INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES
| BEN DAVIS | 75 | LAWRENCE CENTRAL | 59 | |
| BLOOMINGTON SOUTH | 58 | ROCK CREEK ACADEMY | 35 | |
| CARMEL | 46 | VALPARAISO | 33 | |
| CENTER GROVE | 48 | PERRY MERIDIAN | 29 | |
| CHESTERTON | 82 | ANDREAN | 47 | |
| COLUMBUS NORTH | 60 | TERRE HAUTE SOUTH | 44 | |
| CORYDON CENTRAL | 50 | SOUTHRIDGE | 49 | |
| DANVILLE | 64 | WEST LAFAYETTE | 44 | |
| EASTBROOK | 52 | ELWOOD | 43 | |
| EVANSVILLE MATER DEI | 74 | TECUMSEH | 46 | |
| GREENFIELD-CENTRAL | 80 | RUSHVILLE | 37 | |
| HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) | 54 | TRI-WEST | 48 | |
| HEBRON | 60 | LAVILLE | 47 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD | 67 | INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON | 43 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY | 79 | PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY | 32 | |
| JENNINGS COUNTY | 63 | GREENWOOD | 41 | |
| KNIGHTSTOWN | 50 | CENTERVILLE | 48 | |
| KNOX | 42 | NORTH JUDSON | 39 | |
| LAPORTE | 64 | ELKHART | 45 | |
| MCCUTCHEON | 71 | PARKE HERITAGE | 52 | |
| MONROVIA | 75 | EMINENCE | 58 | |
| MOORESVILLE | 71 | BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE | 70 | OT |
| MUNCIE CENTRAL | 57 | LAPEL | 43 | |
| NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) | 46 | DUGGER UNION | 42 | |
| NORTH KNOX | 58 | VINCENNES RIVET | 31 | |
| NORTHRIDGE | 72 | FORT WAYNE NORTH | 67 | |
| NORWELL | 105 | BLUFFTON | 53 | |
| PERRY CENTRAL | 61 | LANESVILLE | 47 | |
| SHELBYVILLE | 57 | SOUTH RIPLEY | 52 | |
| TAYLOR | 55 | CLINTON PRAIRIE | 40 | |
| TRITON | 61 | JIMTOWN | 59 | |
| WABASH | 78 | CARROLL (FLORA) | 66 | |
| WARREN CENTRAL | 49 | BREBEUF JESUIT | 44 | |
| WASHINGTON TWP. | 48 | HAMMOND SCIENCE & TECH | 31 | |
| WAWASEE | 55 | CENTRAL NOBLE | 47 | |
| WEST NOBLE | 57 | PRAIRIE HEIGHTS | 49 | OT |
| WESTFIELD | 56 | MUNCIE BURRIS | 20 | |
| WHITESVILLE TRINITY (KY.) | 68 | EVANSVILLE DAY | 60 | |
| BI COUNTY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| FOUNTAIN CENTRAL | 49 | SEEGER | 36 | |
| COVINGTON | 51 | ATTICA | 7 | |
| CENTRAL CHRISTIAN TOURNAMENT | ||||
| PURDUE POLY NORTH | 49 | INDIANAPOLIS HERRON | 36 | |
| PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD JV | 45 | IRVINGTON PREP ACADEMY | 30 | |
| THRIVAL INDY ACADEMY | 68 | INDIANAPOLIS HOMESCHOOL | 38 | |
| PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD | 68 | NORTHWEST HOMESCHOOL | 41 | |
| DELPHI CLASSIC | ||||
| ROSSVILLE | 71 | TRI-COUNTY | 54 | |
| NORTH MONTGOMERY | 49 | NORTH NEWTON | 47 | 2OT |
| EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL CLASSIC | ||||
| EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL | 80 | CHARLESTOWN | 54 | |
| PIKE CENTRAL | 78 | SPRINGS VALLEY | 48 | |
| JEFFERSON COUNTY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| SWITZERLAND COUNTY | 61 | TRIMBLE COUNTY (KY.) | 60 | |
| SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) | 75 | CARROLL COUNTY (KY.) | 36 | |
| MADISON | 65 | TRIMBLE COUNTY (KY.) | 44 | |
| SHAWE MEMORIAL | 48 | CARROLL COUNTY (KY.) | 46 | |
| SWITZERLAND COUNTY | 66 | MADISON | 58 | |
| SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) | 76 | SHAWE MEMORIAL | 35 | |
| NORTH DAVIESS TOURNAMENT | ||||
| FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK | 66 | EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN | 54 | |
| BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL | 57 | LOOGOOTEE | 45 | |
| SOUTH KNOX | 32 | PAOLI | 31 | |
| NORTH DAVIESS | 74 | FOREST PARK | 48 |
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES
| ADAMS CENTRAL | 41 | SOUTH ADAMS | 33 | |
| BLUE RIVER | 49 | UNION COUNTY | 35 | |
| CASCADE | 47 | SOUTH PUTNAM | 39 | |
| CASTLE | 52 | DAVIESS COUNTY (KY.) | 45 | |
| CENTER GROVE | 54 | PERRY MERIDIAN | 25 | |
| CENTRAL NOBLE | 52 | WAWASEE | 27 | |
| CRAWFORD COUNTY | 53 | FLOYD CENTRAL | 49 | |
| EASTBROOK | 61 | ELWOOD | 8 | |
| EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN | 46 | MCLEAN COUNTY (KY.) | 37 | |
| EVANSVILLE NORTH | 50 | TECUMSEH | 32 | |
| FORT WAYNE NORTH | 46 | MARION | 45 | |
| FORT WAYNE SNIDER | 59 | FORT WAYNE LUERS | 32 | |
| HENDERSON COUNTY (KY.) | 41 | FOREST PARK | 37 | |
| HOMESTEAD | 55 | ANGOLA | 33 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI | 59 | BEN DAVIS | 58 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON | 55 | VICTORY COLLEGE PREP | 20 | |
| JEFFERSONVILLE | 89 | LAWRENCEBURG | 66 | |
| MISHAWAKA | 54 | WESTVIEW | 26 | |
| MISSISSINEWA | 48 | MACONAQUAH | 38 | |
| MONROVIA | 58 | EMINENCE | 40 | |
| MUHLENBERG COUNTY (KY.) | 63 | EVANSVILLE BOSSE | 17 | |
| NEW ALBANY | 26 | SALEM | 23 | |
| PENDLETON HEIGHTS | 63 | YORKTOWN | 45 | |
| SOUTH DECATUR | 39 | HENRYVILLE | 36 | |
| TIPTON | 62 | ANDERSON | 60 | |
| TRI | 58 | WINCHESTER | 41 | |
| VINCENNES LINCOLN | 65 | JASPER | 52 | |
| WES-DEL | 36 | INDIANA DEAF | 35 | |
| WOODLAN | 71 | FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA | 60 | |
| BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE CLASSIC | ||||
| NOBLESVILLE | 54 | BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE | 44 | |
| BI COUNTY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| SEEGER | 40 | FOUNTAIN CENTRAL | 26 | |
| ATTICA | 39 | COVINGTON | 29 | |
| CENTRAL CHRISTIAN TOURNAMENT | ||||
| INDIANAPOLIS HERRON | 43 | CENTRAL CHRISTIAN | 27 | |
| DELPHI TOURNAMENT | ||||
| NORTH MONTGOMERY | 45 | NORTH NEWTON | 21 | |
| ROSSVILLE | 48 | TRI-COUNTY | 40 | |
| EDINBURGH TOURNAMENT | ||||
| EDINBURGH | 41 | KNIGHTSTOWN | 38 | |
| AUSTIN | 52 | SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE) | 25 | |
| SOUTH DEARBORN | 53 | INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN | 39 | |
| SOUTH RIPLEY | 41 | HAGERSTOWN | 4 | |
| SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE) | 49 | KNIGHTSTOWN | 22 | |
| HAGERSTOWN | 44 | INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN | 41 | |
| AUSTIN | 59 | EDINBURGH | 35 | |
| SOUTH RIPLEY | 57 | SOUTH DEARBORN | 28 | |
| FRANKLIN TOURNAMENT | ||||
| BROWNSBURG | 64 | FRANKLIN | 47 | |
| ZIONSVILLE | 65 | EASTERN (PEKIN) | 26 | |
| FRANKLIN | 64 | EASTERN (PEKIN) | 38 | |
| ZIONSVILLE | 61 | BROWNSBURG | 35 | |
| NORTHVIEW TOURNAMENT | ||||
| GREENCASTLE | 77 | SOUTH VERMILLION | 10 | |
| PARKE HERITAGE | 47 | WEST VIGO | 37 | |
| NORTHVIEW | 51 | CLOVERDALE | 17 | |
| TERRE HAUTE NORTH | 61 | CLAY CITY | 45 | |
| UNREPORTED | ||||
| MUNCIE BURRIS | WES-DEL | PP |
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
NEW HAVEN 75 FORT WAYNE WAYNE 6
WASHINGTON 54 S. SPENCER 18
WASHINGTON 70 CLARKSVILLE 10
PENN 39 MISHAWAKA 28
MERRILLVILLE 57 VALPARAISO 13
CONNERSVILLE 54 HAGERSTOWN 29
COWAN 54 EASTERN GREENTOWN 18
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 48 BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 19
TELL CITY 57 NEW ALBANY 24
EAST NOBLE 52 PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 22
NORTH WHITE 42 CULVER COMMUNITY 0
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
#1 PURDUE 74 NEW ORLEANS 53
#3 HOUSTON 83 MCNEESE STATE 44
#7 TEXAS 100 LOUISIANA 72
#8 TENNESSEE 86 AUSTIN PEAY 44
#10 ARKANSAS 85 UNC ASHEVILLE 51
#13 UCLA 81 UC DAVIS 54
#19 KENTUCKY 88 FLORIDA A&M 68
#20 TCU 75 UTAH 71
BOSTON COLLEGE 70 #21 VIRGINIA TECH 65 OT
#23 AUBURN 84 WASHINGTON 61
SAN FRANCISCO 97 #25 ARIZONA STATE 60
BALL STATE 58 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 54
VALPARAISO 77 STONE HILL 67
EVANSVILLE 73 BELLARMINE 61
EASTERN ILLINOIS 92 IOWA 83
MICHIGAN STATE 67 OAKLAND 54
OHIO STATE 95 MAINE 61
CINCINNATI 72 DETROIT 54
NORTH CAROLINA 80 MICHIGAN 76
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20221221
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
#1 SOUTH CAROLINA 102 COASTAL CAROLINA 39
#3 OHIO STATE 84 #16 OREGON 67
#4 INDIANA 67 BUTLER 50
#5 NOTRE DAME 85 WESTERN MICHIGAN 57
#8 VIRGINIA TECH 86 HIGH POINT 66
#9 UCONN 98 SETON HALL 73
#13 IOWA 92 DARTMOUTH 54
#15 MARYLAND 88 PURDUE FORT WAYNE 51
SOUTH FLORIDA 66 #17 ARKANSAS 65 OT
#18 ARIZONA 78 UT ARLINGTON 59
NEBRASKA 85 #20 KANSAS 79 3OT
#22 GONZAGA 82 MONTANA 67
#23 OKLAHOMA 95 FLORIDA 70
#25 ST. JOHN’S 80 WAGGENER 51
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20221221
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
WESTERN KENTUCKY 44 S. ALABAMA 23
THURSDAY, DEC. 22
BAYLOR VS. AIR FORCE — ARMED FORCES BOWL (FORT WORTH, TEXAS) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, DEC. 23
HOUSTON VS. LOUISIANA — INDEPENDENCE BOWL (SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA) | 3 P.M. | ESPN
WAKE FOREST VS. MISSOURI — GASPARILLA BOWL (TAMPA, FLORIDA) | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN
SATURDAY, DEC. 24
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE VS. SAN DIEGO STATE — HAWAI’I BOWL (HONOLULU, HAWAI’I) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
MONDAY, DEC. 26
BOWLING GREEN VS. NEW MEXICO STATE — QUICK LANE BOWL (DETROIT) | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN
TUESDAY, DEC. 27
BUFFALO VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN — CAMELLIA BOWL (MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
OKLAHOMA STATE VS. WISCONSIN — GUARANTEED RATE BOWL (PHOENIX) | 10:15 P.M. | ESPN
MEMPHIS VS. UTAH STATE — FIRST RESPONDER BOWL (DALLAS) | ESPN
COASTAL CAROLINA VS. EAST CAROLINA — BIRMINGHAM BOWL (BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA) | ESPN
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28
DUKE VS. UCF — MILITARY BOWL (ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND) | 2 P.M. | ESPN
ARKANSAS VS. KANSAS — LIBERTY BOWL (MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 15 OREGON VS. NORTH CAROLINA — HOLIDAY BOWL (SAN DIEGO) | 8 P.M.
TEXAS TECH VS. OLE MISS — TEXAS BOWL (HOUSTON) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
THURSDAY, DEC. 29
MINNESOTA VS. SYRACUSE — PINSTRIPE BOWL (BRONX, NEW YORK) | 2 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 13 FLORIDA STATE VS. OKLAHOMA — CHEEZ-IT BOWL (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 12 WASHINGTON VS. NO. 20 TEXAS — ALAMO BOWL (SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, DEC. 30
NO. 23 NC STATE VS. MARYLAND — DUKE’S MAYO BOWL (CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 18 UCLA VS. PITT — SUN BOWL (EL PASO, TEXAS) | 2 P.M. | CBS
NO. 19 SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NO. 21 NOTRE DAME — GATOR BOWL (JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
OHIO VS. WYOMING — ARIZONA BOWL (TUCSON, ARIZONA) | 4:30 P.M.| BARSTOOL
NO. 6 TENNESSEE VS. NO. 7 CLEMSON — ORANGE BOWL (MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
SATURDAY, DEC. 31
IOWA VS. KENTUCKY — MUSIC CITY BOWL (NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE) | 12 P.M. | ABC
NO. 5 ALABAMA VS. NO. 9 KANSAS STATE — SUGAR BOWL (NEW ORLEANS) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 2 MICHIGAN VS. NO. 3 TCU (CFP SEMIFINAL) — FIESTA BOWL (GLENDALE, ARIZONA) | 4 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 1 GEORGIA VS. NO. 4 OHIO STATE (CFP SEMIFINAL) — PEACH BOWL (ATLANTA) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
MONDAY, JAN. 2
NO. 22 MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. ILLINOIS — RELIAQUEST BOWL (TAMPA, FLORIDA) | 12 P.M. | ESPN2
NO. 17 LSU VS. PURDUE — CITRUS BOWL (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 1 P.M. | ABC
NO. 10 USC VS. NO. 16 TULANE — COTTON BOWL (ARLINGTON, TEXAS) | 1 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 8 UTAH VS. NO. 11 PENN STATE — ROSE BOWL (PASADENA, CALIFORNIA) | 5 P.M. | ESPN
SUNDAY, JAN. 8
FCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (FRISCO, TEXAS) | 2 P.M. | ABC
MONDAY, JAN. 9
CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA) | ESPN
NFL SCHEDULE
WEEK 16
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT NEW YORK JETS (THU) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P PRIME VIDEO
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2022
ATLANTA FALCONS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (SAT) 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
DETROIT LIONS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (SAT) 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
BUFFALO BILLS AT CHICAGO BEARS (SAT) 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (SAT) 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (SAT) 12:00P (CT) 1:00P FOX
NEW YORK GIANTS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (SAT) 12:00P (CT) 1:00P FOX
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (SAT) 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS (SAT) 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (SAT) 1:05P (PT) 4:05P CBS
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT DALLAS COWBOYS (SAT) 3:25P (CT) 4:25P FOX
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (SAT) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P NFLN
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2022
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
DENVER BRONCOS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS 1:30P (PT) 4:30P CBS / NICKELODEON
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS 6:20P (MT) 8:20P NBC
MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2022
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (MON) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P ESPN
NBA
CLEVELAND 114 MILWAUKEE 106
PHILADELPHIA 113 DETROIT 93
CHICAGO 110 ATLANTA 108
INDIANA 117 BOSTON 112
BROOKLYN 143 GOLDEN STATE 113
TORONTO 113 NEW YORK 106
ORLANDO 116 HOUSTON 110
DALLAS 104 MINNESOTA 99
OKLAHOMA CITY 101 PORTLAND 98
SACRAMENTO 134 LA LAKERS 120
LA CLIPPERS 126 CHARLOTTE 105
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP
NHL
DETROIT 7 TAMPA BAY 4
NEW JERSEY 4 FLORIDA 2
COLORADO 2 MONTRÉAL 1
NASHVILLE 4 CHICAGO 2
EDMONTON 6 DALLAS 3
VEGAS 5 ARIZONA 2
MINNESOTA 4 ANAHEIM 1
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP
2022 NFL PLAYOFF SCENARIOS FOR WEEK 16
AFC
CLINCHED:
Kansas City Chiefs – AFC West division title
Buffalo Bills – playoff berth
BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-5)
Week 16 – vs. Atlanta (5-9), Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX
Week 17 – vs. Pittsburgh (6-8)
Week 18 – at Cincinnati (10-4)
Baltimore clinches playoff berth with:
- BAL win + MIA loss or tie + NE loss or tie OR
- BAL win + MIA loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie OR
- BAL win + NE loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie OR
- BAL tie + NE loss + NYJ loss OR
- BAL tie + NE loss + MIA loss + LAC win OR
- BAL tie + NE loss + MIA loss + NYJ tie OR
- BAL tie + NE loss + NYJ tie + LAC win OR
- BAL tie + NE tie + NYJ loss + MIA loss OR
- BAL tie + NE tie + NYJ tie + MIA loss + LAC win OR
- NE loss + NYJ loss + CLE loss or tie + LV loss or tie + TEN loss or tie + LAC win
BUFFALO BILLS (11-3)
Week 16 – at Chicago (3-11), Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS
Week 17 – at Cincinnati (10-4)
Week 18 – vs. New England (7-7)
Buffalo clinches AFC East division title with:
- BUF win or tie OR
- MIA loss or tie
CINCINNATI BENGALS (10-4)
Week 16 – at New England (7-7), Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS
Week 17 – vs. Buffalo (11-3)
Week 18 – vs. Baltimore (9-5)
Cincinnati clinches playoff berth with:
- CIN win or tie OR
- NYJ loss or tie
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (8-6)
Week 16 – at Indianapolis (4-9-1), Monday, 8:15 PM ET, ESPN
Week 17 – vs. L.A. Rams (4-10)
Week 18 – at Denver (4-10)
L.A. Chargers clinch playoff berth with:
- LAC win + LV loss or tie + NE loss + NYJ loss OR
- LAC win + LV loss or tie + NE loss + NYJ tie + MIA loss OR
- LAC win + LV loss or tie + NE tie + NYJ loss + MIA loss
NFC
CLINCHED:
Minnesota Vikings – NFC North division title
San Francisco 49ers – NFC West division title
Dallas Cowboys – playoff berth
Philadelphia Eagles – playoff berth
NEW YORK GIANTS (8-5-1)
Week 16 – at Minnesota (11-3), Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX
Week 17 – vs. Indianapolis (4-9-1)
Week 18 – at Philadelphia (13-1)
N.Y. Giants clinch playoff berth with:
- NYG win + WAS loss + DET loss OR
- NYG win + WAS loss + SEA loss OR
- NYG win + DET loss + SEA loss
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (13-1)
Week 16 – at Dallas (10-4), Saturday, 4:25 PM ET, FOX
Week 17 – vs. New Orleans (5-9)
Week 18 – vs. N.Y. Giants (8-5-1)
Philadelphia clinches NFC East division title with:
- PHI win or tie
Philadelphia clinches homefield advantage and NFC’s lone first-round bye with:
- PHI win OR
- PHI tie + MIN loss or tie
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES:
THURSDAY NIGHT CAPSULE – JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT NEW YORK JETS
Week 16 of the 2022 NFL season gets underway on Thursday, December 22 (8:15 PM ET, Prime Video) as the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8) visit the New York Jets (7-7) in a pivotal late-season meeting between playoff hopefuls. Each team enters the matchup only one game out of the AFC playoff picture. The Jaguars hold the all-time regular-season series advantage, 8-7, but the Jets earned the victory in the most recent meeting, a 26-21 win in Week 16 of the 2021 season. New York quarterback ZACH WILSON (91 rushing yards) and running back MICHAEL CARTER (118) each set career high rushing totals in rushing in that game, including a 52-yard touchdown run by Wilson.
