player with “HAMLIN STRONG” below it.

Instead of a moment of silence before the game, the Allegiant Stadium public-address announcer asked fans to cheer on Hamlin’s recovery.

“It was definitely weird,” Mahomes said of returning to the field. “It’s a game that you love, you play your entire life. It’s brought so many great things to you. But, obviously, with the situation that happened Monday night with Damar, you still have that in the back of your mind. You want to be there for him, and there is so much stuff bigger than football.”

The Chiefs matched their franchise record for regular-season victories, set in 2020, and they set a team mark with their 17th consecutive game of at least 300 yards of offense.

The Raiders (6-11) ended their first season under coach Josh McDaniels with three consecutive losses and four defeats in five games. They made the playoffs a year ago, but now face serious questions at quarterback, offensive line and throughout the defense.

Jarrett Stidham started his second game in a row in place of the sidelined Derek Carr, and this performance didn’t go nearly as well as the first one. Stidham completed 22 of 36 passes for 219 yards with a touchdown and interception. He was sacked six times.

A week ago, he threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-34 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Stidham said he hasn’t thought much about trying to retain the starting job next season with the Raiders.

“Do I feel like I’m that caliber player in this league?” he said. “Absolutely. I just tried to be ready for my opportunity these last two weeks and try to take full advantage of it.”

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who was dealing with hip and oblique injuries as well as a reported family emergency, was a game-day decision but played. He rushed for 45 yards and could possibly win the NFL rushing title with 1,653 yards.

But Jacobs fell short of the franchise rushing record of 1,759 yards set by Marcus Allen in 1985. This was potentially Jacobs’ final game as a member of the Raiders because his fifth-year option was not picked up. His performance this season has given Las Vegas officials plenty to consider.

NOTES

Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton made 16 tackles, giving him 180 for the season and breaking the team record of 179 set by Derrick Johnson in 2011. . Kansas City running back Jerick McKinnon has caught a touchdown pass in six consecutive games. He has nine TDs total over that span. . Chiefs rookie defensive end George Karlaftis has 5 1/2 sacks in seven games. . Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce caught six passes for 38 yards, giving him 110 receptions this season, just one off the Chiefs’ mark set by Tyreek Hill last season.

INJURIES

Chiefs: DE Frank Clark (groin) went out in the second quarter.

Raiders: CB Nate Hobbs (hand) and LB Harvey Langi (concussion) went out and didn’t return.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Regular season is over. Kansas City waits to see its opening playoff opponent.

Raiders: Las Vegas has some major decisions to make with its roster now that its season is over.

HAMLIN, STILL CRITICAL, CONTINUES RECOVERY, TWEETS THANKS

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Doctors described Damar Hamlin’s neurological function as “excellent” Saturday, as the Buffalo Bills safety continued making progress in his recovery after having to be resuscitated on the field in a game at Cincinnati on Monday.

In providing their daily update on Hamlin, the Bills said the player continues to breathe on his own but remains in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Hamlin took a major step forward in his recovery on Friday when he was taken off a ventilator and showed an ability to speak.

There was a tweet on the 24-year-old’s verified Twitter account Saturday evening saying that any love put into the world comes back three times as much and thanking all who have “reached out and prayed.” It also said that the response to his injury will make Hamlin stronger. The tweet was followed by a heart-shaped emoji and “3.”

The tweet read: “Putting love into the world comes back 3xs as much. thankful for everyone who has reached out and prayed. This will make me stronger on the road to recovery, keep praying for me!”

The NFL also will show support for Hamlin during all Week 18 games, which start Saturday afternoon, including a pregame moment of support, painting Hamlin’s No. 3 on the 30-yard line and pregame shirts with “Love for Damar 3.” The Bills will also wear “3” jersey patches.

A couple hours after the first, there was another tweet that said, “The love is felt, & extremely real. No matter race or religion everybody coming together in prayer!”

The NFL also will show support for Hamlin during all Week 18 games, which start Saturday afternoon, including a pregame moment of support, painting Hamlin’s No. 3 on the 30-yard line and pregame shirts with “Love for Damar 3.” The Bills will also wear “3” jersey patches.

Hamlin also made a brief live videoconference appearance Friday for his teammates, making several hand signs and saying, “Love you boys.”

Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and his heart stopped on Monday night after making what appeared to be a routine tackle in the first quarter against the Bengals. The game was initially suspended before officially being canceled later in the week.

The Bills are planning to pay tribute to Hamlin and the first-responders and medical staff who treated the player when they close the season Sunday by hosting the New England Patriots.

On Saturday, the Steelers paid tribute to Hamlin, who is from the Pittsburgh area, by delivering toys, books and teaching supplies to Kelly & Nina’s Daycare, where the player hosts an annual toy drive. Fans, players and team owners have also made donations to Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, which has raised just more than $8.2 million by Saturday afternoon.

BROWNS LEAVE CLOWNEY BEHIND FOR FINALE VS STEELERS

CLEVELAND (AP) Jadeveon Clowney’s season is officially over – not that there was much of a question.

The Cleveland Browns did not bring Clowney on their trip to Pittsburgh for the season finale after the defensive end was sent home from practice Friday for biting remarks he made about the organization and coaching staff.

Before departing Saturday, the Browns officially downgraded Clowney to out.

Coach Kevin Stefanski was intentionally vague Friday about Clowney’s standing, but intimated the Browns were moving forward without him by saying, “Nothing comes above the team.”

Clowney effectively ended his second season with the Browns during an interview with cleveland.com this week when he said he felt the Browns undervalued him and were more focused on making Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett look good at his expense.

The 29-year-old Clowney complained he was put in difficult matchups by the coaches so Garrett, who has 15 sacks this season, could dominate.

Garrett said Friday he found Clowney’s remarks “confusing” and wished his teammate had spoken to him before sounding off publicly.

“We’re both moved to be put in favorable matchups,” Garrett said. “That’s kind of the name of the game: Put your guy against their best and then put your guy against their worst and see what happens. “We want to give everyone a chance to win, an opportunity. I wish we could have talked about it.”

Clowney had just two sacks this season. He had recorded nine – his most since 2018 with Houston – with the Browns in 2021 and re-signed as a free agent in May.

On Thursday, Clowney said he was “95% sure” he wasn’t returning to the Browns (7-9), who missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

**********MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL*************

WASHINGTON STATE ENDS NO. 5 ARIZONA’S HOME WINNING STREAK

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) The roars from Washington State’s locker room echoed through a hallway underneath the stands at McKale Center.

An understandable celebration after the Cougars had just sent Arizona’s fans to the exits early with their first road win over a top-5 opponent in 122 years of basketball.

Playing confidently in one of college basketball’s toughest road arenas, Washington State ended No. 5 Arizona’s 28-game home winning streak with a 74-61 victory on Saturday.

“You’re no different than the players – you’ve got to dream it to come true,” said Washington State coach Kyle Smith said after his first win in three tries at McKale Center. “You start thinking about quieting the crowd and in your mind you go possession by possession. I did look up and see people filing out with 1:12 left and I was like, focus, focus, a lot of things can happen. And we were able to hang on.”

The Cougars (7-10, 2-4 Pac-12) shut down Arizona’s once-potent offense, creating a rare subdued atmosphere inside McKale Center.

Mouhamed Gueye led Washington State’s inside game with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Jabe Mullins (13 points), Justin Powell (12) and DJ Rodman (11) keyed a 12-for-28 day from the 3-point arc.

Washington State built an 18-point lead midway through the second half, withstood Arizona’s late run and played physical defense all afternoon to end what had been the nation’s third-longest active winning streak.

“Our guys just came together, had a tremendous effort, played really hard and played right to the final buzzer,” Smith said after Washington State’s first win over a top-5 team since 1983.

The Wildcats (14-2, 3-2) struggled offensively for the third straight game, shooting 32% and 4 for 25 from the 3-point arc. Arizona had its fewest halftime points (27) in two seasons under coach Tommy Lloyd and ran out of gas after a late 12-2 run cut the Cougars’ lead to five.

Azoulas Tubelis had 29 points and 14 rebounds for Arizona.

“Today had a chance to be a special day at McKale and it was for Washington State,” Lloyd said.

Once the nation’s highest-scoring and best-shooting team, the Wildcats rode their defense to wins over Arizona State and Washington while struggling on offense.

The Wildcats again struggled offensively and weren’t much better defensively, allowing Washington State to shoot 7 of 15 from 3 in the first half. TJ Bamba’s 3 at the halftime buzzer put the Cougars up 37-27.

“It’s not confidence – we had a bad day and missed shots,” Tubelis said.

Washington pushed the lead to 55-37 midway through the second half, hitting shots every time Arizona tried to make a run. The Wildcats finally got the crowd to its feet with a late 12-2 run to pull within 61-56, but it turned out to be their last gasp.

Bamba scored a contested layup over 7-foot-1 Oumar Ballo and then a short jumper, helping Washington State push the lead back to double digits – and Wildcats’ fans to the exits.

“They were able to put together a game plan that worked early for them and they’ve got some conviction,” Lloyd said. “We got in an early hole and deserve the result that we got.”

BIG PICTURE

Washington State arrived in the desert as the Pac-12’s most prolific 3-point shooting team. The Cougars were again good from the arc and played super defensively to knock off a top-5 team on the road for the first time.

Arizona needs to find a way to get its offense revved up again. Once scoring more than 90 points per game, the Wildcats have failed to eclipse 70 in three straight games since the nonconference schedule ended. A drop in the AP Top 25 is coming on Monday.

GUARDING KRIISA

Kerr Kriisa is the key to setting up Arizona’s offense, so Smith decided to try disrupting him by having the rangy Bamba guard Arizona’s point guard.

It worked out well for the Cougars. Kriisa shot 3 for 13 – 2 for 11 from 3 – and was limited to three assists.

“You don’t usually have that kind of guy (guarding) and as a point guard, you’re like, `whoa,'” Smith said. “I think if anything, the physicality maybe had them rekeying because he kind of makes him go in transition and a half court.”

UP NEXT

Washington State: hosts California on Wednesday.

Arizona: plays at Oregon State on Thursday.

CARR, TOUGH DEFENSE PUSH NO. 6 TEXAS PAST OKLAHOMA ST. 56-46

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) No. 6 Texas took a key step toward moving past the Chris Beard era on Saturday.

Beard, who faces a felony domestic family violence charge stemming from a Dec. 12 incident involving his fiancee, was fired Thursday. Texas said in a letter to his attorney that Beard was “unfit” for the position.

With interim coach Rodney Terry at the helm, the Longhorns focused on basketball. Marcus Carr scored 12 points in Texas’ 56-46 win over Oklahoma State, and Texas (13-2, 2-1 Big 12) improved to 6-1 under Terry.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Terry said. “And I said to them the other day, probably more than any team in the country, this group has really stuck together and persevered through some adversity and some challenges. … They’ve really focused on what they can control and I think just kind of locked in and enjoyed playing with each other and being around each other every day.”

Texas bounced back from Tuesday’s 116-103 loss to Kansas State, despite shooting just 31.5% from the field against Oklahoma State. The Longhorns held the Cowboys to 30.4% shooting.

“We said that we needed to have a gritty team today,” Terry said. “You know, the team that was going to come in and play their hardest today and really try to max out defensively was going to have a chance to win this game today.”

Kalib Boone had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks for Oklahoma State (9-6, 1-2), which narrowly lost to now-No. 3 Kansas on Dec. 31 and had a solid win over West Virginia before Saturday’s loss.

Oklahoma State’s Moussa Cisse, the 7-foot-1 forward who leads the Big 12 with 9.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, missed the game with an ankle injury.

“We missed him throughout the overall game, both offense and defense,” guard John-Michael Wright said. “He’s a big presence.”

Texas led 32-24 at halftime despite shooting 32.1% before the break. Eight Longhorns scored in the first half, but none posted more than five points. Texas held Oklahoma State to 33.3% shooting and outscored the Cowboys 12-7 from the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes.

An alley-oop dunk by Boone cut Texas’ lead to 43-41, and Caleb Asberry followed with a 3-pointer that finally gave the Cowboys a 44-43 lead with 8:20 remaining.

Oklahoma State didn’t make another field goal. A 3-pojnter by Texas’ Brock Cunningham with about two minutes remaining put the Longhorns up 53-46, the highlight of their 12-1 run over the final six minutes to end the game.

BIG PICTURE

Texas: It was a good defensive effort for the Longhorns coming off a game in which they gave up the most points they had ever allowed in a Big 12 game.

“We won this game on Thursday, not today on Saturday,” Terry said. “We won it back in Austin. You know, we came off a tough loss at home and we didn’t play very good defense in that ballgame and kind of got away from our identity.”

Oklahoma State: Even without one of their top players, the Cowboys hung tough against a top-10 team that had been averaging 84.1 points per game.

BLOCK PARTY

Even without Cisse, Oklahoma State blocked 12 shots. Boone’s six swats matched a career high and forward Tyreek Smith matched his career best with three.

UP NEXT

Texas: Hosts TCU on Wednesday.

Oklahoma State: Visits Kansas State on Tuesday.

DICK, WILSON, ADAMS LEAD NO. 3 KANSAS OVER WVU 76-62

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) Freshman Gradey Dick scored 16 points, Jalen Wilson had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 3 Kansas rode a hot start to a 76-62 victory over West Virginia on Saturday night.

Kansas (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) has won eight straight and avoided the nail-biting finishes of its first two conference games.

KJ Adams added 14 points, Kevin McCullar finished with 12 and Dajuan Harris 11 for the Jayhawks.

Tre Mitchell scored 15 points, Erik Stevenson added 12 and Emmitt Matthews had 11 for West Virginia (10-5, 0-3 Big 12), which has lost three straight since making a brief appearance in the AP Top 25 at No. 24 a week ago.

Kansas entered the game making 38% of its 3-pointers but took advantage of open spots in the West Virginia defense early in the game. The Jayhawks made nine of their first 11 field goals, including four 3-pointers in the span of 1:26 to jump ahead 22-10. Harris hit his first two from long range, giving him nine straight over three games before both he and the Jayhawks cooled off.

The Kansas lead never got below five points after that.

Stevenson, West Virginia’s leading scorer, kept his temper in check Saturday after fouling out of the previous two games and being called for technical fouls in each. But Stevenson missed 12 of his first 13 shots.

West Virginia started the second half missing 13 of its first 15 shots and couldn’t find any rhythm down the stretch.

Dick hit a 3-pointer, fed Zach Clemence for a layup on the Jayhawks’ next possession, then made three free throws after being fouled on a long shot as Kansas extended a seven-point halftime lead to 62-43 with 9:38 remaining.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: The Jayhawks have beaten the Mountaineers in nine of their last 10 meetings. They outlasted Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to open the Big 12 season after getting off to slow starts in both games. This time, they asserted their dominance early.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers cut down on turnovers committed compared with their first two Big 12 games, but have been held to their lowest point totals of the season in back-to-back games. West Virginia has lost 10 straight to ranked opponents and has four more such games later this month.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts Oklahoma on Tuesday.

West Virginia hosts No. 19 Baylor on Wednesday.

GREEN, NO. 22 AUBURN BEATS NO. 13 ARKANSAS , 72-59

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Wendell Green Jr. hit a 3-pointer, drew a foul and polished off a four-point play just 14 seconds into the game.

No. 22 Auburn never lost the lead after that fast start.

Green scored 19 points and Allen Flanigan matched his season high with 18 to lead the Tigers to a 72-59 victory over No. 13 Arkansas on Saturday night in their first game against a ranked opponent. It was a turnaround from a loss at Georgia.

“I think everyone in here would agree that we needed that,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Could you have expected it? I don’t know. But they really showed me something tonight. The bounce-back. The quick turnaround.

“Played great from the start. We got Wendell some really good looks against the Arkansas defense. He got us off to a great start.”

The Tigers (12-3, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) took a double-digit lead into halftime and didn’t come close to becoming another comeback victim of the Razorbacks (12-3, 1-2).

Green had five assists, while Flanigan pulled down eight rebounds.

“It was wonderful to see Allen Flanigan have one of the best games of his career in an important game,” said Pearl, calling it “probably one of the top four or five wins” he has had at Neville Arena.

Johni Broome finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Auburn in his third straight double-double. He also blocked six shots.

Anthony Black led Arkansas with 23 points after the freshman totaled 13 in his first two SEC games. He matched that from the free throw line alone, making 13 of 16. Ricky Council IV had 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

“I thought Anthony Black was absolutely spectacular offensively,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. “We didn’t have much else besides that.”

Black scored 11 straight Arkansas points with Auburn threatening to run away with it in the second half.

The Razorbacks twice cut the deficit to nine points in the final four minutes, but couldn’t come closer.

“It’s crazy. We missed 13 free throws (in 32 attempts) and we lost by 13,” Black said. “We missed a couple of easy ones, offensive rebounds, put-backs. We couldn’t hit a shot, myself included.”

Green made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute and Flanigan hit both of his attempts from the line to avoid any kind of jeopardy.

A matchup of two of the nation’s worst 3-point shooting teams was one-sided from long range. Arkansas, which came in ranked 321st in 3-point percentage, made just 2 of 16 (12.5%). Auburn was 330th in that category, but made 7 of 21 (33.3%). Flanigan hit three.

“Everybody knows the 3-point shooting, you’re not just miraculously going to wake up and all of a sudden become a great 3-point shooting team,” Musselman said. “So you’ve got to figure other ways to put points on the board.”

Auburn took a 36-25 lead into halftime after Arkansas failed to make a basket over the final five minutes.

Green scored seven points in the first 90 seconds, including a pair of 3-pointers. That matched his point total in a loss to Georgia when he was 2-of-12 shooting.

“I just wanted to come back and show how I play,” Green said. “That’s how I play. It just felt good to see that first shot go in.”

BIG PICTURE

Arkansas: Couldn’t pull off its fourth comeback from a double-digit deficit and second straight after rallying from 17 down to beat Missouri. Outrebounded Auburn 45-32.

Auburn: Snapped a three-game losing streak to the Razorbacks and rebounded strongly from a 76-64 loss at Georgia that put the Tigers in jeopardy of falling from the rankings for the first time.

UP NEXT

Arkansas: Hosts No. 7 Alabama on Wednesday night.

Auburn: Visits Mississippi on Tuesday night.

SHANNON, HAWKINS LEAD ILLINI PAST NO. 14 BADGERS, 79-69

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points and Coleman Hawkins made six 3s and scored 20 points to lead Illinois to a 79-69 win over No. 14 Wisconsin on Saturday.

Chucky Hepburn scored 22 points and Steven Crowl added 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the first loss for the Badgers (11-3, 3-1 Big Ten) since Nov. 29.

Freshman Jayden Epps added 15 off the bench for the Illini (10-5, 1-3), who made 10 of 19 3-point attempts.

“That’s how good we can be,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “But you can’t get derailed with a distraction or something that goes awry. So you have to fight. We got to a point (recently) where we weren’t playing very hard and that’s not our culture.”

Shannon streaked through the lane for a two-handed dunk and Hawkins buried a 3 off a Hepburn turnover to give Illinois a 37-30 lead with 16:32 left. Hawkins extended the Illini lead to 13 points a little more than a minute later with his fourth 3.

Hepburn brought the Badgers back within seven with three straight buckets within 90 seconds, but the Illini made 9 of 10 shots to create a 13-point cushion with 7:27 left.

“Defensively we got loose, got disjointed and Illinois took advantage of it,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “They can do that with how they can spread you (out). Specifically, if Hawkins is hitting 3s like that, there’s a lot more pressure on you.”

The Badgers took an 11-6 lead early as the Illini started 8 of 22 from the field. A Dain Dainja bucket spurred a 13-3 Illini run, which featured 3s from Epps and Hawkins, and they took a 30-27 lead into halftime.

The Illini’s switch to a five-out spread offense in December finally paid off Saturday as in-rhythm shots turned into more made buckets. Hawkins said the offense is “much simpler” and was a needed change after Illinois struggled in half-court sets over the last month.

“I think it’s more suited for us and easier for us to get a feel for rather than kind of playing more free,” Hawkins said. “It’s more structured.”

PROSPECT TAKES LEAVE

Freshman star Skyy Clark announced on social media Friday that he’s left the Illini “for the time being” for “personal reasons” that have “nothing to do with basketball.”

Underwood said the Illini are “going to love” and try to help Clark, who has started at point guard for much of the year and is averaging 7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Underwood said there is no timetable for his return.

WAHL-LESS WOES

Expect Badger veterans Hepburn and Crowl to shoulder more of the scoring load as long as top scorer Tyler Wahl remains out with an ankle injury.

“We definitely could’ve used Tyler today, but we have 16 guys on the team,” Hepburn said. “When one man goes down, another man needs to step up and that’s what we rely on. We rely on.”

BIG PICTURE

Wisconsin: The Badgers missed Wahl on Saturday and suffered through some scoring droughts with Hepburn’s slow start from the field. But Gard’s group appears to have the chemistry to bounce back and battle for a Big Ten title in the coming months.

Illinois: The Illini looked to be in turmoil after three straight Power Five losses and Friday’s announcement that Clark is leaving the team – at least temporarily. Getting good performances from Shannon and Hawkins in the same game is a vital development, though Underwood still faces a significant challenge to right the ship to save a season with lofty expectations.

UP NEXT

Wisconsin: Hosts Michigan State on Tuesday.

Illinois: Visits Nebraska on Tuesday.

MILLER SCORES 19 IN NO. 7 ALABAMA’S BLOWOUT OF KENTUCKY

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) Alabama’s star freshman Brandon Miller had 19 points and seven rebounds in front of NBA scouts and a capacity crowd for the No. 7 Crimson Tide, who dominated Kentucky 78-52 on Saturday.

Alabama (13-2, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) had its largest margin of victory over Kentucky in the series’ 150-game history. Meanwhile, the Wildcats (10-5, 1-2) matched their lowest-scoring SEC game under coach John Calipari.

“I can’t say enough about our guys – how hard they played on defense, how locked in to the scouting report they were,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said.

Alabama football coach Nick Saban was in attendance and saw a defensive performance that would make him proud, as the Crimson Tide held Kentucky to just 29% shooting. Jahvon Quinerly had one of his best games since returning from an ACL injury in November, scoring 12 points, while guard Mark Sears locked in with 13 second-half points and finished with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and six steals.

“It’s definitely one of his best defensive performances,” Miller said of Sears. “I feel like he’s even better than what he did tonight. And I feel like it’s just up from here on out.”

Alabama pushed the lead as high as 31 points, and Oats liked the way his team was able to maintain that energy all the way to the end.

“I was proud of our guys for not letting their foot off the gas,” Oats said.

The Wildcats struggled to get into any sort of rhythm offensively. Sahvir Wheeler and Antonio Reeves accounted for 20 of Kentucky’s 24 first-half points. Reeves had 20 points overall and Wheeler 15.

Calipari said his team has to start playing better on the road after dropping its first two SEC away games.

“We are better than we played, and I told them after that most of the time you’re not as good as you think and as bad as you think,” Calipari said. “Let’s just hope we’re not as bad as we looked today.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Kentucky: Oscar Tshiebwe finished with a season low in points (4) and rebounds (6). It was also just the third time this year Tshiebwe finished a game with single-digit rebounds.

“He’s still player of the year, reigning player of the year – didn’t play that way tonight, but none of us did,” Calipari said. “And I didn’t coach that way. We all got beat. I got beat, and our team did.”

Alabama: The Crimson Tide continues to look like one of the best teams in the SEC and the country.

UP NEXT

Kentucky: Hosts South Carolina on Tuesday night.

Alabama: Visits No. 13 Arkansas on Wednesday night.

***************NBA NEWS***************

TATUM, BROWN HELP CELTICS ESCAPE WITH 121-116 WIN OVER SPURS

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, including the tiebreaking jumper with 33 seconds left, Jaylen Brown added 29 and the Boston Celtics beat the San Antonio Spurs 121-116 on Saturday.

The reigning Eastern Conference champions maintained the NBA’s best record by winning for the sixth time in eight games.

“I’m actually glad the game went like that for us,” Boston interim coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We needed a game like that, to where it’s back and forth. Things aren’t going our way; they are going our way. You just don’t get a lot of those. It’s easier to say that because we won, but I’m happy the game went the way it did because we got to execute some stuff.”

And it gave Tatum an opportunity to close out a victory.