The Jaguars enter Week 16 with back-to-back wins and sit only a game back of Tennessee for first place in the AFC South. Jacksonville is looking to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2017. Last week, the Jaguars overcame a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat Dallas, 40-34, in overtime. Quarterback TREVOR LAWRENCE led a seven-play drive with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter to set up the game-tying 48-yard field goal by RILEY PATTERSON as time expired. In overtime, safety RAYSHAWN JENKINS recorded the game-winning 52-yard interception-return touchdown – his second interception of the game – to mark the seventh-longest game-winning interception return for a touchdown in overtime since regular-season overtime was instituted in 1974. Jenkins also led the team with a career-high 18 tackles, the most tackles in a game by a player with multiple interceptions since 1991.
Lawrence totaled 318 passing yards and a career-high four touchdown passes in the victory, his second consecutive game with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Over his past six games, the second-year quarterback has 15 touchdowns (14 passing, one rushing) against one interception with a 111.2 passer rating, the highest passer rating among qualified passers in the NFL since Week 9. Running back TRAVIS ETIENNE led the team with 127 scrimmage yards (103 rushing, 24 receiving) last week and needs 83 rushing yards on Thursday to become the fifth player in franchise history to record 1,000 rushing yards in a season. Wide receiver CHRISTIAN KIRK aims for his fourth in a row with at least five catches and has over 90 receiving yards in two of his past three games. He needs 34 receiving yards for his first-career 1,000-yard season. Wide receiver ZAY JONES had six catches for 109 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in Week 15 and has a touchdown reception in each of his past two games. Linebacker FOYESADE OLUOKUN enters Thursday with at least 14 tackles in each of his past four games and can become the first player since 2000 with at least 14 tackles in five straight games. He leads the NFL with 156 tackles this season.
The Jets enter Thursday one game back of an AFC Wild Card spot, as the franchise is aiming for its first postseason berth since 2010. Last week, Wilson made his eighth start of the season and totaled 317 passing yards and two touchdown passes, his second-career game with at least 300 passing yards. Running back ZONOVAN KNIGHT has at least 75 scrimmage yards in three of his four career games and is one of three undrafted rookies with over 300 scrimmage yards (321) this season. Wide receiver GARRETT WILSON totaled 98 receiving yards in Week 15, his fourth-consecutive game with at least 75 receiving yards, the longest active streak in the league. Wilson leads all rookies with 67 catches and 966 receiving yards this season, both the most ever by a Jets rookie. Tight end C.J. UZOMAH recorded his third-career game with two touchdown receptions last week. In his last game against Jacksonville (Sept. 30, 2021, with Cincinnati), Uzomah recorded five catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensive lineman QUINNEN WILLIAMS leads the team with 11 sacks this season and is the first Jet with at least 11 sacks in a season since 2015 (MUHAMMAD WILKERSON). Linebacker QUINCY WILLIAMS aims for his sixth in a row at home with a tackle for loss. Linebacker C.J. MOSLEY is one of 10 players in the NFL with at least five tackles in 14 games this season. In the teams’ 2021 meeting, Mosley recorded 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Rookie cornerback SAUCE GARDNER leads the NFL with 16 passes defensed in 2022, while cornerback D.J. REED tied a career high with three passes defensed last week.
Prime Video will stream 15 Thursday Night Football games this season (Weeks 2-17, excluding Thanksgiving). The game will feature Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung on the call.
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Jaguars lead all-time series, 8-7
STREAKS Jaguars have won 2 of past 3
LAST GAME 12/26/21: Jaguars 21 at Jets 26
LAST GAME AT SITE 12/26/21
JAGS NOTES:
LAST WEEK W 40-34 vs. Dallas (OT)
COACH VS. OPP. Doug Pederson: 1-0
PTS. FOR 23.9
OFFENSE 367.9
PASSING Trevor Lawrence: 330-500-3,520-24-7-96.6
RUSHING Travis Etienne: 182-917-5.0-4
RECEIVING Christian Kirk: 73-966-13.2-7
PTS. AGAINST 23.4
DEFENSE 370.7
SACKS Josh Allen, Dawuane Smoot: 5
INTs Andre Cisco, Rayshawn Jenkins: 3
TAKE/GIVE +5 (20/15)
PUNTING (NET) Logan Cooke: 50.6 (44.1)
KICKING Riley Patterson: 98 (29/30 PAT; 23/27 FG)
QB TREVOR LAWRENCE passed for 318 yards & career-high 4 TDs vs. INT with 109 rating last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 315+ pass yards, 3+ TD passes & 105+ rating. Has 15 TDs (14 pass, 1 rush) vs. INT with 111.2 rating over past 6 games. Aims for 5th in row on road with 0 INTs. Totaled 317 yards (280 pass, 37 rush) in last meeting. Passed for 204 yards & had rush TD in only career primetime start (9/30/21 at Cin. on TNF). • RB TRAVIS ETIENNE led team with 127 scrimmage yards (103 rush, 24 rec.) last week, his 3rd game this season with 125+ scrimmage yards. • WR CHRISTIAN KIRK had 92 rec. yards in Week 15. Aims for 4th in row with 5+ catches & has 90+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Had 5 catches for 78 yards in only career game vs. NYJ (10/11/20 w/ Az.). Needs 34 rec. yards for 1st-career 1,000-yard season. • WR ZAY JONES had 6 catches for 109 yards & career-high 3 TDs last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 6+ catches, 75+ rec. yards & rec. TD. Has 5+ catches in 5 of 6 road games this season. Has career-best 764 rec. yards in 2022. • WR MARVIN JONES had 3rd TD catch of season in Week 15. Aims for his 4th in row vs. NYJ with 50+ rec. yards. Has 65+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3 on TNF. • TE EVAN ENGRAM aims for 4th in row with 5+ catches. Has TD catch in 2 of past 3. • S RAYSHAWN JENKINS set career highs in tackles (18) & INTs (2) last week, incl. GW 52-yard INT-TD in OT, 1st-career TD. Is 1st player since 1991 with 18+ tackles & 2 INTs in single game. Had 7 tackles & PD in his last game vs. NYJ (11/22/20 w/ LAC). • LB FOYESADE OLUOKUN is 2nd player since 2000 (Zach Thomas – 2005) with 14+ tackles in 4 straight games. Leads NFL with 156 tackles this season. • DE/LB JOSH ALLEN aims for 3rd in row with sack. Had 2 sacks & FF in 2019 meeting.
JETS NOTES:
LAST WEEK: L 20-17 vs. Detroit
COACH VS. OPP. Robert Saleh: 1=0
PTS. FOR 20.1
OFFENSE 336.9
PASSING Mike White: 80-129-952-3-2-85.8
RUSHING Michael Carter: 108-390-3.6-3
RECEIVING Garrett Wilson (R): 67-966-14.4-4
PTS. AGAINST 18.8
DEFENSE 305.4
SACKS Quinnen Williams: 11
INTs Lamarcus Joyner: 3
TAKE/GIVE -2 (15/17)
PUNTING (NET) Braden Mann: 47.4 (40.1)
KICKING Greg Zuerlein: 103 (28/29 PAT; 25/30 FG)
QB MIKE WHITE has 315+ pass yards in 2 of 3 starts this season. • QB ZACH WILSON passed for 317 yards & 2 TDs last week, 2nd-career game with 300+ pass yards. Has 0 INTs in 2 of his past 3 starts. Had 193 yards (102 pass, career-high 91 rush) & 2 TDs (1 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs in last meeting. • RB ZONOVAN KNIGHT (rookie) has 75+ scrimmage yards in 3 of 4 career games. • RB MICHAEL CARTER had career-high 118 rush yards in last meeting. • WR GARRETT WILSON had 98 rec. yards last week. Aims for 5th in row with 75+ rec. yards. Has 75+ rec. yards in 4 straight games, longest active streak in NFL. Aims for 5th in row at home with 90+ rec. yards. Leads rookies with 67 catches & 966 rec. yards, both most-ever by NYJ rookie. • WR ELIJAH MOORE aims for 3rd in row with 50+ rec. yards. • TE C.J. UZOMAH had season-best 41 rec. yards & 2 rec. TDs last week, 3rd-career game with 2 TDs. Had 5 catches for 95 yards & 2 TDs in his last game vs. Jax. (9/30/21 w/ Cin.). Aims for his 3rd in row on TNF with TD catch. • DL QUINNEN WILLIAMS aims for his 3rd in row with 2+ TFL & sack. Has sack in 5 of his past 6. Is 1st NYJ player with 11+ sacks since Muhammad Wilkerson (12 in 2015). • LB QUINCY WILLIAMS had 7 tackles & 2 TFL last week. Aims for his 6th in row at home with TFL. Had 5 tackles in last meeting. • LB C.J. MOSLEY is 1 of 10 in NFL with 5+ tackles in 14 games this season. Has PD in 3 of his past 4 at home. Had 10 tackles, sack & FF in last meeting. • CB SAUCE GARDNER (rookie) has PD in 2 of past 3 & leads NFL with 16 PD this season.
Franco Harris, Steeler who caught Immaculate Reception, dies
PITTSBURGH (AP) Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored the “Immaculate Reception,” considered the most iconic play in NFL history, has died. He was 72.
Harris’ son, Dok, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his father died overnight. No cause of death was given.
His death comes two days before the 50th anniversary of the play that provided the jolt that helped transform the Steelers from also-rans into the NFL’s elite and three days before Pittsburgh is scheduled to retire his No. 32 during a ceremony at halftime of its game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Harris had been busy in the run-up to the celebration, doing media interviews on Monday to talk about a moment to which he is forever linked.
“It is difficult to find the appropriate words to describe Franco Harris’ impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers, his teammates, the City of Pittsburgh and Steelers Nation,” team President Art Rooney II said in a statement. “From his rookie season, which included the Immaculate Reception, through the next 50 years, Franco brought joy to people on and off the field. He never stopped giving back in so many ways. He touched so many, and he was loved by so many.”
Harris ran for 12,120 yards and won four Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, a dynasty that began in earnest when Harris decided to keep running during a last-second heave by Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw in a playoff game against Oakland in 1972.
With Pittsburgh trailing 7-6 and facing fourth-and-10 from its own 40-yard line and 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Bradshaw drifted back and threw deep to running back Frenchy Fuqua. Fuqua and Oakland defensive back Jack Tatum collided, sending the ball careening back toward midfield in the direction of Harris. Game officials weren’t sure who deflected the pass; replays were inconclusive.
While nearly everyone else on the field stopped, Harris kept his legs churning, snatching the ball just inches above the Three Rivers Stadium turf near the Oakland 45, then outracing several stunned Raider defenders to give the Steelers their first playoff victory in the franchise’s four-decade history.
“That play really represents our teams of the ’70s,” Harris said after the “Immaculate Reception” was voted the greatest play in NFL history during the league’s 100th anniversary season in 2020.
Though the Raiders cried foul in the moment, over time they somewhat embraced their role in NFL lore. Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano, who was covering Harris on the play, even attended a 40th-anniversary celebration of the play in 2012, when a small monument commemorating the exact location of Harris’ history-altering catch was unveiled. Villapiano still plans to attend Saturday night’s jersey retirement ceremony for his former rival-turned-friend, and is just fine with the mystery that still surrounds what actually happened at 3:29 p.m. on Dec. 23, 1972.
“There’s so many angles and so many things. Nobody will ever figure that out,” Villapiano said. “Let’s let it go on forever.”
While the Steelers fell the next week to Miami in the AFC championship, Pittsburgh was on its way to becoming the dominant team of the 1970s, twice winning back-to-back Super Bowls, first after the 1974 and 1975 seasons and again after the 1978 and 1979 seasons.
And it all began with a play that shifted the fortunes of a franchise and, in some ways, a region.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years, that’s a long time,” Harris said in September when the team announced it would retire his number. “And to have it so alive, you know, is still thrilling and exciting. It really says a lot. It means a lot.”
Harris, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound workhorse from Penn State, found himself in the center of it all. He churned for a then-record 158 yards rushing and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 16-6 victory over Minnesota in Super Bowl IX on his way to winning the game’s Most Valuable Player award. He scored at least once in three of the four Super Bowls he played in, and his 354 career yards rushing on the NFL’s biggest stage remains a record nearly four decades after his retirement.
“One of the kindest, gentlest men I have ever known,” Hall of Famer Tony Dungy, a teammate of Harris’ in Pittsburgh in the late 1970s, posted on Twitter. “He was a great person & great teammate. Hall of Fame player but so much more than that. A tremendous role model for me!”
Born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on March 7, 1950, Harris played collegiately at Penn State, where his primary job was to open holes for backfield mate Lydell Mitchell. The Steelers, in the final stages of a rebuild led by Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll, saw enough in Harris to make him the 13th overall pick in the 1972 draft.
“When (Noll) drafted Franco Harris, he gave the offense heart, he gave it discipline, he gave it desire, he gave it the ability to win a championship in Pittsburgh,” Steelers Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann said of his frequent roommate on team road trips.
Harris’ impact was immediate. He won the NFL’s Rookie of the Year award in 1972 after rushing for a then-team-rookie record 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Steelers reached the postseason for just the second time in franchise history.
The city’s large Italian-American population embraced Harris immediately, led by two local businessmen who founded what became known as “Franco’s Italian Army,” a nod to Harris’ roots as the son of an African-American father and an Italian mother.
The “Immaculate Reception” made Harris a star, though he typically preferred to let his play and not his mouth do the talking. On a team that featured big personalities in Bradshaw, defensive tackle Joe Greene and linebacker Jack Lambert among others, the intensely quiet Harris spent 12 seasons as the engine that helped Pittsburgh’s offense go.
Eight times he topped 1,000 yards rushing in a season, including five times while playing a 14-game schedule. He piled up an additional 1,556 yards rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns in the playoffs, both second all-time behind Smith.
Despite his gaudy numbers, Harris stressed that he was just one cog in an extraordinary machine that redefined greatness.
“You see, during that era, each player brought their own little piece with them to make that wonderful decade happen,” Harris said during his Hall of Fame speech in 1990. “Each player had their strengths and weaknesses, each their own thinking, each their own method, just each, each had their own. But then it was amazing, it all came together, and it stayed together to forge the greatest team of all times.”
Harris also made it a habit to stick up for his teammates. When Bradshaw took what Harris felt was an illegal late hit from Dallas linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson in the second half of their meeting in the Super Bowl following the 1978 season, Harris basically demanded that Bradshaw give him the ball on the next play. All Harris did was sprint up the middle 22 yards – right by Henderson – for a touchdown that gave the Steelers an 11-point lead they would not relinquish on their way to their third championship in six years.
Despite all of his success, his time in Pittsburgh ended acrimoniously when the Steelers cut him after he held out during training camp before the 1984 season. Noll, who leaned on Harris so heavily for so long, famously answered “Franco who?” when asked about Harris’ absence from the team’s camp at Saint Vincent College.
Harris signed with Seattle, running for just 170 yards in eight games before being released in midseason. He retired as the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher behind Walter Payton and Jim Brown.
“I don’t even think about that (anymore),” Harris said in 2006. “I’m still black and gold.”
Harris remained in Pittsburgh following his retirement, opening a bakery and becoming heavily involved in several charities, including serving as the chairman of “Pittsburgh Promise,” which provides college scholarship opportunities for Pittsburgh Public School students.
Reflecting on Harris’ legacy on Tuesday, before Harris’ death, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called it “an honor to be in proximity to it, to know the man involved.”
Harris is survived by his wife, Dana Dokmanovich, and son Dok.
Titans sign 3rd QB with Tannehill nursing sprained ankle
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee rookie Malik Willis appears closer to making his third start this season with the Titans signing Joshua Dobbs off the Detroit practice squad Wednesday.
Veteran Ryan Tannehill proved his toughness taping up his sprained right ankle yet again after being carted to the locker room last week.
Tannehill returned and finished the game, running for a touchdown that tied it up with 48 seconds left before a 17-14 road loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Titans (7-7) hold a one-game lead atop the AFC South that has dwindled from four. They host the Houston Texans (1-12-1) on Saturday.
Tannehill was listed among nine who did not practice Tuesday in an walkthrough on an injury report with 18 players. Left tackle Dennis Daley was the only one of the five starting offensive linemen not on the report with an injury.
If Willis starts, it would be his second against the same team. He started Oct. 30 in a 17-10 win against Houston where the Titans ran the ball and the third-round draft pick out of Liberty threw only one pass in the second half. That was because Tannehill first sprained his right ankle in a win Oct. 23 against Indianapolis.
13-1 Eagles lead the way with 8 players in Pro Bowl Games
(AP) — The NFL-leading Philadelphia Eagles had a league-best eight players, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, selected for the first Pro Bowl Games.
The league announced rosters for the NFC and AFC on Wednesday. Players from both conferences will compete in weeklong skills competitions culminated with a flag football game on Sunday, February 5, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The NFL eliminated its full-contact all-star game in September.
Kansas City and Dallas each had seven players chosen for the Games. San Francisco and Baltimore are next with six. Only two teams – Jacksonville and Chicago – aren’t represented on the initial rosters.
Joining Hurts from the Eagles (13-1) are wide receiver A.J. Brown, running back Miles Sanders, right tackle Lane Johnson, center Jason Kelce, left guard Landon Dickerson, linebacker Haason Reddick and cornerback Darius Slay. Hurts, Sanders, Dickerson and Reddick are first-timers. It’s Kelce’s sixth, Slay’s fifth and Johnson’s fourth. Sanders and Reddick were selected as backups.
Patrick Mahomes is the AFC’s starting quarterback. Josh Allen and Joe Burrow are his backups. Kirk Cousins and Geno Smith are backing up Hurts.
Smith is a first-time pick in his 10th season in the NFL. He’s the first quarterback since Rich Gannon (1999) to earn his first Pro Bowl selection in Year 10 or later of his career.
Trent Williams, the 49ers’ left tackle, was chosen for the 10th time. Aaron Donald became the first defensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first nine seasons. He’s the only representative from the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angels Rams (4-10).
Miami’s Tyreek Hill was selected to his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl, joining A.J. Green as the only wide receivers to earn Pro Bowl honors in each of their first seven seasons.
Twenty-five of the 88 players selected are first-timers, including rookie cornerbacks Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets and Tariq Woolen of the Seattle Seahawks. It’s the second time two rookie cornerbacks made the initial Pro Bowl roster. The first occurred in 1982 when Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and Everson Walls made it.
Saquon Barkley is the NFC’s starting running back. Sanders and Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard are the backups. Nick Chubb is the AFC’s starting running back. Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs back him up.
The NFC’s starting wideouts are Brown and Justin Jefferson. CeeDee Lamb and Terry McLaurin also made the squad. The AFC’s starting receivers are Hill and Stefon Diggs.
Davante Adams and Ja’Marr Chase also made the roster.
George Kittle starts at tight end for the NFC and T.J. Hockenson made the team after a midseason trade from Detroit to Minnesota.
AFC starting tight end Travis Kelce made the team for the eighth time. Mark Andrews backs him up.
The roster selections were determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches.
Each group’s vote counted one-third toward determining the teams. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-stars. It was also the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995.
Peyton Manning will coach the AFC team while Eli Manning guides the NFC. Ray Lewis serves as the defensive coordinator for the AFC. DeMarcus Ware handles the role for the NFC.
International Flag football stars Vanita Krouch and Diana Flores were named as offensive coordinators.
The AFC and NFC will start off with five skills competitions on Feb. 2. On Sunday, there will be three flag football games and three additional skills competitions between the two conferences.
The winner of each skills competition earns three points for his conference. There are eight total skills competitions worth a total of 24 available points.
The winner of each of the first two flag games earns six points for his conference. The first two flag games are worth a total of 12 available points.
Points from the eight skills competitions and first two flag games are added together and that will be the score at the beginning of the third and final flag game. The third flag game will determine the overall winner of the Pro Bowl Games.
The flag games will feature a traditional AFC vs. NFC matchup with 27 skill position players available from the full roster for each conference.
Each team will also have one center available on their roster. The game will be played 7 on 7.
Each game will be 20 minutes in length, with two, 10-minute halves on a 50-yard field with two 10-yard end zones.
Touchdowns are worth six points. There are two different options for post-touchdown conversions: 1-point conversion from the 3-yard line and 2-point conversion from the 10-yard line. Safeties and returned 1- or 2-point conversion attempts are worth 2 points.
QB Shedeur Sanders, CB Travis Hunter following Prime to CU
(AP) — Deion Sanders’ quarterback and top recruit at Jackson State are following Coach Prime to Colorado.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, was among Colorado’s first class of signees Wednesday with its new coach.
Later Wednesday, cornerback Travis Hunter announced on his YouTube channel that he, too, would be transferring to the Buffaloes.
“I committed to Coach Prime at Jackson State when he was there, and I want to honor my commitment and stay with him,” Hunter said. “I’ve got to stay with my dawg.”
Hunter was one of the highest rated recruits in the Class of 2022. His signing with FCS Jackson State, flipping from a verbal commitment to Florida State, was an unprecedented move. No five-star recruit had ever signed with an FCS school out of high school.
Deion Sanders spent three seasons at Jackson State, winning two Southwestern Athletic Conference titles. He was hired by Colorado earlier this month and in his first meeting wit his new team, he told the players he planned to bring some of his Jackson State players to Boulder.
“I’m bringing my luggage with me, and it’s Louis (Vuitton),’ Sanders said.
Shedeur Sanders passed for 3,752 yards and 40 touchdowns for Jackson State (12-1) this season.
Hunter played eight games at both cornerback and receiver. He intercepted two passes on defense and caught 18 passes, including four for touchdowns, on offense.
Colorado also announced the signing of Jackson State transfer Tyler Brown, an offensive tackle and third-team FCS All-American.
Colorado, coming off a 1-11 season, signed 16 recruits from high school and junior college on Wednesday.
Most notably, the Buffs signed running back Dylan Edwards, a four-star recruit from Kansas who was previously verbally committed to Notre Dame, and receiver Adam Hopkins, a four-star from Georgia who was committed to Auburn.
Nets score 91 in 1st half, wallop weary Warriors 143-113
NEW YORK (AP) Jacque Vaughn wasn’t aware his Brooklyn Nets had the best first half in their history.
One of the best in NBA history, actually.
Kevin Durant scored 23 points, all but two in a 91-point first half that was the third-biggest in the league, and the Nets routed the Golden State Warriors 143-113 on Wednesday to send the reigning champions staggering home with their second blowout loss in two nights in New York.
“That’s what happens when you come to work and you’re ready to work from the beginning,” Vaughn said.
With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins all sidelined, the Warriors finished 1-5 on their trip to the East and will hope to get healthy before they have to get back on the court on Christmas against Memphis.
Curry will remain sidelined by a shoulder injury, but Wiggins could be back, and the Warriors will take all the help they can get after trailing by 44 in this one.
“It’s the Warriors,” Durant said. “You always respect them no matter who’s on the floor. They have a championship system and championship players.”
The Nets matched a franchise record with nine players in double figures and won their seventh straight, even with Kyrie Irving out with right calf tightness.
James Wiseman scored a career-high 30 points on 12-for-14 shooting for the Warriors, who lost by 38 points to the Knicks on Tuesday night.
The Nets had to come from 18 and then 19 points down in their last two victories, but this one was over not long after the Warriors’ bus finally arrived after some New York holiday traffic.
The Nets made 11 of their first 12 shots and by the time the first quarter was over it was 46-17, a 29-point differential that was the largest in any period in the NBA this season.
Coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors’ early turnovers – they finished with 21 that led to 36 points – helped the Nets get going.
“And then they made everything,” Kerr said. “They were phenomenal in the first half.”
It was 68-31 when Durant was whistled for a technical foul for his sideline celebration after Ben Simmons slammed down a long lob pass. The Warriors scored the next seven in one of their only highlights of the night before Brooklyn extended it to 91-51 at the half on Durant’s 3-pointer.
Phoenix set the NBA record with 107 points in the first half against Denver on Nov. 10, 1990. The Warriors – with Durant playing for them – scored 92 against Chicago on Oct. 29. 2018.
Simmons got the first two baskets of the third for the largest lead at 95-51, but Durant was 1 for 8 playing all 12 minutes as the Nets managed only 18 points in the period.
TOGETHER AGAIN?
Kerr hopes to have Durant on his side again on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. Durant is the leading scorer in U.S. men’s history and Kerr said USA Basketball leadership hopes he will play in Paris, where he could become the first man to win four basketball gold medals.
“That would be nice,” said Kerr, who joked he would “most likely pull him aside tonight” to make a recruiting pitch. “I mean, he’s been so dominant with Team USA and like I said, he’s a guy who just, he loves to play. So we’re hoping he decides to keep going.”
Durant said it was too early to make his decision.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State starts an eight-game homestand Sunday. … Wiggins has missed the last eight games with a right groin strain. … Kerr had no update on the status of Donte DiVincenzo (illness unrelated to COVID-19) or JaMychal Green (health and safety protocols).
Nets: Brooklyn has won 11 of its last 12 games. … The Nets’ most lopsided quarter was a 32-point advantage (48-16) in the fourth against Detroit on March 9, 1980.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host Memphis on Sunday.
Nets: Host Milwaukee on Friday.
Mitchell scores 36, leads Cavs past Giannis, Bucks 114-106
CLEVELAND (AP) On their third try, the Cavaliers didn’t collapse against the Bucks.
Donovan Mitchell wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Mitchell scored 36 points and Cleveland finally put together a complete game against Milwaukee, withstanding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s season-high 45-point performance in a 114-106 victory Wednesday night.
Darius Garland added 23 points and Jarrett Allen had 19 for the young Cavs, who lost their first two games against the Eastern Conference’s top team this season – both times caving in the third quarter and losing by 15 in Milwaukee.
Cleveland didn’t stumble in the third this time, and held on in the fourth as Antetokounmpo brought Milwaukee back.
“You get up 20, 21 against a team like this, its hard to keep them down,” Mitchell said. “They’re going to continue to fight. There’s no way they just roll over especially a team like this, especially trying to send a message to an Eastern Conference opponent.
“When you go against a team that’s been together for this long after the two games we had over there to come here and protect home court. That’s big time.”
Mitchell has transformed the Cavs into a playoff team, and perhaps one capable of going deep in the postseason.
“The Cavs are very, very dangerous,” Antetokounmpo said. “They have great players and a great system. I don’t see any reason for them not to get into the playoffs and have a good run – not against us, though.”
Mitchell scored 15 points in the third as the Cavs opened a 24-point lead. But Antetokounmpo wasn’t done and the Bucks chipped away to close within five on Pat Connaughton’s 3-pointer with 2:21 left.
“I was just trying to be aggressive,” said Antetokounmpo, who missed his first three free throws but finished 11 of 16 from the line. “When I’m aggressive, I know I can make the right play. I was just trying to do anything to spark the team.”
But the Cavs held on down the stretch thanks to Mitchell, who went 9 of 9 from the free-throw line in the fourth as Cleveland closed out the Bucks and perhaps sent a message in the process. Mitchell made 15 of 16 free throws.
The Cavs improved the NBA’s best home record to 16-2, matching their start in the 2016 championship season. They also displayed maturity in not making the same mistakes as in their first two matchups.
“We held our poise,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “They’re a championship team. They’re not going to give in. They’re going to make their runs. In the past we haven’t been able to sustain their runs. Tonight was a great step for us.”
Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer is impressed by the Cavs’ growth.
“With the addition of Mitchell, everyone has the ultimate respect for those guys,” Budenholzer said. “They’re not surprising anyone at this point, they’ve earned everyone’s respect around the league.”
Antetokounmpo scored 24 points in the second half and added 14 rebounds. Brook Lopez had 14 points for the Bucks, who were without injured All-Star forward Khris Middleton.
“Giannis was phenomenal tonight,” Budenholzer said. “He put the team on his back and had an aggressive mindset the whole game. If he saw a crack tonight, he busted it. But there are times when even he can’t get through five guys.
“If we make 1-2 more shots, maybe we get over the hump.”
BANKS ARE OPEN
Mitchell banked in a 39-foot 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in the third quarter only to be matched by Jrue Holiday, who kissed one off the glass from the same distance at the horn.
The two guards shared a laugh and playfully patted each other on the back.
“I couldn’t help but laugh,” said Mitchell, who said the basketball gods punished him for enjoying his make. “That’s what you get when you celebrate too early.”
TIP-INS
Bucks: Holiday finished with nine points, nine rebound and eight assists. … Milwaukee didnt record its first assist until midway through the second quarter. … Middleton missed his third straight game and a timetable for his return is unclear. The three-time All-Star has been limited to seven games after undergoing offseason wrist surgery.
Cavaliers: Mobley is one of four players averaging at least 15 points, nine rebounds, 2.5 assists and one block. Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis are the others. … F Lamar Stevens (knee) missed his third straight game with soreness.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Visit Brooklyn on Friday night.
Cavaliers: Host Toronto on Friday night.
Ayo Dosunmu beats buzzer, Bulls beat Hawks 110-108
ATLANTA (AP) Ayo Dosunmu banked in a putback jumper as time expired and the Chicago Bulls rallied after blowing an 18-point lead to win their second straight game, 110-108 over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Dosunmu inbounded a pass from the Chicago sideline with four seconds remaining to DeMar DeRozan, who missed a jumper with an airball from the left baseline with De’Andre Hunter defending, but Dosunmu was in place to grab the rebound to beat John Collins to the ball in the paint and score at the buzzer.
“Once I hit DeMar and once he got into his shot, I was hoping he was going to make it but I wanted to get around the rim just in case – we’ve lost some games like that this year – so I wanted to get around rim and just try to use my instincts if it came to me,” Dosunmu said. “If it went in good, if not I’d be there.”
DeRozan led Chicago with 28 points, Zach LaVine added 22 points and Nikola Vucevic had 20.
Trae Young scored 34 points for Atlanta, and Dejounte Murray had 15 points and 10 assists.
Rookie AJ Griffin made a corner 3-pointer to make it 88-87 and give the Hawks their first lead with 9:31 remaining. The rookie followed with a right-wing 3 at the 7:48 mark to put Atlanta up 95-90, and the Hawks led until LaVine hit consecutive jumpers to make it 106-104 with 44.7 seconds remaining.
“We did a good job of staying in the game and making the plays and making the shots,” LaVine said. “I think you just credit everyone for being confident in what they do, and it was a good win.”
Consecutive alley-oop dunks by Onyeka Okongwu, who finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, made it 108-all, but Dosunmu had the final say.
“It felt good leaving my hands, but I’m glad I air-balled it, and Ayo was in the right place at the right time,” DeRozan said. “He got the job done.”
Young hit a season-high seven 3-pointers for the Hawks, who overcame a sloppy shooting in the first half by chipping away at the lead in the third and finally taking control with a 19-7 run in the fourth.
“We fought our way back into it,” Young said. “Just came up two points short. I was just in a rhythm, the first few shots went in. I’ve been working to get in a rhythm and I’ve been doing the same routine. I’ve got to be better on shooting from the field, but it was good to see my 3s go in.”
DeRozan was pleased to win in this fashion after Chicago lost 123-122 in overtime on a buzzer-beater two weeks ago in Atlanta.
“It was crazy,” he said. “This time fate smiled our way.”
LaVine admired his team’s tenacity to overcome an eight-point deficit with five minutes to go after blowing the 18-point lead.
“It’s how you respond,” LaVine said. “I think we all talk about we had to do what we had to do and we put together some good quarters. We made some mistakes but we played for each other and came out with the last-second win and got them back at the buzzer.”
TIP-INS
Bulls: Alex Caruso got tangled up and hit the floor late in the second. He stayed down on his back for a minute before play was halted, sat up and walked off the floor under his own power. He was later diagnosed with a concussion.
Hawks: Young, who had 16 points in the first quarter and 13 in the second, began the game as the only NBA player averaging at least 25 points and 10 assists.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At New York on Friday night.
Hawks: Host Detroit on Friday night.
Sabonis leads balanced scoring as Kings beat Lakers 134-120
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Domantas Sabonis had 13 points, 21 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 134-120 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
Sabonis recorded his second triple-double of the season to go along with nine straight double-doubles and his NBA-leading 22 this year.
“He’s been rebounding the crap out of the ball,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “Even if he didn’t get stats, how hard that he plays is unbelievable.”
All of Sacramento’s starters scored in double figures. Rookie Keegan Murray matched his career high with 23 points. Kevin Huerter scored 26 points and Harrison Barnes added 20.
“Today especially we just played desperate and I feel like our starting five did that very well,” Murray said. “We just stuck together and went on runs and that was big for us.”
LeBron James scored 31 points and De’Aaron Fox added 22 points and six assists. Fox was ejected with 3:09 left in the game after receiving two technical fouls.
“I’m going to show up to work and be ready to go,” James said. “I’m going to lead the guys on the floor when I’m on the floor.”
The Kings have consecutive wins over the Lakers in a season for the first time since 2015-16, when Sacramento won all four against Los Angeles. After an 0-4 start to the season, Sacramento has won 17 of 26.
The Kings trailed by one after the first quarter and used a 41-point outburst in the second and a 40-point effort in the third to take a lead. Sacramento, which lost its first game back home to Charlotte on Monday after a six-game trip, is in the midst of a six-game homestand to close out 2022.
James has scored 30 points or more in five straight games for the Lakers. All five Lakers starters scored in double-digits. Lonnie Walker lV scored 19 points, Dennis Schroder had 18 and Thomas Bryant added 17 points and 10 rebounds.
“We have to be more competitive and give more effort,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “We will figure it out. That’s why we have put together a great staff like we have done.”
TIP-INS
Lakers: Los Angeles ruled out G Russell Westbrook (left foot soreness), G Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) and F Anthony Davis (right foot) before the game. Darvin Ham was given a technical foul with 7:38 left.
Kings: Sacramento went 17 for 31 from the line in a loss to Charlotte earlier this week. The Kings went 21 for 28 (75%) from line Wednesday. Sacramento improved to 5-0 when Murray scores 20 or more points.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host Charlotte on Friday.
Kings: Host Washington on Friday.
Knicks’ NBA-leading 8-game win streak ends versus Raptors
NEW YORK (AP) Pascal Siakam scored a career-high 52 points and the Toronto Raptors snapped the New York Knicks’ NBA-leading eight-game winning streak 113-106 Wednesday night.
“It’s cool,” Siakam said of posting his first 50-point game at Madison Square Garden. “I’m not a super basketball historian. I didn’t start basketball until a little late, but I know how special this building is, and I think that for me the most important thing is that my team needed every bucket for us to win, which is the most important thing to me.”