Tatum was serenaded with “MVP! MVP!” chants late in the first half while attempting a free throw. The All-Star rewarded the Celtics fans in attendance with his highest-scoring game since dropping 38 points against Houston on Dec. 27.

San Antonio had eight players score in double figures, including 18 points each from Josh Richardson, Zach Collins and Tre Jones.

San Antonio never led but remained close throughout despite being without injured starters Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Jakob Poeltl.

“Great game, couldn’t be more proud of them,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Jayson did it at the end of the game, (he) got us. But taking care of the ball, rebounding, playing with effort, I couldn’t be more proud of our guys. A great game for them to be participating in and to play the way they did. Lots of great contributions from everybody on the court and over time we will get everybody back.”

Richardson and fellow former Celtics player Romeo Langford forged a tie with 37 seconds remaining. Following a layup by Langford with 1:12 left, Richardson drained a 3-pointer that tied the game at 116.

Tatum followed with a step-back 13-footer to put Boston ahead and made the first of two free throws before intentionally missing the second to preserve the victory.

“Obviously they are an extremely well-coached team,” Tatum said. “Teams like that are dangerous. Kind of playing carefree, the pace that they play at. They don’t necessarily have an agenda, just pass, cut and try to get the best shot. Constant movement.”

Boston was forced to call a timeout four minutes into the third quarter after San Antonio opened the second half on a 13-3 run to close within 71-70. Jones had seven points in the run, including a three-point play after Derrick White was called for goaltending following a foul by Marcus Smart.

Tatum responded by making an open 3-pointer. San Antonio would again pull within a point at 79-78, but Brown responded with a three-point play.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Smart exited the game in the third quarter after bumping knees with Collins on a screen. Smart told reporters after the game that X-rays were negative, but his status remains uncertain. . Boston had dropped two straight in San Antonio, last winning Nov. 9, 2019, at the AT&T Center. … White was honored prior to being announced in the starting lineup. White spent his first 4 1/2 seasons with the Spurs after being drafted 29th in 2017 out of Colorado. San Antonio traded White to Boston on Feb. 10 for Richardson, Langford and a first-round pick they used to select Blake Wesley 25th in 2022.

Spurs: Vassell will undergo arthroscopic left knee surgery Jan. 11 in New York. Popovich said Vassell will likely not return until after the All-Star Game, which is Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. . Johnson sat out after suffering a strained left hamstring during the first half of Friday’s victory against Detroit. . Poeltl missed the game with bursitis in his Achilles heel.

WELCOME HOME

White was honored with a video highlighting his time in San Antonio, which drew thunderous applause.

“I was extremely thankful for it,” White said. “I always had great times here and the crowd was amazing. I was just extremely thankful and grateful for it, for them to do that for me.”

UP NEXT

Celtics: Host Chicago on Monday.

Spurs: At Memphis on Monday.

LAVINE, DEROZAN TEAM TO HELP BULLS BEAT JAZZ, 126-118

CHICAGO (AP) Zach LaVine made three consecutive 3-pointers during a key fourth-quarter stretch and scored 36 points, DeMar DeRozan had 35 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz 126-118 on Saturday night.

After hitting 11 3s and scoring 41 points Friday night in a victory in Philadelphia, LaVine converted the three straights 3 to push the Bulls’ lead to eight.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan said he’d like LaVine to shoot 10 to 15 3-pointers every game.

“I’ll try if I can,” LaVine said.

DeRozan passed Pau Gasol and Bob Pettit for 40th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.

The Bulls have won three in a row to improve to 19-21. Utah dropped to 20-22 with its sixth loss in seven games.

“We still got a ways to go,” DeRozan said about his synergy with LaVine. “That’s the crazy part. We knew it was going to come at some point, understanding our spots and understanding moments in the game when it’s time to be aggressive.”

Former Bulls player Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 28 points, and Ochai Agbaji had 19.

Trailing 99-92, the Bulls went on an 11-2 run – led by two 3-pointers by Patrick Williams and a layup by 6-foot guard Coby White over the 7-foot Markkanen with 7:32 left.

The Bulls’ rally stunted much of the momentum Utah built during a 40-point third quarter that featured Markkanen dunking over Vucevic.

“The learning moment for our team is guys can make two or three hard shots in a row, and you still got to maintain your discipline to the game plan to play to the level of intensity you need on defense,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “You can’t let three tough shots deflate you, and I felt that’s what happened in those moments. Our energy level went down.”

TIP-INS

Jazz: Markkanen’s breakout season sparked speculation as to why he couldn’t blossom quicker during his four seasons with the Bulls. “Everyone has their own growth period,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who coached Markkanen during his last season in Chicago (2020-21) before he was dealt to Cleveland as part of a three-team trade. Donovan citied Markkanen leaving Arizona after his freshman year and eventually blossoming through his experiences and skill set. “I always a big fan of Lauri in my short period of time being with him,” Donovan said.

Bulls: G Alex Caruso (right ankle sprain), G Javonte Green (right knee soreness) and C Tony Bradley (health and safety protocols) were out. Caruso was a game-time scratch.

UP NEXT

Jazz: At Memphis on Sunday night.

Bulls: At Boston on Monday night.

DONCIC SCORES 34 POINTS IN TRIPLE-DOUBLE, MAVS BEAT PELICANS

DALLAS (AP) Luka Doncic had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season, Christian Wood added 28 points and the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 127-117 on Saturday night.

Dallas raced to a 34-15 lead after one quarter. Wood took charge early, scoring nine of the Mavericks’ first 13 points. Doncic started slowly, then had his team’s final 11 points to finish the period with 14 points.

Doncic didn’t pretend that he wasn’t aware of his triple double. “I mean, they are right there on the board, so I am very aware,” he said.

The Pelicans – who have lost four of five – missed all nine 3-point attempts in the first quarter, when New Orleans made just 6 of 26 field goal attempts.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added 18 points for Dallas, Jaden Hardy had 15 and Spencer Dinwiddie 12. The Mavericks have won eight of nine games.

The 20-year-old Hardy has had two of his three 15-point games this season in the last two games. He has averaged better than 28 points in the G League,

Hardy matched his career high wth 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Hardy has scored 15 points in consecutive games, shooting 70.6% from the field.

“He’s improved in every area,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s worked extremely hard. He’s learning what it means to be a pro. You can see the product on the floor in the sense that he’s not scared. He’s a young man surrounded by a megastar, and he feels like he fits right in. That’s kind of cool.”

Said Hardy: “That’s just me staying true to my work and hours I put in the gym, and sticking to it. Doing the same thing I do in my workouts. Not being scared of anybody, just hoopin’. I’ve been doing this my whole life.”

New Orleans played without its three leading scorers – Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.

Jonas Valanciunas had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans. Naji Marshall scored 24 points and Herbert Jones had 16. Valanciunas was questionable to start the game because of a sprained

TIP-INS

Pelicans: New Orleans dressed just 12 players. Williamson missed his third game because of a strained right hamstring. The Pelicans sat McCollum to rest on the second half of a back-to-back. Brandon Ingram (toe contusion) and Larry Nance Jr. (shoulder) also did not play.

Mavericks: Doncic got his 10th technical foul of the season with 1:07 left in the second quarter.

UP NEXT

Pelicans: At Washington on Monday night.

Mavericks: At Oklahoma City on Sunday night.

BANCHERO, FRANZ WAGNER LEAD MAGIC PAST UNDERMANNED WARRIORS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Just when the defending champion Warriors welcomed back some reinforcements, Klay Thompson’s surgically repaired left knee required a break.

Paolo Banchero scored 25 points, Franz Wagner added 24 points and the Orlando Magic beat Golden State 115-101 on Saturday night as the Warriors dropped consecutive home games for the first time this season.

The Magic won on the Warriors’ home floor for the first time in more than 10 years.

Anthony Lamb scored a career-high 26 points with five 3s off the bench for Golen State, 14 of those in the opening quarter with four 3s. Jordan Poole had 21 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 15 points and eight rebounds and the Warriors lost a second straight following a season-best five-game winning streak and six-game unbeaten stretch at Chase Center. It ended on Saddiq Bey’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer for Detroit in a 122-119 victory Wednesday night.

All-Star Andrew Wiggins returned and veteran Andre Iguodala made his long-awaited season debut but Thompson was a late scratch with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. He warmed up and was announced with the starters during pregame introductions.

“It got sore during warmups and the training staff looked at him and for precautionary reasons kept him out of the game,” coach Steve Kerr said.

Wiggins scored 12 in 19 minutes coming back from a 15-game absence for both a strained muscle in his right upper leg and a non-COVID illness that delayed his expected return – including missing his bobblehead night Wednesday.

Stephen Curry missed his 11th straight game with a partially dislocated left shoulder but could return this coming week – the hope is Friday at San Antonio to begin a five-game road trip.

Iguodala had yet to play as the Warriors took a conservative approach with the 38-year-old veteran managing a left hip injury. He received a warm ovation when checking in for the first time at the 7:28 mark of the first and each other moment, finishing at 12 minutes.

“It was unbelievable. Being able to play with Iggy and Wiggs was awesome,” said two-way player Lamb, who felt the Warriors started nice runs but couldn’t sustain them by making enough defensive stops.

Cole Anthony added 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Wendell Carter Jr. contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando.

“They took it to us all night, they were the more aggressive team,” Kerr said. “It felt like they were coming down hill at us and we just didn’t have much of a response. We couldn’t get the crowd into it, couldn’t generate much momentum so I just felt like they controlled the whole game.”

Magic center Moritz Wagner returned from a three-game absence, one of those he was ill then a two-game suspension for his part in an altercation with the Pistons at Detroit on Dec. 28.

KERR’S HELPER

A 12-year-old boy from North Carolina named Braxton Barefoot fulfilled a dream to be an NBA coach helping out Kerr through Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Barefoot, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, wore the same outfit as Golden State’s coaching staff and sat in on media sessions. The Warriors and Magic are his favorite teams.

TIP-INS

Magic: Orlando hadn’t won in the Bay Area since beating the Warriors 102-94 on Dec. 3, 2012, snapping a nine-game skid. … The Magic were outrebounded 49-44.

Warriors: The Warriors were 18 of 58 from long range. … Iguodala was limited to 31 regular-season games last season so Golden State’s staff wants to make sure he is still fresh for another playoff run this spring. … The Warriors have lost the last three in the series and dropped to 8-3 at home vs. the Eastern Conference.

UP NEXT

Magic: At Sacramento on Monday night continuing a five-game West Coast road trip.

Warriors: Host the Suns on Tuesday night having lost the past three to Phoenix.

LEBRON JAMES SCORES 37 POINTS, LAKERS BEAT KINGS 136-134

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) LeBron James scored 37 points, Dennis Schroder made two free throws with 3.6 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 136-134 on Saturday night for their fifth straight victory.

“Trending in the right direction and learning from our mistakes,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “At the end of the day, everything we have gone through I think has been a huge education for us. We are trending in the right direction currently.”

De’Aaron Fox had 34 points and nine assists for Sacramento. He missed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer.

Schroder finished with 27 points to help the Lakers improve to 19-21 with their sixth victory in seven games.

James also had eight rebounds and seven assists. He drew Domantas Sabonis’ sixth foul with 48.1 seconds left and converted the shot and free throw to give the Lakers a one-point lead.

Thomas Bryant added 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers.

“It says a lot about the confidence,” Bryant said. “Strong resiliency that we try and bring each and every night out. I know each and every last one of those guys are proud of each other out there.”

Sabonis had 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Harrison Barnes scored 18 points and Kevin Huerter had 17.

“Bottom line is we have to figure out somehow, someway to stop people,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “Defensively we are not good, at all.”

TIP-INS

Lakers: Los Angeles ruled out G Lonnie Walker lV (left knee tendinitis), G Austin Reaves (left hamstring strain) and F Troy Brown Jr. (left quad strain) before the game. F Anthony Davis remains out with right foot soreness. . Lakers coach Darvin Ham received a technical foul with 11:03 left in the second quarter. .James got a technical foul with 6:26 left in the first half.

Kings: G Malik Monk was ruled out with a calf injury. Sacramento coach Mike Brown said pregame it was Brown’s decision to sit Monk. . All five Kings starters scored in double-digits for the 13th time this season.

UP NEXT

Lakers: At Denver on Monday night.

Kings: Host Orlando on Monday night.

***************NHL NEWS*****************

MARCHENKO HAT TRICK LIFTS BLUE JACKETS OVER HURRICANES 4-3

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Kirill Marchenko recorded his first career hat trick and scored in a shootout to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Saturday in a matchup of the Metropolitan Division’s best and worst teams.

Carolina, which sits atop the division, has now lost three straight.

Patrik Laine scored in the shootout, and Kent Johnson added the shootout game-winner and two assists for the Blue Jackets, who won for just the second time in their last 11 games. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 39 shots.

Max Pacioretty had two goals and Brady Skjei scored on the power play for Carolina. Antti Raanta stopped 15 shots in his first loss since Nov. 17.

“We had a pretty solid game in some areas, especially if it wasn’t great,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Even though we got two power-play goals, we got fortunate really on those. That’s an area that wasn’t great tonight. That’s probably the difference in the game.”

After a scoreless first, Marchenko put Columbus up 1-0 with the second power-play goal of his career at 7:26 of the second period, and he made it 2-0 just 1:36 later.

“He’s so coachable,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said of Marchenko. “He wants to learn and it’s not just the offensive side.

“He’s always working. He’s a really neat personality to have around. You love to see him, and I like that because the smile just gets bigger. It’s great.”

Carolina then roared back.

Pacioretty scored his first Hurricane goal, with a lucky bounce off a Blue Jacket leg that pinballed past Korpisalo at 11:20, before Skjei made it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 17:18. Pacioretty scored again at 18:56 on the power play.

Marchenko pulled Columbus back even at 5:23 of the third with his third goal of the night.

“I just shoot it,” he said. “I know the net’s there and just shoot. It’s working. I don’t know how.”

MARCHENKO MAGIC

Marchenko, who made his NHL debut Dec. 6, became the first rookie this season to score a hat trick, and also the first to record two power-play goals in one game. He is the sixth Blue Jackets rookie to do so, joining Nikita Filatov, Matt Calvert, Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The most recent Blue Jacket was Cole Sillinger in 2021-2022, who assisted on Marchenko’s third goal. The native of Barnaul, Russia, now has eight goals and six in his last seven games.

INJURY UPDATE

Carolina’s Stefan Noesen was missing from the lineup after suffering a lower-body injury Tuesday in New York. Columbus’ Eric Robinson remained out with an upper body injury.

ON A ROLL

Skjei scored his eighth goal and leads all Hurricanes defensemen in that category this season. Paul Stastny has recorded a point in three straight games.

4-0N-4

A third-period penalty that carried 5 seconds into the overtime by Columbus’ Sean Kuraly meant both teams skated 4-on-4 for 4:55 of the 5-minute extra period. The NHL rule states that if one team starts OT with a man advantage, each team gets four skaters after the penalty expires until a game stoppage.

NO BRAINER

Larsen on having Marchenko go first in the shootout: “He’s having that night, that’s a no brainer, him out there.”

UP NEXT

Carolina: Hosts New Jersey on Tuesday night.

Columbus: Visits Washington on Sunday night.

MARNER GETS 500TH POINT, MAPLE LEAFS BEAT RED WINGS 4-1

TORONTO (AP) Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist to reach the 500 career points as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Saturday night.

John Tavares had two goals and Pontus Holmberg also scored for Toronto, which snapped a two-game skid with its first win of the month.

Marner hit the 500-point mark in his 467th career game, just four days after Auston Matthews accomplished the feat. Matthews is the fastest player in franchise history to do it, accomplishing it in 445 games.

“It’s just a cool moment, for sure,” Marner said. “You definitely don’t try and really think about setting milestones or doing milestones and trying not (to) be selfish about yourself.”

Earlier in the season, Marner set the franchise record with a 23-game point streak.

“Growing up here in the city and dreaming to play for this team and doing it all with this team, it’s been special, it’s been a lot of fun but there’s bigger goals ahead,” Marner said. “It’s cool, enjoying the moment, but time to refresh and think about (next opponent) Philly now.”

Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves in a bounce-back effort after surrendering five goals in a 6-5 shootout loss to St. Louis on Tuesday.

“I think it’s noteworthy just the job Sammy did tonight,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We’ve been needing our whole team to play better. … But Sammy, the last three games in particular, he and (goaltending coach) Curtis Sanford have put in some real work.”

Jake Walman scored for Detroit in its third straight loss. Magnus Hellberg finished with 25 saves.

“Unfortunately, a fairly similar theme. Five-on-five play, good,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “Unfortunately, we lost the special teams battle tonight.”

Tavares capped a run of four consecutive goals for Toronto with an empty-netter with 1:39 remaining. It was his 18th of the season.

Olli Maata sent a laser of a pass from the end boards to spring Walman on a breakaway midway through the first period. Walman beat Samsonov top corner to open the scoring with 8:03 left in the opening period.

Marner tied it 24 seconds into the second with a sharp-angled goal on a rebound from Matthews’ point shot that went wide and off the boards behind the net. It gave Marner his milestone and Matthews was credited with an assist, allowing both players to extend their point streaks to four games.

Tavares scored the go-ahead goal 6:37 into the second when Calle Jarnkrok found him streaking down the middle of Detroit’s zone between two defenders.

“We just talked about upping our pace, really and just some of the execution coming out of our own end,” Tavares said of the team’s turnaround after a slow start. “I think we were just much quicker coming out of our own end, moving the puck a little faster and that allowed our feet to get moving, get on the forecheck and tilt the ice a little bit.”

Holmberg gave the Leafs a two-goal advantage when he tipped in Morgan Rielly’s point shot 6:19 into the third for his fourth.

“Pretty good first period, we didn’t give up much,” Lalonde said. “Didn’t really hate our second, looks like we lost a little bit of gas. . Come out of that period down 2-1, and then we didn’t have enough for a push in the third.”

GOLDEN CANADIANS

Five members of Canada’s gold-medal winning world junior team were honored just past the midway mark of the first period. Brennan Othmann, Ethan Del Mastro, Owen Beck, Shane Wright and Zack Ostapchuk were given a standing ovation from the Scotiabank Arena crowd when shown on the video board.

INDIGENOUS CELEBRATION

Saturday’s contest was Toronto’s first Indigenous Celebration game. Players wore warm-up jerseys designed by Indigenous artist Tyler Rushnell. The jerseys will be up for auction on Real Sports Auction with all of the proceeds to be donated to the Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre. There were also performances from the Toronto Council Fire Native All Nations Juniors drum group as Leafs players were introduced and a hoop dance routine during the second intermission.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Host Winnipeg on Tuesday night to open a three-game homestand.

Maple Leafs: At Philadelphia on Sunday night.

CANADIENS STING THE BLUES 5-4, SNAP 7-GAME LOSING SKID

MONTREAL (AP) Joel Armia scored twice and the Montreal Canadiens snapped an embarrassing seven-game losing skid in a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.

Josh Anderson scored his 11th of the season to give Montreal (16-21-3) the win in a final frame where five goals were scored. Kirby Dach and Cole Caufield also scored for Montreal.

The Blues (19-18-3) were helped by their fourth line. Alexey Toropchenko scored while Nikita Alexandrov netted his first NHL goal. Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich added goals.

“I think it’s the Saturday night energy,” said Habs coach Martin St. Louis. “You knew there would be energy in the building tonight and we built our game as it went on.

“Our special teams were good tonight and as the game went on, the guys knew we were playing well, and when you’re in the game in the third it’s easier to have passion.”

Jake Allen made 18 saves as the Canadiens swept the season series against his former team.

Christian Dvorak tried to rekindle the magic from the last Canadiens-Blues encounter, where he bagged a hat trick in a 7-4 win. Late in the first period, Dvorak found his way between Blues defensemen Calle Rosen and Faulk but Binnington denied the center’s effort to score the first goal.

Seconds later, the Blues broke the ice on the counterattack. Brayden Schenn passed over to Saad on a two-on-one down the ice giving the visitors a 1-0 lead by the first intermission.

Armia levelled the score for Montreal 1:43 into the second period.

After being a healthy scratched in Montreal’s 6-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Jan. 3, Armia has scored in consecutive games.

“I don’t feel like I played that well,” said Armia of his play before getting scratched. “You just need to sometimes look in the mirror and demand better, better of yourself.”

“I had many discussions (with Armia) since the start of the season but they can only bring him so far,” said St. Louis. “He needs to reflect and get himself out of it. I’m happy for Army.”

The Blues regained the lead when former Hab Tyler Pitlick found Toropchenko, who scored his second goal of the campaign.

Jordan Binnington made 22 saves for the Blues.

“We just lost coverage around our net on a couple of plays. One play, we don’t get it out of the blue line and it comes back at us,” said Blues coach Craig Berube. “Mistakes, too many penalties. Eight minutes in penalties tonight.”

NOTES

Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo suffered a lower-body injury in the first period. The Blues announced in the first intermission that he would not return to the game.

DEFENSEMEN REACH MILESTONES

Canadiens defenseman David Savard skated in his 700th NHL game. He split his 12-year NHL career between the Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning and collected 191 points (45 goals, 146 assists) along the way.

On the other side of the ice, Blues defenseman Faulk laced up his skates for an 800th NHL game. The 33-year-old also played 12 seasons in the NHL with the Blues and the Carolina Hurricanes totaling 368 points (119 goals, 249 assists).

UP NEXT

Blues: At Minnesota on Sunday night to finish a four-game trip.

Canadiens: Host Seattle on Monday night in the third of a four-game homestand.

***************MLB NEWS*****************

PHILLIES ACQUIRE ALL-STAR RELIEVER GREGORY SOTO FROM TIGERS

PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Philadelphia Phillies acquired All-Star reliever Gregory Soto and utility player Kody Clemens, son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, from the Detroit Tigers on Saturday in exchange for infielder Nick Maton, outfielder Matt Vierling and catcher Donny Sands.

Soto, an AL All-Star the last two years, had career highs with 30 saves and 64 games last season with 60 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old left-hander has a career record of 8-20 with 50 saves in 186 appearances over four years with the Tigers.

The 26-year-old Clemens made his major league debut in Detroit last season, and hit .145 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 56 games. He played three infield positions and in the outfield along with pitching in seven games when the Tigers didn’t want to tax the bullpen more in lopsided games.

The 26-year-old Vierling hit .260 with eight homers and 38 RBIs in 151 games over two seasons with the Phillies. The 25-year-old Maton hit .250 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 86 games over two seasons in Philadelphia. The 26-year-old Span spent much of last season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, hitting .308, and did not have a hit in four plate appearances over three games with the Phillies.

**************MEN’S GOLF*****************

MORIKAWA PULLS AWAY WITH LATE RUN OF BIRDIES AT KAPALUA

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) Collin Morikawa can make golf look simple. He has a shot in mind and the ball is going where he’s looking. The difference at the Sentry Tournament of Champions is that includes shots on the green.

He was particularly effective Saturday on the stretch of scoring holes on the back nine of Kapalua, typically a chance for players to make up ground in a hurry. Morikawa birdied four of the last five holes and pulled away.

He finished with a 15-foot birdie putt for an 8-under 65, giving him a six-shot lead going into the final round and an excellent chance to get rid of the sour taste from last year.

Asked if he was hungry to win again – his last victory was the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November 2021 – Morikawa smiled.

“Yeah, that would be an understatement,” he said.

The two-time major champion hired putting coach Stephen Sweeney late last year. It’s not a major change with his stroke except for a better understanding of what he’s doing. He leads the field at Kapalua in putting, a combined with his pure iron play, it can be a frightening combination.

Morikawa has yet to make a bogey over 54 holes on the Plantation Course at Kapalua, and he has rarely come close. He made a 10-footer for par on the fourth hole to avoid a long three-putt, making that as pure as so many of his birdies.

“It’s been pretty simple today. Kind of over the past three days, where I’ve been looking is kind of where the ball’s been going,” he said. “I kind of know what I’m doing right and when I hit a bad shot, kind of what the mistake was. That’s the biggest thing.”

Morikawa was at 24-under 195, six shots clear of U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and Texas Open winner J.J. Spaun.

Morikawa is among 10 players at Kapalua who failed to win last year. Now it’s an elevated event with a $15 million purse, and the PGA Tour chose to expand the field to include anyone reaching the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake.

One more round like this and Morikawa can be assured of a tee time for next year.

Scheffler, who along with Spaun started two shots behind, tried to keep up with Morikawa. The birdies dried up on the back nine, however, and Scheffler missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th that at least could have put him in the final group. He had to settle for a 69.

Fitzpatrick had five birdies over his last seven holes in his round of 66 and will be in the final group for his first trip to Hawaii.

Spaun dropped two shots on the back nine, one when his ball spun off the 13th green and rolled 50 yards down the fairway, the other when his second shot to the par-5 15th sailed left and into the native grass. He had a 69.

Max Homa had no trouble with Kapalua, making a career-high 10 birdies for a 63 and wondering exactly how he did it. That only got him to within eight shots of the lead.

“It didn’t feel like I played four shots better than my last two days combined, but I did,” he said. “It’s just not a very good game for your mind. But it was nice to shoot 10 under.”

Jordan Spieth was three shots behind to start the third round and lost ground with three bogeys in his round of 71.

Everyone is chasing Morikawa, and it looks to be hopeless.

Morikawa began his scoring with a 12-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fifth hole, made a tough 20-footer for birdie on the next and did everything right by doing so little wrong.

The turning point came early on the sixth hole after Morikawa and Scheffler each made eagle and the lead was still two. Morikawa made his 20-footer for birdie, while Scheffler went from a fluffy lie in the rough and came up just short of the green, and then took three putts to get down. The lead was four, and no one got closer than three shots the rest of the way.

Only seven players in PGA Tour history have ever lost a six-shot lead going into the final round, most recently Dustin Johnson at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in 2017.

Asked the last time he had a big lead, Morikawa smiled and mentioned the Hero World Challenge at the end of 2021, when he led by five and shot 76 and tied for fifth.

“It’s OK,” he said. “I’m over it.”

The forecast was for lighter wind in the final round, and Morikawa said he expected players behind him to be firing at flags and trying to catch him.

From what Spaun saw of Morikawa in the second round, that might not be enough.

“He’s putting really good. He doesn’t miss a shot,” Spaun said. “It’s a hard combo to beat.”

**************WOMEN’S TENNIS NEWS***********

NAOMI OSAKA WITHDRAWS FROM AUSTRALIAN OPEN

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Two-time champion Naomi Osaka has confirmed she will not play at the Australian Open, adding her name to a growing list of notable withdrawals.

Organizers confirmed in a tweet on Sunday that Japan’s Osaka, the Open champion in 2019 and 2021, will not be playing in Melbourne.

“Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open. We will miss her at (hash)AO2023,” the tweet said.

The 25-year-old Osaka’s ranking has slipped to 47 and she hasn’t played since September after withdrawing during the second round in Tokyo. She won her first round match at that tournament when Australia’s Daria Saville withdrew after one game with a knee injury.

Osaka won only one completed match since May and was beaten in the first round of her three previous tournaments, including the US Open at which she also is a two-time champion.

Last week she posted pictures on social media of a trip to Europe with her United States rapper boyfriend Cordae and had been considered unlikely to play in the first Grand Slam of the season.

Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska has been promoted to the main draw in her place.

Osaka took a mental health break after missing the 2021 French Open and later said she had been struggling with depression and anxiety for several years. Her absence from Melbourne adds to uncertainty over when or if she will resume her career.

The Australian Open which starts on Jan. 16 already has lost several leading players including men’s world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz who pulled out Saturday with an ankle injury.

Former finalist Simona Halep also is not playing this year and Venus Williams also has handed back a wildcard entry after suffering an injury while practicing in Auckland.

**********TOP INDIANA RELEASES************

COLTS FOOTBALL CAPSULE

HOUSTON TEXANS (2-13-1) @ INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-11-1)

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY

LEADER Colts lead all-time series, 31-9-1

STREAKS Colts are 4-0-1 over last 5

LAST GAME 9/11/22: Colts 20 at Texans 20

LAST GAME AT SITE 10/17/21: Colts 31, Texans 3

TEXANS NOTES:

LAST WEEK: L 31-3 vs. Jacksonville

COACH VS. OPP. Lovie Smith: 2-3-1

PTS. FOR 16.1

OFFENSE 278.8

PASSING Davis Mills: 270-441-2,820-14-13-78.0

RUSHING Royce Freeman: 34-102-3.0-0

RECEIVING Brandin Cooks: 52-593-11.4-2

PTS. AGAINST 24.3

DEFENSE 378.4

SACKS Jerry Hughes: 9

INTs Jalen Pitre (R): 5

TAKE/GIVE -1 (24/25)

PUNTING (NET) Cameron Johnston: 48.3 (42.8)

KICKING Ka’imi Fairbairn: 105 (21/21 PAT; 28/30 FG)

QB DAVIS MILLS passed for 202 yards & had career-high 33 rush yards last week. Passed for 240 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 98.9 rating in Week 1 meeting. Needs 180 pass yards for 1st-career season with 3,000+ pass yards. • RB ROYCE FREEMAN has rush TD in only career game at Ind. (10/27/19 w/ Den.). • RB REX BURKHEAD had season-high 70 scrimmage yards (40 rush, 30 rec.) & 5 catches in Week 1 meeting. • WR BRANDIN COOKS aims for 4th in row with 4+ catches. Had 7 catches for 82 yards in Week 1 meeting. Has 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 5 of 6 career games vs. Ind. Is 1 of 4 in NFL (Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins & Travis Kelce) with 500+ rec. yards in each of past 9 seasons. • TE JORDAN AKINS aims for his 3rd in row vs. Ind. with 40+ rec. yards. • TE O.J. HOWARD tied career high with 2 rec. TDs in Week 1 meeting. • DB JALEN PITRE had 13 tackles & 5th INT of season last week, tied 2nd-most among rookies. Aims for 6th in row with 9+ tackles & 3rd in row with INT. Has PD in 5 of past 6. Had 10 tackles in Week 1 meeting. Leads rookies & all DBs with 139 tackles this season, 2nd-most ever by Hou. rookie. • DB DESMOND KING had 8 tackles, 2 TFL & 2nd INT of season in Week 17. Had 2 PD & TFL in Week 1 meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Ind. with 6+ tackles. • LB CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY is 1 of 4 in AFC with 5+ tackles in 16 games this season. Had 9 tackles, TFL & FR in Week 1 meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Ind. with FR. • DE JERRY HUGHES had team-high 9th sack of season last week. Had 2 sacks, INT & FF in Week 1 meeting. Has sack in 2 of his past 3 vs. division.

COLTS NOTES:

LAST WEEK L 38-10 at N.Y. Giants

COACH VS. OPP. Jeff Saturday: 0-0

PTS. FOR 16.1

OFFENSE 306.3

PASSING Sam Ehlinger: 41-66-364-1-1-75.6

RUSHING Zack Moss (2022): 75-342-4.6-0

RECEIVING Michael Pittman: 96-895-9.3-3

PTS. AGAINST 24.7

DEFENSE 332.4

SACKS DeForest Buckner: 8

INTs Rodney Thomas (R): 3

TAKE/GIVE -13 (18/31)

PUNTING (NET) Matt Haack: 44.4 (40.3)

KICKING Chase McLaughlin: 104 (17/17 PAT; 29/35 FG)

QB SAM EHLINGER completed 9 of 14 atts. (64.3 pct.) with TD vs. 0 INTs last week. • RB ZACK MOSS rushed for 74 yards in Week 17. Aims for 4th in row with 70+ scrimmage yards. Rushed for 61 yards & TD in his last game vs. Hou. (10/3/21 w/ Buf.). • WR MICHAEL PITTMAN had 6 catches for 41 yards & 3rd rec. TD of season last week. Had 9 catches for 121 yards & TD in Week 1 meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Hou. with 6+ catches & 75+ rec. yards. Needs 105 rec. yards to become 4th player in franchise history with 1,000+ rec. yards in consecutive seasons, joining HOFer Marvin Harrison, T.Y. Hilton & Reggie Wayne. • WR PARRIS CAMPBELL had 52 rec. yards in Week 17. Had 51-yard TD catch in last home meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. division with 50+ rec. yards & rec. TD. • DT DEFOREST BUCKNER aims for 3rd in row with 5+ tackles. Has sack in 2 of past 3. Had FR in Week 1 meeting. Has 7 sacks in 6 career games vs. Hou. • DE DAYO ODEYINGBO has 1.5+ sacks in 2 of past 3. • LB ZAIRE FRANKLIN had 10 tackles & 2 PD last week. Aims for 8th in row with 9+ tackles. Is 1 of 4 in AFC with 5+ tackles in 16 games this season & ranks 4th in NFL with career-high 159 tackles in 2022. • LB BOBBY OKEREKE had 2 TFL, FF & career-best 17 tackles last week. Aims for 4th in row with 9+ tackles. Had 7 tackles & PD in Week 1 meeting. • CB STEPHON GILMORE has 29 career INTs, tied 6th-most among active players. • S RODNEY MCLEOD had TFL & 1st FR of season in Week 17. • S RODNEY THOMAS (rookie) aims for 3rd in row with 6+ tackles. Has INT & TFL in 2 of past 3. Ranks tied-4th among rookies with team-high 3 INTs this season.

• The Colts are 31-9-1 (.768) all-time against the Texans, the second-best record in any series between two current MLB/NBA/NFL/NHL teams (minimum 40 meetings) behind the Penguins’ 52-13-0-3 (.787) record against the Thrashers/Jets.
• The Colts have allowed 151 points over their last four games, the second most they have allowed over a four-game span since moving to Indianapolis in 1984 (allowed 154 in 2001).
• Michael Pittman Jr. has 96 receptions for 895 yards this season. He has a chance to finish with the fewest yards by a wide receiver in a 100-catch season in NFL history; the current low is 987 by Jarvis Landry in 2017 (on 112 catches).
• The Texans’ only two wins this season have come at Jacksonville and at Tennessee, and now they play at Indianapolis. If they win or tie on Sunday, they would be the first team in NFL history to go undefeated in divisional road games but winless in all other games that season.
• Davis Mills is 4-20-1 (.180) in 25 career starts, the worst record by a QB through his first 25 career starts since the 49ers’ Steve DeBerg went 3-22 (.120) from 1978-79.
• The Texans have had at least one giveaway in 11 straight games while the Colts have done so in 10 straight, the two longest active streaks in the NFL.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Sam Ehlinger’s wild, season-long ride will include one last twist Sunday.

He’s back as the Indianapolis Colts’ starting quarterback, this time against one of his home-state teams – the Houston Texans.

No, it’s not the way Ehlinger or Indy envisioned closing this season, with an early January contest to sort out draft position. But the Colts’ constantly spinning quarterback carrousel has become a routine part of daily life for Ehlinger.

“I started the year as the (No.) 3 (on the depth chart), went to the 2, then the 1, then the 2, then the 3, then the 2 and now the 1 again,” he said. “That’s quite a roller-coaster, literally. I’ve just tried to stay consistent through my routine.”

Ehlinger’s seven-step depth-chart dance explains why the Colts (4-10-1) are in this spot.

Their two most veteran quarterbacks, Matt Ryan (shoulder) and Nick Foles (ribs), are injured. So interim coach Jeff Saturday handed the reins back to Ehlinger, who will make his third career start in a game where the loser could turn out to be the biggest winner.

If Indy can’t stop its six-game losing streak, it will lock up a top-five pick and perhaps, finally, find the long-term franchise quarterback they’ve been searching for since Andrew Luck retired.

Houston (2-13-1), meanwhile, was playing better until last week’s 31-3 rout against Jacksonville. Another loss Sunday would assure the Texans of claiming the No. 1 overall draft pick for the fourth time since the franchise entered the league in 2002.

But nobody, of course, wants to describe the stakes quite that way.

“I’ve been asked this question a few weeks because we’ve been in that role,” first-year coach Lovie Smith said when asked about losing to help in the draft. “I understand it. We’ve been trying to win for a long period of time, every game. None of that has changed.”

Certainly not for Ehlinger, who lost his first two starts while completing 61.5% of his passes, throwing one interception and being sacked 11 times. He was more efficient last week in relief of Foles, going 9 of 14 with 60 yards and throwing his first career touchdown pass.

What would he like for an encore? Collecting his first career win.

“I have experience with it in college – you win your bowl game, and you feel a lot better in the offseason,” Ehlinger said. “It builds a little bit of momentum going into the offseason. Being able to cap off the year with a win kind of adds a little positive psychology to it.”

COACH SPEAK

While Colts owner Jim Irsay will begin his coaching search this week, the Texans must first decide whether to keep Smith or try their third coach in three seasons.

Last year, Houston fired David Culley after just one season and Smith could meet the same fate, though he insists he’s not worrying about his future after one of his most difficult seasons.

“We haven’t won a lot of games,” Smith said. “Whenever you don’t win a lot of games, it’s tough. It takes an emotional toll on everyone. By saying that, though, how the guys have performed lately has given you (hope) – you can see what the future looks like.”

STAYING FOCUSED

Colts rookie Rodney Thomas II spent most of Tuesday in Cincinnati visiting Bills safety Damar Hamlin in the hospital.

The two were teammates at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh and Thomas said he speaks with Hamlin almost daily – including Monday, before Hamlin collapsed and was resuscitated on the field during the Bills game in Cincinnati.

Earlier this season, Thomas credited Hamlin with helping him make the NFL, and Thomas said he has no hesitation about playing this week – or what he’s playing for.

“I’m putting it right where it has to be, right in my mind – playing for him, playing for what he represents,” Thomas said. “If you look at who he is, he’s a great person. I went to high school with him. He took me under his wing. I’m playing for him. I’m doing all of this stuff for him.”

MILLS’ STRUGGLES

Quarterback Davis Mills struggled again in last week’s loss, failing to get Houston into the end zone for the second time this season. He also lost a fumble that was returned for a score.

It has been a tough second season for the former Stanford star, who was benched for two games before regaining the job. Davis’ 13 interceptions are tied for the league’s second-highest total and could prompt the Texans to draft a new starter in April, though he’s eager to make one last impression this season.

“Excited to have another opportunity to go out to Indy and try to find a way to win the last game of the season,” he said.

PACERS BASKETBALL

After the most recent victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indiana Pacers veteran center Myles Turner called the energy at home this season “terrific.”

Turner also added it’s the loudest he’s heard the Indianapolis arena, consistently, since the organization drafted him in 2015.

The Pacers aim to continue riding those positive vibes when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

Indiana (22-18) has won five of its last six games and seven of the last nine. The Blue & Gold are currently on a five-game home winning streak, and are 14-7 overall when playing in Indianapolis.

Over the past six games, the Pacers are shooting 50.1 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from 3-point range and are averaging a league-best 125.2 points per game.

While the Pacers are hot, the Hornets (11-29) have struggled all season long. Currently, Charlotte has the second-worst record in the East — ahead of just the Detroit Pistons (11-30).

Charlotte hasn’t won more than two games in a row this season, which they’ve only accomplished once. In both November and December, the Hornets had eight-game losing streaks.

The Pacers enter the game coming off a 108-99 Friday night win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

While the Pacers’ offense has made plenty of headlines this season, it was the defense that made the difference down the stretch as they didn’t allow a field goal in the last 7:31 of the game. In the final six minutes, the Pacers outscored the Trail Blazers 15-2 to bounce back from Wednesday’s overtime loss at the Philadelphia 76ers.

Six Pacers scored in double figures against Portland, with rookie Bennedict Mathurin scoring a team-high 19 points. Myles Turner added 17 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, while Tyrese Haliburton collected 15 points and 12 assists for the Blue & Gold.

Haliburton continues to lead the league in assists (389) while Mathurin has the most points of any bench player (697) and guard Buddy Hield has the most 3-point makes (154).

The Hornets enter Sunday’s matchup coming off possibly their best win of the season, as they beat the Milwaukee Bucks (25-14), 138-109, on Friday. In that game, the Hornets scored 51 points in the first quarter – tying the NBA record for most points in an opening period – before cruising to the win.

Against the Bucks, shooting guard Terry Rozier scored a season-high 39 points while LaMelo Ball, who was an All-Star last season, scored 24 points to go along with 12 assists.

Ball, who has played just 16 games this season due to injuries, is averaging 23.7 points, 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebunds per game to lead the Hornets while Rozier is averaging 20.1 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds.

As a team the Hornets are averaging just 111.3 points per game – 25th in the league – and have the fifth-worst defensive rating (114.8).

Injuries have plagued much of the Hornets’ 2022-2023 season.

Against the Pacers, the Hornets will be without Kelly Oubre Jr., their team’s second-highest scorer. Oubre, who had a double-double in the first game against the Pacers earlier this season, had hand surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ligament.

Another key player that could sit out for the Hornets on Sunday is forward Gordon Hayward, who injured his left hamstring on Monday and hasn’t played since. Hayward has played in just 21 games this season due to various injuries.

Projected Starters

Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Buddy Hield, F – Aaron Nesmith, C – Myles Turner

Hornets: G- LaMelo Ball, G – Terry Rozier, F – Jalen McDaniels, F – P.J. Washington, C – Mason Plumlee

Injury Report

Pacers: Jalen Smith – questionable (sore right hand), Daniel Theis – out (right knee surgery), Kendall Brown – out (right tibia stress reaction)

Hornets: Gordon Hayward – doubtful (left hamstring soreness), Kelly Oubre Jr. – out (left hand surgery)

Last Meeting

Nov. 16, 2022: The Pacers outscored the Hornets 21-9 in the final fives minutes of play to earn a 125-113 Eastern Conference road win.

Charlotte led by three at halftime before the teams were knotted at 90 going into the final frame.

The teams were tied at 104 with 4:58 left in the game before the Pacers went on a 9-2 run to get some separation before holding on for the win.

Six Pacers scored in double digits, led by 22 points from Haliburton while Mathurin and Turner each chipped in 20. Both Haliburton (11 assists) and Turner (10 rebounds) also secured double-doubles.

Indiana shot 53.7 percent overall to Charlotte’s 45.7 percent. The Pacers went to the free throw line often, making 25 of 31 shots.

Ball topped the Hornets with 26 points and Washington added 24 points.

Noteworthy

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Isaiah Jackson, who played in games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants earlier this week, will be available for the Pacers on Sunday against the Hornets.

Indiana owns an all-time record of 71-51 over the Hornets and are 46-16 when playing them in Indianapolis.

Hayward, an Indianapolis native and former star at Brownsburg High School and Butler University, has not played against the Pacers yet this season due to injuries.

Plumlee was born in Fort Wayne and attended Warsaw High School before transferring to Christ School in Arden, North Carolina.

The Pacers will complete their season series with the Hornets on March 20 in Charlotte.

Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)

TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)

Tickets

The Pacers welcome LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 5:00 PM ET.

FUEL HOCKEY

CORALVILLE – It was a fairly mild-mannered series finale between the Indy Fuel and Iowa Heartlanders Saturday night. Only two penalties were given the entire game, both to Indy. Iowa outshot the Fuel 39-35 and ended up skating away with a 3-1 victory.

Defenseman Cam Bakker scored his first goal of the season and as a member of the Indy Fuel just 3:39 into the first period. Tempers appeared to flare with some minor pushing and shoving, but nothing that resulted in a penalty. The only penalty of the period was awarded to Indy’s Chase Lang for tripping with 1:16 left in the first.

The Fuel began the second period on the penalty kill and just 28 seconds in, Iowa’s Riese Zmolek scored on the power play. Less than two minutes later, Indy’s Kirill Chaika was given two minutes for interference which allowed the Heartlanders’ Tyler Busch to make it 2-1. With three minutes left in the middle frame, Clayton Phillips gave Iowa some insurance and the period ended with Iowa up 3-1.

There were no penalties and no goals for either team in the third period. Despite outshooting the Heartlanders 17-6 and pulling goaltender Cam Gray with two-and-a-half minutes remaining, the Fuel were unable to get the puck past Iowa goaltender Corbin Kaczperski and ultimately fell to the Heartlanders 3-1.

The Fuel picked up four points of six on the Iowa road trip. They return home to Indiana Farmers Coliseum this Wednesday, January 11 to face off against the Heartlanders once again.

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana University sixth-year senior forward Race Thompson will be out indefinitely after injuring his leg Thursday at Iowa. He has started 76 straight games.

Through 14 games, the 6-8 Thompson is averaging 8.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and is second on the team with 19 blocked shots.

A team captain each of the last three seasons, Thompson was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick and Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner last season.

PREVIEW VS. NORTHWESTERN

Opening Tip

• Indiana University continues its 123rd season of competition in men’s basketball for a home tilt against Northwestern at noon ET on Jan. 8 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will be broadcast on FS1.

• The Wildcats, led by 10th-year head coach Chris Collins, enter the game with an 11-3 record and a 2-1 mark in B1G play. Northwestern has earned victories in six of the team’s last seven games.

Game Information

Jan. 8, 2023 • Noon ET

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.

TV: FS1 (Matt Schumacher, Stephen Bardo)

Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)

Series History: Indiana leads, 120-53

Last Meeting: NW 59, IU 51 on Feb. 8, 2022 in Evanston

Series History

• Indiana leads the all-time series against Northwestern, 120-53, but are just 6-4 against the Wildcats in the last 10 meetings. IU’s longest win streak in the series came in the form of 26-straight triumphs from Feb. 11, 1988 to Jan. 15, 2003.

• The Hoosiers fell to the Wildcats in the lone meeting between the two programs a season ago. Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (13 points, 11 rebounds), sixth-year senior Race Thompson (14 points, 6 rebounds), and junior Trey Galloway (13 points, 5 rebounds) led the way for the short-handed Indiana squad in the loss.

Last Time Out

• Indiana returned to Big Ten Conference play with a hard-fought 91-89 loss at Iowa on Jan. 5 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis churned out his second 30-point game of the season (at Xavier, Nov. 18) on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor. He added nine rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.

• Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino extended his streak of 15-point games to three with a season-best 21 points and nine assists. He knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers in the loss.

• Indiana held a 21-point lead in the first half of the contest.

Scoop, There it is

• Sophomore guard Tamar Bates, nicknamed “Scoop”, has taken a second-year leap for the Hoosiers. He has upped his minutes per game from 14.3 to 22.9, points per game from 3.9 to 9.1, and 3-point percentage from 29.8% to 42.3% from his debut collegiate season.

• Bates recorded career bests in points (22), made field goals (8), and assists (4) in the win over Jackson State on Nov. 25.

• The IMG Academy product scored 32 points off the bench on 6-of-11 (54.5%) shooting from the 3-point line against Nebraska (Dec. 7) and Arizona (Dec. 10).

• Bates started his first career game at Iowa on Jan. 5 and tallied eight points and four assists.

• Bates became a father to his daughter, Leilani, on March 20, 2022, two days after his freshman season concluded.

Fino on the Rise

• After hitting double figures in the scoring column just twice in his first six collegiate games, freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino has scored 10-plus points in five-straight games.

• The Pittsburgh, Pa., native has set a new scoring career-high in each of the last three contests after scoring 17 against Elon (Dec. 20), 18 points versus Kennesaw State (Dec. 23), and 21 points at Iowa (Jan. 5).

• Hood-Schifino has reached at least four assists in seven of his 11 starts to open his career.

• JHS ranks fourth among all freshmen in the Big Ten in scoring (1.6 points per game), first in assists (4.7), fifth in rebounds (4.4), and seventh in made 3-pointers per game (1.5).

Sharing the Rock

• Indiana ranks as the top Big Ten Conference team in assists, averaging 17.6 helpers per game. IU has been over 15 assists as a team in 10 games this season. Five times the Hoosiers have topped 20 assists.

• Fifth-year senior guard Xavier Johnson (fourth) and freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (fifth) both rank inside the top-10 in the B1G in assists per game.

Other Notables

• Senior Trayce Jackson-Davis blocked a career-high nine shots at Kansas on Dec. 17. The game marked his sixth with at least five blocks.

• His nine blocks were the second most by a Hoosier in a single game in program history, trailing only Steve Downing (10) against Michigan on Feb. 23, 1971.

• Jackson-Davis is one of 16 Big Ten players to have at least nine blocks in a game in the last 25 seasons. Nate Reuvers (Nov. 8, 2019) of Wisconsin was the last B1G player to have at least nine blocks in a game.

• Sixth-year senior forward Race Thompson had 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting with 11 rebounds and tied a career-high four blocks against Elon on Dec. 20.

• Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino had 17 points along with seven assists, two rebounds, and two steals against Elon.

• Freshman guard CJ Gunn scored a career-high 11 points, on 5-of-10 shooting as well as three rebounds, three assists, and two steals versus Elon.

• Sophomore center Logan Duncomb tallied 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists. His 10 points were a career-high against the Phoenix.

• Sophomore guard Tamar Bates led Indiana in scoring against Kennesaw State on Dec. 23 with 19 points.

• Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino had a career-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting against the Owls on Dec. 23.

• Hood-Schifino has scored in double figures in his last four games and has reached that mark in six of his last seven.

• Sixth-year senior forward Race Thompson ripped down 14 rebounds to tie his career-high (Feb. 12, 2022 at Michigan State) in the win over KSU on Dec. 23.

• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis secured his eighth-career 30-point game in Indiana’s 91-89 loss at Iowa on Jan. 5. He added a team-best nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

• Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino became the third Hoosier to score at least 20 points in their Big Ten debut in the last 25 years with a career-high 21 points at Iowa on Jan. 5.  He canned 5-of-8 shots from behind the 3-point line.

• Hood-Schifino joined NBA Lottery Draft picks Eric Gordon (25 points at Iowa in 2008) and Romeo Langford (20 points against Northwestern in 2018) on the exclusive list.

• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis has swatted at least two shots in 29 of his last 46 games played.

• The Hoosiers have been ranked in each of the first 10 (including preseason) Associated Press Top-25 Polls, the longest streak to open a season for IU since the 2016-17 season.

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 6/7 Indiana resumes action on Sunday afternoon when it tips at Northwestern at 3 p.m. ET at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

Northwestern is still searching for its first Big Ten win as it is coming off a loss at Illinois on Thursday. Sophomore forward Caileigh Walsh leads the Wildcats with 12.3 points per game while graduate student guard Sydney Wood averages 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per outing. They are averaging 65.6 points per game while shooting 39 percent from the floor.

SERIES HISTORY

Indiana leads 42-39

LAST MEETING

2/17/22 – W, 69-58 (Bloomington, Ind.)

NOTES

Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes has been named the co-Big Ten Player of the Week for her performances for Indiana against Michigan State and Nebraska last week. Holmes picks up her second player of the week award this season and the fifth overall in her career. The Gorham, Maine native averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 rebounds while shooting 64.5 percent (20-for-31) from the floor while adding 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per outing while also shooting 73.7 percent from the free throw line.

Indiana has won two-straight in the series against Northwestern, most recently a 69-58 win at home last season (Feb. 17, 2022). The two teams have met just once in the regular season for the last three years.

Accuracy from the floor has been one of Indiana’s strong suits this season, compiling a 50.6 percent clip from the floor, tops in the Big Ten and third overall in the country.  Helping add to that percentage is one of the nation’s best shooters in Mackenzie Holmes, who is third in the nation in field goal percentage (68.2).

Ninth year head coach Teri Moren picked up her 185th victory at the helm of the Hoosiers on Sunday in the overtime win against Nebraska, pulling closer to the all-time coaching win record in school history. She needs three more victories to tie Jim Izard’s 188 wins that he amassed over 12 seasons. She is already the program’s all-time winningest coach in Big Ten play, pulling in 85 victories in league play.

UP NEXT

Indiana returns to the Hall to host Maryland on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

GAMEDAY INFO

Sunday, January 8, 2023

[1] Purdue (14-1, 3-1) vs. Penn State (11-4, 2-2)

Philadelphia, Pa. | The Palestra (8,922)

TELEVISION: BTN | RADIO: Purdue Sports Network

ANNOUNCERS: Brandon Gaudin, Robbie Hummel, Andy Katz

THE NOTES TO KNOW

• Purdue ends a difficult two-game road trip with a battle against a tough Penn State team at The Palestra in Philadelphia. The Boilermakers are looking to move their Big Ten road record to 3-0, already posting wins against Nebraska and Thursday against No. 24-ranked Ohio State. A win would give Purdue a four-game road winning streak for the first time since winning seven straight road games in 2017-18.

• Head coach Matt Painter will face former assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry for the third time after a pair of meetings last season. Shrewsberry is one of three former assistants since the 2018-19 season under Painter that are currently in head coaching roles (Shrewsberry; Greg Gary — 4th year at Mercer; Steve Lutz — 2nd year at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi).

• Purdue’s 14-1 record through 15 games ties the program’s best mark through 15 games (1987-88, 1993-94, 2009-10, 2010-11). Purdue has started 15-1 three times in school history (1987-88, 1993-94, 2010-11).

• Purdue can claim America’s best resume, owning five quad-1 wins, all of them against teams ranked in the NCAA Net’s top 25. Four of the wins (Marquette) have come away from Mackey Arena. Only Kansas has more quad-1 wins than Purdue (6).

• This will mark Purdue’s first Big Ten Conference game at a neutral site in school history. The last time Purdue played a neutral-site game against a Big Ten game came in Dec. 2002, against Indiana in Indianapolis (was not a conference game).

• The win over Ohio State gave Purdue its first Big Ten win and first “true” road win as the No. 1 team in the country in school history. 

• With last Monday’s loss to Rutgers, eight of Purdue’s last 12 losses have come by three points or less. One more was by five points and two more came in overtime. Only one of the 12 losses was by more than nine points.

• In three neutral-site games against high-major opposition, Purdue is shooting 25-of-61 (.410) from 3-point range, averaging 79.7 points.

• Purdue started Thursday’s game against Ohio State by missing its first seven 3-point attempts. It finished the game 13-of-24, making a season high in 3-pointers (13).

• For the second straight year, Purdue has been voted No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll. A year ago, Purdue was voted No. 1 on Dec. 6, for the first time in school history. Purdue becomes the first Big Ten program since Indiana (1974-75, 1975-76) to be ranked No. 1 in consecutive seasons.

• Appearing at No. 1 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, Purdue has been ranked in the top 5 in consecutive years for the first time since the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons. The Boilermakers have spent 18 of the past 28 AP polls ranked in the top 5. Only Gonzaga (22) has spent more time in the top 5 than Purdue since the start of last season. Purdue’s 25 appearances in the top 10 during that span are second behind Kansas (28).

• One year after ranking second in the country in rebound margin, Purdue leads the country in rebound margin (+11.9) this season. The Boilermakers are outscoring their opponents 209 to 94 in second-chance points (13.9 to 6.3 points per game).

• Purdue has MADE 256 free throws this season, while opponents have SHOT just 157. Purdue has made 142 more free throws (256 to 114) than its foes this season, the highest discrepancy in the nation (Purdue +142, North Carolina +133, Providence +124, Arizona +116).

• Purdue has held 27 straight opponents to 75 or fewer points, the third-longest streak in the country (North Texas 47, Houston 30).

• Zach Edey ranks No. 1 in the KenPom POY ratings by a significant margin and has been the game MVP in 12 of the 14 Purdue games that he has played in (missed New Orleans with the flu). Edey has scored 10 or more points in 31 straight games with seven straight double-doubles.

• Perhaps our favorite Zach Edey stat: Through his 14 games this year, he has more blocked shots (28) than personal fouls (25). He has also played 30 minutes nine times this season after not doing it once in his first two seasons. Edey is averaging just 2.3 fouls / 40 minutes.

• Matt Painter needs two overall victories to become the fifth coach in Big Ten history with 400 victories while at a conference school (Bob Knight, Tom Izzo, Gene Keady, Lou Henson). He needs three victories to become the seventh coach with 200 Big Ten Conference victories.

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team dropped its road game on Saturday at Penn State 70-60. The Boilermakers managed to trim a 15-point deficit down to four in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Lady Lions pulled away on a late 6-0 run.

Caitlyn Harper dropped a season-high 20 points to lead Purdue (11-4, 2-3). The redshirt senior was 0-of-13 from the floor, 2-of-4 from behind the arc and finished a rebound shy of a double-double. Lasha Petree posted her 14th game in double figures with 12 points, including a pair of triples.

Jayla Smith, making her second straight start, tallied 11 points and five rebounds.

Purdue shot 39.3% from the field and went 7-of-21 from behind the arc. Led by Madison Layden’s five assists, the Boilermakers provided a helper on 16 of their 22 made field goals.

Makenna Marisa paced Penn State with 24 points. She was joined in double figures by Leilani Kapinu’s double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Purdue shot 48% from the field in the opening half but a barrage of 3-pointers by Penn State saw the visitors take an eight-point lead into the break. The Boilermakers made a trio of triples, while the Lady Lions hit from the outside seven times in the opening 20 minutes.

Lasha Petree scored Purdue’s first five points of the game, and Harper connected on an early triple to put the Boilermakers up 8-3. The Lady Lions rolled back to score 10 straight and take a 13-8 lead late in the frame.

Penn State started the second on a 9-2 run that saw the gap grow to as many 12. Ava Learn hit back-to-back jumpers, and Harper tallied six points in the second, as the Boilermakers trimmed the gap down to 41-33 at the break.

The Lady Lions quickly rebuilt its lead to 15 in the first part of the third quarter. Smith went on a five-point run midway through the frame with one of the Boilermakers’ two 3-pointers to bring the gap down to 12 going into the fourth.

Purdue opened the fourth on an 11-2 run with four points from Smith and Petree each. Petree’s 3-pointer with 2:42 to play cut the deficit to four, but that proved to be Purdue’s final points as the club missed its final four shots.

NOTES

• Purdue leads the all-time series with Penn State 34-23.

• Cassidy Hardin made one 3-pointer on the afternoon to move into sole control of seventh in program history with 184 career triples.

• Purdue is now 2-2 this season when scoring 70 points. 

• Ava Learn gave Purdue a much-needed spark off the bench with eight points and three rebounds in a career-high 24 minutes of action.

• The two sides each finished with 39 rebounds. Purdue tallied six points on 10 offensive boards, while Penn State went for 10 points on 15 rebounds.

• Despite committing 21 turnovers, Purdue surrendered just 11 points off giveaways.

• Jeanae Terry finished one rebound shy of her sixth game in double figures this season.

UP NEXT

The Boilermakers return to Mackey Arena to face No. 14/19 Michigan on Tuesday night. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. on BTN.

PURDUE WRESTLING

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After closing out the non-conference slate at the Southern Scuffle, the Boilermakers return to West Lafayette to begin Big Ten competition against Iowa in Holloway Gymnasium on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. 

PURDUE POINTS

• An Iowa graduate and a member of three-straight NCAA championship winning teams for the Hawkeyes, Purdue head coach Tony Ersland looks for his first dual win against his alma mater as a head coach.

• Ersland’s 74 dual wins is tied for the third most in program history with Scott Hinkel (2008-14). Ersland sits in third in Big Ten wins, home wins and road wins.

• Matt Ramos and Kendall Coleman have been sensational so far on the year. Both made the finals in all three tournaments the team traveled to, with Ramos taking two titles and Coleman taking one.

• The duo share the team lead in seven statistical categories and individually lead in 22 more combined.

• The pair give Purdue five straight years of having at least two wrestlers ranked inside the top-10 by Intermat at the same time.

HAMMER DOWN CANCER

The Purdue wrestling team hosts its annual “Hammer Down Cancer” dual Sunday against Iowa. The Boilermakers will wear special edition singlets, which will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to support the Tyler Trent Cancer Research Endowment.

The Boilermakers last held their “Hammer Down Cancer” event in 2021 in a dual against Illinois, raising $4,000 toward campus cancer research. This year’s uniforms were donated once again by our friends at Rudis, a wrestling apparel company based out of Ohio.

The auctions for Sunday’s singlets will be held online, with bids starting at $60 for 14 total singlets. Bids online will be accepted through the end of Sunday’s dual meet, and singlets will be distributed to winners after being thoroughly cleaned. Fans who would like donate without biding can also do so on the auction website.

LAST TIME OUT

Purdue wrestling last took the mat at the 2023 Southern Scuffle, where Matt Ramos claimed the title in the 125-pound division in front of a raucous crowd in McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Teammate Kendall Coleman took second at 157 after losing in the tiebreaker rounds of his finals match.

The Boilermakers made their first ever trip to the 18th edition of the tournament and came away with a champion and a runner-up on the first try. The duo of Ramos and Coleman went a combined 9-1 with three bonus point wins over the two days. Both have reached the finals in all three tournaments Purdue has participated in this season. The team finished in 9th with 37.5 team points.

Always the leading man, the redshirt sophomore Ramos did not wait to take control of his bout with No. 14 Noah Surtin of Missouri. Just over a minute into the match, the Purdue wrestler executed a slick duck to get Surtin on his back in a move that nearly resulted in a pin. It was ruled a takedown and a two-point nearfall that gave Ramos an early four-point lead that he would never relinquish to win a 4-3 decision and take the title.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 1 – Matt Ramos and Kendall Coleman (both 21) have wrestled the most matches of anyone ranked inside the top-20 at their weights. Parker Filius (16) has the third most.

• 282 – Kendall Coleman is now 9th in program history for career takedowns with 282. He has 68 this season alone.

• 48% – Matt Ramos and Kendall Coleman each have 10 bonus point wins  this season, accounting for 48% of their match results.

• 3 – Kendall Coleman’s No. 3 ranking at 157 (Intermat) is the highest for a Boilermaker since Devin Schroder was No. 3 on 1/19/21.

YEAR OF THE TITLE

It’s been quite the run for Matt Ramos over the last few months. He has claimed titles at the Southern Scuffle, Clarion Open and a freestyle title at the U.S. Open in addition to a runner-up finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

In those four tournaments, he is 17-1 with eight bonus point wins including four tech falls and three pins. In those runs, he has beaten four ranked opponents.

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED

Head coach Tony Ersland has announced the 2023 Purdue wrestling signing class, inking six new Boilermakers to national letters of intent. He welcomes Joey Blaze, Greyson Clark, Orlando Cruz, Ashton Jackson, Delaney Ruhlman and Cole Solomey to the Boilermaker family to make up what will surely be Ersland’s sixth top-25 recruiting class.

Blaze and Clark highlight the class as the No. 17 and No. 33 ranked prospects respectively with five state titles between the two of them. Purdue is one of just nine schools to have at least two top-35 ranked signees.

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

Behind a scorching shooting performance, host Seton Hall took a 76-51 win over Butler Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The result puts the Bulldogs at 10-7 on the season and 2-4 in BIG EAST play. The Pirates improve to 9-8 (2-4 BIG EAST).

KEY STAT: Seton Hall shot 53 percent from the field and held a 40-20 advantage in points scored in the paint.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

Tyrese Samuel led Seton Hall with 19 points; 15 of those points came in the first half and he had the first seven points of the game.

Kadary Richmond narrowly missed a triple-double for Seton Hall with 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

The host Pirates had 17 assists on their 29 made field goals.

Jayden Taylor led Butler with 14 points.

The Bulldogs were limited to 27-percent shooting and went only 4-for-21 from three-point range.

Manny Bates also go to double figures for Butler with 11 points.

Jalen Thomas added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.

HOW IT TRANSPIRED:

Seton Hall shot 56 percent from the field in the first half to take a 41-23 halftime advantage, which was the largest margin of the opening 20 minutes.

A 5-0 run by Seton Hall pushed the lead to more than 20 for the first time with 18:38 to play.

OF NOTE:

Seton Hall has won six straight home games after Butler won the first four match-ups in Newark in the series.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs conclude their two-game East coast road trip Tuesday night at St. John’s. The 6:30 p.m. tip will air nationally on FS1. Butler returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Friday, Jan. 13 contest with Villanova. A limited number of tickets remain for that match-up.

BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler women’s basketball team will travel to Villanova this weekend for a Sunday matinee at Finneran Pavilion. The 2PM contest will stream live on FloSports.com.

GameDay

Date: Sunday, Jan. 8

Time: 2:00 PM

Location: Villanova, Pa. – Finneran Pavilion

Live Stats: Villanova.com – Statbroadcast

Watch: FloSports.com – BEDN

Bulldog Bits

– Sunday is the 20th overall meeting between Butler and Villanova.

– Rachel McLimore led Butler in scoring against UConn with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

– McLimore hit a team-high four 3-pointers vs. the Huskies to tie her season-high.

– McLimore has hit multiple 3-pointers in a single-game seven times this year and has led BU in scoring seven times.

– Butler hit nine 3-pointers vs. UConn, tying their third-highest total of the season.

– Butler has attempted 20+ 3-pointers in five of their last six games.

– Shay Frederick has made eight 3-pointers over her last three starts (11 over her first 12 games).

– Frederick needs five rebounds to reach 400 in her collegiate career.

– Tenley Dowell has hit at least one 3-pointer in seven-straight games.

– Butler went on an 8-0 scoring run vs. UConn in the second quarter to get within five points of the Huskies at 28-23.

– McLimore and Sydney Jaynes are the only two Bulldogs to start in all six BIG EAST games.

– Jaynes tied her career-high with three steals vs. UConn.

– Kelsy Taylor tied her career-high assist total with three against the Huskies.

– Taylor led Butler with five rebounds on Tuesday night. It was fourth time she has led BU in the rebound column.

– Trinity White logged a season-high 21 minutes of playing time vs. UConn and tied her season-high point total with four points vs. the Huskies.

– Maddy Siegrist leads the nation in scoring (28.0).

– The last player to score 30+ points against Butler was Siegrist. She had 31 points on Feb. 25, 2022.

– Villanova is receiving votes in each poll.

BIG EAST Standings

UConn 6-0, 13-2

Seton Hall 5-1, 12-4

St. John’s 4-1, 13-1

Villanova 4-1, 13-3

DePaul 3-2, 10-6

Marquette 3-3, 10-5

Creighton 3-3, 9-5

Providence 1-4, 10-6

Georgetown 1-5, 8-7

Butler 1-5, 6-9

Xavier 0-6, 7-8

Scouting Villanova                                                                                

The Wildcats have won four in a row and are now 13-3 overall with a 4-1 record against conference opponents. Maddy Siegrist not only leads the BIG EAST in scoring, she ranks second in rebounding (9.5). The Preseason Player of the Year had 29 and 10 in the victory over Georgetown on Wednesday. Lucy Olsen and Maddie Burke joined her in double figures. Olsen is one of the best 3-point shooters in the conference and she ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.2). Christina Dalce is another force on the Nova roster. The 6-2 forward averages 2.0 blocks per game to lead the BIG EAST Conference.

All-Time Series vs. Villanova                                                               

Butler trails Villanova in the all-time series 13-6. The Wildcats have won four-straight over Butler, but the Bulldogs swept the regular season meetings in 2019-20. Back in 2018, Butler went to #21 Villanova to knock off the nationally-ranked Wildcats 76-53. Nova had won six-straight against BU heading into that upset.

Butler’s Last Game vs. Villanova                                                                      

Butler was limited to just 36 points the last time they played Villanova. The Wildcats were led to victory by Maddy Siegrist. She led all players with 31 points while adding seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. Siegrist shot 13-for-18 from the field and had five made 3-pointers. Sydney Jaynes posted six points for the Bulldogs and Kendall Wingler came off the bench to add five.

Villanova’s Last Game                                                                         

The Wildcats won their fourth in a row, holding off an upset-minded Georgetown squad, which narrowed a 14-point deficit down to three with under two minutes to play. Maddy Siegrist, the nation’s leading scorer, tallied game highs of 29 points and 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. Following her 29-point night, Siegrist passed UConn legend Rebecca Lobo on the BIG EAST’s all-time scoring list, landing at No. 7 with 1,243 points over 54 conference games. Rookie Kennedy Fauntleroy led Georgetown (8-7, 1-5 BIG EAST) with 24 points off 9-of-15 shooting. GU used a 13-0 run to get within one, 61-60, with 4:56 left, but neither team scored for the next three minutes as the Wildcats clung to the advantage. Villanova (13-3, 4-1) scored the next six points to pull away late.

Knock Down Shooters                                                                          

Butler ranks 16th in the NCAA and second in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (37.0). The Bulldogs buried nine 3-pointers in their last game against UConn. Rachel McLimore led the team with four and Shay Frederick added three. McLimore is the top 3-point shooter on the roster with 23 makes on 59 attempts (39.0%). Frederick is second on the team with 19 made 3-pointers and Tenley Dowell is third with 16. BU has five players on the roster with at least 10 made 3-pointers. 11 of the 14 Bulldogs to see playing time this season have hit at least one shot from distance.

3-Pointers                                                                                                              

Butler made 14 3-pointers at Xavier while shooting 48.3 percent from distance. Their season-high total doubles as the most made in a BIG EAST game this season. Before the game at Xavier, BU was in a three-way tie with UConn and Villanova with 13 makes from 3-point range. Butler made 13 earlier this season vs. Binghamton while hitting at a 56.5 clip. The Bulldogs average 7.5 made 3-point field goals per game (3rd in the BIG EAST) and the Wildcats rank last in 3-point field goal percentage defense (36.7).

New Wave                                                                                                            

Eight Butler newcomers account for 69.8 percent of the team’s scoring this season.

Valuable Experience                                                                            

HC Austin Parkinson added three graduate transfers to the roster in McLimore, Frederick and Taylor. Those three-student-athletes have logged over 9,000 minutes of playing time throughout their collegiate careers! The rest of the roster combines for 6,800.

Keys to Success                                                                                      

Holding a halftime lead and shooting more free throws than the opposition have been instrumental to Butler’s success this season. The ‘Dawgs are 6-2 this year when in front after 20 minutes and are 6-3 when attempting more free throws than their opponent. They have averaged 20.6 free throw attempts in victories this year and just 9.8 in losses. Currently the ‘Dawgs have shot seven free throws or less in four of their last five games.

January 8                                                                                                               

The Bulldogs are 2-1 when playing on Jan. 8 since they joined the BIG EAST in 2013-14. Wins came at Xavier and Providence and the lone setback was to Villanova (1/8/14).

UConn Recap                                                                                                       

No. 5 UConn (12-2, 5-0 BIG EAST) scored an 80-47 win at Butler (6-9, 1-5) in the lone BIG EAST game on Tuesday night. Aaliyah Edwards tallied game highs of 20 points and nine rebounds, making 10-of-12 shots from the field while registering three steals and three assists. The Huskies shot .586 on the night while limiting the Bulldogs to 22 second-half points. Butler narrowed a 15-point first-quarter deficit down to five in the second quarter but UConn responded with a 16-2 run to pull away. Rachel McLimore led Butler with 18 points, draining a game-high four triples.

Up Next                                                                                                                  

Butler will play at Georgetown on Wednesday, Jan. 11. The 7 PM tip will stream live on FloSports.com.

IUPUI MEN’S BASKETBALL

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Graduate transfer Chris Osten matched his career-high with 19 points and 10 boards to lead four Jaguars in double-figures but IUPUI offered little resistance against a hot shooting Youngstown State team on Saturday (Jan. 7). The host Penguins shot nearly 60 percent from the floor and drained 18 threes in rolling past IUPUI, 105-74. Nine different YSU players made at least one three, paced by freshman John Lovelace Jr.’s four makes and 16 points.

Osten was a wrecking ball on the inside for the Jags, hitting 8-of-12 shots and drawing eight YSU fouls on way to his fourth double-double of the season. Jlynn Counter closed with 11 points and seven assists and Daylan Hamilton scored 10 points in just 12 minutes. Off the bench, fifth-year senior Marlon Taylor had a career-high 10 points in just 11 minutes of work.

“We need to put this one behind us and focus on Robert Morris,” head coach Matt Crenshaw said. “We had too many turnovers today and gave them too many open looks. They’re a hard team to guard because they play fast and they shoot it so well, but we also missed some assignments today and it cost us.

“I thought Chris was really good on the inside today and we had some others guys give us a lift. We just need to get everyone going at the same time.”

Osten scored the first two buckets of the game to prompt a quick YSU timeout and the host Penguins responded in a major way. YSU (12-5, 4-2 HL) reeled off the game’s next 24 points, making six threes during the rally, but build a 24-4 advantage at the 14:18 mark of the first half. The lead was out to 54-31 by halftime, despite the Jags shooting 50 percent in the opening stanza.

IUPUI (3-13, 0-5 HL) never seriously threatened after halftime, despite Taylor and Counter combining on a 7-0 run at one point.