Siakam added nine rebounds and seven assists in 41 minutes as Toronto snapped its six-game skid. Fred VanVleet scored 28 points and OG Anunoby had 15 as the Raptors won for the fourth time in 16 road games. It was their first win away from home since Nov. 14.
“We just wanted to get a win,” Siakam said. “For us, it just felt good to get a win, and the most important thing is to build on it.”
R.J. Barrett scored with 30 points and Julius Randle finished with 30 points and had 13 rebounds. Immanuel Quickley added 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting in his first start of the season.
“I thought Quickley played a really solid game,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “The way he’s shooting the ball, we knew that would come around for him. He’s not hesitating. He’s letting it go.”
Toronto led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter before the Knicks used a 17-5 run to take a one-point lead at 102-101. New York limited Siakam to one field goal in the fourth quarter and held him to nine points in the period.
“It was tough and not unlike a lot of the games we’ve been in here lately,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. “We could’ve folded up a couple of times in the second half and kept answering back.”
VanVleet specifically picked up the slack for Toronto, hitting two 3-pointers and scoring 10 points in the fourth. Toronto closed the game on a 12-5 run.
The Knicks had allowed an average of 98 points during their win streak, but no answer for Siakam, who nearly matched his career high (44 points) by scoring 43 in three quarters. Siakam had 34 points total in the second and third quarters, including Toronto’s final 17 points over a seven-minute span in the third.
Siakam scored 26 in the first half, including eight during an 11-0 run in the second quarter that turned a one-point game to a double-digit Toronto lead. Siakam had 17 of the Raptors’ 35 points in the second, and Anunoby had seven points in the second.
“I didn’t think he was that involved in the game offensively, and then he got super-involved,” Nurse said of Anunoby. “He just started making some big drives and some strong finishes.”
Barrett kept New York in the game by scoring 19 points in the first half. Despite shooting 53% in the first half, the Knicks had 11 turnovers and trailed by as many as 14 in the first period and by 10 at halftime.
But New York took the lead with a 13-2 run that was keyed by Quickley’s two 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
The NBA announced it docked the Knicks a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft after “finding that (they) engaged in free agency discussions involving Jalen Brunson prior to the date such discussions were permitted.” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau refused to comment on the matter. . Toronto guard Gary Trent, Jr. (quad) and center Khem Birch (non-COVID illness) did not play. Trent missed his fourth straight game. . New York guard Quentin Grimes (ankle) missed his first game since Nov. 16 after sustaining the injury against Golden State on Tuesday.
UP NEXT:
Toronto: At Cleveland on Friday.
New York: Host Chicago on Friday.
AP source: Mets swoop, snatch Correa for $315M, 12-year deal
(AP) — In a wild twist overnight, Carlos Correa agreed to a $315 million, 12-year contract with the free-spending New York Mets after his pending deal with the San Francisco Giants came apart over an issue with his physical.
The agreement with the Mets was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical. Details were first reported by the New York Post.
“We need one more thing, and this is it,” Mets owner Steve Cohen told The Post from Hawaii. “This puts us over the top.”
Correa, an All-Star shortstop, would play third base for the Mets, with buddy Francisco Lindor remaining at shortstop.
“This really makes a big difference,” Cohen told The Post. “I felt like our pitching was in good shape. We needed one more hitter.”
Correa’s addition would increase the Mets’ luxury tax payroll next year to the $385 million range, putting them on track to pay a record tax of about $110 million – more than double the current high of $44 million set by the 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers. The estimates would change if Correa’s deal contains deferred money or if New York trades players.
Correa would cost the Mets $49.88 million next year in salary and tax, if there is no deferred money in the deal.
The Giants postponed a news conference Tuesday to introduce Correa after a medical concern arose during his physical, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.
Correa and the Giants agreed on Dec. 13 to a $350 million, 13-year deal, subject to a successful physical, one of the people said. One person confirmed that Tuesday’s conference was put on hold because the sides were awaiting the results of testing. A second person said a medical issue was flagged during Correa’s physical.
Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi confirmed Wednesday that there was indeed a concern raised during the physical. Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, struck a deal with Cohen and the Mets less than 24 hours later.
“While we are prohibited from disclosing confidential medical information, as Scott Boras stated publicly, there was a difference of opinion over the results of Carlos’ physical examination,” Zaidi said in a statement. “We wish Carlos the best.”
New York was in talks with Correa and still pursuing him just before he agreed to sign with the Giants, The Post reported.
“We kind of picked up where we were before and it just worked out,” Cohen told the newspaper.
Major League Baseball and the players’ association instituted a new fourth luxury tax threshold last winter, dubbed the “Cohen Tax” because it was aimed at Cohen. The added threshold starts at $293 million in 2023, and the Mets will pay at a 90% rate because they will owe tax for the second straight year.
New York won 101 regular-season games last season, the second-most in franchise history, and lost to San Diego in the wild-card playoff round.
Correa, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, has a .279 career batting average with 155 homers and 553 RBIs in eight big league seasons. He also has been a stellar postseason performer, with 18 homers and 59 RBIs in 79 games.
Just about the only knock on Correa’s resume is durability. He has played at least 150 games in a season only once because of various injuries.
Correa was a free agent one year ago after leaving the Houston Astros, and he reached a $105.3 million deal with the Minnesota Twins. That agreement gave the two-time All-Star the right to opt out after one year and $35.1 million to hit the market again.
The 28-year-old Correa terminated his deal and went back on the free-agent market.
Correa hit .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in his one season with Minnesota.
He was selected by Houston with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft, and he played a key role in the Astros’ rise from the bottom of the AL West to the franchise’s first World Series title in 2017.
The Astros’ championship was tainted by a sign-stealing scheme, and Correa has been booed lustily in some cities since the scandal surfaced.
Judge appointed Yankees captain after reaching longterm deal
NEW YORK (AP) Aaron Judge stood for photo after photo as if at a wedding. And in a way it was: He had gotten hitched to the New York Yankees for the rest of his baseball life.
Judge posed with his wife, parents, Yankees management, agents and even Derek Jeter and Willie Randolph, and discussed his $360 million, nine-year contract and owner Hal Steinbrenner’s decision to appoint him the team’s 16th captain – the first since Jeter retired.
“It’s family. The fans are family,” Judge said, thinking about joining Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Jeter and Mariano Rivera as Yankees lifers. “Just getting this chance to build this relationship with everybody, that’s what I’m all about.”
Judge was at his parents’ home in California when the deal fell into place early Dec. 7. With San Francisco and San Diego also pursuing Judge, Steinbrenner interrupted a vacation, pulling over on a highway between Milan and the French border to speak with Judge at about 3 a.m. PST.
“He shot me a message earlier about, `What’s the holdup? What’s it going to take to get this to the finish line?’ So we hopped on a quick call,” Judge said.
Steinbrenner increased New York’s offer from an eight-year deal to a nine-year agreement.
Just before Opening Day, Judge had turned down the Yankees’ offer of $213.5 million over seven years through 2029. Steinbrenner called Judge on Oct. 24 – the day after Houston eliminated the Yankees – to jumpstart talks, and invited the outfielder to his home in Tampa, Florida.
“One of the conversations we had two weeks ago, I actually said to him, `As far as I’m concerned, you are not a free agent, you are a Yankee, and we need to do everything we can to ensure that remains the same,'” Steinbrenner said.
Judge had not been aware of rumors that he was headed to the Giants: “I was actually on a plane, so I really kind of missed all the stuff going on about where I would go.”
Judge, the reigning American League MVP after setting an AL record with 62 homers. gets $40 million annually, a full no-trade provision and a hotel suite on road trips.
“I get a chance to continue something the Yankees are so big on, which is legacy,” Judge said. “I get a chance to continue my legacy here in pinstripes, the best city in the world, the best baseball city, in front of the best fans.”
New York had six previous captains in the Steinbrenner family era: Thurman Munson (1976-79), Graig Nettles (1982-84), Willie Randolph (1986-88), Ron Guidry (1986-89), Don Mattingly (1991-95) and Jeter (2003-14).
“Not only great baseball players, but great ambassadors of the game and great ambassadors of the New York Yankees,” Judge said of the former captains. “How they pride themselves on the field, day in and day out, how they take pride in what they do off the field and represent this organization and represent these pinstripes. This is an incredible honor I don’t take lightly.”
Judge sat on a dais at Yankee Stadium between his wife, Samantha, and Steinbrenner. Flanking them were Jeter; Judge’s agent, Page Odle; Yankees president Randy Levine; general manager Brian Cashman; manager Aaron Boone and chief operating officer Lonn Trost.
Judge homered in his first big league at-bat for the Yankees in 2016, and the 6-foot-7 outfielder has become a larger-than-life figure in the Bronx. He was voted AL Rookie of the Year in 2017 and helped New York reach the playoffs in each of the last six seasons.
A four-time All-Star, he hit .311 this year and tied for the major league lead with 131 RBIs.
“Yankee fans are big on history and tradition,” Jeter said. “It’s not a title that’s thrown around too lightly.”
He was made captain in June 2003 by owner George Steinbrenner. Hal Steinbrenner took over from his father as the Yankees’ controlling owner in November 2008.
Earlier Yankees captains included Clark Griffith (1903-05), Kid Elberfeld (1906-08), Willie Keeler (1909), Hal Chase (1910-11), Frank Chance (1913 to midseason), Rollie Zelder (1913 midseason until end), Roger Peckinpaugh (1914-21), Babe Ruth (1922) and Gehrig (1935-39).
Judge smiled when asked whether he seriously considered leaving New York.
“I got a chance to sit down with my wife and talk about a couple of things,” he said. “We both kind of came to the decision that was in our heart, which was we belong in New York, we belong in the city. And there’s a lot of unfinished business here in New York. And I’m looking forward to finishing that business. and try to leave a legacy here for the next group of guys coming behind me.”
Red Wings snap 6 game skid, take down Tampa Bay 7-4
DETROIT (AP) Rookie forward Elmer Soderblom’s fourth goal of the season snapped a tie early in the third period and gave the Detroit Red Wings the lead for good as they downed the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-4 on Wednesday.
The Red Wings ended a season-high six-game losing streak (0-4-2). Their previous victory was a 4-2 verdict over the Lightning at Tampa Bay on Dec. 6. The Lightning are 7-3 in their last 10 games, with Detroit accounting for two of those losses.
“I think overall everyone was competing, getting to their spots and it just went well for us,” Detroit’s Michael Rasmussen said.
Tampa Bay goalie Brian Elliott retrieved a loose puck behind his net and attempted to rim it around the boards. Detroit center Joe Veleno intercepted the puck and quickly fed Soderblom for the tap in into the vacated net 3:48 into the third.
Detroit captain Dylan Larkin scored midway through the final period, giving the Red Wings a 5-3 lead. It was his second goal of the night and team-leading 12th of the season.
“It feels really good, really good,” Larkin said. “It was just a massive two points for our hockey team. We need to start getting some traction and start playing like this more often.”
After pulling Elliott for an extra attacker, Nikita Kucherov scored for the Lightning to narrow Detroit’s lead to a goal. David Perron and Rasmussen, with his second goal of the night, scored empty-net goals to ice the game for the Red Wings.
Larkin’s first goal, at 11:08 of the second period, gave the Red Wings their first lead of the game at 3-2. But Tampa Bay’s Ross Colton pounced on a turnover by Detroit forward Adam Erne just over two minutes later to tie.
Brayden Point and Alex Killorn scored in the first period to twice give Tampa Bay one-goal leads. However, Olli Maatta and Rasmussen responded for the Red Wings, and it was tied at 2 at the end of the period.
“They were obviously hungry after losing six straight, I think, but it was more than that,” Lightning forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said. “We started inviting them into the game a little and you can’t do that in this league.”
Elliott made 24 saves as he dropped to 8-2 on the season. Ville Husso had 34 stops in the Detroit net while ending a personal 0-3-2 slump.
“We were sitting here in an 0-4-2 stretch, but anyone that’s watched us, we’ve been better than that,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “I wouldn’t call it unlucky, but probably not complete in our game. I just thought we got what we deserved tonight.”
Tampa Bay went 0-for-5 on the power play, including a five-on-three advantage for 1:53 during the first period.
“If you let a two-minute 5-on-3 slide by, it is going to change the game,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “They got momentum off of it and we felt sorry for ourselves. What did Ted Lasso say? You have to have the memory of a goldfish.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Detroit has no timetable as to when forward Jakub Vrana might see game action. He rejoined the club last week after spending two months in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
UP NEXT
Lightning: Tampa Bay’s game at Buffalo on Friday was postponed due to an impending winter storm and rescheduled for March 4. The Lightning are off until Dec. 28 when they host the Montreal Canadiens.
Red Wings: At the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.
Roman Josi scores as Predators beat skidding Blackhawks 4-2
CHICAGO (AP) Roman Josi moved to the top of Nashville’s career points list on Wednesday night.
He celebrated by passing around credit for the accomplishment.
Josi had a goal and an assist, and the Predators handed Chicago its eighth straight loss with a 4-2 victory over the Blackhawks.
Thomas Novak, Matt Duchene and Nino Niederreiter also scored as Nashville earned its second straight win since a six-game slide. Juuse Saros made 37 stops, including a terrific right pad save on Patrick Kane with about 16 minutes left.
Josi’s two points gave him 567 for his 12-year career, one more than David Legwand for the top spot on the franchise list. The 32-year-old defenseman has seven goals and 18 assists in 31 games this season.
“I think it’s something I never dreamed of obviously when you first start in the NHL,” Josi said. “So many people that put a lot of trust in me, so many people I’m thankful for – teammates have been here for so long, staff. So yeah, it’s definitely a huge honor.”
Chicago dropped to 3-18-4 in its last 25 games. It has been outscored 35-9 during its eight-game slide, matching its longest losing streak of the season.
Connor Murphy and MacKenzie Entwistle scored for the last-place Blackhawks, and Petr Mrazek made 33 saves.
Chicago led 2-1 before Duchene scored his ninth goal with 5 seconds left in the second period. Mattias Ekholm found a streaking Duchene on the side of the net for an easy one-timer.
“That goal, it hurts, it stings,” first-year Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “But I thought we played pretty good in the second half of the second period offensively.”
Nashville went ahead to stay when Josi converted a backhand 1:27 into the third. Josi then got his record-breaking point when he assisted on Novak’s power-play goal at 6:09.
“What an accomplishment by him,” said Novak, who scored his second career goal in his second game of the season with the Predators. “He’s just an outstanding player.”
Chicago went 0 for 4 on the power play.
Nashville jumped in front when Niederreiter scored 9:23 into the first period, sending a shot from the high slot past Mrazek on the goaltender’s glove side. It was Niederreiter’s 11th goal of the season.
Nashville forward Tanner Jeannot then received a double minor for a high stick to the face of Chicago defenseman Jake McCabe. But the Blackhawks came up empty on the ensuing power play, and McCabe never returned to the game.
“He got a few stitches and I think they just had to check out the eye,” Richardson said. “They put some dye in to do all those tests and checks, and they came back tonight and said he should be fine going forward.”
The Blackhawks got on the board in the second, scoring two goals in 37 seconds for their first lead since a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Dec. 3.
Murphy got one when his long slap shot went off Nashville’s Cody Glass on its way to the net at 16:03. Entwistle then made it 2-1 when his shot went off the stick and right leg of Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon before fluttering past Saros on the glove side.
HE’S BACK
Nashville defenseman Ryan McDonagh was activated from injured reserve and played in his first game since he was struck in the nose on a shot by Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov on Dec. 2.
WORTH NOTING
Blackhawks defenseman Isaak Phillips played in his first NHL game this season. He was recalled from the minors on Monday when defenseman Jarred Tinordi was placed on IR with a facial fracture.
UP NEXT
Predators: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
Blackhawks: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.
Pelé’s cancer worsens, kidneys and heart affected
SAO PAULO (AP) Pele’s health has worsened during his hospital stay to regulate his cancer medication, doctors said Wednesday.
The Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement Wednesday that Pele’s cancer has advanced and that the 82-year-old Brazilian soccer great is under “elevated care” related to “kidney and cardiac dysfunctions.”
The hospital did not mention any signs of the three-time World Cup winner’s recent respiratory infection, which was aggravated by COVID-19.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who is globally known as Pele, is undergoing chemotherapy in his fight against cancer since he had a colon tumor removed in September 2021. Neither his family nor the hospital have said whether it had spread to other organs.
Kely Nascimento, one of his daughters, said Pele will stay in the hospital during Christmas.
“We decided with doctors that, for many reasons, it will be best for us to stay here, with all the care that this new family at Einstein gives us,” she wrote on Instagram. “We will even make some caipirinhas (no kidding). We love you and we will give up an update next week.”
Newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported Saturday that Pele’s chemotherapy is not working and that doctors had decided to put him on palliative care. Pele’s family denied that report. The Associated Press could not confirm the newspaper’s information.
Pele led Brazil to victory the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups and remains one of the team’s all-time leading scorer with 77 goals. Neymar tied Pele’s record during the latest World Cup.
Several tributes and get-well soon wishes were made for the former footballer during the Qatar tournament, which was won by Argentina on Sunday.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
Colts bench Ryan for 2nd time, will give Foles starting job
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Nick Foles will replace 37-year-old Matt Ryan as the Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback, interim coach Jeff Saturday announced Wednesday.
The Colts will host the Chargers on Monday night.
Saturday made the move, four days after the Colts blew a 33-point lead in a 39-36 overtime loss at Minnesota – the largest comeback in NFL history. In Indy’s previous game, at Dallas, the Colts gave up 33 fourth-quarter points largely because of four turnovers.
The Colts (4-9-1) are hoping Foles can make more vertical plays and play with more efficiency than Ryan has this season. Ryan leads the NFL with 18 giveaways.
Foles has not taken a regular-season snap since Indy signed him as a backup during the offseason. He was the Super Bowl MVP when the Philadelphia Eagles won the world championship following the 2017 season.
Quenton Nelson Makes Colts History With 5th Consecutive Pro Bowl Selection
Colts left guard Quenton Nelson was named to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games roster Wednesday night – and made franchise history in the process.
Nelson is the only player in Colts history to be selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons in the NFL. Previously, Nelson and fullback Alan Ameche (1955-1958) were the only players in Colts history to earn spots in four consecutive Pro Bowls to begin their careers.