Taylor went 4-of-4 from the floor for his first career double-digit scoring game as IUPUI shot a respectable 48.2 percent from the field and 7-of-14 from deep. However, IUPUI committed 19 miscues, leading to YSU’s 28-9 edge in points off turnovers.

Dwayne Cohill had a double-double for the Penguins with 13 points and 10 assists and Malek Green, Bryce McBride and Chris Shelton all finished with 12 points.

Vincent Brady II had nine points on 3-of-3 shooting for the Jags and Amhad Jarrard closed with four points and five assists off the bench.

IUPUI will close the two-game trip at Robert Morris on Monday (Jan. 9) at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – For the second straight game, Ball State (12-3, 2-0 MAC) took its opponent down to the wire and again was able to come out on top. Multiple Cardinals made free throws down the stretch, helping Ball State to a 76-70 win over Western Michigan (5-8, 0-2 MAC) Saturday afternoon in University Arena.

“First of all, I am really proud of this group,” Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. “We talked solely about toughness the whole game and Western Michigan makes you play that way because they are an extremely well-coached group. Our team was tough and resilient once we got it down to winning time and our kids knew what to do. This was an important win for us.”

Sallee also touched on the fact that they found out right before the game began starter Ally Becki wasn’t going to be able to compete today and how well the team adjusted to one of its leaders not being on the court.

Without Becki in the lineup, the Cardinals used their bench which has been a spark plug for Ball State all season. In fact, freshman Sydney Bolden’s second-chance layup with 4:32 remaining in the game gave BSU the lead for good in the final quarter.

Bolden, sophomore Marie Kiefer, redshirt senior Anna Clephane, graduate senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir and sophomore Madelyn Bischoff all hit key free throws down the stretch to help seal today’s victory over the Broncos.

It was a back-and-forth affair in the opening minutes of play between the Cardinals and the Broncos. Both teams battled early in the paint both offensively and defensively. Ball State found itself in foul trouble early in the first stanza which benched Clephane, the Cardinals’ leading scorer.  Western Michigan was able to capitalize on the situation, eventually taking a one-point (20-19) lead over Ball State after the opening stanza.

Agustsdottir stepped up for BSU after closing out the first quarter with a basket and then opened the second period with a 3-point basket to spark a 10-4 run. A 3-pointer from senior Sydney Shafer put Ball State back up by five (29-24) at the 7:46 mark.

The remainder of the first half was a dog fight, which allowed Western Michigan to take a slim 39-37 edge over Ball State at intermission.

After the break, Clephane hit back-to-back baskets that sparked a 7-0 run to help give BSU a five-point (44-39) advantage with only two minutes shaved off the clock. But WMU didn’t go away quietly and would eventually make it a tied ball game (55-55) as both teams headed into the final frame of action.

For the game, Agustsdottir led Ball State with 20 points and shot 7-of-10 (.700) from the field. Clephane registered 14 points while Bolden wasn’t too far behind with 13. Rounding out the double-digit scoring was Bischoff who ended the day with 11.

Defensively, Clephane pulled down eight rebounds and the Cardinals were able to keep the Broncos’ top scorer and Mid-American Conference leader, Lauren Ross to a season low nine points.

The Ball State women’s basketball team continues MAC action at Toledo Wednesday in Savage Arena. The game is slated for a 7 pm ET tipoff.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MUNCIE, Ind. – Jarron Coleman and Payton Sparks tied for a team-high 15 points as Ball State (11-4, 2-0 MAC) defeated Akron (9-6, 1-1 MAC), 70-63, Friday inside Worthen Arena. The Cardinals extended the winning streak to seven games. 

Ball State improved to 11-4 and 2-0 in Mid-American Conference play. The Cardinals’ seven-game winning streak is the longest since the 2017-18 team won nine in a row. The win also snapped a five-game losing streak to the Zips. In its first two MAC contests, Ball State defeated the tournament champions in Toledo and the regular season champions in Akron.

“First off, what a crowd,” said Head Coach Michael Lewis. “It’s great to see the community come out. We want to build a program that the community and the state is proud of. Big thank you to the fans. They made an impact, got loud there late. That was a really good college basketball game. Really proud of how our guys fought in the second half. We outscored them 14-4 in the final seven minutes. You had two really good basketball teams competing against each other. Our guys made plays. I thought stops down the stretch were huge. We made some really good defensive plays. We had guys step up on the offensive end.”

Sparks tied for a team-best 15 points and brought down a team-high eight rebounds. He made seven free throws and added two assists, a steal, and a block. Coleman dropped 15 points and has scored in double-figures in 14-straight contests. He collected six rebounds and produced one steal. Jaylin Sellers led the team with three blocks and tallied 13 points along with two rebounds. Basheer Jihad finished in double figures with 11 points with four rebounds and one assist. Demarius Jacobs dished out a team-high four assists and tied for a team-high two steals. He added eight points, three rebounds, and two blocks. Darian Owens-White tied for a team-best two steals.

The Cardinals came out of the gates fast and opened on a 7-0 run. The Zips answered with a 4-0 run as the game was 7-4 at the first media timeout with 15:59 left in the opening stanza. Akron added a 5-1 run and took its first lead, 9-8, with 13:38 left in the half.

With 11:40 on the clock, Ball State outscored Akron, 12-7, over the next 4:34 of play and claimed a 20-16 lead with 7:06 until the half. The game continued to be a back-and-forth battle as Akron held a 31-30 lead at the half.

The Zips opened the second half on a 5-2 run and extended their lead to 36-32. Ball State was resilient and battled back with a 5-0 run. Coleman knocked down a 3-pointer with 17:24 in the second half as the Cardinals regained the lead, 37-36.

The next 3:51 of play was a back-and-forth affair as both teams produced 10 points, which gave the Cardinals a 47-46 lead with 13:10 left in the game. The Zips rattled off an 8-0 run and took a 54-47 lead. Ball State was unfazed and responded with a 16-7 run, capped off by a Sellers’ 3-pointer as the Cardinals took a 63-61 lead with 4:07 left on the clock. BSU ended the game on a 7-2 run and claimed a 70-63 victory. During the final 10:25 of play, the Ball State defense was stout and held Akron to 0-of-7 from the field. All 11 of the Zips final points came from the free-throw line.

The Cardinals were strong on the glass again as they outrebounded the Zips 37-33, with 17 of them on the offensive side of the court. The offensive rebounds led to 16 second-chance points. Ball State capitalized on turnovers and scored 26 points off turnovers to Akron’s 11.

Enrique Freeman posted a double-double for the Zips with 23 points and 14 rebounds, both a game high. He also led the team with two blocks, two steals, and one assist.  Greg Trimble was the only other Akron player in double figures with 14.

Ball State takes to the road on Tuesday, Jan. 10, for a MAC matchup with Ohio. First tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball squad (8-8, 0-5) fell 81-64 to the North Carolina Tar Heels (11-5, 3-2) on Saturday morning inside the Dean E. Smith Center. With a pretty even second half (UNC 40-36 ND), the difference in the game was a 16-3 UNC run midway through the half in which the Irish had led 18-15. Notre Dame rallied down 16 in the second half to cut it to seven, before the Tar Heels pushed it back to double digits for the victory.

Nate Laszewski continues to find success against North Carolina, leading the team today in points (17) and rebounds (8). Laszewski shot an efficient 7-of-10 from the field. In addition, he now has 86 points (17.2 ppg) against the Tar Heels in his five last games against them.

Dane Goodwin reached double figures for the fourth straight game with 10 points on Saturday, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor. He also grabbed the second most boards with seven. Freshman JJ Starling matched him with 10 points of his own, along with three assists.

Notre Dame shot 25-of-60 (41.7 percent) compared to North Carolina’s 31-of-65 (47.7 percent). The Tar Heels grabbed 45 boards to ND’s 32, which included 13 offensive rebounds.

How It Happened

North Carolina scored five quick points in the opening minute, but Notre Dame weathered the storm, scored its first eight points in the paint, and after a 7-0 run, found itself with a 13-10 lead. Hammond had two early three-pointers for the Irish as his second gave the visitors an 18-15 advantage at 10:47.

However, the Tar Heel response was a 16-3 scoring spree from 9:48 to 6:02, claiming a double-digit scoring lead at 31-21. Irish added a bucket each from Wertz, Ryan and a Starling but ultimately trailed 41-28 at the half after UNC connected on a 6-for-8 stretch. The half featured four lead changes and two ties. 

The Tar Heels used it size advantage, owning the halftime boards 24-15, which included seven offensive rebounds. They also used that height and recorded five blocks as the Irish tried to drive inside. North Carolina shot 16-of-32 in the first half compared to Notre Dame’s 12-of-31. The Irish were solid from deep where they were 4-of-8.

UNC’s Armando Bacot had his double-double by the team’s opening offensive possession in the second half with 14 points, 10 rebounds. He finished with 21 points and 13 boards. On the flip side, Laszewski got two of the squad’s first three buckets and was already in double figures with 11 points.

The Irish defense did post a nice stretch from 17:11-13:27 where they didn’t allow a single UNC field goal. Dom Campbell checked in around this time and became a physical presence. His offensive rebound and putback score sparked a stretch in which ND made 7-of-10 from the field as a Ryan three-pointer on the tail end cut it to 49-60.

Ryan connected on another trey just moments later at 8:25 and the lead was shortened once more to 54-61. 

The game turned against the Irish on the following couple of possessions, especially when a flagrant-2 was called which opened up a 7-0 Tar Heel run. With the lead back to double-digits, the Tar Heels secured the 81-64 win.

Up Next

The Fighting Irish return home to South Bend for Jan. 10 clash with Georgia Tech. Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network.

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball accomplished something Saturday afternoon that has not been done since the Larry Bird Era. With an 80-60 win against UIC at home, the Sycamores have started off 6-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time since 1978-79 when Bird’s team made it to the NCAA National Championship game.

Courvoisier McCauley notched a double-double and Julian Larry paced all Sycamore scorers with 18 points to help Indiana State win its fourth straight game and improve to 7-1 at home this season.

UIC (9-8, 1-5 MVC) opened the game with back-to-back triples, and after Indiana State (13-4, 6-0 MVC) caught up with a 10-2 run to take a 10-8 lead at 15:33 in the opening frame, the Flames and Sycamores went back-and-forth with neither team gaining more than a three-point lead until 7:17 when UIC hit three free throws and then a layup to take a 23-19 lead.

After UIC led 23-19 at 7:17, the Sycamores went off on a 20-2 run and never trailed again in the game. That run lasted nearly the last six minutes of the first half, and Indiana State shot 8-of-10 from the field in that span while holding UIC to 1-of-9 including 0-of-3 from three with two turnovers.

Larry launched a shot from the logo at the buzzer that went in to give Indiana State a 42-28 lead at halftime, and he was shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field at the break.

McCauley pushed Indiana State’s lead to 51-32 at 16:51 in the second half on back-to-back triples, and a Jayson Kent and-1 extended the lead to 20 at 63-43 with 10:49 left in the game. The Sycamores reached their largest lead of the game at 22 points with a Cooper Neese jumper at 9:20 that made it 67-45.

The lead hit 22 points once again on a 10-0 Sycamore run that was capped by a no-look pass from Robbie Avila to Kent who finished with a layup to get himself in double figures on the scoresheet. The Flames would get one bucket back a few seconds later to close out the scoring in the game.

Inside the Numbers

The Sycamores outshot the Flames 52.7 percent to 41.2 percent and held them to over seven points below their average in the game.

Indiana also won the battle on the boards, outrebounding UIC 39-24. The Sycamores have outrebounded their opponent three games in a row and are 9-1 when outrebounding their opponent.

Julian Larry’s game-high 18 points came off 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe. The junior point guard also dished out a team-high five assists in the game. He is 25-of-30 with 20 assists in his last four games, and he has scored in double figures in each game during that span, including leading the team in scoring in three of those four games.

Courvoisier McCauley posted his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds, a high in a Sycamore uniform for the grad transfer. He hit three triples in a game for the fourth consecutive time, and he has posted double digits in nine straight games.

Robbie Avila posted double figures in his second straight game, finishing the day with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting alongside seven rebounds and three assists.

Jayson Kent contributed 11 points off the bench for his second-straight double-figure scoring game, and Cooper Neese rounded out the Sycamores in double figures with 10 points.

Cameron Henry put out four assists and two blocks before he fouled out at 5:52 in the second half.

News & Notes

The Sycamores improve to 6-0 to start Valley play for the first time since Larry Bird’s team in 1978-79.

Indiana State gave up the first basket of the game for the first time since Southern Indiana Dec. 11. The Sycamores are 6-2 when their opponent scores first compared to 7-2 when scoring first themselves.

When the Sycamores gave up two straight threes to open the game, that was the first time Indiana State has trailed in a Valley game since the 6:58 mark of the second half at Southern Illinois Dec. 7. It was also Indiana State’s largest deficit in a Valley game this season.

The Sycamores led at the half for the fourth game in a row, and they are 13-1 when leading at the half compared to 0-3 when trailing at the half.

Indiana State is 8-2 when scoring 80 or more points, and the team is 8-0 in games decided by 11 or more points.

Saturday is the first time five different Sycamores have scored in double figures since Nov. 12, 2022 against Ball State.

Up Next

The Sycamores stay in Terre Haute for a big matchup against Southern Illinois Wednesday, Jan. 11. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from Hulman Center as Indiana State wraps up its season series with the Salukis.

INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Indiana State overturned an early double-digit deficit Saturday afternoon, defeating Valparaiso 66-58 inside the Athletics-Recreation Center to complete its weekend sweep.

Del’Janae Williams led all scorers with a season-high 25 points, while Anna McKendree and Chelsea Cain added nine and eight, respectively. Alona Blackwell and Hattie Westerfeld came off the bench to score seven points apiece for the Sycamores, who trailed by as many as 11.

Indiana State started slow but came alive for 61 points in the last three quarters, including 43 points in the second half. The Trees led for less than 10 minutes but hit timely shots when it mattered most, making 10 of their last 12 shots. McKendree put the Sycamores ahead for good with a 3-pointer from the wing midway through the fourth quarter. Indiana State’s defense held Valpo to just one basket in the last five minutes to seal its second straight road win.

First Half

Indiana State got off to a slow start, as the Sycamores hit just two shots in the opening 10 minutes. Valpo had its way in the early going and went up by double-digits thanks to a pair of 7-0 scoring runs. McKendree hit a 3-pointer and Westerfeld added a layup down low, but the Trees trailed 14-5 after one.

The Sycamores picked up their intensity in the second, as they opened the quarter on a 10-0 run. Blackwell played a big role in the early run with four points, while Cain and Mya Glanton added baskets in the paint for the Blue and White. Williams gave the Trees their first lead of the game at 15-14 with a fastbreak layup, and the teams stayed within four points of each other for the final four minutes of the half. A Williams midrange pull-up jumper and a pair of Caitlin Anderson free throws sent the teams to the locker room tied at 23.

Second Half

Williams put Indiana State in front early in the third quarter with a layup and scored each of the Sycamores’ first six points of the quarter. Blackwell and Williams knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 35-34 Indiana State, and Westerfeld followed that with a putback layup to put the Trees ahead by three. Valpo hit a trio of 3-pointers late in the quarter, including one just before the buzzer, to take a 43-41 lead after three.

Indiana State’s most efficient quarter was the fourth, as the Sycamores hit nine of their 11 shots in the period. Cain and Anderson both hit baskets in the paint to make it 48-45, and Westerfeld made it a one-point game with a pair of free throws. Indiana State seized momentum with a 10-0 run midway through, with McKendree hitting a pair of clutch 3-pointers to put the Sycamores ahead for good. Williams scored eight points in the final 3:11, while the Sycamore defense stood tall in the final minutes to close out Indiana State’s second straight road win.

Inside the Numbers

Indiana State limited Valparaiso to just three bench points in Saturday’s win, outscoring the Beacons 20-3 in bench points.

Hattie Westerfeld was a plus-20 in 22 minutes of action, the best mark of any player on either team.

Indiana State forced 22 turnovers, the second straight conference game that the Sycamores forced 20-plus turnovers.

Indiana State was 22-for-39 from the field (56.4 percent) in the last three quarters, outscoring Valparaiso 61-44 in the last 30 minutes of the game.

Del’Janae Williams (25) and Alona Blackwell (seven) both had season-highs in scoring. Blackwell played a season-high 30:35

News & Notes

Saturday’s win sealed Indiana State’s first weekend sweep in conference play since the 2017-18 season. The Sycamores accomplished the feat in January 2018 on the same road swing as this season’s sweep, defeating Loyola Chicago and Valparaiso. Ironically, the Sycamores won three straight on the road that year with Evansville being the last opponent, and this year’s team will have the chance to match that with Evansville being the next opponent on the road.

Indiana State won back-to-back road games for the first time since its first two MVC road contests last season at Drake and Valparaiso.

Saturday’s win was the second this season in which the Sycamores overturned a double-digit deficit, with the other one being the season opener against Saint Louis.

Chelsea Cain sits just two points away from reaching 1,000 for her collegiate career. Cain scored 857 points in three seasons at Nicholls State and has 142 points this season.

Indiana State improved to 5-1 when holding opponents under 60 points. The Sycamores are 11-2 under head coach Chad Killinger when opponents score under 60.

Indiana State has now won five of the six games in the series that were played at Valparaiso.

Up Next

Indiana State’s three-game road trip concludes Wednesday night at Evansville, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball fell to the NJIT Highlanders 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-23) on Saturday night (Jan. 7) in the Gates Sports Center.

The Mastodons led 13-11 in the opening set, but NJIT went on a 4-0 stretch with four-straight kills. The ‘Dons tied up the set at 17 after a kill from Mark Frazier, but NJIT had a 5-2 push to go up three when it mattered most.

Purdue Fort Wayne went up in set two like in the first, but this time 6-3. Emmanuel Jurineack, Sergio Carrillo and Jon Diedrich combined for a triple block to put an exclamation point on the early start. NJIT had a 9-3 run after this, however, going up 12-9 to never trail again. Frazier had a pair of consecutive kills to bring it within four at 22-18, but NJIT rattled off the final three points of the set.

Carrillo had a kill midway through the third set to give the ‘Dons an 11-8 lead, but NJIT went on a 10-3 stretch from that point on to take control of the frame. Purdue Fort Wayne held off two set points with a kill from Bryce Walker, but the visitors got the final point of the night.

Walker hit .857 on 6-0-7. Jurineack was 2-0-3 from the middle, combining with Walker for an .800 hitting clip from the middle blockers. Frazier’s 12 kills were a career-high. Noah Melendez has six digs.

NJIT hit .403 for the match. The Highlanders were paced by 14 kills from Alessandro Negri.

Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 1-1, while NJIT starts the year 1-0. The Mastodons will take on defending two-time Division III national champion Carthage next week on Friday (Jan. 13).

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball’s late comeback fell just short on Saturday (Jan. 7), as the Mastodons fell to league-leading Milwaukee 74-70 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

Milwaukee led 21-13 before the Mastodons went on a 6-0 run. Damian Chong Qui hit a pair of mid-range jumpers after Anthony Roberts dropped in a layup.

Jarred Godfrey and Deonte Billups made 3-pointers in the final minute and change of the first half to make it a seven-point game at the break.

Ra Kpedi was 3-of-4 in the first half for seven points while grabbing six rebounds, including two offensive boards. He finished with 10 boards and nine points. Chong Qui had six points and five assists in the first half.

In a four-minute stretch early in the second half, the Mastodons went on a 10-2 run to cut the Panther lead down to four. The run started with a pair of buckets from Chong Qui, then Godfrey and Roberts each hit a 3-pointer.

Godfrey cut the lead down to six with a 3-pointer after Kpedi recycled the possession, but the Panthers stemmed the tide with a triple of their own from Kentrell Pullian.

Godfrey led all scorers with 22 points. He made six 3-pointers, which marked a season-high. Chong Qui tied his season-high with seven assists, while adding 16 points.

After 10 turnovers in the first half, the Mastodons had just two in the second half.

Milwaukee finished 28-of-58 from the floor. Kentrell Pullian had 19 points.

Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 11-6, 3-3 Horizon League. Milwaukee maintains possession of first place in the league, moving to 11-5, 5-1. The Mastodons will head to Indianapolis to play IUPUI on Thursday (Jan. 12).

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Kenny Strawbridge Jr. and Marvin Coleman II recorded 16 points apiece to lead the University of Evansville men’s basketball team in Saturday’s 69-61 loss to Illinois State at the Ford Center.

Box Score

Strawbridge hit five shots and led the way with three steals.  Coleman also had five field goal makes in the contest while hauling in four rebounds.  Antoine Smith Jr. totaled nine points while Gage Bobe checked in with eight.  Preston Phillips had a team-best seven rebounds.

“Today was a hard-fought game.  It was a game that we gave ourselves the opportunity to win,” Purple Aces head coach David Ragland said.  “Forcing 19 turnovers is great but not capitalizing on them is not.  Making 29 trips to the free throw line is great but missing 11 is not.  Credit goes to Illinois State for doing what they needed to win.”

Kenny Strawbridge Jr. opened the scoring with Evansville taking a 3-0 lead.  Over the first four minutes, Illinois State missed its first three field goal tries while turning it over four times.  Once the Redbirds got on track, they reeled off seven in a row to take their first lead at 7-3.  ISU continued to hold the lead until Strawbridge scored his second basket of the game to tie it at 12-12 just past the midway point of the half.  Down 12-7, Chris Moncrief got the rally started with a 3-point play.

Connecting on four of their next five attempts, the Redbirds scored 10 in a row and pushed their lead into double figures for the first time at 22-12.  Their lead would reach 11 when a pair of free throws made it a 30-19 game with 3:52 remaining in the half.  The Aces took control in the final minutes, completing the period on a 12-4 run to make it a 34-31 score at the break.  Gage Bobe got things rolling with his second triple of the game.

After a Preston Phillips bucket, the Redbirds called a time out and scored four of the next six points to stabilize a 34-26 edge with 84 ticks on the clock.  Marvin Coleman II picked up his second field goal before the Aces forced a turnover on the in-bound.  Strawbridge hit a free throw to make it a 5-point game and the defense got the job done once again.  Forcing the 13th Redbird turnover of the half, Strawbridge took it the distance for a layup in the final seconds to make it a 34-31 game heading into the locker room.

Illinois State extended the lead back to seven points in the opening two minutes of the second half before Evansville fought back once again.  Antoine Smith Jr. drained a 3-pointer and Coleman added four points to make it a 43-41 game in favor of the Redbirds as the contest entered its final 12 minutes.

Strawbridge capped off a 7-0 run with a trey that put the Aces back in front by one at the 11:27 mark before a Coleman triple with 9:45 remaining completed an 11-2 run that gave UE a 48-45 edge.  Illinois State hit back-to-back shots to jump back in front and the teams would swap the lead multiple times down the stretch. Evansville took four leads over the next sequence but ISU fought back each time, leading to a 60-60 score with under three minutes remaining.

Knocking down 9 out of 10 attempts, the Redbirds answered each time before changing the course of the game with an 11-0 run that turned a 60-58 deficit into a 69-60 advantage in the final minute of play.  They would take the game by a 69-61 final.  ISU shot 48.0% in the game while holding the Aces to 37.5%.  The Redbirds also outrebounded the Aces by a 37-24 margin.

On Wednesday, UE will be in Peoria, Ill. for a 7 p.m. game versus Bradley.

EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

CHICAGO, Ill. – Closing-out the weekend, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team battled toe-to-toe with UIC before falling late, 57-53, on Saturday afternoon in Chicago, Ill.

For the second-straight game, senior guard.forward Abby Feit led the Aces offense, tallying a team-best 19 points to go along with five rebounds and three blocks. Two other starters finished in double-figures with fifth-year guard A’Niah Griffin and graduate guard Anna Newman each recording 10 points in the game. The Flames were powered by forward Josie Filer, who finished with a game-high 20 points and 10 boards.

Evansville was hampered early by foul trouble as redshirt junior center Barbora Tomancova picked-up a pair of fouls inside the first seven minutes of the contest. In her place, fellow center Celine Dupont gathered eight rebounds on the day, playing 18 minutes, including many early on. The Flames build a six-point lead at 10-4, but Evansville fought back to stay within four following the first quarter.