Nelson is also 35th player in NFL history to earn Pro Bowl berths in each of his first five seasons in the NFL, and is the ninth to do so in the last 20 years, joining running back Alvin Kamara (2017-2021), wide receiver Tyreek Hill (2016-2020), defensive tackle Aaron Donald (2014-2018), guard Zack Martin (2014-2018), cornerback Patrick Peterson (2011-2015), wide receiver A.J. Green (2011-2015), tackle Joe Thomas (2007-2011) and linebacker Patrick Willis (2007-2011).
Since his debut in 2018, Nelson has established himself as one of the most dominant, physical interior offensive linemen in the NFL. He has the sixth-highest Pro Football Focus pass blocking grade among guards with 500 or more snaps this season; from 2018-2022, Nelson is top 10 among guards in PFF overall grade, PFF pass blocking grade and PFF run blocking grade.
Nelson is the first Colts player to earn spots in five consecutive Pro Bowls since wide receiver Reggie Wayne (2006-2010) and the first offensive lineman to do so since Chris Hinton (1985-1989).
Game Rewind: Pacers 117, Celtics 112
Slow starts have been a problem for the Pacers for much of this season, but that wasn’t a concern on Wednesday night in Boston.
Indiana (16-16) dropped a season-high 42 points in the first quarter, led by 30 before halftime, and held on down the stretch for a 117-112 road win over the Celtics (22-9).
Tyrese Haliburton looked like an All-Star in the victory, scoring a team-high 33 points and dishing out eight assists to lead the Blue & Gold. The third-year point guard went 12-for-24 from the field and 6-for-13 from 3-point range on the night, helping Indiana overcome a 41-point performance by Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum.
“Just playing team basketball,” Haliburton told Bally Sports Indiana’s Jeremiah Johnson after the win as the key to Indiana’s fast start. “Getting stops. That’s one of the best teams in the NBA, so you’ve got to get stops in order to beat them. We were able to do that and play in transition.”
The Pacers actually started out cold on Wednesday night, hitting just one of their first nine shots as the Celtics took an early 8-2 lead. But the Blue & Gold found their stroke after the first timeout.
Out of the break, Haliburton connected with Buddy Hield, who buried a three. Tatum answered with a trey of his own on the other end, but then it was all Pacers.
Over the next three-plus minutes, Indiana reeled off 18 unanswered points — nine by Haliburton and five by Hield.
Sam Hauser’s layup with 4:12 remaining in the first quarter ended the Celtics’ drought, but the Pacers remained hot.
On their next three possessions, Myles Turner hit a three, Haliburton converted a layup, and then Haliburton found Turner for a dunk. In total, the Pacers made 12 straight field goals after their slow start.
Haliburton tallied 15 points and five assists in the first quarter and Chris Duarte’s three just before the buzzer gave Indiana a commanding 42-22 lead after one.
Indiana led 46-30 following Tatum’s dunk with 8:27 remaining in the second quarter. The Pacers’ defense then forced the Celtics into a cold spell. Boston missed its next seven shots and committed two turnovers as Indiana’s second unit scored 13 unanswered points to push the margin to 29 with 4:29 still remaining in the first half.
Haliburton’s three-point play with 4.2 seconds remaining in the first half pushed the lead to 71-41. Robert Williams III’s dunk as the buzzer sounded shaved two points off the margin, but provided little solace to the flummoxed home crowd heading into the intermission.
But Hield told Johnson “the game’s not over” during his halftime interview, and sure enough, the Celtics mounted a charge out of halftime.
Al Horford knocked down back-to-back threes on Boston’s first two possessions of the second half, but the Pacers managed to hold the hosts mostly at bay for several minutes in the third quarter. Indiana led 89-68 following Duarte’s 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining in the frame before the Celtics strung together a 10-0 run to climb within 11.
That’s where the margin remained entering the final minute of the frame. Oshae Brissett hit a three with 39.2 seconds left to extend Indiana’s lead to 94-80. Tatum answered with a three of his own mere seconds later. On the other end, after a broken play, Duarte drained his third three of the night with 8.5 seconds left in the frame.
Tatum then drew a foul and hit both foul shots with 5.4 seconds left in the quarter. Duarte took the ensuing inbound, weaved his way up the court, and banked in a contested three from deep on the left wing at the buzzer to give Indiana a 100-85 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Still, the Celtics’ 42-point third quarter (15 from Tatum) was enough to give the hosts hope entering the final frame.
Boston continued to claw away at Indiana’s lead, getting within single digits on Tatum’s three that made it 106-99 with 6:10 remaining.
From there, Haliburton and the Pacers delivered when it mattered to thwart the Celtics’ rally. With the margin still seven, Haliburton knocked down a three with 4:14 remaining. Boston climbed within five following Jaylen Brown’s 3-pointer with 3:06 to play, but Haliburton again answered with a trey and then connected with Turner for a dunk the next trip down the floor.
“These guys trust me with the ball in my hands,” Haliburton said. “Coaching staff trusts me with the ball in my hands. Just trying to make plays.”
That proved to be enough, as the Pacers held on for the win, buoyed by Haliburton’s brilliance.
“Tyrese Haliburton is our All-Star,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “In less than a year, he’s completely changed the trajectory of our franchise, he’s completely changed the vibe and direction of our franchise. Nights like tonight show the type of great young player that he is.”
In his first game against the team that drafted him in 2020, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith tallied 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Duarte added 14 points off the bench for Indiana on 4-of-5 3-point shooting, while Turner added 10 points, six boards, and three assists.
Brown recorded a double-double for Boston in the loss with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Former Pacer Malcolm Brogdon — dealt to the Celtics over the summer in the trade that brought Nesmith to Indiana — finished with 18 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
The Pacers will play once more before Christmas on Friday night in Miami. They won’t play again until Monday night in New Orleans before tipping off a four-game homestand on Tuesday.
Inside the Numbers
Indiana’s 42 points in the first quarter were four more than their previous high in the opening frame while Boston’s 22 points in the quarter were just one more than the season low by a Pacers opponent.
Haliburton’s 33 points were the second most he’s scored in a Pacers uniform, trailing only his 35-point performance against Brooklyn on Dec. 10.
In just his second game back from a sprained ankle that had sidelined him since Nov. 14, Duarte gave the Pacers a major boost off the bench. The second-year guard’s 14 points and four 3-pointers were both his second-highest totals in those respective categories this season.
Nesmith has reached double figures in three straight games and five of his last six contests. He has already played more minutes with the Pacers this season (628 over 28 games) than he did all of last season for the Celtics (574 over 52 contests).
Tatum’s 41 points matched the most by a player against the Pacers this season. Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell also had 41 in a win over Indiana in Cleveland on Friday. Tatum, who entered the night sixth in the league in scoring at 30.2 points per game, topped 40 points for the fourth time this season.
You Can Quote Me On That
“When you get rolling, when you start moving the ball, everybody’s making shots, it is contagious. The basket gets wide open for everybody.” -Nesmith on the Pacers’ strong start
“They’re not going to go away. They’re not going to lay down. They’ve got All-Stars, they’ve got great basketball players, a great coach, they’re a great team. They were in the Finals last year. We expect(ed) them to give us fight back. We’ve still got to figure out how to finish games. Being up 30 and winning by five is not acceptable.” -Haliburton on the Celtics’ late charge
“We were certainly aware that they were going to come out in the second half and put everything into making a furious run. They did. I was just really proud of the way we just hung tough and went through some difficult stretches but found ways to get stops, get the ball in the basket, and come out with a big win.” -Carlisle
“It was great to get him a win. We were talking about it, man. It’s just exciting to come here where you’ve been playing and come have a good game and try not to let the extracurricular stuff get (the best of you).” -Haliburton on Nesmith’s performance in his return to Boston
“He’s settling in nicely. He has fit in well in his opportunities to start with us. He loves the challenge of guarding guys like Brown and Tatum. He’s humble enough to know that it’s a process and you’ve just got to try to make it hard on those guys. But the way he approaches things every single day — just super consistent, always super positive, work, work, work, you have to kick him out of the gym…He’s a pleasure and he’s been a great addition to our team.” -Carlisle on the addition of Nesmith
“Doing what I do every night. Playing hard, taking my assignment on the defensive side very seriously and getting my energy from that side of the ball.” -Nesmith on his focus on Wednesday
“Just staying confident. I said it before, when the shot clock’s going down, I want that moment. Because nobody can say anything about you shooting a tough three or whatever, you’ve got to put it up somehow. I feel like that’s a good opportunity for me to put one up. I just love that moment.” -Duarte on his knack for hitting shots at the end of quarters
Stat of the Night
The Pacers’ 30-point lead before halftime was Indiana’s largest lead at any point this season.
Noteworthy
The Pacers won in Boston for the first time since March 11, 2018. Indiana had dropped five straight regular season games at TD Garden and seven straight contests overall including two playoff losses in a 2019 first-round series.
After starting the season 21-5, the Celtics have lost five of their last six contests.
Celtics starting point guard Marcus Smart missed Wednesday’s game with a non-COVID illness.
Pacers second-year forward Terry Taylor is in Las Vegas on assignment with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Taylor had 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting (3-of-6 from 3-point range) and seven rebounds in 26 minutes on Tuesday in a 134-96 win over Santa Cruz at the annual G League Showcase.
Up Next
The Pacers travel to Miami to take on Jimmy Butler and the Heat on Friday, Dec. 23 at 8:00 PM ET.
Tickets
The Pacers will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after Christmas to host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 7:30 PM ET.
Three Hoosiers Hear Names Called in MLS SuperDraft
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Three members of the Indiana men’s soccer program were selected in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft on Wednesday (Dec. 21).
In the first round, redshirt senior defender Daniel Munie was picked No. 10 overall by the San Jose Earthquakes and senior forward Herbert Endeley was chosen by FC Dallas in the No. 24 slot. Redshirt senior Ryan Wittenbrink also heard his name called by FC Dallas in the second round with the No. 53 overall pick.
“It was another exciting draft day with Daniel, Herb and Ryan all hearing their names called by MLS,” IU men’s soccer head coach Todd Yeagley said. “All three have shown great development during their time at IU, and they join a distinguished list of Hoosiers that have earned the opportunity to play professionally.”
Combining 48 draft picks, eight homegrown contracts, and four MLS Supplemental Draft picks, 56 total Hoosiers have been selected into MLS. Since 2019, 16 Indiana men’s soccer student-athletes have been selected by MLS teams via the draft (11) and homegrown contracts (5).
With Munie’s high selection, Indiana has the nation’s longest active streak of top-10 selections with six going back to Mason Toye’s No. 7 overall pick in 2018. Griffin Dorsey (2019), Jack Maher (2020), Josh Penn (2021) and Roman Celentano were also top-10 choices within their respective drafts. Fourteen Hoosiers have earned a top-10 selection in the 27-year history of the draft.
Munie made history this season as the first Hoosier to repeat as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. An All-American in 2021 and 2022, Munie has helped the Hoosiers extend a streak of seven straight seasons finishing top-11 nationally in shutouts. In 79 matches played, Munie was part of 41 clean sheets while never receiving a booking.
Endeley earned All-Big Ten honors in each of his four seasons in cream and crimson, starting with his Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection in 2019 before receiving second-team All-Big Ten in the three seasons following. He totaled 41 points via 12 goals and 17 assists in his collegiate career, and in four NCAA College Cup matches combined for two goals and one assist.
Totaling 52 points as a Hoosier, Wittenbrink broke out with a dynamic 2022 redshirt senior campaign as one of two players nationally to combine 10 goals with nine assists. He led the Hoosiers in both categories. For his performance, Wittenbrink was named to the NCAA Men’s College Cup and Big Ten All-Tournament teams, first-team All-Big Ten and earned eight team of the week selections between Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News.
All three players were part of two Big Ten regular season titles, two Big Ten Tournament Championships and two runs to the NCAA National Championship match.
No. 4/3 Hoosiers Defeat Butler 67-50 in Non-Conference Finale
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes poured in a game-high 21 points as the No. 4/3 Indiana women’s basketball team beat Butler 67-50 Wednesday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in the final non-conference game of the season.
KEY MOMENTS
Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes converted on the and-one opportunity early in the first quarter to give IU (12-0) its first lead of the ballgame
Freshman guard Yarden Garzon hit back-to-back threes before assisting on a bucket to Holmes, sparking an 8-2 run for the Hoosiers in the closing minutes of the first quarter.
Behind three-point baskets from Garzon and junior guard Sydney Parrish, IU opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run.
Following a Butler turnover, Parrish ran the fastbreak and converted a layup to give IU a 33-16 lead and force the Bulldogs into their second timeout of the half.
The Hoosiers took a 17-point lead into the break behind 17 first-half points from Holmes.
Out of a timeout in the third quarter, freshman guard Lexus Bargesser converted on a bucket at the rim and scored on the ensuing and-one attempt to push the lead to 46-31.
Senior guard Sara Scalia and Parrish hit back-to-back threes to give IU a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter, its largest lead of the game.
NOTABLE
The Hoosiers’ 12-0 start is the best under Head Coach Teri Moren and the best since 2013-14 with a 14-0 start.
IU leads the all-time series against Butler 9-1, winning each of the last five matchups.
Indiana shot 44.4%(25-of-54) from the field and 35% (7-of-20) from the 3-point line.
IU outrebounded Butler 38-26
The Hoosiers recorded 32 of their 67 points in the paint
The Hoosier defense forced 14 Butler turnovers and scored 15 points off the takeaways.
Indiana recorded 15 assists off 24 made field goals.
Indiana scored 12 points on fastbreaks.
The Hoosiers scored 11 points on second-chance opportunities.
Freshman guard Yarden Garzon had 13 points, along with 3 rebounds and three assists
Senior Mackenzie Holmes finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and tied her season high with 3 assists
Junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil recorded six points, four assists and tied her season high with seven rebounds
Junior guard Sydney Parrish had ten points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, along with four rebounds.
Senior guard Sara Scalia recorded nine points three rebounds and two assists
Freshman Lexus Bargesser finished with eight points, six rebounds and two assists
QUOTABLE
Indiana head coach Teri Moren
“Well, the games before Christmas break are always interesting. I thought we got off to a start that we wanted or anticipated. Way too many turnovers, the first half especially. Just careless. I thought at times we look hurried, and I am not sure why. Maybe we were in a hurry to get home and open presents, I don’t know. None the less, I thought Lexus Bargesser, if I had to pick somebody, came in and did a great job today. Lexie came in and really took advantage of her minutes. Our assists were down, but the only bright spot was that we shot, we didn’t shoot a lot of them, 92 percent from the free-throw line and we outrebounded Butler. Austin (Parkinson) is going to do a fantastic job at Butler. He did a great job at IUPUI, and we knew that they were playing without two of their starters. We knew, especially in the second half, that they weren’t going to go away because that is not how Austin is made. He is going to make sure he gets the best out of his kids. We cautioned our players. The game is not over and again in the second half there were plays that were made and shots that were taken that didn’t go down for us this afternoon. I am happy to get a win because it is so hard. I am happy that we can go home the next three or four days after a win. It is much easier to go home and celebrate Christmas after a win than it is a loss from experience. Trust me when I tell you that. I have been on both sides of it. Happy, we won! We are going to take a couple of days off and then resume when Big Ten play starts.”
UP NEXT
Indiana breaks for the holidays and returns to Big Ten action on Thursday, Dec. 29 at Michigan State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET at the Breslin Center.
#1 Purdue Improves to 12-0 with Win over New Orleans
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn took advantage of his opportunity with leading scorer Zach Edey out with illness.
Kaufman-Renn came off the bench to score a season-best 24 points to lead No. 1 Purdue past New Orleans 74-53 on Wednesday night.
‘It feels good just to play basketball again,” said Kaufman-Renn, who sat out last season as a redshirt. “Obviously, if you are on a really good team and winning games that helps, too. It’s been fun.”
The 6-foot-9 redshirt freshman whose previous high was 13 points, hit 8 of 10 shots and 8 of 10 free throws for the Boilermakers (12-0).
“He has great footwork,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Kaufman-Renn. “He has the spin cycle there and does that reverse. He’s pretty nimble. For him, it’s comfort level. He just has to get into a game and get comfortable quick and that’s a hard thing to do coming off the bench.”
The only other Boilermaker in double figures was Mason Gillis with 11 points. Edey is averaging team highs of 22.6 points and 13.9 rebounds.
“We preach next man up all the time, so if anyone gets injured, sick or COVID we dealt with two years ago, we’ve learned it’s next man up and you’ve got to do your job,” Gillis said. “It’s understanding what you need to do to help the team get a win.”
Painter said it was good to see what the team could do without Edey.
Jordan Johnson scored 17 points to lead the Privateers (3-8), who have lost five of their last six games. Tyson Jackson had 14 for New Orleans.
The Boilermakers started slowly but regrouped to shoot 59% en route to a 41-21 lead. New Orleans was held to 35% shooting in the first half.
Purdue shot nearly 56% overall while holding New Orleans to 46.3%.
New Orleans committed 16 turnovers, eight more than Purdue.
Trailing 19-17, Purdue took command with an 18-0 run to take a 35-19 advantage. The Privateers went nearly nine minutes without scoring. Purdue took the lead for good at 20-19 on Caleb Furst’s rebound basket with 7:40 left in the first half.
Purdue closed the first half with a steal and a dunk by Brandon Newman just before the buzzer.
One negative for the Boilermakers, Painter said, was a 5 for 19 showing from the 3-point line.
“We’re going to have to be able to make some shots there,” Painter said.
BIG PICTURE
New Orleans: This was the first time the Privateers played a No. 1 team in the regular season. They held their own against the Boilermakers for the first 10 minutes before a turnover-plagued scoring drought sealed their fate.
Purdue: The Boilermakers, who were playing their first home game in history as the No. 1 team, showed they had other players who could score with Edey out. Purdue has now won 23 consecutive non-conference regular season games, the longest streak in the nation. The Boilermakers close out nonconference play against Florida A&M on Dec. 29.
(Postgame Notes)
Purdue improved to 12-0 with a 74-53 win over New Orleans in front of Mackey Arena’s 48th straight sellout.
The Boilermakers are 12-0 for just the fourth time in school history and the first time since the 2009-10 team started 14-0. The other years Purdue started 12-0 or better were in 1993-94 (14-0) and 1911-12 (12-0). Purdue will enter the Holiday break as one of three remaining unbeaten teams nationally (UConn, New Mexico).
Purdue played tonight without National Player of the Year front-runner Zach Edey, who missed the contest with the flu.
Purdue was playing its first home game in school history as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team.
The win was Purdue’s 19th straight against non-conference teams at home – the fifth-longest streak in Mackey Arena history.
Purdue has won 14 straight home games overall, the 15th longest in the country.
Purdue won their nation’s-best 23rd straight regular-season, non-conference game, the longest streak in the country by 10 games (New Mexico, UConn – 13). Purdue hasn’t lost a regular-season, non-conference game since Dec. 8, 2020 (vs. Miami, Fla.).
Purdue is now 41-8 (.837) since the start of last year, the fifth-most wins nationally.
Purdue improved to 170-7 under Matt Painter when holding opponents to 59 or fewer points.
Purdue recorded its 65th win by 20 or more points since the 2015-16 season, tied for the fourth most nationally in that span.
Purdue has now held its 24th straight opponent under 75 points, the third-longest streak nationally (North Texas – 43; Houston – 28).
Purdue has won 28 straight home game against unranked opponents, and is 89-5 against unranked opposition at home since the 2015-16 season.
Matt Painter won his 396th game at Purdue and is now 396-192 in his 18th year at Purdue.
One game after scoring one point, Purdue’s bench produced 36 points, shooting 13-of-19 from the field.
Purdue shot 55.6 percent from the field, a season high. Purdue was 20-of-26 (.769) from inside the 3-point line.
Purdue has attempted more free throws than its opponent in all 12 games this season (24 to 11 tonight).
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored a career-high 24 points (8-of-10 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs) in just 26 minutes. He added two rebounds and two assists. His 24 points off the bench are the most for a Big Ten player this season.
Mason Gillis added 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Purdue is now 12-2 in his career when he scores in double-figures.
Braden Smith had eight points, four rebounds and three assists and was plus-31 in his 29 minutes of action.
Walters’ First Class Begins with 12 Boilermakers on National Signing Day
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Just one week on the job, Purdue Football head coach Ryan Walters announced the addition of 12 new Boilermakers on National Signing Day as part of his first recruiting class.
“We are proud and excited to welcome the newest Boilermakers to the Purdue family, and I cannot wait for them to join us on the journey to win championships,” said Walters. “This is just the beginning of our 2023 signing class. We will return to the recruiting trail and hit the transfer portal to put together a complete class in the spring. Boiler Up!”
After coaching the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense during the 2022 season, Walters’ first Signing Day as head coach featured eight players on that side of the ball. Winston Berglund, Ethon Cole, Zion Gunn and Dillon Thieneman look to provide immediate depth to the secondary. Drake Carlson, Jamarrion Harkless and Will Heldt join Purdue’s defensive line, while Owen Davis becomes the newest Boilermaker linebacker.
Wide receivers have blossomed into All-Americans at Purdue, and the Boilermakers added wideouts Ryne Shackelford and Jaron Tibbs on Signing Day. Ryan Browne, a 6-foot-4 QB, signed with the school known for the Cradle of Quarterbacks, while offensive lineman Jimmy Liston chose to continue his career wearing the Old Gold and Black.
The entire class, along with information about each signee, can be found below.
2023 Purdue Football Signing Day Class
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown (High School) |
| Winston Berglund | S/LB | 6-2 | 200 | Carmel, Ind. (Carmel) |
| Ryan Browne | QB | 6-4 | 205 | Venice, Fla. (Milford Academy) |
| Drake Carlson | DL | 6-3 | 280 | Nashville, Tenn. (Father Ryan) |
| Ethon Cole | S | 6-1 | 195 | Clermont, Fla. (Lake Minneola) |
| Owen Davis | LB | 6-3 | 220 | Richwood, Ohio (North Union) |
| Zion Gunn | CB | 6-2 | 180 | Orlando, Fla. (Winter Park) |
| Jamarrion Harkless | DT | 6-3 | 310 | Lexington, Ky. (Frederick Douglas) |
| Will Heldt | DE | 6-6 | 235 | Carmel, Ind. (Carmel) |
| Jimmy Liston | OL | 6-3 | 280 | Hinsdale, Ill. (IMG Academy) |
| Ryne Shackelford | WR | 6-0 | 175 | Elyria, Ohio (Keystone) |
| Dillon Thieneman | S | 6-0 | 200 | Carmel, Ind. (Carmel) |
| Jaron Tibbs | WR | 6-3 | 195 | Indianapolis, Ind. (Cathedral) |
Chicago Fire Drafts @ButlerMSoccer’s Cabrera Jr.
Butler men’s soccer player Wilmer Cabrera, Jr. was selected by the Chicago Fire in the third round of the MLS draft. The forward/midfielder was the 76th overall pick.
Cabrera, Jr., from Bogota, Colombia, is a three-time United Soccer Coaches All-Region honoree and a three-time All-BIG EAST First Team selection. In four seasons at Butler, he scored 23 goals and dished out 12 assists. Ten of his goals were game-winners. During his senior season, he led the BIG EAST and was 31st nationally with 3.06 shots per game and ranked fourth in the conference with 1.28 shots on goal per game.
#4 Indiana Tops @ButlerUWBB in Bloomington 67-50
Next Game:
at Xavier
12/28/2022 | 1PM
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BLOOMINGTON – #4 Indiana posted a 67-50 victory over Butler on Wednesday afternoon to remain undefeated this season (12-0). The Bulldogs were led by Rachel McLimore and Sydney Jaynes. The duo combined for 24 of Butler’s 50 points. With the setback, Butler ends the non-conference slate with a 5-7 record.
How It Happened
Sydney Jaynes used a post move to open up the scoring for the Bulldogs and Rachel McLimore made her first shot of the afternoon to get BU out of the gates. The Hoosiers went inside to Mackenzie Holmes for their first five points. Senior guard Sara Scalia added a jumper from the right elbow and Indiana would lead Butler 7-4 after the opening four minutes.
McLimore added a pair of free throws after the first media timeout and Kendall Wingler knocked down her first 3-pointer of the game from the corner to tie the contest at 9-9. Yarden Garzon broke the tie with a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Holmes went back to work inside to push the IU lead to 17-11. The first quarter came to a close with a driving layup from Trinity White making the score 17-13 after the first 10 minutes.
Indiana opened the second quarter on a 9-0 scoring run to push their lead to 13 points. The Bulldogs burned a timeout with 8:31 on the game clock and would get the ball back inside to Jaynes after the stoppage. Jaynes had her first attempt go in-and-out, but her second shot went in plus a foul.
IU outscored Butler 16-3 over the first four minutes of the second quarter and the two teams would even out over the final six minutes scoring four points each. After 20 minutes of action, IU would lead BU 37-20.
Jaynes went to work on the right block after halftime to give Butler a bucket. A second field goal from Jaynes paired with a layup from McLimore got Butler back within 13 less than three minutes into the second half.
Shay Frederick made her first 3-pointer of the game to cut into the deficit and Jaynes got BU back within 10 with her 11th point of the game.
Butler outscored Indiana 11-6 over the first five minutes of the third quarter, but the Hoosiers would come back to win the frame 15-13.
Scoring picked back up for each team in the fourth quarter. Tenley Dowell and Caroline Strande each hit 3-pointers in the fourth to give BU five total in the game. Strande’s make made the game 66-50, but the Bulldogs wouldn’t get any closer.
Stat of the Game
Butler and Indiana each scored 30 second half points.
Inside the Box Score
– Rachel McLimore led Butler with 13 points and three assists.
– Sydney Jaynes was a force for BU with 11 points and five rebounds
– Caroline Strande led BU with six rebounds
– Shay Frederick and Caroline Strande were inserted into the Butler starting five at IU
– Jessica Carrothers and Jordan Meulemans missed the Indiana game due to injury
– Kendall Wingler came off the bench to net seven points
– Butler shot 36% from the field compared to 44% from IU
– Butler recorded nine steals inside Assembly Hall
– Mackenzie Holmes scored 17 of her game-high 21 points in the first half
– Yarden Garzon led IU with three 3-pointers to score 13 points
– Providence grad transfer Alyssa Geary plays for the Hoosiers
Up Next
The Bulldogs will be in Cincinnati one week from today to face the Xavier Musketeers. Action inside the Cintas Center will get started at 1 PM. Fans can catch the game on FloSports.com.
Ault Represents @ButlerMSoccer as Member of TopDrawerSoccer’s Freshman Best XI First Team
Butler men’s soccer player Palmer Ault has once again received national recognition, this time as a part of the TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI First Team. The forward is one of only 11 rookies, nationwide, who received this particular designation.
Ault, from Noblesville, Ind., ranked sixth nationally and finished atop the BIG EAST with 5 game-winning goals. His 10 goals were second in the conference (25th nationally) and his 26 offensive points were third (22nd). Ault’s 6 assists were sixth, and his shot accuracy of .442 ranked eighth in the conference. He was earlier selected as the 2022 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and to the All-BIG EAST First Team and, in addition, was a United Soccer Coaches All-East Region First Team honoree.
Ault is the second Bulldog selected for this award in the past four seasons. Teammate Wilmer Cabrera, Jr. received the same honor in 2019.
Jags Set School Record 17 Threes In Win Over Northern Illinois, 85-72
INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI women’s basketball team shot a school-record 17 threes to seal the win over Northern Illinois on Wednesday afternoon, 85-72. Rachel Kent led the offense with 24 points followed by Jazmyn Turner with 22 and Destiny Perkins with 20.
“This was a great win against a good NIU team,” said head coach Kate Bruce. “I thought we executed well, especially offensively. It was nice to see our players shoot the ball with confidence. This was a great win for us to build on going into Horizon League play.”
IUPUI started the game off on a 13-2 run to take the early lead. The Jags shot 87.5 percent from behind the arc in just the first quarter with seven made threes, putting IUPUI in the lead, 29-18. NIU bounced back in the second quarter cutting the lead to 40-33. The Jags cooled off in the second quarter with just one three.
Coming out of the half, Perkins sunk a three to keep the momentum, leading the Jags to go 5-for-6 in the third quarter from long. IUPUI finished off strong sealing the lead with an 8-0 lead late in the fourth quarter finishing, 85-72.
The Jags scored a school-record 17 threes shooting 58.6 percent (17-for-29) from behind the arc with Rachel Kent leading the way going 7-for-10 from the three-point line. Kent totaled a career-high tying 24 points with six rebounds and six assists. Jazmyn Turner followed with a career-high 22 points with two rebounds and two assists while Perkins finished just shy of a double-double with 20 points and nine assists.
IUPUI will close out 2022 with a game on December 30 when they host Northern Kentucky for a 2 PM tipoff.
Cardinals Erase 14-point Deficit in Comeback Win Over Eagles
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State returned to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for a midweek contest with Georgia Southern. Jaylin Sellers produced a game-high 17 points to pace the Cardinals in a 58-54 victory.
Ball State improved to 8-4 overall, while Georgia Southern dropped to 7-6 on the year.
“It gave us an opportunity to win, down 14 (the 16-0 run in the second half),” said Head Coach Michael Lewis. “It was looking real nasty and it gave us an opportunity to win. We got some stops defensively, some long rebounds, and turnovers got us going in transition. It opened up some things for us and put us back in a situation to win the game. Then we executed down the stretch. The film is not going to be pretty. We’ve talked about offense not being an issue for us, it was tonight because I don’t think our approach was great. I’m really proud of being down 14 and making the run to finish the game. That is growth, not only for this team, but this program. To be able to win in that fashion was really good.”
Sellers led all scorers with 17 and tied for a team-high seven rebounds for BSU. He added an assist and a steal. Jarron Coleman chipped in with 12 points with three rebounds and three assists. Basheer Jihad finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and one block. Demarius Jacobs recorded a career-high four blocks to go along with his 11 points, six rebounds, and game-high four assists. Payton Sparks and Mickey Pearson Jr. each brought down seven boards.
Sellers started the game on fire scoring the team’s first eight points as the Cardinals trailed the Eagles 9-8 with 13:07 left in the half. During that span, Sellers recorded a steal and a fast-break slam.
The first stanza of action was a low-scoring affair as Georgia Southern held a 24-17 lead at the break.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 14-7 run. The run led to a Georgia Southern 14-point lead, 38-24, with 16:01 left in play.
After a 30-second timeout, things started to click for the Cardinals. Ball State came out of the timeout with intensity and went on a 16-0 run. The Cardinals took a 40-38 lead and during the run, Ball State held Georgia Southern scoreless for 4:50 of game time. Coleman and Jacobs led the way during the run with seven and five points, respectively.
With 10:56 left in regulation, the Eagles tied the game 40-40. Georgia Southern started to gain some momentum and took a 45-42 lead with 7:15 left to play.
Ball State was resilient and reclaimed a 46-45 lead after Coleman knocked down two big free throws. The next Cardinal possession, Sellers drove to the hoop and was fouled on a made layup. He converted the and-1 to extend the BSU lead to 49-45 with just under six minutes left to play.
Sparks made a free throw and gave Ball State a 52-49 lead with 2:30 left on the clock. After a BSU turnover, Jacobs came up with a huge block on the defensive end of the court to keep Ball State’s lead at 52-49. Jacobs did not stop there, with four seconds left to play he recorded another big block.
Free throws ended up being pivotal down the stretch as the Cardinals went 6-of-7 from the stripe and won the game 58-54.
Carlos Curry tied for a team-high 13 points and brought down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Eagles. Tai Strickland also collected 13 points with five rebounds, a team-high three steals, and one assist. Kamari Archie closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.
Ball State returns to action one more time before the New Year with a matchup against Chicago State on Dec. 28. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Muncie.
Football Welcomes 19 On Early Signing Day
MUNCIE, Ind. – – After a pair of late afternoon additions, the Ball State football program officially welcomed 19 new student-athletes on Wednesday (Dec. 21), as the 2023 early signing period kicked off around the country.
The group of talented newcomers includes 14 incoming freshman and five transfers who will look to make an impact on the field for the Cardinals. It represents 11 different states and includes 11 players on offense and eight on defense.
Ball State’s 2023 Early Signing Class – Incoming Freshman:
Christian Abney | TE | 6-5 | 220 | Fr. | Zionsville, Ind. (Zionsville)
Darin Conley | OLB | 6-4 | 225 | Fr. | Kansas City, Mo. (The Pembroke Hill School)
Tristan Cook | OL | 6-5 | 300 | Fr. | Lexington, Ky. (Woodford County)
Christian Davis | RB | 6-0 | 195 | Fr. | Miamisburg, Ohio (Miamisburg)
Elijah Davis | DB | 6-1 | 180 | Fr. | Indianapolis, Ind. (Pike)
Derek (DJ) Fields Jr. | DB | 6-1 | 185 | Fr. | Saint Charles, Mo. (Chaminade)
Rob Fogler | OL | 6-7 | 310 | Fr. | Cincinnati, Ohio (St. Xavier)
Eli Freeman | OL | 6-4 | 270 | Fr. | Lebanon, Tenn. (Lebanon)
TJ Horton | RB | 5-10 | 200 | Fr. | Lexington, Ky. (Frederick Douglass)
Isaac Lucas | OL | 6-4 | 270 | Fr. | Youngstown, Ohio (Ursuline)
Ben Marsh | ILB | 6-4 | 240 | Fr. | Hilliard, Ohio (Darby)
Kadin Semonza | QB | 6-1 | 190 | Fr. | Mission Viejo, Calif. (Mission Viejo)
Cody Smith | DE | 6-7 | 245 | Fr. | Galt, Calif. (Liberty Ranch)
Isaiah Thacker | WR | 6-2 | 190 | Fr. | New Palestine, Ind. (New Palestine)
Ball State’s 2023 Early Signing Class – Transfer Student-Athletes:
Damion Charity | DB | 6-2 | 185 | Gr. | Hampton, Va. (Phoebus / Old Dominion)
Marquez Cooper | RB | 5-6 | 184 | R-Jr. | Gaithersburg, Md. (Quince Orchard / Kent State)
Malcolm Gillie | WR | 6-2 | 205 | Jr. | Milwaukee, Wis. (Hope Christian / Ellsworth Community College)
Mikhari Sibblis | DL | 6-4 | 265 | Gr. | Cumming, Ga. (West Forsyth / Lehigh)
DD Snyder | DB | 6-0 | 185 | R-So. | Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Catholic / Illinois)
Irish Drop Heartbreaker At The Buzzer, 73-72, At Fsu
TALLAHASSEE – With six seconds remaining on the clock down one, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team (7-5, 0-2) had a great opportunity to earn its first-ever win inside the Donald L Tucker Center vs. Florida State (4-10, 2-1). The pass to an open and sprinting Cormac Ryan was thrown just a tad too long as the Seminoles escaped with a 73-72 win.
The Fighting Irish were on a 6-0 run with two big defensive stands in the final minute before the final play of the game.
Freshman JJ Starling was solely responsible for said six points in the final two minutes, giving the Irish a chance to win at the buzzer. He finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, which included two treys. It marked his fourth straight game in double figures (tying a season best) and his second-highest scoring output of the season.
Cormac Ryan continued to deliver offensively with 17 points, marking his fifth double-digit scoring performance over the last six games. He’s scored 97 points in said six-game stretch, averaging 16.2 ppg. From deep, he’s 21-of-34 over the last six games as well. In addition, Ryan tied his season-high in rebounds with six.
Nate Laszewski finished in double figures with 12 points and now has 52 points over the last three games. Trey Wertz rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Lastly, Laszewski, Wertz and Ven-Allen Lubin all reeled in six boards apiece.
How It Happened
Notre Dame trailed FSU early, down 10-3 after the Seminoles started 4-of-5 from the field. However, what transpired next could arguably be Notre Dame’s best offensive stretch of the season, connecting on nine straight from the field to fire off a 24-8 run.
The best part about the scoring run was the balance of it, as five different Irish supplied buckets. The main hot hand, Ryan, had 10 points by the 11:38 mark. Meanwhile, a Marcus Hammond three capped the shooting spree with the Irish up 27-18.
In a tale of two halves within the same first half, the Irish then went three for its next 15 from the field, allowing Florida State to rally back and reclaim the lead at 36-35.
Ven-Allen Lubin did shine during this stretch though with four offensive rebounds and two putbacks for four points.
The Irish did regain their composure in the final minutes, and after driving layups from Laszewski and Starling, they went into halftime up 39-38. Important to note, the Irish were 7-0 when leading at the half entering into tonight’s contest.