The lead reached as large as seven for UIC in the second quarter, but Evansville mustered another push. The Aces responded with a 7-0 run featuring a three from Newman and four-straight points to tie the game at 21. Just 90 seconds later, UE took the lead on a jumper by Griffin that lifted the Aces in front, 23-22. A small 5-2 run from UIC to close the half would regain the lead for the Flames at the break, 27-25.

Coming out of the half, Evansville quickly took control of the game. The Aces scored six of the first seven points of the second half, sparked a three-pointer from Tomancova that game UE what would be its largest lead of the night at 31-28. A back-and-forth contest continued with the Flames answering the Aces with a three of their own to tie the game again at 31. Following the Aces three-point lead, UIC would catch fire and go on a 15-3 run, securing a 10-point lead with under two minutes left in the third frame. Again, Evansville would not let the UIC run grow any further, cutting its deficit in half to 44-39 heading into the fourth.

Evansville quickly got within three to start the final quarter, but each attempt by the Aces to close in any further was answered by a Flames basket. UE gave itself one last chance late as a layup from Griffin made it a one possession game with 1:12 left, but the Aces could not knock down a pair of attempts in the game’s final 30 seconds as UIC held on for the 57-53 win.

The Aces will host an “orange out” as Evansville returns home for a Wednesday night matchup with Indiana State beginning at 6 PM inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. The first 500 fans at Wednesday game will receive a free orange pom-pom to cheer on the Aces.

SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball fell short Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Saturday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles, who stumbled for the first time at home this season, go to 8-9 overall and 1-3 in the OVC, while Cougars are 12-5, 3-1 OVC. 

USI bounced out to a good start building a five-point lead before the first media timeout, 14-9, behind five points from graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) and three from senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) in an 8-4 run. The Cougars rallied to take the lead, 25-19, with just under 10 minutes on an 18-5 run of their own.

After USI cut the deficit to one, 26-25, SIUE posted its largest lead of the half, 35-28, with just over two minutes to play before halftime. The Cougars missed the final shot of the first half and led 35-29 at the break. 

Defense led the way during the first 20 minutes with both teams hitting 36.7 percent from the field (11-30). USI had the advantage in three-point field goals (6-16), while SIUE had the lead at the line (11-12). 

The Eagles battled hard throughout the second half, but could not get the all-important run to take the lead. The deficit remained consistantly around 10 points, expanding to as many as 15 with 8:57 to play in the contest (57-42). 

USI chipped away at the deficit and for the second game in a row it clawed its way back to within shouting distance in the final minutes. The Eagles, trailing by 10 points, 64-54, made their final run with a 8-2 surge to get the margin to four points, 66-62, when sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) drove the lane for a bucket with 1:24 remaining. 

The Cougars’ defense held firm in the final 60 seconds and added three free throws to end the game, 69-62. 

For the game, USI was led by Swope, who had 19 points, and Lakes, who dropped in 16. Swope was eight-of-18 from the field, two-of-four from beyond the arc, and one-of-two from from the line, while Lakes was five-of-11 from the field, four-of-10 from long range, and two-of-two from the stripe. 

The Eagles won the battle on the glass, 41-33, and was led by senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan), who grabbeded a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior guard Tyler Henry (Brooklyn, New York) followed Polakovich on the glass with a 10 rebounds. 

Henry had nine points in the game and needs nine more to reach 1,000 points in his collegiate career. 

Next Up For USI:

USI continues a three-game homestand Thursday when it hosts the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for an 8 p.m. OVC contest at Screaming Eagles Arena. The game will be aired live on ESPNU and streamed on ESPN+ in addition to being heard on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin.

Little Rock saw its record go to 5-11 overall and 1-2 in the OVC after falling to Southeast Missouri State University, 74-68, this afternoon at home. The Trojans, who have lost three-straight, were led by sophomore guard D.J. Smith with 14 points. 

Senior guard Myron Gardner leads four Trojans in double-figures with 13.8 points per game. He also is grabbing a team-high 9.7 rebounds per game.

Thursday match-up will be the first meeting between the two programs in men’s basketball. 

SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball returned home to Screaming Eagles Arena on Saturday and got back on track in a big way, capturing a 79-59 win against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Ohio Valley Conference action.

The victory moved the Screaming Eagles’ record to 8-7 overall and 2-2 in OVC play. For the Cougars, the loss dropped their record to 3-12 overall and 2-2 in the OVC.

Southern Indiana was led on the night by a pair of double doubles. Sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) posted 18 points and 12 rebounds, while senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) recorded 14 points and 10 boards. Shafford’s 12 rebounds were a career high. Saturday marked the first time two USI players tallied double doubles in the same game since February 17, 2018, when Kaydie Grooms registered 26 points and 12 rebounds and Morgan Dahlstrom accumulated 20 points and 10 rebounds against Rockhurst University.

After SIUE scored the first basket of the game, USI went on a 10-0 run to grab the lead three and a half minutes into the contest. The Screaming Eagles went to junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) inside, establishing an early post presence.

The Cougars closed the gap following the first-quarter timeout, but USI increased its lead late in the first. With USI up 16-9 and 3:19 left in the first quarter, senior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) went on an individual run. Robbe scored seven straight points for USI. The Screaming Eagles led 23-15 after the opening period.

Southern Indiana’s defense was stout to begin the second quarter, holding the Cougars scoreless for the first 4:08 of the second quarter until a made free throw. In the meantime, the Screaming Eagles were finding themselves in a physical clash on the other end of the court.

Both teams endured a cold spell from the field in the latter portion of the second quarter. USI increased its lead after hitting six free throws in the period. Plus, Shafford made a layup before the halftime horn sounded, giving USI a 38-24 advantage at halftime.

The start of the third quarter was just as much of a defensive contest as the second quarter. Senior guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) snapped a USI scoreless drought that nearly reached three minutes when she connected on a corner three-pointer with 5:13 left in the third period. The triple gave Southern Indiana a 17-point lead, 47-30, the largest of the game at that time of the game.

USI’s unselfishness continued through the third quarter. Haithcock, who had six points at halftime, scored six in the third period. Haithcock joined Raley, Shafford, and Robbe as players who had scored eight or more through the end of the third period. USI led 60-40 after three.

Shafford had a solid start to the fourth quarter, connecting on a pair of threes within the first few minutes of the period. Her second triple of the fourth gave USI a 68-46 lead with 7:18 remaining. Shafford also achieved the double-double in the fourth, her fourth double-double of the season. Haithcock also joined Shafford with the double-double in the fourth quarter, her second of the season.

The Screaming Eagles continued to spread the wealth for the rest of the game, as graduate forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) had a strong finish around the basket with four minutes left, pushing USI’s lead to 72-53 and helping close out the win.

On the night, Raley joined Shafford and Haithcock in double figures, tallying 14 points and a 6-for-6 night at the line. Brown also finished in double digits with 10 points while also pulling down eight caroms. The team effort also saw Handley score nine points and Robbe score eight points.

Overall, the Screaming Eagles shot 27-69 from the field for 39.1 percent with seven three-pointers. Southern Indiana had 21 assists. USI was 18-for-23 for 78.3 percent at the stripe. USI matched a season-high with 53 rebounds for the third time this season, going plus-nine on the glass, and grabbing 19 offensive rebounds.

Sophomore guard Sofie Lowis led SIUE with 22 points, the only Cougar to reach double figures. Reigning OVC Player of the Week and senior forward Ajulu Thatha was held to four points after dealing with foul trouble throughout the game.

As a team, the Cougars were 21-68 from the floor for 30.9 percent with three triples. At the line, SIUE was 14-24 for 58.3 percent.

The Screaming Eagles return to action against the University of Arkansas Little Rock Thursday at 5 p.m. from Screaming Eagles Arena on Whiteout Night. Fans should come out wearing white apparel to support USI Basketball and fill the arena for a USI Basketball doubleheader. USI students should pack the Penn Station Student Section and will receive a free white shirt and a rally towel provided by Liberty Federal Credit Union upon entering through the student entrance.

VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Valpo women’s basketball team held a five-point lead over visiting Indiana State Saturday afternoon at the ARC with less than six minutes to play, but the Sycamores scored on seven of their next eight possessions to take the lead and go on to a 66-58 victory.

How It Happened

It was a dream start to the game for the Beacons, who scored on six of their first seven possessions to go up 14-3 just 4:01 into the ballgame. Juniors Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) and Ava Interrante (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) combined for six points during the run, while senior Olivia Brown (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) had the other eight, including a triple to push the lead into double digits.

Things quickly went from feast to famine for Valpo, as it was held without a point for the next 12 minutes of game time. The defense held stout, however, giving up just two points the remainder of the first quarter to lead 14-5 at the end of one.

The offensive drought continued into the second quarter, but again the defense stayed strong, as it took Indiana State nearly six minutes into the quarter to take the lead and complete a 12-0 run which spanned that 12 minutes.

The lead changed hands multiple times in the final minutes of the second quarter, with five points from Interrante helping spark the Beacon offense. The teams went into halftime tied 23-23.

Five straight points from Earnest early in the third quarter gave Valpo a five-point advantage, but Indiana State came back with an 8-0 spurt to regain the lead with three minutes to play in the period.

Brown responded with two 3-pointers in the span of three possessions, and when freshman Ali Saunders (Depauw, Ind./North Harrison) connected from deep in the final seconds of the quarter, Valpo held a 43-41 lead with 10 minutes to play.

The scoring of fifth-year Maya Dunson (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne [Loyola]) kept Valpo in front in the first half of the fourth quarter, as she scored 11 points in the final period alone. A 3-point play with 7:42 to play made it 48-43 Beacons, and later in the quarter, Dunson and Interrante hit from downtown on consecutive trips to push the lead to 54-49 with 5:20 to go.

That was when Indiana State put together the decisive run, however, scoring on seven of eight possessions while limiting Valpo to one scoring trip — a Dunson 3-pointer with 2:01 to play — in that stretch. Dunson’s triple snapped a string of 10 straight Sycamore points and brought Valpo within 59-57, but ISU’s Del’Janae Williams scored on consecutive trips to push the Sycamores’ advantage back out of reach.

Inside the Game

Four Valpo players scored in double figures, led by 17 points from Brown, who went 5-of-8 from 3-point range — her second game in MVC play with at least five triples. Through four Valley games, the senior is averaging 14.3 points/game and hitting at a 57.7% clip from deep.

Dunson set her career high by scoring 14 points — all of which came in the second half, 11 of them in the fourth quarter. She went an efficient 4-of-6 from the floor and hit all four of her free throw attempts.

Dunson’s previous career best of 13 points came last season at Indiana State.

Interrante finished with 12 points to score in double figures for the third time this year, while Earnest finished in double figures for the 10th time with 10 points.

Earnest also led all players with 10 rebounds to register her fifth double-double of the campaign, while fifth-year Ilysse Pitts (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic) set a season best with six boards.

Led by Earnest and Pitts, Valpo outrebounded ISU 31-25 and gave up just seven offensive boards to a Sycamore team which outrebounded the Beacons by a combined 31 in the two matchups last season and grabbed 40 offensive rebounds over those two games.

The +6 rebounding margin was the team’s second-best of the season and the first time in MVC play the Beacons have had the advantage on the glass.

Valpo tied its season highs for both 3-pointers made and attempted by going 11-for-31 from the arc — the fourth time this year the Beacons have hit at least 10 triples. Valpo also matched a season high with 15 assists, five of which came from Brown to match her career best.

The Beacons turned the ball over 22 times and forced just 10 miscues by the Sycamores. The 12-turnover disparity allowed ISU to hold a 20-6 edge in points off turnovers.

VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team fell 88-66 to Bradley on Saturday afternoon at Carver Arena in Peoria. Four Beacons scored in double figures, led by Ben Krikke (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada / Jasper Place) with 17 points and seven rebounds.

How It Happened

Bradley jumped out to an early 10-2 lead by the 15:51 mark of the first half.

A basket by Kobe King (La Crosse, Wis. / La Crosse Central [Wisconsin]) with 10:35 to go in the first half cut the hosts’ lead to eight at 23-15, but Bradley responded with an 11-0 run to expand the gap to 19 at the 7:53 mark.

The Braves went on another 11-0 run to boost the lead to 28 with 4:01 to go in the half.

Bradley led by 25 at halftime. The Beacons outscored the Braves 42-39 after the break, but the hosts coasted to the win.

Inside the Game

Krikke had a big first half, tallying 13 points and five rebounds in the opening 20 minutes while knocking down five of his seven field-goal attempts. He finished with a team-high 17 points. The Edmonton native reached double figures for the 15th time in 17 games this year.

King hit double figures for the 17th straight game, sustaining his streak as the only player in the conference to score in double figures in each outing. He scored eight of his 12 points after halftime.

King has an opportunity to reach the 1,000-career point milestone on Tuesday vs. Belmont. He enters that game 10 points shy of the watermark.

Junior Connor Barrett (Chicago, Ill. / Loyola Academy) went 3-for-3 from the field for 10 points, doing all of his damage after halftime. This marked his second double-figure output of the year after he had 13 on Dec. 18 vs. Elon.

Sixth-year senior Quinton Green (Columbus, Ohio / Homeschool [Cedarville]) turned in 12 points to make it four Valpo players in double figures. Bradley had five players score in double figures, the first time five or more opposing players have scored 10+ points since Dec. 10 at Ole Miss.

Redshirt senior Joe Hedstrom (Hopkins, Minn. / Hopkins [Wisconsin]) scored six points and went 4-of-4 at the free-throw line.

Valpo handed out 14 assists on 21 made baskets.

Valpo made 18 free throws, its third highest total of the season behind Trinity Christian (19) and Incarnate Word (20).

The Beacons attempted a season-high 26 free throws. This was the team’s most free throw tries in a game since Feb. 12 of last season at Missouri State (27).

Up Next

Valpo (6-11, 0-6 MVC) will return home to play Belmont on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

U OF I MEN’S BASKETBALL

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The UIndy men’s basketball team (12-2, 4-2 GLVC) used a balanced scoring attack on Saturday afternoon to defeat Drury (5-9, 1-5 GLVC) on the road by a final 89-76 to open the new year of play. With the win, the Hounds have now won six of the last seven games in the series against the Panthers.

A solid quartet of Hounds produced double-digit scoring games as Jesse Bingham led the way with his season-high of 23 points. Right behind, Bruno Williams notched his UIndy career-high of 22 points alongside a flawless 11-of-11 effort from the free throw line. Kendrick Tchoua added 17 points and five boards on a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe while David Ejah tallied 11 points and four rebounds. In total, eight different players for UIndy scored two or more points.

The Hounds, who led by just four at the break, produced a solid 16-of-24 shooting effort from the field (66.7 percent) in the second half. Along with this, Drury was held to a 14-of-31 shooting mark in return in the final 20 minutes. Through the full length of the game, the Panthers allowed UIndy to dominate down low by allowing 40 points in the paint to the Greyhounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The opening half moved along early as a back-and-forth battle with both teams knotted up at 24 a little past the midway point at the O’Reilly Family Event Center. Despite the Hounds gaining some breathing room with the help of a 9-2 scoring run, a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers by the Panthers kept UIndy only in front by four at the intermission.

With the game tied up at 42 just minutes out of the locker room, the Greyhounds used the help of a 14-4 scoring burst to race out to a double-digit lead over Drury. This proved to be the catalyst in the Hounds securing themselves in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the game and locking up their fifth GLVC win of the season.

HOUND BYTES

Head coach Paul Corsaro’s final thoughts on the win this afternoon…

“I thought it was a total team effort, we ended up playing 11 guys today and every person that got into the game contributed in a positive way. That’s the unique thing about this team, we can wear teams down over the course of 40 minutes because of our depth and unselfishness.”

Corsaro’s thoughts on Williams and his UIndy career-high effort…

“It was really nice to see Bruno do what we knew he was capable of. He has been all about UIndy since he got here and he’s waited his turn while not caring about individual accolades. He’s been playing great ball but it was awesome to see the way he played today.”

 INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

-UIndy went a strong 26-of-33 from the free throw line as a team on Saturday.

-The Hounds coughed up only eight turnovers in the game which marks the fifth time this season UIndy has been under 10.

-Julian Steinfeld grabbed a team-high eight boards off the bench.

UP NEXT

The Hounds are now set to host the next four games on the schedule at home. UIndy will welcome Missouri S&T to Nicoson Hall on Thursday, Jan. 12 with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

U OF I WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Despite a solid first half effort, the UIndy women’s basketball team fell on Saturday evening to the No. 3 Drury Panthers by a final of 93-74. The Hounds drop to 7-7 overall on the year (3-3 GLVC) while the Panthers improve to 13-1 (6-0 GLVC).

Three different Hounds scored in double figures, led by Elana Wells who dropped her career-high of 23 points. Liv Becker also added her career-high of 16 while Ilani Wiliams-Harris managed 13. In total, 10 different UIndy players scored one or more point.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Despite entering as heavy underdogs at the O’Reilly Family Event Center, UIndy came out of the gates strong and held tough against the No. 3 Panthers. The Hounds trailed by just one point after the opening 10 minutes and then proceeded to take a 20-19 lead on a made free throw by Wells a few minutes into the second quarter. The lead continued to trade hands as the first half progressed, notably again at 24-23 after a successful Becker four-point play. Drury was able to gain a slight two point lead at the intermission.

While the first half heroics proved UIndy was up to the challenge, a 12-3 scoring run right out of the break for Drury was costly for the Greyhounds in Springfield. The Panthers would sit themselves in the driver’s seat by outscoring the Hounds by 12 in the third and then by five more in the fourth to lock up the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

-The Greyhounds finished shooting 37.7 percent from the field while the Panthers ended at 43.5.

-A combined total of 65 personal fouls were called on the court.

-UIndy added 49 bench points while Drury had only 23.

-The Hounds were out-rebounded by 15.

-Despite turning the ball over 22 times, UIndy forced Drury into 20 turnovers of its own.

UP NEXT

The Hounds are now set to host the next four games on the schedule at home. UIndy will battle Missouri S&T on Thursday, Jan. 12 with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. ET.

U OF I SWIMMING

INDIANAPOLIS—Today was a special day at the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center for UIndy swimming & diving programs. Not only was it Senior Day where 29 seniors would say goodbye, but the team had the great honor of continuing the legacy of Nick Dworet in the Swim4Nick Memorial Meet which saw the Greyhounds take down Division III-power Denison by scores of 167-133 (women) and 207-92 (men).

SWIM4NICK

Five years ago on the first weekend in January, Nick Dworet, a swimmer for TS Aquatics in Florida that had dreams of representing Sweden in the Olympics, came on an official visit to the University of Indianapolis. He committed to the Greyhounds swimming & diving program, and the rest of the UIndy family did the same to him. A month later, the high school senior had his life taken from him along with 16 others in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

Five years later, UIndy still honors the fallen swimmer each and every day, and most especially at the now annual Swim4Nick Memorial Meet. With Nick’s parents Mitchel and Annika in attendance, the Greyhounds wore “Swim4Nick” gear to show love for the 2018 commit who leaves behind an inspiring legacy of hard work and dedication that could be seen in and out of the pool.

SENIOR SEND-OFF

The significance of the game was further boosted by the team’s annual Senior Day festivities. During the first break, UIndy honored 30 seniors for their hard work and dedication to the program. The list included Serge Ahadzhanian, Faith Atkinson, Sydney Balint, Matt Bond, Johanna Buys, Lina Caudill, Stanislaw Chalat, Emilia Colti-Dumitrescu, Karolina Dubcakova, Derek Elam, Cade Hammond, Christian Hedeen, Noah Jamison, Eric Kelm, Jason Lenzo, Bekah Letcher, Efren Martinez, Diego Mas, Kaitlyn McCoy, Liki Prema, Drew Reinke, Leticia Vaselli, Anahi Schreuders, Joao Silva, Ben Souza, Mikaela Starr, Bartek Swiderski, Jeron Thompson, Andras Tiszai and Kael Yorke.

IN THE POOL

The Hound welcomed DIII’s No. 3-ranked women’s team and eighth-ranked men, as the Denison Big Red brought some legit speedsters to the Ruth Lilly Center pool. Nevertheless, UIndy racked up a combined 25 wins in 32 events. Kaitlyn McCoy led all student-athletes with three individuals. She touched first in both backstroke events before taking the 200 IM by nearly five seconds.

Cedric Buessing (200 back, 200 IM), Christian Hedeen (200 free, 500 free) and Serge Ahadzhanian each notched a pair of individual victories, with the latter tacking on a relay win.

In fact, UIndy swept both relay events, with Johanna Buys, Leticia Vaselli and Julia Magierowska and Diego Mas and Jeron Thompson contributing in both the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay wins.

The Greyhounds took the top three spots in both 50-yard sprints. On the men’s side, the trio of Mas (20.41), Joao Silva (20.60) and Thompson (20.81) went 1-2-3, finishing within four-tenths of each other. Silva, meanwhile, also won the 100 free, while Austin Kehr was the runner-up.

Other highlights included wins from Hanna Burke (200 fly), Sam Reiger (100 back), Liki Prema (100 breast), Matthew Bond (200 breast) and Stanislaw Chalat (1000 free).

Over in the diving well, UIndy dominated their guests with wins in all four events with wins coming from four different Greyhounds. The Undy women finished 1-2-3 on the 1-meter springboard, with Mikaela Starr’s point total of 256.87 good to the win.

Reigning national-champ Cade Hammond (299.10) took first on the men’s 1-meter, followed by All-American teammate Jason Lenzo. The two switched spots on the 3-meter, with Lenzo’s total of 284.7 edging Hammond’s 278.92.

Alexis Lumaj (252.07) won the women’s 3-meter, followed closely by Starr in second.

UP NEXT

The Greyhounds will travel north next weekend for a big meet at Eastern Michigan University. Grand Valley State and Findlay will also be competing. The event is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 13 at 5 p.m. in Ypsilanti, Mich.

U OF I WRESTLING

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Indianapolis wrestling team finished seventh at this years NWCA Nationals after going 3-2 over the two-day competition in Louisville, Ky. After falling to No. 5 Lander, the No. 12 UIndy squad capped off the weekend with a massive upset win over No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney in their final match of competition.

DAY 2

No. 5 Lander 21 – No. 12 UIndy 18

Against Lander the Hounds fell into an early deficit, dropping the first three matches all against top-ranked foes with No. 1 Zeth Brower at 141. Two of the matches earned Lander extra points. A win by Nathan Conley at 149 and yet another pin by Logan Bailey at 157 brought the Greyhounds back into the match. Lander however went on yet another streak, taking a sudden victory over Jack Eiteljorge at 165 and winning both 174 and 184 by decision.

No. 11 Derek Blubaugh (197) and Cale Gray (285) rounded out the match with a pair of dubs, the latter coming via pin against No. 7 in 285, but it was not enough as the Hounds fell to a score of 21-18.

125         #7 James Joplin over Noah Cantu TF 19-3

133         #7 Elijah Lusk  over Breyden Bailey  Dec 10-4

141         #1 Zeth Brower over Ray Rioux  Maj 13-0

149         Nathan Conley over Randy Meyers Dec 3-2

157         #3 Logan Bailey over Bryson Ethington  Fall 2:28

165         David Hunsberger over Jack Eiteljorge SV-1 3-1

174         Jack Bond over Owen Butler  Dec 5-2

184         #5 Logan Hall over Robert Gurley Dec 6-1

197         Derek Blubaugh over Anthony Yacovetti Dec 6-0

285         Cale Gray over #7 Graysen Lantham Fall 2:19

No. 12 UIndy 20 – No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney 19

The loss against Lander sent the Hounds to a match-up with No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney later that evening. The match opened with the Hounds and Lopers trading major victories with No. 8 Breyden Bailey evening the score after two matches. It continued to be back and forth from there with Conley picking up his second win of the day after a Ray Rioux loss at 141, facing No. 2 Nick James. Logan Bailey did what has made him so dominant, picking up a fall midway through the first in 1:26. That win plus an Eiteljorge victory put the Hounds up big.

The Lopers battled back with extra-point victories at 174 and 184 before Blubaugh once again took down a ranked foe at 197 in No. 6 Hayden Prince. Gray would fall in heavyweight, forcing a tiebreak going in the Greyhounds favor thanks to the pin by Bailey.

125         Bishop Murray over Noah Cantu Maj 12-3

133         #8 Breyden Bailey over #11 Joseph Airola Maj 12-1

141         #2 Nick James over Ray Rioux  Dec 6-5

149         Nathan Conley over John `Beau` Hostler  Dec 3-2

157         #3 Logan Bailey over Teontae Wilson Fall 1:26

165         #8 Jack Eiteljorge over Kaden Hart Dec 6-1

174         #2 Austin Eldredge over Owen Butler  TF 15-0

184         #1 Billy Higgins over Robert Gurley Maj 13-4

197         #11 Derek Blubaugh over Dylan Vodicka Dec 8-2

285         #1 Crew Howard over Cale Gray Dec 6-3

NUWAY OPEN

Late on Friday night, a slew of Greyhounds competed in the NUWAY Collegiate Open, also located in Louisville, Ky. Of those that wrestled, the highlight was Dennis Hubbard who took the crown at 285 after fighting through five matches. Porter Keevers finished high as well in 184, landing in fourth after picking up two pins. The final placer of the Hounds was Hunter Cottingham, who with three pins to his name, finished sixth.

DAY 1

No. 12 UIndy 21 – No. 14 Gannon 19

For their first match of the tournament, the Hounds were lined up with No. 14 ranked Gannon out of Erie, Pa. Starting off the match was Aidan Sprague at 125, getting the Greyhounds on the board with a 8-7 victory. No. 8-ranked Breyden Bailey was next up at 133 and it was a late second period pin from Bailey that put the Hounds up by nine to start to the match. Gannon battled back with wins at 141 and 149 before the other Bailey brother in Logan stopped the bleeding. Bailey, coming into the day ranked No. 3 at 157, faced off with No. 8 Dom Means with Bailey prevailing 6-0 to put the score at 12-6 UIndy.

A trio of losses at 165, 174, 184, the last coming via pin, drained the Hounds lead moving the match in favor of Gannon 19-12. Derek Blubaugh at 197 kept the Hounds hopes alive with a 3-0 win to make it 19-15. Heavyweight Cale Gray needed more than a decision to win the match for the Hounds. Gray was up to the task as it only took him 24 seconds to have Gannon’s Gehrig Hutchison shoulders meet the mat, walking off the Golden Knights.

125         Aidan Sprague over Jose Diaz Dec 8-7

133         No. 8 Breyden Bailey over Chase McLaughlin Fall 4:47

141         James Ryan over Ray Rioux Dec 5-2

149         No. 2 Nick Young over Nathan Conley  Dec 4-2  

157         No. 3 Logan Bailey over No. 8 Dominic Means Dec 6-0

165         Alex Farenchak over No. 8 Jack Eiteljorge Dec 4-1

174         Joseph Petrella over Owen Butler Maj 9-1

184         Cole Hivnor over Aidan Petersen Fall 4:41

197         No. 11 Derek Blubaugh over Joel Leise Dec 5-3

285         Cale Gray over Gehrig Hutchison Fall 0:24

No. 1 Central Oklahoma 25 – No. 12 UIndy 9

After a win over Gannon, the Hounds were matched up with No. 1 Central Oklahoma who sports ten-ranked wrestlers, one of which being No. 1 at 197 in Dalton Abney, who has battled with No. 11 Blubaugh on multiple occasions, with Abney coming out on top every time. However, today was different as Blubaugh broke Abney’s streak of 39-straight victories. Through three periods of action the pair were tied up at one-apiece. Overtime is where it happened for Blubaugh as he scored a near-fall with nine seconds left to grab his revenge and upset.

The Hounds grabbed two more upset victories in the match against UCO with No. 8 Breyden Bailey at 133 taking down No. 2 Dylan Lucas 6-2. No. 8 Jack Eiteljorge beat No. 4 Ty Lucas at 165 6-4. The Broncos went onto win the dual 25-9, sending the Greyhounds to the consolation bracket to face Newberry.

125         #10 Studd Morris over Noah Cantu Dec 5-0

133         #8 Breyden Bailey over No. 2 Dylan Lucas Dec 6-2

141         #9 Nate Keim over Brayden Lowery Maj 9-0

149         #6 Brik Filippo over Jackson Hoover Maj 13-3

157         #2 Gabe Johnson over No. 3 Logan Bailey Dec 7-3

165         #8 Jack Eiteljorge over No. 4 Ty Lucas Dec 6-4

174         Anthony Des Vigne over Owen Butler Maj 14-1

184         Alex Kauffman over Robert Gurley Dec 7-1

197         #11 Derek Blubaugh over No. 1 Dalton Abney SV-1 7-1

285         #2 Shawn Streck over Jay Thompson (Indianapolis) Maj 20-6

No. 12 UIndy 23 – Newberry 15

For their final match of the day, the Hounds faced un-ranked Newberry. The Hounds started slow dropping the 125 match but a 1:27 pin for Breyden Bailey put the Hounds on top. UIndy and Newberry traded point at 141 and 149 with Ray Rioux (141) picking up a 7-6 win. Logan Bailey’s tech fall triumph at 157 was the turning point in the match as Eiteljorge followed that up with a major victory at 165 to make it 18-6. Newberry fought back taking two more matches before a second-period pin by No. 11 Blubaugh iced the match.

125         Zach Shupp over Aidan Sprague Dec 11-7

133         No. 8 Breyden Bailey over Marcus Johnson Fall 1:27

141         Ray Rioux over Josh Blatt Dec 7-6

149         Devan Moore over Nathan Conley Dec 4-2

157         No. 3 Logan Bailey over Nolan Wheeler TF 19-0

165         No. 8 Jack Eiteljorge over Asa Walton Maj 16-3

174         Dayton Fields over Owen Butler Dec 7-2

184         John Parker-Wilson over Robert Gurley SV-1 7-5

197         No. 11 Derek Blubaugh over Khris Walton Fall 3:32

285         Devon Rice  over Jay Thompson  Dec 1-0Indianapolis’s team score was adjusted by -1.0 for Misconduct (1:57)

HOUND BYTES

Head Coach Jason Warthan on the final matches against Gannon…

“The pin that they got at 184 with short time left, I thought it was going to be the duel I thought it was going to be really hard for us to get bonus points at either 197 or heavyweight with with the guys they had. Then their heavyweight came out and tried to throw Cale in the first, 30 seconds or something, and went right to his back and got pinned so it was it was crazy, absolutely crazy.”

Derek Blubaugh on him beating No. 1 Abney…

“It means a ton to me obviously, he beat me, I think four times last year, I wasn’t able to get really anywhere close to anything with him. So I think today just felt good as a marker that I have been doing the right things and shows me where I needed to go to continue to get better.”

Blubaugh on boucing back after Midwest Classic…

“We dropped down in the rankings as a team after Midwest. Midwest was rough, I don’t think just for me, but for some other members of the team. I think today was a big bounce back and showing and proving that we aren’t here to play. We’re here to compete. And we’re able to hang with with any teams out there. So I was really happy to be part of all that today, and I’m really happy with the team.”

Warthan on the match against un-ranked Newberry…

“You can’t expect easy wins here at this tournament. But when you wrestle Newberry they’re going to come to like scrap and fight and claw at every point and that’s what it was. We were lucky that we got what bonus at 133, 157, 165 and 197. So that that kind of put the duel out of out of reach. And we were able to rest some guys and throw some other guys in there to get like really, really good quality matches. And so I predicted that that’s who we would see on the backside because I knew how tough they were.”

UP NEXT

The Hounds don’t have long until their next match, facing off against Davenport on Monday, Jan. 9 in Grand Rapids, Mich.

MARIAN WRESTLING

Louisville, Ky. – The Marian wrestling team had one of their best performances of the 2022-23 season over the weekend in Louisville, Ky., as they finished fifth overall at the NWCA Challenge Duals. Marian earned wins over three different ranked opponents, including a victory over No. 5 Indiana Tech to seal their top-five finish.

#7 Marian 30-9 #9 Campbellsville

Marian began their weekend with a dominating victory over Campbellsville, racing past the Tigers 30-9. Anthony Hughes lost the opening match by decision at 125, but a string of victories came as Blake Mulkey started the run with a four-point win by decision at 133. Logan Wagner won by fall at 141 and Seth Johnson scored what would stand as the match-clinching victory, winning by fall at 149.

Bailey Moore and Elliott Rodgers convincingly won by decision at their respective 157 and 165 weight classes, while Marian’s Noah Hollendonner and Sam Osho each scored a win by decision of five or more points. Jack Servies closed the victory with a 3-2 win by decision against Grayson Stevens, capping Marian’s score at 30. Austin Lane was unable to complete the string of nine-straight wins in the dual, as he was pinned in the first round by Jaden Sonner.

#7 Marian 13-21 #3 Southeastern

The Knights took on Southeastern in their second dual on Friday, falling behind early in the match as the Fire took a 12-3 lead after four weight classes. Mulkey earned Marian’s lone victory in the first four rounds, taking a 5-1 victory at 133. Moore and Rodgers got Marian back within two points as they earned respective wins by decision and major decision, but the Fire stayed in control as Stephen Kelle defeated Hollendonner at 174. Osho was victorious at 184 to keep it a two-point match, but Servies and Lane both went down in the final two weights as Marian suffered their first defeat.

#7 Marian 46-5 #16 Baker

The Knights regrouped and closed Friday with a dominant win, taking victory in 9-of-10 weight classes against No. 16 Baker. Hughes won by forfeit, and Mulkey and Aundre Beatty each won by fall at 133 and 141. The Knights forfeited at 149, but the string of wins by fall continued as Moore and Rodgers won in the third period of their matches. Hollendonner earned a major decision victory by a 16-2 score for his first victory of the weekend, and Osho won 11-7. Servies rebounded with a win at 197 taking a 6-5 decision, and at 285 Lane earned a win by forfeit.

Baker was stripped one point for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in the 46-5 victory.

#7 Marian 34-4 #14 Morningside

Wrestling against Morningside in their first dual of Saturday morning, the Knights got off to a lightning fast start, as Hughes won by decision to start the morning at 125. Mulkey earned a win by forfeit, and Beatty stuck around in the lineup at 141, winning by fall. Both the Knights and Mustangs forfeited at 149, and Moore restarted the string of wins at 157 with a 5-3 victory by decision. Rodgers won by fall with 20 seconds remaining in his match, leading 9-4 before getting the final pin.

Hollendonner earned his second with a 7-4 victory,. and at 184 Osho won by a 3-2 score, his narrowest margin of victory on the weekend. Servies capped Marian’s eighth win with a 9-0 major decision victory. Lane was unable to complete the shutou, as Hunter DeJong of the Mustangs defeated him by a 13-2 major decision result.

#7 Marian 21-18 #5 Indiana Tech

Marian’s win over Morningside moved them to the fifth-place match, where the Knights would take on WHAC rival Indiana Tech. The Knights started strong against the Warriors, getting wins from Hughes at 125 and Mulkey at 133, with the duo of lightweights each scoring victories by decisions. Beatty earned one of the top victories for the day, as he defeated Kyle Kantola 5-3 by sudden victory, needing extra time to secure the 9-0 start.

The Knights forfeited at 149, and Nate Wheeler defeated Moore to level the score at 9-9, but Marian quickly rebounded with Rodgers scoring a first period win by fall. The six points helped pad the lead, with Hollendonner claiming his third consecutive win as he won 6-0 at 174. Osho was unable to assert himself as the top-184 wrestler in the conference as Eric Vermillion won the top-three matchup in the weight class by a 3-2 score, however Jack Servies was able to ice the match, as he earned a critcial 5-1 victory at 197. Servies’ win sealed the win for Marian as Lane was defeated by fall at 285, with Marian claiming the 21-18 victory.

Marian finished the weekend 3-2 overall, finishing fifth overall with the win over Indiana Tech. Mulkey led Marian with a perfect 5-0 record, while Hollendonner finished 3-2 winning his last three matches. Sam Osho went 4-1 on the weekend, and Aundre Beatty went 3-0.

Marian will next compete on January 14 with the reserves competing at Manchester University, while the home opener against Lourdes will be held on Sunday, January 15 at 1 p.m. in the PE Center.

MARIAN MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian men’s basketball team washed the sour taste of Wednesday’s road loss out of the mouths with a comfortable home victory on Sunday, as the Knights dominated Goshen College to the tune of a 100-51 victory. Marian’s 49-point victory gives them a 14-3 overall record on the year, while improving to 4-3 in the Crossroads League.

Marian’s wire-to-wire victory started strong with Hayden Langkabel draining a three on the opening possession of the game, with a Christian Harvey steal and fastbreak bucket bolstering the score one minute later. The offense continued to flow as Luke Gohmann and Taeshon Cherry made strong shots, holding the lead at 12-8 as the game reached the opening media timeout. A layup from Cherry before the timeout ignited a Knights run, as Marian pulled ahead by 20 points over the next five minutes of game time with a 20-4 spree.

Goshen could do little on defense throughout the half to slow the offense, as they struggled to score while turning the ball over in double-figures in the period. Leading 32-12 at the 10 minute mark, Marian’s offense continued to excel as Brody Whitaker and Gohmann each drained a three-pointer, expanding their advantage to 27. Langkabel caught fire with back-to-back three’s late in the half, with drives from Maximus Gizzi and scores from Whitaker and Cherry soaring the margin over 30. A Gavin Foe corner three in the closing seconds capped the half, putting Marian on top by a 36-point margin of 61-25 at the break.

A quick five-point outbreak from Harvey helped the Knights stay dialed in coming out of the half, while 5-2 scoring run from Cherry drove the Knights’ total to 71 points. Nolan Foster vaulted to lead to 43 with a layup moments after checking in, and after the score stood frozen at 78-35, Whitaker and Cherry found their way into the scorebook again with scores from inside and out. Gohmann gave Marian their 90th point of the day with a layup off an assist from Foster, while the center closed the scoring in the contest with two free throws, completing the 49-point win by a 100-51 score.

The Knights were balanced throughout the game and made 39 field goals, picking up 21 assists to five turnovers in the win. Marian held Goshen to 37 percent from the field, and forced 21 turnovers. Cherry led all-players with a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Harvey and Langkabel each scored 15. Gohmann scored his second-highest margin of the season with 11 points, and off the bench Whitaker scored 15. Gizzi led the Knights with six assists, and Whitaker grabbed eight rebounds while leading the team with three steals.

Marian will close out a two-game home stand on Wednesday January 11, as the Knights host St. Francis at 7 p.m. in the PE Center.

MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 6 Marian women’s basketball team put together a dominating defensive game to come away with the 86-46 victory Saturday afternoon over Goshen. With the win, the Knights move to 16-1 overall and 7-0 in Crossroads League play.

Marian was the first to strike in the game with Aliyah Evans connecting with Abbey McNally for the fastbreak layup before Ella Collier knocked down the jumper to have the 4-0 lead early. Goshen came back with a bucket of their own, but a shot in the paint by Evans sparked a 14-2 run, giving the Knights the 18-4 lead. The Maple Leafs finally found four points on the three-point and-one play to cut the deficit to 10. Goshen scored the last points of the quarter with Marian taking the 20-10 lead going into quarter two.

The Knights cruised to a 12-0 run to start the second quarter with points coming from four different players. Marian’s defense suffocated Goshen until the Maple Leafs found a jumper from Zion Neat at the 6:25 mark. Sara Majorosova responded 20 seconds later with a three-pointer before finding Evans on the fast break, who executed an and-one. The last five minutes of action the two teams traded points before Collier had the last word as she canned the jumper with four ticks remaining. Marian took the 49-25 lead going into halftime.

A Majorosova three got Marian going after break, fueling a 7-0 spurt to reach a 31-point advantage. Syanne Mohamed answered for the Maple Leafs with a shot in the lane. However, the smothering defense by the Knights continued in the quarter, holding Goshen to just six points and finishing quarter three on a 19-4 run. The Knights held the 75-31 lead going into the fourth quarter after Collier drilled the shot at the buzzer.

Goshen hit a free throw to open the scoring up in the fourth quarter before Jayla Wehner gave Marian their first points of the quarter after she knocked down the pullup jumper. With 5:10 to go, Goshen made a bit of a push scoring the game’s next six points to cut the deficit to 79-41. Kiley McNally and Esther Sevilla each came off the bench to score a bucket before Sevilla canned the three-pointer to put a finish to the 86-46 victory for the Knights.

Collier led Marian with 26 points while Majorosova added a season-high 14 points and eight assists. Abbey McNally was the other double-digit scorer with 12 while she also pulled down nine rebounds. Evans had nine points, Wehner and Kinnidy Garrard each had six.

The Knights return to the court on Wednesday, January 11 when they travel to St. Francis. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

SPORTS EXTRA

*******NFL STANDINGS*******

American Football Conference
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
xy-Kansas City Chiefs	14	3	0	.824	0.0	496	369	7 – 1 – 0	7 – 2 – 0	9 – 3 – 0	6 – 0 – 0	5 W
xy-Buffalo Bills	12	3	0	.800	0.0	420	263	6 – 1 – 0	6 – 2 – 0	8 – 2 – 0	3 – 2 – 0	6 W
xy-Cincinnati Bengals	11	4	0	.733	0.0	391	306	5 – 1 – 0	6 – 3 – 0	7 – 3 – 0	2 – 3 – 0	7 W
xy-Jacksonville Jaguars	9	8	0	.529	0.0	404	350	5 – 3 – 0	4 – 5 – 0	8 – 4 – 0	4 – 2 – 0	5 W
x-Los Angeles Chargers	10	6	0	.625	0.0	363	353	5 – 3 – 0	5 – 3 – 0	7 – 4 – 0	2 – 3 – 0	4 W
x-Baltimore Ravens	10	6	0	.625	0.0	334	288	5 – 3 – 0	5 – 3 – 0	6 – 5 – 0	3 – 2 – 0	1 L
New England Patriots	8	8	0	.500	0.0	341	312	4 – 4 – 0	4 – 4 – 0	6 – 5 – 0	3 – 2 – 0	1 W
Miami Dolphins	8	8	0	.500	2.0	386	393	5 – 2 – 0	3 – 6 – 0	6 – 5 – 0	2 – 3 – 0	5 L
Pittsburgh Steelers	8	8	0	.500	2.0	280	332	3 – 4 – 0	5 – 4 – 0	4 – 7 – 0	2 – 3 – 0	3 W
New York Jets	7	9	0	.438	3.0	290	305	3 – 5 – 0	4 – 4 – 0	5 – 6 – 0	2 – 3 – 0	5 L
Cleveland Browns	7	9	0	.438	3.0	347	353	4 – 4 – 0	3 – 5 – 0	4 – 7 – 0	3 – 2 – 0	1 W
Tennessee Titans	7	10	0	.412	3.5	298	359	3 – 5 – 0	4 – 5 – 0	5 – 7 – 0	3 – 3 – 0	7 L
Las Vegas Raiders	6	11	0	.353	4.5	395	418	4 – 4 – 0	2 – 7 – 0	5 – 7 – 0	3 – 3 – 0	3 L
Indianapolis Colts	4	11	1	.281	5.5	258	395	2 – 5 – 0	2 – 6 – 1	4 – 6 – 1	1 – 3 – 1	6 L
Denver Broncos	4	12	0	.250	6.0	256	331	3 – 4 – 0	1 – 8 – 0	2 – 9 – 0	0 – 5 – 0	2 L
Houston Texans	2	13	1	.156	7.5	257	389	0 – 7 – 1	2 – 6 – 0	2 – 8 – 1	2 – 2 – 1	1 L
National Football Conference
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
x-Philadelphia Eagles	13	3	0	.813	0.0	455	328	6 – 2 – 0	7 – 1 – 0	8 – 3 – 0	3 – 2 – 0	2 L
xy-San Francisco 49ers	12	4	0	.750	0.0	412	264	7 – 1 – 0	5 – 3 – 0	9 – 2 – 0	5 – 0 – 0	9 W
xy-Minnesota Vikings	12	4	0	.750	0.0	395	414	8 – 1 – 0	4 – 3 – 0	7 – 4 – 0	3 – 2 – 0	1 L
xy-Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8	8	0	.500	0.0	296	328	5 – 4 – 0	3 – 4 – 0	8 – 3 – 0	4 – 1 – 0	2 W
x-Dallas Cowboys	12	4	0	.750	0.0	461	316	8 – 1 – 0	4 – 3 – 0	8 – 3 – 0	4 – 1 – 0	2 W
x-New York Giants	9	6	1	.594	0.0	349	349	5 – 3 – 1	4 – 3 – 0	4 – 6 – 1	1 – 3 – 1	1 W
Seattle Seahawks	8	8	0	.500	0.0	388	385	4 – 4 – 0	4 – 4 – 0	5 – 6 – 0	3 – 2 – 0	1 W
Detroit Lions	8	8	0	.500	1.5	433	411	5 – 4 – 0	3 – 4 – 0	6 – 5 – 0	4 – 1 – 0	1 W
Green Bay Packers	8	8	0	.500	1.5	354	351	5 – 3 – 0	3 – 5 – 0	6 – 5 – 0	3 – 2 – 0	4 W
Washington Commanders	7	8	1	.469	2.0	295	337	3 – 5 – 0	4 – 3 – 1	4 – 6 – 1	1 – 3 – 1	3 L
New Orleans Saints	7	9	0	.438	2.5	323	335	4 – 4 – 0	3 – 5 – 0	5 – 6 – 0	2 – 3 – 0	3 W
Carolina Panthers	6	10	0	.375	3.5	337	367	5 – 4 – 0	1 – 6 – 0	5 – 6 – 0	3 – 2 – 0	1 L
Atlanta Falcons	6	10	0	.375	3.5	335	369	5 – 3 – 0	1 – 7 – 0	5 – 6 – 0	1 – 4 – 0	1 W
Los Angeles Rams	5	11	0	.313	4.5	291	365	4 – 5 – 0	1 – 6 – 0	3 – 8 – 0	1 – 4 – 0	1 L
Arizona Cardinals	4	12	0	.250	5.5	327	411	1 – 8 – 0	3 – 4 – 0	3 – 8 – 0	1 – 4 – 0	6 L
Chicago Bears	3	13	0	.188	6.5	313	434	2 – 6 – 0	1 – 7 – 0	1 – 10 – 0	0 – 5 – 0	9 L

*******NBA STANDINGS*******

Eastern Conference
	W	L	Pct	Conf GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
1 Boston	28	12	.700	—	15-5	13-7	4-0	15-8	6-4	2 W
2 Brooklyn	26	13	.667	1.5	13-5	13-8	5-2	19-7	9-1	1 W
3 Milwaukee	25	14	.641	2.5	16-5	9-9	4-3	13-10	4-6	1 L
4 Cleveland	25	15	.625	3.0	18-4	7-11	7-3	17-8	6-4	1 L
5 Philadelphia	23	15	.605	4.0	16-6	7-9	4-3	15-10	7-3	1 L
6 New York	22	18	.550	6.0	10-10	12-8	2-4	13-9	5-5	4 W
7 Indiana	22	18	.550	6.0	14-7	8-11	2-2	15-9	7-3	1 W
8 Miami	21	19	.525	7.0	11-8	9-11	5-1	8-11	6-4	1 W
9 Chicago	19	21	.475	9.0	11-9	8-12	4-3	16-11	7-3	3 W
10 Atlanta	18	21	.462	9.5	11-8	7-13	4-3	13-14	4-6	1 L
11 Washington	17	23	.425	11.0	10-7	7-16	4-3	10-14	6-4	2 L
12 Toronto	16	23	.410	11.5	11-10	5-13	2-8	11-16	3-7	3 L
13 Orlando	15	25	.375	13.0	10-12	5-13	2-5	7-18	5-5	1 W
14 Charlotte	11	29	.275	17.0	5-14	6-15	3-6	5-18	4-6	1 W
15 Detroit	11	31	.262	18.0	5-13	6-18	0-6	4-18	3-7	1 L
Western Conference
	W	L	Pct	Conf GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
1 Denver	26	13	.667	—	16-3	10-10	7-3	19-9	8-2	2 W
2 Memphis	25	13	.658	0.5	15-3	10-10	4-2	11-10	6-4	5 W
3 New Orleans	24	16	.600	2.5	17-5	7-11	7-3	16-10	6-4	2 L
4 Dallas	23	17	.575	3.5	16-6	7-11	6-2	17-6	8-2	1 W
5 Sacramento	20	18	.526	5.5	11-9	9-9	4-5	9-9	4-6	2 L
6 LA Clippers	21	20	.512	6.0	11-8	10-12	3-4	11-13	4-6	5 L
7 Phoenix	20	20	.500	6.5	14-6	6-14	7-0	17-10	2-8	5 L
8 Portland	19	19	.500	6.5	9-6	10-13	4-6	13-13	3-7	2 L
9 Golden State	20	20	.500	6.5	17-4	3-16	4-3	12-8	6-4	2 L
10 Utah	20	22	.476	7.5	12-7	8-15	3-4	16-13	3-7	1 L
11 Minnesota	19	21	.475	7.5	12-9	7-12	6-4	12-13	4-6	3 W
12 LA Lakers	19	21	.475	7.5	10-8	9-13	1-7	8-13	6-4	5 W
13 Oklahoma City	17	22	.436	9.0	12-9	5-13	3-6	9-12	6-4	1 W
14 San Antonio	13	27	.325	13.5	8-13	5-13	2-5	5-20	3-7	1 L
15 Houston	10	29	.256	16.0	6-13	4-16	1-8	5-21	1-9	6 L