At the midway point, Ryan led with 12 points, followed by seven points each from Starling and Wertz. Irish shot 15-of-29 from the field (52%) compared to 14-of-32 (44%) from the Seminoles. The rebound count was level at 16 apiece.
Florida State outscored Notre Dame 18-10 to start the second half, building a 56-49 advantage, and did so behind four three-point plays. Though the Irish trailed, they kept pace with three-pointers from Starling, Laszewski and Ryan. A driving layup from Hammond capped a stretch in which the Irish made 4-of-5 from the field and only trailed 59-57 at 11:15.
Next, the Noles took advantage of an Irish two-minute scoring drought to build its largest lead of the game, up eight at 65-57. Wertz proceeded to end the drought and then Starling garnered the steal and finished on the other end, prompting a FSU timeout as the deficit was cut to 65-61 at 8:29. ND then didn’t register a field goal for the next 3:30 to then trail by seven until Lubin powered his way to the basket for the layup, making it 71-66 Noles.
Fast forward to 1:03 remaining and Starling just capped a stretch of making four straight points to cut it to one possession at 73-70.
The Irish needed a big defensive stand and they got it via a Laszewski block. Starling picked up the rebound and drove it to the basket, making it a one-point game. The Irish defense then delivered again, forcing a FSU shot-clock violation. The catch with that – only 6.5 seconds remained on the clock.
Out of the ND timeout, the Irish play was there for the taking but the pass to a streaking Ryan down the court was a tad too long. As a result, the Noles escaped with a 73-72 win.
Irish outshot the Seminoles, 51 percent to their 47 percent, and made more three-pointers as well, nine to seven. Total rebounds pretty much finished even, with a slight 29-28 nod to the Noles.
Up Next
The Fighting Irish will spend the holiday in South Bend, including a Christmas dinner over at Coach Brey’s house. The Irish will then resume play at home on Dec. 27 with Jacksonville at 7 pm ET on ACC Network.
Westbeld Posts Season-High, Irish Top Broncos
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey challenged her upperclassmen to step up in the second half. Mission accomplished.
On Wednesday, No. 5 Notre Dame (10-1, 1-0) hosted Western Michigan (5-6) to close out the 2022 year at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish walked away with an 85-57 victory in their final non-conference game of the year.
It was a streaky game for Notre Dame, who held just a 38-30 lead going into the break. The Irish went on a 17-0 run to start the third quarter before failing to score for more than three minutes and committing four turnovers. Foul trouble in the third allowed Western Michigan to put a dent in Notre Dame’s then-25-point lead before the Irish pulled away once more. They shot 60.0 percent in the first quarter and 64.3 percent in the fourth quarter. The Broncos scored just 10 points in the third.
“Our effort coming out today was a little sluggish, but I felt like they picked it up in the second half,” Ivey said. “I was really happy about the 17-0 run.”
Maddy Westbeld led the charge for Notre Dame, posting a season-high 23 points and eight rebounds. The 6-3 forward had 19 points in the second half. She narrowly missed her career high of 25, which was set during her freshman season. Guard Olivia Miles had 12 assists on the afternoon, her third consecutive game with 12 or more rebounds or assists. She now leads the ACC in assists per game (7.6).
Hannah Spitzley and Abby Voss were the stars of the show in the first half for Western Michigan, going 4-4 from behind the arc. Overall, the team had success from three-point range, finishing with a 34.8 percent success rate on the day. The Broncos posted a 21-57 (36.8 percent) mark from the floor.
“It’s been an incredible non-conference season,” Ivey said. “We’re in a great position. I’m super proud of that. This group is pretty special.”
Notre Dame has more than a week off now and will face Miami (7-5, 0-1) in South Florida on Dec. 29. The game will tip off at 6:00 p.m. on the ACC Network.
Second-quarter shutout sends Sycamores to second straight win
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State pitched a shutout in the second quarter Wednesday evening, propelling the Sycamores to a wire-to-wire 72-47 win in their non-conference finale over visiting Detroit Mercy inside Hulman Center.
Del’Janae Williams led all scorers with 14 points, while Adrian Folks scored a season-high 13 off the bench and Hattie Westerfeld added 11. Westerfeld finished one rebound shy of her first career double-double, while Anna McKendree pitched in with eight points, a season-high eight assists and six rebounds.
After a back-and-forth start, Indiana State took full control with a 28-0 run to close the first half and never looked back. The Sycamores outscored Detroit Mercy 24-0 in the second quarter to take a 43-12 lead into the locker room and, despite Detroit Mercy scoring 35 in the second half, cruised to their second straight win to close the non-conference schedule.
First Half
Chelsea Cain opened the scoring with layups on back-to-back possessions, and Williams followed with a 3-pointer that gave the Sycamores the lead for good. A Westerfeld layup gave the Trees their largest lead of the opening quarter at 11-4, but the visitors kept within reach for most of the first period. Baskets by Caitlin Anderson and Westerfeld inside the final minute kickstarted Indiana State’s 28-0 run and gave the Sycamores a 19-12 lead after one.
Everything was working for the Sycamores in the second quarter, as Detroit Mercy was 0-for-11 from the field while Indiana State hit two-thirds of its shots. Folks started the scoring in the second with a layup, with Bella Finnegan chipping in five quick points on a three-ball and a layup to make it 28-12. Williams later connected on another 3-pointer to push the lead to 20-plus points, but the Sycamores weren’t done yet in the half. Layups in the final minute by Williams and Westerfeld gave Indiana State its largest halftime lead of the season at 43-12.
Second Half
Detroit Mercy came out of the locker room with energy and quickly cut the Sycamore lead down to 25, but Indiana State responded with an 8-0 run, with Ella Sawyer scoring four of those to make it 55-22. Layups by Mya Glanton and Folks gave Indiana State its largest lead of the game at 60-25 with less than a minute to go in the quarter. Despite a 5-0 run by the Titans, Indiana State took a 60-30 lead into the fourth.
Indiana State’s offense went stagnant for the first few minutes of the final quarter before things started to pick up, as Detroit Mercy scored the first eight points as part of an extended 15-1 run spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth. Folks scored seven of the Sycamores’ 12 points in the fourth, knocking down 5-of-6 free throws in the process. McKendree hit a late layup and Cain added a midrange jumper on the Sycamores’ final possession, giving Indiana State a 72-46 win and pushing the Sycamores back over .500.
Inside the Numbers
Indiana State scored a season-high 48 points in the pain, the second time this season the Sycamores recorded 40-plus points in the paint (Central Michigan).
Adrian Folks (13) and Hattie Westerfeld (11) both notched season-highs in scoring and scored in double-figures for the first time this season. Westerfeld finished one rebound shy of her first career double-double.
Anna McKendree’s eight assists were her most in a Sycamore uniform, surpassing the seven she had against Western Michigan earlier this season.
Indiana State was plus-nine on the glass (44-35), including 15 offensive rebounds. The Sycamores turned those into 15 second chance points.
Indiana State forced 21 turnovers, its most since forcing 28 turnovers against Chicago State in November.
News & Notes
Indiana State’s 28-0 run to close the first half was its longest under head coach Chad Killinger.
Indiana State held Detroit Mercy scoreless in the second quarter, marking the first time the Sycamores held an opponent scoreless in a quarter since Feb. 8, 2020 against Valparaiso.
Indiana State finished non-conference play at 5-4, giving the Sycamores a winning record heading into the holidays for the first time since the 2016-17 season (min. 7 games played).
The Sycamores improved to 4-0 when three players scored in double-figures (Williams 14, Folks 13, Westerfeld 11).
Indiana State is 3-1 this season and 9-2 under head coach Chad Killinger when holding opponents under 60 points.
At 5-2 in home games, Indiana State already surpassed its 2021-22 home win total (four). It is Indiana State’s best home start since the 2014-15 season, when the Sycamores were 5-1 in their first six home games.
Up Next
Indiana State has a week off before opening Missouri Valley Conference play December 29 against Missouri State. Tipoff from Hulman Center is set for 4 p.m.
No. 15 Maryland Wins Battle of Sellers Sisters
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne’s Shayla Sellers reunited with her sister, Shyanne, in the Mastodons’ 88-51 loss to No. 15 Maryland on Wednesday afternoon (Dec. 21) in the Gates Sports Center.
This was the Sellers sisters’ first time playing against each other as collegians. Shayla finished with six points, seven rebounds and two assists. Shyanne had 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. She was the Terrapins’ leading scorer.
While the storyline was clearly focused on the Sellers sisters, Amellia Bromenschenkel stole the show for the Mastodons. She scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her second-career double-double. She was 9-of-21 from the floor (42.9 percent) and a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. Five of her rebounds were of the offensive variety.
Purdue Fort Wayne was within striking distance through the first quarter. The ‘Dons had the first bucket from Bromenschenkel, then Maryland went on a 9-0 run. The Mastodons responded with a pair of freebies and a layup from Bromenschenkel, then a 3-pointer from Sellers. From the 9-9 tie, Maryland went on an 11-4 stretch to close the quarter.
The closest the ‘Dons got from there was four points when Seller hit a triple to start the second quarter. Maryland’s largest lead was 39, which came near the 2-minute mark of the final quarter.
Destinee Marshall pitched in eight points and grabbed four rebounds. All 14 active Mastodons played in Wednesday’s contest with at least seven minutes each.
Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 4-8 as the Mastodons wrapped up non-league play. No. 15 Maryland improved to 10-3. The Mastodons will play at Robert Morris to re-open Horizon League play on December 29.
Late rally pushed UE to win over Bellarmine
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Trailing by a score of 51-50 with 6:28 remaining, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team finished the game on a 23-10 run to earn a 73-61 victory over Bellarmine on Wednesday evening inside the Ford Center.
Highlighting the late run by the Purple Aces was Kenny Strawbridge Jr. He scored 13 of his 22 points in the final three minutes. Making his effort even more impressive is that he was held scoreless in the first half before recording a game-high 22. Yacine Toumi added his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Gage Bobe recorded one of his best games in an Aces uniform. Hitting four 3-pointers, Bobe set his career mark with 12 points while adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
“We went over their (Bellarmine’s) pace in practice and I thought early in the game, we really had to adjust to it. Once we got more accustomed to it in the second half, we were really able to play our game,” Aces head coach David Ragland said. “With a nice layoff since our last game, we looked rested and ready. I am proud of how we were able to perform for the entire 40 minutes.”
“I am proud of the guys for sticking together and responding the right way. Their team is similar to schools in our conference. They make you work to get offensive opportunities and good shots and they make you defend. Our entire league is well-coached and Bellarmine fits right in there with their staff.”
Three-pointers from the Knights would be the story of the first half with nine finding the bottom of the net. Yacine Toumi got UE on the board while Sekou Kalle had a dunk to give the Aces an early 4-3 lead. Bellarmine quickly added two more triples to make it a 9-4 game.
With the half reaching its midway point, the Knights took their largest lead to that point at 20-9. Gage Bobe, who matched his career scoring high in the opening 20 minutes with nine points, converted consecutive triples with Toumi adding a dunk to get Evansville within three – 23-20. Each time UE would close the gap, Bellarmine had an answer and they would head to the break with a 39-30 lead. BU shot 58.3% in the period while going 9-for-16 from long range.
Kenny Strawbridge Jr. was held scoreless in the opening stanza but six early points in the second half as the Aces stormed back. Trailing 42-32, Evansville went on a 13-1 run to take a 45-43 lead five minutes into the period. Consecutive baskets by Strawbridge were followed by a Marvin Coleman II triple.
Another Strawbridge bucket was followed by the fourth triple of the game from Bobe, which put UE in front at 44-43. The Knights responded to take a 47-45 edge with 9:54 remaining before Kalle and Strawbridge picked up baskets to give Evansville a 49-47 lead. Four minutes later, it was the Knights taking a short-lived lead with Toumi knocking down two free throws with 5:51 showing on the clock to give UE a 52-51 lead.
Preston Phillips connected on two free throws with 3:26 on the clock and continued what would be a game-changing run. Following his free throws, Evansville hit four shots in a row to go up 65-53 with 1:28 left. The late run was the difference as the Aces finished the night with the 73-61 decision in front of 4,603 fans.
“The crowd was great tonight and we felt like we had to play well,” Gage Bobe said after the win. “This was a huge win for us to get some momentum.”
UE shot 43.6% for the game while holding Bellarmine to 42.2%. Following their 58.3% showing in the opening stanza, the Knights were held to 23.8% (5-for-21) in the final 20 minutes.
Missouri Valley Conference play resumes on December 29 with a trip to Indiana State.
Inclement weather postpones Thursday’s game against UT Martin
EVANSVILLE – With forecasted inclement weather entering the Midwest on Thursday, the University of Evansville women’s basketball’s contest with UT Martin, originally scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 22nd, has been postponed.
Following guidance from the Tennessee Highway Patrol that conditions would be hazardous for UT Martin’s travel, the game was decided to be postponed with plans to look at options to reschedule later in the season.
Fans who purchased tickets to Thursday’s contest will receive a free ticket to the rescheduled contest between the Aces and Skyhawks.
Eagles claim big home win before the holidays
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball claimed a 90-48 win Wednesday against Brescia University (Ky.) in the Screaming Eagles’ non-conference finale before the holidays and leading up to the start of the Ohio Valley Conference season.
A slow offensive start for both sides led to a competitive game early in the first quarter. Brescia knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes, while USI was earning trips to the charity stripe after attacking the paint.
USI led 15-10 with 3:42 left in the first period. Then the Screaming Eagles established strong play inside with the post players. After the first, senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) had 12 points, while graduate forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) had nine. Additionally, the nation’s most efficient three-point shooter, sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana), canned a couple of triples in the first.
With USI leading 33-10 after the first quarter, an 18-0 run by the Screaming Eagles to finish the first carried over into the start of the second period. Brescia snapped its scoring drought and USI’s scoring run at 28-0 on a basket with 6:55 remaining in the second quarter.
The offenses cooled off toward the tail end of the second quarter, leading to a 51-20 advantage for USI at halftime. USI’s Ohio forwards in Haithcock and Brown tallied 32 of USI’s 51 first-half points.
USI utilized space away from the basket early in the third quarter. A minute in the third, Shafford drained a three to crossover into double figures, giving USI a 54-20 lead. Near the six-minute mark, junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) connected on a jumper before senior guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) cashed in from downtown. The jump shots pushed USI’s lead to 61-24.
After being held to single digits for the first time of the season on Sunday in Cincinnati, Raley started a new streak of reaching double figures Wednesday night on a layup with 5:12 left in the third. USI went on to take a 71-34 lead to the fourth quarter.
Southern Indiana continued to space the floor to start the fourth. Senior guard Soffia Rieckers (Evansville, Indiana) swished in a triple only seconds into the fourth, and a minute later, Handley nailed her second three of the game. USI led 79-34 after Handley’s three-pointer.
Midway into the fourth quarter, Brescia put together a 9-0 run off a charge led by senior forward Lindsey Peyton. Peyton was Brescia’s leading scorer on the night with 11 points.
For USI, senior guard Lexi Thompson (Lafayette, Indiana) found her way into the scoring fun for the Screaming Eagles. Thompson, who finished with 12 points, posted seven of her 12 points in the final frame.
Southern Indiana had five players score 10 or more in the contest. Haithcock led all scorers with 24 points on 9-16 shooting. Plus, she grabbed 13 rebounds to secure her eighth career double double. Brown recorded 19 points with eight rebounds, going 9-12 from the field. Shafford and Raley each had 11 points. The last time USI had five players reach double figures was January 20, 2022, against the University of Illinois Springfield.
Overall, USI shot 35-81 for 43.2 percent. The Screaming Eagles hit eight threes and went 12-for-13 at the line. Southern Indiana outrebounded Brescia 53-30, including 21 offensive rebounds. USI also had 28 assists, 46 points in the paint, and 22 second-chance points.
Brescia was 17-50 for 34 percent with three triples and 11-18 at the stripe. The Bearcats had 12 takeaways.
The Screaming Eagles will next prepare for the start of the OVC season after the holidays. On December 29, USI will open the OVC season at Screaming Eagles Arena against Southeast Missouri State University for a 5 p.m. tip-off time.
Eagles add transfer goalkeeper for 2023
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer announced the addition of transfer goalkeeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) for the 2023 season. Markland joins a talented list of newcomers added to the roster by USI Head Coach Eric Schoenstein for the upcoming season.
Markland, a 5’10” goalkeeper, comes to USI after spending her freshman campaign at Samford University. The Samford squad was the Southern Conference regular season and tournament champions in 2022.
“We’re very excited to add a player of Anna’s quality to the USI soccer family,” Schoenstein said. “She brings a great deal of experience, playing in the ECNL and collegiate experience.”
Playing her prep career at Hoover High School in Alabama, Markland was named to the 7A All-State First Team and Super All-State team during her junior campaign in the spring of 2021. She also garnered first-team All-Metro honors.
Markland played club soccer for Birmingham United Soccer Association, Alabama FC (ECNL) from 2019-21.
USI Women’s Soccer heads into its second season as an NCAA Division I program in 2023, coming off a postseason berth in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament. The 2023 schedule will be released at a later date.
Beacons Fly Past Skyhawks in Nonconference Finale
The holidays will be a little jollier for the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team after a second consecutive victory as part of Community Day at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Wednesday. The community Christmas celebration featured a victorious effort as Valpo defeated Stonehill 77-67 in a game that was not nearly as close as the final score would indicate. Nick Edwards (Atlanta, Ga. / Grayson [Glenville State]) posted a double-double of 20 points and 12 assists to lead four Beacons in double figures in the scoring department.
How It Happened
Valpo set the tone early, racing out to a 9-2 lead when Kobe King (La Crosse, Wis. / La Crosse Central [Wisconsin]) scored seven straight points including a 3-pointer at the 16:18 mark. Ben Krikke (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada / Jasper) had a dunk for the first basket of the game.
The hosts made it a rout early by boasting a 13-point advantage at 17-4 midway through the first half after a layup by Krikke capped an 8-0 run.
Freshman Maximus Nelson (Appleton, Wis. / Appleton North) drilled a 3 with 5:31 left in the first half to up the lead to 27-14.
In the closing seconds of the first stanza, Quinton Green (Columbus, Ohio / Homeschool [Cedarville]) connected from long range to lift the lead to 16 at 36-20.