******NHL STANDINGS******

Eastern Conference
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
1 Boston Bruins	39	31	4	4	66	29	149	87	19-0-3	12-4-1	8-0-2
2 Carolina Hurricanes	40	25	8	7	57	22	127	108	12-4-1	13-4-6	7-2-1
3 Toronto Maple Leafs	40	24	9	7	55	24	135	106	14-3-4	10-6-3	5-4-1
4 New Jersey Devils	40	25	12	3	53	25	136	106	11-10-2	14-2-1	4-5-1
5 New York Rangers	41	22	12	7	51	21	134	113	9-7-4	13-5-3	6-2-2
6 Tampa Bay Lightning	38	24	13	1	49	23	133	112	15-4-1	9-9-0	6-4-0
7 Washington Capitals	42	22	14	6	50	22	139	118	12-6-3	10-8-3	7-1-2
8 New York Islanders	41	22	17	2	46	22	129	114	12-6-0	10-11-2	5-4-1
9 Pittsburgh Penguins	38	19	13	6	44	18	124	116	10-4-4	9-9-2	3-5-2
10 Buffalo Sabres	37	20	15	2	42	19	149	127	9-8-2	11-7-0	8-2-0
11 Florida Panthers	40	18	18	4	40	17	132	136	10-6-3	8-12-1	4-6-0
12 Detroit Red Wings	38	16	15	7	39	15	114	129	9-8-3	7-7-4	3-6-1
13 Ottawa Senators	39	18	18	3	39	17	120	124	11-9-1	7-9-2	5-4-1
14 Philadelphia Flyers	39	15	17	7	37	15	108	127	8-9-1	7-8-6	6-4-0
15 Montreal Canadiens	40	16	21	3	35	12	109	152	8-10-0	8-11-3	2-7-1
16 Columbus Blue Jackets	38	12	24	2	26	11	100	151	10-12-1	2-12-1	2-8-0
Western Conference
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
1 Vegas Golden Knights	42	27	13	2	56	24	140	120	12-10-0	15-3-2	5-4-1
2 Dallas Stars	40	23	11	6	52	23	139	109	11-4-3	12-7-3	6-3-1
3 Los Angeles Kings	43	23	14	6	52	19	142	146	12-7-2	11-7-4	7-2-1
4 Winnipeg Jets	39	25	13	1	51	25	125	99	15-6-0	10-7-1	6-4-0
5 Seattle Kraken	38	22	12	4	48	22	139	122	10-8-2	12-4-2	6-3-1
6 Minnesota Wild	38	22	13	3	47	19	126	109	12-7-1	10-6-2	7-2-1
7 Calgary Flames	40	19	14	7	45	18	123	119	12-7-2	7-7-5	6-3-1
8 Edmonton Oilers	41	21	17	3	45	21	144	137	10-11-2	11-6-1	4-4-2
9 Colorado Avalanche	38	20	15	3	43	17	112	110	9-7-3	11-8-0	5-4-1
10 Nashville Predators	38	18	14	6	42	16	108	115	9-6-3	9-8-3	6-2-2
11 St. Louis Blues	40	19	18	3	41	16	129	148	7-8-2	12-10-1	5-3-2
12 Vancouver Canucks	38	17	18	3	37	15	130	146	8-10-1	9-8-2	5-5-0
13 San Jose Sharks	41	12	21	8	32	11	126	155	4-11-6	8-10-2	2-5-3
14 Arizona Coyotes	38	13	20	5	31	12	107	141	7-3-2	6-17-3	3-6-1
15 Anaheim Ducks	40	12	24	4	28	9	95	162	8-10-1	4-14-3	5-4-1
16 Chicago Blackhawks	38	9	25	4	22	9	82	141	6-14-2	3-11-2	2-8-0

*******FOOTBALL HISTORY*******

January 8, 1972 – NCAA announces freshmen can play on teams starting in fall season sports according to the Chicago Tribune.

January 8, 1984 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – The Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 30-14 to win the AFC Championship and capture the Lamar Hunt Trophy to represent the Conference in the Super Bowl.

January 8, 1984 – RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. – At the NFC Championship game the Washington Redskins outlasted the San Francisco 49ers, 24-21. According to WashingtonFootball.com the Niners were down by 21 points in the fourth but staged a comeback. Two questionable penalties and a field goal did them in as Washington advanced to their second consecutive Super Bowl.

January 8, 1989 – Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati – AFC Championship had the Boomer Esiason led Cincinnati Bengals knocking off the Buffalo Bills, 21-10 for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

January 8, 1989 – Soldier Field, Chicago – At the NFC Championship it was the San Francisco 49ers taking care of business as they defeated the Chicago Bears, 28-3.

January 8, 1998 – The General Manager of the New York Football Giants, George Young resigned to accept a position with the League.

January 8, 2007 – BCS National Championship once again had the top two teams in the polls squaring off against each other to produce a champion.This year it was Ohio State who held the top spot and their opponents were the Florida Gators. Sports-Reference.com shows how the game was a route as #2 Florida demolished #1 Ohio State, 41-14.

January 8, 2008 – Joe Gibbs retires, for the second time, as head coach of the Washington Redskins. Gibbs held the same position with the club from 1981 through the 1992 season and in that span he led the Redskins to eight playoff appearances, four NFC Championship titles, and three Super Bowl titles. And he did it with three different starting quarterbacks! The second time around were three solid years but not to the heights the franchise had the first time around.

January 8, 2009 – Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens – Number 2 Florida and top ranked Oklahoma met in the 11th BCS National Championship,. The Sooners put up their great Heisman winning quarterback Sam Bradford against Florida’s Heisman winner in 2007 Tim Tebow. Tebow and the Gators got the better of this game as according to ESPN.com Tebow passed for 2 TD as Percy Harvin rushed for a 121 to lead Florida over Oklahoma, 24-14.

January 8, 2012 – Speaking of Tim Tebow…At the AFC Wild Card Playoff, the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the underdog Denver Broncos, 29–23. The game went into overtime and on the first play of the extra session Tim Tebow found receiver Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass

To give Denver the upset.

January 8, 2018 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta – The College Football National Championship hosted two strong SEC foes with #4 Alabama taking on #3 Georgia for all of the marbles. The website CollegeFootballPlayoff.com tells about all of the action. The Bulldogs dominated play in the first half and led 13-0 at the break. TIde Coach Nick Saban though had a secret weapon. Saban turned the game over to his backup true freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tua was remarkable as he steered the offense and led the team to a comeback with 20 points over two quarters to force overtime. The freshman QB ended up becoming the game’s MVP as he tossed three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver DeVonta Smith. The Tide rolled over Georgia, 26-23 to claim their 5th title in 9 years.

HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR JANUARY 8

January 8, 1922 – Jamesville, New York – The great guard from Penn State University, Steve Suhey was born. Check out his Bio by clicking his name.

January 8, 1927 – Gates, Tennessee – The University of Indiana’s swift halfback George Taliaferro celebrated his birth. The NFF says that Taliaferro was an instant success as a freshman at Indiana in 1945. George was a scoring machine as that year he put up three touchdowns, including an 82-yard interception return and a 95-yard kickoff return. He finished his incredible freshman season as the Hoosier’s leading rusher with 719 yards. Taliaferro followed that year up with a few more solid ones to eventually become the MVP of the team in 1948.The National Football Foundation selected George Taliaferro to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

January 8, 1959 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Mark Hermann the Purdue Boilermaker quarterback was born. When Mark graduated from Purdue he was the top passer in NCAA college football history. Mark was the first in history to break two passing thresholds in a college career the 8000 yard plateau and then the 9000 yard one as well! The Footballfoundation.org web bio shares that Hermann held nine passing records at the time, the foremost being 707 passing completions and being responsible for 9188 yards through the air. Hermann finished as a unanimous All-America in 1980. The NFF voters sent Mark Hermann into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

******BASEBALL HISTORY******

1898       National League president Nick Young announces the more experienced umpire will stay behind the plate with the institution of the new two-umpire system. Previously, the lone arbitrator would move away from home and stand behind the pitcher when a runner occupied a base.

1913       Frank Chance, a strong disciplinarian, becomes the manager of a weak Highlander team. The former Cubs’ skipper, who compiled a .664 winning percentage during his eight seasons in the Chicago dugout, will finish next to last place (57-94) and compiles a 117-168 record during his two-year stint in New York.

1916       James E. Gaffney sells the Boston Braves for $500,000 to Percy Haughton, Harvard’s head baseball coach, and businessman Arthur Chamberlin Wise, who will raise $600,000 to build Fenway Park. The former owner, a Tammany Hall alderman and construction contractor, who bought the team in 1913 for $187,000, recently gained notoriety as a target of Hennessy and Whitman’s investigations into political graft.

1944       Bill Terry announces his retirement from baseball and will work as a cotton trader for five years before moving to Jacksonville (FL) to open up a large Buick car dealership. The former Giants star and skipper, who turns down an offer to manage the Dodgers in 1953, citing the loss of personal income, will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame the following season.

1953       The Indians ban night games with the Browns due to Bill Veeck’s refusal to share telecast receipts with visiting clubs. The St. Louis owner did not allow his opponents to broadcast away games against his team when other American League owners veto his proposal to share the radio and television revenue.

1956       The National Association awards Dodger second baseman Jackie Robinson the prestigious Spingarn Medal for the Advancement of Colored People for his strong support of civil rights initiatives. Last year the NAACP honored Martin Luther King Jr., best known for promoting nonviolent civil disobedience to secure equal rights for all Americans.

1976       The Giants announce they plan to sell the team for $13.25 million to a group in Toronto, headed up by the Labatt Breweries, pending the approval of nine of the other 11 national League clubs. When reacting to his constituents’ outrage, San Francisco mayor George Moscone will file a $10 million lawsuit to keep the club playing in the City by the Bay.

1981       With Larry Biittner, the Reds became the last big league team to sign a free agent. The team’s first attempt into free agency, which has been an option of signing major leaguers since 1976, does not go well when the 35-year-old first baseman/outfielder bats only .213 during his first of two seasons with Cincinnati.

1986       Willie McCovey becomes the 16th player elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. The slugging first baseman, who smashed 521 home runs and collected 1,555 RBIs, spent most of his 22-year major league career with the Giants.

1990       Johnny Sylvester, the terminally ill young boy whom Babe Ruth promised to hit a home run for in the 1926 World Series, dies at 74. Although the Yankee slugger homers against the Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis and the 11-year-old youngster recovers from his undetermined illness, the accounts of the incident, especially as shown in the movie, The Babe Ruth Story, have proven to be more romantic than accurate.

1991       Right-handers Gaylord Perry, who won 314 games, and 1971 Cy Young Award recipient Fergie Jenkins, as well as All-Star infielder Rod Carew, the 16th member of the 3,000-hit club, are elected into the Hall of Fame. None of the three players selected by the baseball writers have ever appeared in a World Series.

1995       Mike Schmidt, a power-hitting third baseman with 548 homers, is elected in his first year of eligibility to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA after being named on 95.6% of the ballots cast. The two-time Most Valuable Player spent his 18-year major league career with the Phillies, tearfully retiring from the club during the 1989 season.

1996       For the first time since 1971, the writers do not elect any new Hall of Famers. Phil Niekro, a knuckleballer who spent most of his career with the Braves, comes the closest with 68 percent of the writers’ votes but falls short of the 75 percent needed to be selected.

2001       Harold Baines, only 145 hits shy of reaching 3,000, agrees to a minor league contract with the White Sox. The 41-year-old outfielder, a veteran of 21 seasons, will fall short of his goal, collecting only 11 hits in 94 at-bats with the Pale Hose before calling it a career.

2001       The Royals, A’s, and Devil Rays participate in a nine-player trade that results with outfielders Johnny Damon and Ben Grieve and reliever Roberto Hernandez on new teams. The swap sends Damon from Kansas City to Oakland, with Grieve going from Oakland to Tampa Bay, with Hernandez moving from Tampa Bay to Kansas City.

2002       Turning down the Mets’ offer worth a million dollars more with no money deferred, Juan Gonzalez agrees to a $24 million, two-year deal with the Rangers, which includes $10.5 million in deferred payments. The outfielder, who prefers to stay in the American League, established franchise records in Texas for home runs, RBIs, total bases, and extra-base hits while playing for the club from 1989-1999.

2002       Ozzie Smith, a 15-time All-Star shortstop, becomes the 32nd player elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Dubbed the ‘Wizard of Oz’ due to his remarkable defensive abilities, Osborne Earl Smith won 13 Gold Glove Awards during his 19-year career with the Padres and Cardinals.

2003       Eddie Murray, the only switch-hitter with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, is chosen on 85 percent of the ballots cast by the BBWAA, becoming just the 38th player to be elected in his first year of eligibility. Former All-Star catcher Gary Carter, best known for his years with the Expos and Mets, is also selected on his sixth try after falling eleven votes short last year.

2004       Don Zimmer, who recently resigned as the Yankees bench coach, is named a Senior Baseball Advisor for the Devil Rays. In addition to assisting the team in community affairs, the 50-year veteran of the game will be in uniform as a coach during Spring Training and for pregame practices at all regular-season home games and most road games.

2005       Free-agent hurler Kevin Millwood (9-6, 4.85) signs a one-year contract with the Indians. The 30-year-old starter missed most of the season’s last two months with the Phillies due to acute tendonitis in his right elbow.

2005       After ending a 17-year Fall Classic drought, the Cardinals agree on a three-year contract extension with the Redbirds skipper Tony La Russa. This year, the 60-year-old manager piloted the team to 105 wins and has made the postseason in five of his nine seasons with St. Louis.

2008       The election of Goose Gossage to the Hall of Fame comes on his ninth year on the BBWAA’s ballot when he is the only player to receive 75 percent or more of the writers’ votes (85.8) needed for induction. During the right-hander’s 22-year career, most notably with the Yankees, the reliever compiled a 124-107 record and saved 310 games while posting a 3.01 ERA.

2008       Marcus Giles (.229, 4, 39), after a disappointing season with the Padres, agrees to a minor league deal with the Rockies. In 2003, Dusty Baker selected the 29-year-old second baseman to be a reserve on the All-Star squad, representing the Braves.

2009       After piloting the Angels to 100 regular-season victories last year and to its fourth AL West Division title in the past five years, Mike Scioscia agrees to a contract extension to manage the team through the 2018 season. During his nine-year tenure with the Halos, the former catcher has compiled an 803-655 record (.557) and captured the franchise’s lone World Championship in 2002.

2010       After a solid debut season in Seattle, Franklin Gutierrez (.283, 18, 70) finalizes a $20.5 million, four-year deal to stay with the Mariners. The 26-year-old Venezuelan center fielder is considered by many as one of the best defensive outfielders in the American League.

2010       Scott Podsednik comes to terms with the Royals on a $1.75 million, one-year incentive-laden free-agent contract. The 33-year-old fleet outfielder batted .304 and stole 30 bases for the White Sox last season after being released by the Rockies at the end of spring training.

2014       In his second year of eligibility, Craig Biggio misses election into the Hall of Fame by two votes on the BBWAA’s ballots, tying a dubious record shared by Nellie Fox (1985) and Pie Traynor (1947) for missing enshrinement by the smallest margin (74.8%) needed to be selected. The candidacy of the former Astros’ standout, who collected more than 3,000 hits in his 15-year career, has been hurt by rumors that he may have used steroids, having never failed a test, and not being implicated in the Mitchell Report or any other investigation.

2014       President Obama, a diehard White Sox Fan, calls Frank Thomas to congratulate the slugger on his first-ballot election to the Hall of Fame. The ‘Big Hurt’ shares the news of his conversation with the Commander-in-Chief during an afternoon press conference at U.S. Cellular Field after tweeting to his fans, “What a day!! First HOF and Second, Our Wonderful President Of The United States Called Me!!! #LifeMadeHOF2014” @TheBigHurt_35.

******SPORTS IN NUMBERS*******

15 – 1 – 23 – 44 – 43 – 36 – 31 – 29 – 20 – 88 – 10

The Number 15 in today’s historic lineup in Howie Meeker who as a rookie skater for the NHL’s Totonto Maple Leafs on January 8, 1947 put 5 pucks between the pipes in a single game against the Chicago Black Hawks to carry the Leafs to a 10-4 win.

The roster Number 1 belongs to Glenn Resch the Goalie of the New York Islanders who on January 8, 1980 kept the Vancouver Canucks scoreless for his 20th career NHL shut out.

January 8, 1986 – San Francisco Giants Number 44, Willie McCovey was 16th elected to MLB Hall of Fame in his 1st year of eligibility

January 8, 1987 – Jack Sikma of the Milwaukee Bucks (Number 43) began an NBA free throw streak of 51 games.

January 8, 1991 – Gaylord Perry (Number 36), Fergie Jenkins (Number 31) & Rod Carew ( Number 29) elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

The uniform Number 23 is no suprise when it belongs to Michael Jordan who on January 8. 1993 he put up 35 points on the Milwaukee Bucks giving him 20,000 career NBA points in just his 620th game. That gave him second place on the speed to that milestone as Number 13, Wilt Chamberlain reached the same heights in just 499 games!

January 8, 1995 – Philadelphia Phillies 12-time All Star third baseman Number 20, Mike Schmidt was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

January 8, 2000 – “Music City Miracle”, in AFC Wild Card Playoff, Tennessee Titans defeat Buffalo Bills 22-16 in last 16 seconds with Number 87, Kevin Dyson, running length of the field for a game-winning touchdown

January 8, 2012 – “The 3:16 Game” AFC Wild Card Playoff, underdogs Denver Broncos defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 29–23 with Number 15, Tim Tebow connecting with Number 88, Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on first scrimmage play of overtime

January 8, 2013 – Steve Nash, wearing Number 10 recorded his 10,000th career assist against Houston

***********TV SUNDAY**********

NCAA BASKETBALL GAMES	TIME ET	TV
Northwestern at Indiana	12:00pm	FS1
Iowa at Rutgers	12:00pm	BTN
Vermont at New Hampshire	12:00pm	ESPN+
Ohio State at Maryland	1:00pm	ESPN
Bucknell at Lafayette	1:00pm	–
Loyola Maryland at Holy Cross	1:00pm	ESPN+
Oakland at Wright State	1:00pm	ESPN+
UMBC at Bryant	1:00pm	ESPN+
Wichita State at South Florida	1:00pm	ESPN+
Liberty at Eastern Kentucky	1:00pm	ESPN+
SMU at UCF	2:00pm	ESPNU
Niagara at Manhattan	2:00pm	ESPN3
Mount St. Mary’s at Marist	2:00pm	ESPN3
Rider at Siena	2:00pm	ESPN+
Iona at Quinnipiac	2:00pm	ESPN+
Canisius at Saint Peter’s	2:00pm	ESPN+
Detroit Mercy at Northern Kentucky	2:00pm	ESPN+
Lehigh at Navy	2:00pm	ESPN+
Boston University at American	2:00pm	ESPN+
NJIT at Maine	2:00pm	ESPN+
Houston at Cincinnati	3:00pm	ESPN
UMass Lowell at UAlbany	3:00pm	ESPN+
Washington at Arizona State	5:00pm	ESPN2
Purdue vs. Penn State	6:00pm	BTN
COLLEGE BASKETBALL – WOMEN’S	TIME ET	TV
Fordham at Dayton	12:00pm	CBSSN
La Salle at URI	2:00pm	CBSSN
Marquette at Creighton	4:00pm	CBSSN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL	TIME ET	TV
North Dakota St. at South Dakota St.	2:00pm	ABC
GOLF	TIME ET	TV
PGA Tour: Sentry Tournament of Champions	4:00pm	GOLF
NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES	TIME ET	TV
Philadelphia at Detroit	3:00pm	NBCS-PHI Bally Sports
Portland at Toronto	3:30pm	Root Sports Sportsnet
Charlotte at Indiana	5:00pm	Bally Sports
Brooklyn at Miami	6:00pm	Bally Sports YES
Utah at Memphis	6:00pm	Bally Sports ATTSN-RM
Minnesota at Houston	7:00pm	Bally Sports ATTSN-SW
Dallas at Oklahoma City	7:00pm	Bally Sports
Cleveland at Phoenix	8:00pm	Bally Sports
Atlanta at LA Clippers	9:00pm	Bally Sports
NFL REGULAR SEASON GAMES	TIME ET	TV
Baltimore at Cincinnati	1:00pm	CBS
Tampa Bay at Atlanta	1:00pm	FOX
New England at Buffalo	1:00pm	CBS
Minnesota at Chicago	1:00pm	FOX
Houston at Indianapolis	1:00pm	CBS
NY Jets at Miami	1:00pm	FOX
Carolina at New Orleans	1:00pm	FOX
Cleveland at Pittsburgh	1:00pm	CBS
LA Chargers at Denver	4:25pm	CBS
NY Giants at Philadelphia	4:25pm	CBS
Arizona at San Francisco	4:25pm	FOX
Dallas at Washington	4:25pm	FOX
LA Rams at Seattle	4:25pm	FOX
Detroit at Green Bay	8:20pm	NBC
NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES	TIME ET	TV
Vancouver at Winnipeg	3:00pm	Sportsnet
Florida at Dallas	3:30pm	NHLN Bally Sports
Columbus at Washington	5:00pm	Bally Sports NBCS-WSH
Pittsburgh at Arizona	7:00pm	Bally Sports ATTSN-PIT
Toronto at Philadelphia	7:00pm	NBCS-PHI Sportsnet
St. Louis at Minnesota	7:00pm	Bally Sports
Calgary at Chicago	7:00pm	NBCS-CHI Sportsnet
Boston at Anaheim	8:30pm	NESN Bally Sports
SOCCER MATCHES	TIME ET	TV
Serie A: Salernitana vs Torino	6:30am	Paramount+
England FA Cup: Derby County vs Barnsley	7:30am	ESPN+
England FA Cup: Bristol City vs Swansea City	7:30am	ESPN+
First Division A: Genk vs Club Brugge	7:30am	ESPN+
La Liga: Almería vs Real Sociedad	8:00am	ESPN+
Scottish Premiership: Motherwell vs Hibernian	8:30am	Paramount+
Serie A: Spezia vs Lecce	9:00am	Paramount+
Serie A: Lazio vs Empoli	9:00am	Paramount+
England FA Cup: Stockport County vs Walsall	9:00am	ESPN+
England FA Cup: Hartlepool United vs Stoke City	9:00am	ESPN+
England FA Cup: Norwich City vs Blackburn Rovers	9:00am	ESPN+
England FA Cup: Cardiff City vs Leeds United	9:00am	ESPN+
La Liga: Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis	10:15am	ESPN+
Scottish Premiership: Dundee United vs Rangers	11:00am	Paramount+
England FA Cup: Manchester City vs Chelsea	11:30am	ESPN+
England FA Cup: Aston Villa vs Stevenage	11:30am	ESPN+
Serie A: Sampdoria vs Napoli	12:00pm	Paramount+
La Liga: Sevilla vs Getafe	12:30pm	ESPN+
Serie A: Milan vs Roma	2:45pm	Paramount+
La Liga: Espanyol vs Girona	3:00pm	ESPN+
Liga MX: Santos Laguna vs Tigres UANL	8:00pm	FS1
Liga MX: Tijuana vs Cruz Azul	10:10pm	ESPN+