The lead reached 21 early in the second half and got up to 22 at the half’s midway mark. With 5:15 remaining, Valpo held a 26-point cushion. The Skyhawks made a late run against the end of the Beacon bench, cutting a 19-point lead to 10 over the final 1:18. One late highlight came in the form of a Joe Hedstrom (Hopkins, Minn. / Hopkins [Wisconsin]) dunk on a Joe Vick (Kouts, Ind. / Kouts) assist with 25 seconds remaining.
Inside the Game
Edwards went off in the second half, scoring 18 of his 20 points after the break on 6-of-7 shooting. He totaled 12 assists for the game, his second straight game with a dozen assists or more (13 vs. Elon on Sunday).
Prior to this week, the last time a Valpo player had 12 assists or more in a single game was Bryce Drew on Jan. 21, 1995 vs. Eastern Illinois. Now, Edwards has turned the trick in consecutive contests.
Edwards achieved Valpo’s second double-double of the season and first since Krikke had 18 points and 13 rebounds in the Nov. 7 season opener at Toledo.
Edwards became just the 11th player in the nation with a 20-point, 10-assist game this season. He became the first player in the nation to notch 20 or more points and 12 or more assists in a game this year. The last time that happened nationally was Yuri Collins of Saint Louis on Feb. 2, 2022 at George Mason. No Missouri Valley Conference player had achieved that feat in the last decade prior to Wednesday.
Edwards had Valpo’s first “20&10” game since Kobe King on Feb. 5, 2022 vs. Indiana State (24 points, 11 rebounds).
Edwards posted the first points-assists double-double by a Valpo player since Ron Howard (15 points, 10 assists) on Jan. 24, 2005.
Edwards also swiped four steals and collected six rebounds. He became just the second player in the nation this season with 20 or more points, 10 or more assists, five or more rebounds and four or more steals, joining UConn’s Tristen Newton (Nov. 15 vs. Buffalo).
King finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, sharing the team lead on the glass with Green. King has tallied double figures in all 13 games this season including 11 outputs of 15 points or more.
Green (11) and Krikke (10) made it four Beacons in double figures.
Head coach Matt Lottich garnered his 103rd career victory on Wednesday. That helped him move past J.M. Christiansen for sole possession of third place on the program’s all-time wins list. He trails only Homer Drew (371) and Bryce Drew (124).
Valpo shot an even 50 percent from the field and nailed 10 triples for the second straight outing with four different shooters converting multiple 3-pointers.
Vick made his collegiate debut and took a charge while also handing out an assist in his 1:18 of run.
Speaking of walk-ons, former Valpo walk-on player as well as student manager, graduate assistant and Director of Basketball Operations Jason Karys returned to the ARC on Wednesday as a Stonehill assistant coach.
Up Next
Valpo (6-7) will open the continuous portion of Missouri Valley Conference play on Thursday, Dec. 29 at Drake. The game will tip at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
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
NFL STANDINGS
| American Football Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | |
| x-Buffalo Bills | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 0.0 | 385 | 250 | 6 – 1 – 0 | 5 – 2 – 0 | 8 – 2 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 5 W |
| xy-Kansas City Chiefs | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 0.0 | 414 | 322 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 6 – 2 – 0 | 7 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 0 – 0 | 2 W |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 0.0 | 369 | 288 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 5 – 3 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 6 W |
| Tennessee Titans | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 255 | 293 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 5 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 4 L |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 0.0 | 304 | 263 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 5 – 3 – 0 | 6 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 L |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0.0 | 312 | 340 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 6 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 2 W |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0.0 | 345 | 344 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 5 – 0 | 6 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 3 L |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 300 | 269 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 5 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 1 L |
| New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 281 | 263 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 5 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 3 L |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2.0 | 334 | 328 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 5 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 2 W |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2.0 | 338 | 337 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 2 – 6 – 0 | 5 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 1 W |
| Cleveland Browns | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2.0 | 313 | 326 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 7 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 1 W |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2.0 | 251 | 309 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 7 – 0 | 1 – 3 – 0 | 1 W |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 3.5 | 245 | 337 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 1 | 4 – 5 – 1 | 1 – 3 – 1 | 4 L |
| Denver Broncos | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4.0 | 218 | 253 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 2 – 8 – 0 | 0 – 4 – 0 | 1 W |
| Houston Texans | 1 | 12 | 1 | .107 | 6.5 | 235 | 344 | 0 – 6 – 1 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 7 – 1 | 1 – 1 – 1 | 9 L |
| National Football Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | |
| x-Philadelphia Eagles | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 0.0 | 411 | 268 | 6 – 1 – 0 | 7 – 0 – 0 | 8 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 5 W |
| xy-Minnesota Vikings | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 0.0 | 351 | 349 | 7 – 1 – 0 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 W |
| xy-San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 0.0 | 338 | 210 | 6 – 1 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 8 – 2 – 0 | 5 – 0 – 0 | 7 W |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0.0 | 247 | 288 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 2 L |
| x-Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 0.0 | 394 | 269 | 7 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 7 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 L |
| New York Giants | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 0.0 | 287 | 312 | 4 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 4 – 5 – 1 | 1 – 3 – 1 | 1 W |
| Washington Commanders | 7 | 6 | 1 | .536 | 0.0 | 265 | 276 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 4 – 2 – 1 | 4 – 5 – 1 | 1 – 3 – 1 | 1 L |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 1.5 | 355 | 355 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 6 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 2 L |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 1.5 | 369 | 364 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 3 W |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2.5 | 287 | 314 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 5 – 5 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 2 W |
| Carolina Panthers | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3.5 | 276 | 314 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 1 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 L |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3.5 | 286 | 315 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 1 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 6 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 1 W |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3.5 | 306 | 333 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 4 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 4 – 0 | 3 L |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4.5 | 292 | 372 | 1 – 7 – 0 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 4 – 0 | 4 L |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4.5 | 230 | 320 | 3 – 5 – 0 | 1 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 8 – 0 | 1 – 4 – 0 | 1 L |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 5.5 | 290 | 358 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 9 – 0 | 0 – 4 – 0 | 7 L |
NBA STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Milwaukee | 22 | 9 | .710 | — | 14-3 | 8-6 | 4-2 | 11-5 | 7-3 | 1 L | ||
| 2 Boston | 22 | 10 | .688 | 0.5 | 11-5 | 11-5 | 4-0 | 14-8 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 3 Cleveland | 22 | 11 | .667 | 1.0 | 16-2 | 6-9 | 5-2 | 15-5 | 7-3 | 5 W | ||
| 4 Brooklyn | 20 | 12 | .625 | 2.5 | 11-5 | 9-7 | 5-2 | 15-6 | 9-1 | 7 W | ||
| 5 Philadelphia | 18 | 12 | .600 | 3.5 | 13-5 | 5-7 | 3-3 | 13-8 | 7-3 | 6 W | ||
| 6 New York | 18 | 14 | .563 | 4.5 | 8-8 | 10-6 | 1-3 | 12-7 | 8-2 | 1 L | ||
| 7 Miami | 16 | 16 | .500 | 6.5 | 9-7 | 6-9 | 5-1 | 8-10 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 8 Atlanta | 16 | 16 | .500 | 6.5 | 10-6 | 6-10 | 4-3 | 12-12 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 9 Indiana | 16 | 16 | .500 | 6.5 | 9-7 | 7-9 | 1-2 | 11-8 | 4-6 | 1 W | ||
| 10 Toronto | 14 | 18 | .438 | 8.5 | 10-6 | 4-12 | 2-7 | 10-13 | 3-7 | 1 W | ||
| 11 Chicago | 13 | 18 | .419 | 9.0 | 7-7 | 6-11 | 2-1 | 11-9 | 4-6 | 2 W | ||
| 12 Washington | 12 | 20 | .375 | 10.5 | 8-7 | 4-13 | 3-3 | 7-13 | 1-9 | 1 W | ||
| 13 Orlando | 12 | 21 | .364 | 11.0 | 8-9 | 4-12 | 2-4 | 7-16 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 8 | 24 | .250 | 14.5 | 4-11 | 4-13 | 3-6 | 4-17 | 1-9 | 1 L | ||
| 15 Detroit | 8 | 26 | .235 | 15.5 | 4-12 | 4-14 | 0-5 | 3-16 | 2-8 | 4 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Denver | 19 | 11 | .633 | — | 10-3 | 9-8 | 6-2 | 15-7 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 2 Memphis | 19 | 11 | .633 | — | 13-2 | 6-9 | 3-2 | 8-8 | 7-3 | 2 L | ||
| 3 New Orleans | 18 | 12 | .600 | 1.0 | 12-4 | 6-8 | 5-1 | 12-8 | 6-4 | 4 L | ||
| 4 Phoenix | 19 | 13 | .594 | 1.0 | 14-4 | 5-9 | 7-0 | 16-8 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 5 LA Clippers | 19 | 14 | .576 | 1.5 | 11-7 | 8-7 | 3-4 | 11-11 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 6 Sacramento | 17 | 13 | .567 | 2.0 | 9-5 | 8-8 | 4-4 | 6-6 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 7 Portland | 17 | 15 | .531 | 3.0 | 7-6 | 10-9 | 4-4 | 13-10 | 6-4 | 2 L | ||
| 8 Utah | 18 | 16 | .529 | 3.0 | 11-5 | 7-11 | 3-4 | 15-9 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 9 Dallas | 16 | 16 | .500 | 4.0 | 12-5 | 4-11 | 1-2 | 11-6 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 10 Minnesota | 16 | 16 | .500 | 4.0 | 9-8 | 7-8 | 4-4 | 9-12 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 11 Golden State | 15 | 18 | .455 | 5.5 | 12-2 | 3-16 | 4-3 | 9-8 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 12 Oklahoma City | 14 | 18 | .438 | 6.0 | 9-7 | 5-11 | 3-6 | 8-11 | 5-5 | 3 W | ||
| 13 LA Lakers | 13 | 18 | .419 | 6.5 | 8-7 | 5-11 | 0-7 | 7-12 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 10 | 20 | .333 | 9.0 | 5-11 | 5-8 | 2-3 | 4-17 | 4-6 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Houston | 9 | 22 | .290 | 10.5 | 6-9 | 3-13 | 1-4 | 5-16 | 4-6 | 4 L |
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Boston Bruins | 31 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 52 | 23 | 123 | 69 | 17-0-2 | 8-4-0 | 7-1-2 | |
| 2 Carolina Hurricanes | 32 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 46 | 18 | 96 | 82 | 9-3-1 | 11-3-5 | 9-0-1 | |
| 3 New Jersey Devils | 33 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 46 | 22 | 112 | 83 | 10-7-1 | 12-2-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 4 Toronto Maple Leafs | 33 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 46 | 20 | 107 | 79 | 12-2-3 | 8-5-3 | 7-2-1 | |
| 5 Pittsburgh Penguins | 32 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 42 | 18 | 111 | 91 | 10-3-2 | 9-6-2 | 8-1-1 | |
| 6 Tampa Bay Lightning | 32 | 20 | 11 | 1 | 41 | 20 | 115 | 97 | 12-4-1 | 8-7-0 | 7-3-0 | |
| 7 New York Rangers | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 41 | 17 | 111 | 93 | 7-6-4 | 11-5-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 8 New York Islanders | 33 | 18 | 13 | 2 | 38 | 18 | 104 | 92 | 9-6-0 | 9-7-2 | 3-5-2 | |
| 9 Washington Capitals | 34 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 38 | 17 | 104 | 99 | 10-5-1 | 7-8-3 | 7-2-1 | |
| 10 Detroit Red Wings | 32 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 35 | 13 | 98 | 105 | 8-6-3 | 6-5-4 | 3-5-2 | |
| 11 Buffalo Sabres | 32 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 34 | 15 | 127 | 109 | 7-8-2 | 9-6-0 | 7-2-1 | |
| 12 Florida Panthers | 34 | 15 | 15 | 4 | 34 | 14 | 113 | 115 | 8-5-3 | 7-10-1 | 4-6-0 | |
| 13 Montreal Canadiens | 33 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 33 | 11 | 93 | 114 | 7-9-0 | 8-6-3 | 3-5-2 | |
| 14 Ottawa Senators | 32 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 30 | 14 | 98 | 103 | 8-8-0 | 6-8-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 15 Philadelphia Flyers | 33 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 29 | 11 | 82 | 109 | 7-9-1 | 4-6-6 | 3-5-2 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 32 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 22 | 10 | 87 | 130 | 8-11-1 | 2-9-1 | 2-8-0 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Vegas Golden Knights | 35 | 23 | 11 | 1 | 47 | 21 | 117 | 96 | 9-9-0 | 14-2-1 | 6-4-0 | |
| 2 Dallas Stars | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 44 | 19 | 121 | 97 | 9-4-3 | 10-5-3 | 5-3-2 | |
| 3 Winnipeg Jets | 32 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 43 | 21 | 108 | 81 | 12-5-0 | 9-5-1 | 7-3-0 | |
| 4 Los Angeles Kings | 35 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 41 | 15 | 116 | 123 | 9-5-2 | 9-7-3 | 6-3-1 | |
| 5 Minnesota Wild | 32 | 19 | 11 | 2 | 40 | 16 | 104 | 90 | 11-6-1 | 8-5-1 | 8-2-0 | |
| 6 Seattle Kraken | 31 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 39 | 18 | 108 | 98 | 9-6-2 | 9-4-1 | 5-5-0 | |
| 7 Colorado Avalanche | 31 | 18 | 11 | 2 | 38 | 15 | 93 | 82 | 9-5-2 | 9-6-0 | 5-4-1 | |
| 8 Edmonton Oilers | 34 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 38 | 18 | 124 | 117 | 9-8-1 | 9-6-1 | 5-3-2 | |
| 9 Calgary Flames | 33 | 15 | 12 | 6 | 36 | 14 | 104 | 103 | 10-6-2 | 5-6-4 | 5-2-3 | |
| 10 St. Louis Blues | 33 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 33 | 14 | 101 | 119 | 6-7-1 | 10-9-0 | 5-4-1 | |
| 11 Nashville Predators | 31 | 14 | 13 | 4 | 32 | 12 | 80 | 95 | 8-5-2 | 6-8-2 | 4-4-2 | |
| 12 Vancouver Canucks | 31 | 13 | 15 | 3 | 29 | 12 | 103 | 122 | 5-9-1 | 8-6-2 | 5-5-0 | |
| 13 San Jose Sharks | 34 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 26 | 9 | 103 | 127 | 3-10-5 | 7-8-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 14 Arizona Coyotes | 31 | 10 | 16 | 5 | 25 | 10 | 85 | 116 | 4-3-2 | 6-13-3 | 3-5-2 | |
| 15 Anaheim Ducks | 34 | 9 | 22 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 81 | 143 | 5-8-0 | 4-14-3 | 3-6-1 | |
| 16 Chicago Blackhawks | 31 | 7 | 20 | 4 | 18 | 7 | 70 | 120 | 4-12-2 | 3-8-2 | 1-9-0 |
FOOTBALL HISTORY
The South Organizes
December 22, 1894 – Atlanta, Georgia – Members of southern universities organized into a conference of sports teams for competition against one another. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, which was a predecessor tothe SEC formed on this day with seven schools participating. According to secsports.com Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Sewanee, North Carolina and Vanderbilt all signed on inthis initial formation of the SIAA.
Bullet Bill
December 22, 1941 – The 1942 NFL Draft took place and Bullet Bill Dudley from University of Virginia was the first pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bullet Bill ended up leading the NFL in rushing his rookie season with 696 yards with Pittsburgh. Dudley had a brilliant career and even earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when his career was over. The was only one other player from this draft that made the HOF and he was the 135th pick by the Detroit Lions End Max Speedie per the Pro-Football -Reference website.
AAFC Champs
December 22, 1946 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium – The AAFC championship game was played as the New York Yankees Football club invaded Cleveland to play theBrowns for the AAFC Title. The Browns came out victorious as they defeated the Yankees 14-9 in a close one. Pro-Football-Reference.com informs us that Cleveland Quarterback Otto Graham threw a 16 yard 4th quarter touchdown pass to receiver Dante Lavelli for the go ahead score to lead the Browns to yet another championship.
Record Setter
December 22, 1985 – Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver, Stephone Paige put up 309 yards of receiving against the San Diego Chargers defense which was an NFL record. According to the Bleacher Report, Stephone averaged 38 yards per catch in the game and had two different QBs tossing the rock to him as Todd Blackledge and Bill Kenney each were in as signal caller for the Chiefs! The record was broken in 1989 by Flipper Anderson of the Los Angeles Rams who finished a game 336 yards against the New Orleans Saints but Anderson reached his lofty mark with some catches in an overtime session whereas Paige earned all of his yardage in the regular 60 minutes. KC needed every bit of Paige’s efforts too as they overcame the Chargers 38-34 in the contest.
Slash
December 22, 1996 – Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina – Per a story on the SteelersDepot.com website, Pittsburgh’s Kordell Stewart runs an NFL quarterback record of 80 yds for a score. “Slash” Stewart weaved his way through a stout Carolina Panthers defense to put the Steelers ahead in the low scoring game. The score did not hold up though as the Panthers rallied to win 18-14 over Pittsburgh.
Thomas sets record
December 22, 2019 – New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas set an NFL record for most catches in a season per a NewOrleansSaints.com website story. Thomas in the contest raised his season total 144 to catches as the Saints knocked off the Tennessee Titans 38-28. Michael Thomas’ new milestone breaks a 17-year old record once held by Indianapolis Colts Marvin Harrison when he posted a season total of 143.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAY FOR DECEMBER 22
December 22, 1949 – Swainsboro, Georgia – The pride of Southern Mississippi football, Punter Ray Guy was born. Ray set numerous collegiate records and became the first All-America punter per the NFF. The National Football Foundation selected Ray Guy to enter into their College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. Guy was the first punter ever selected in the first round of the NFL draft when the Oakland Raiders chose him as the 23rd player overall in the 1973 NFL Draft. In his 14 seasons with the Black and Silver he only had one year where he averaged under 40 yards per punt and only a mere 3 of his 1049 boots were blocked. Ray was an All-Pro in six straight seasons and for his career he averaged 42.4 yards per punt. Ray Guy, at the 2014 enshrinement ceremonies officially entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
BASEBALL HISTORY
1862 Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy is born in East Brookfield (MA) but will become better known as Connie Mack, changing his name to better fit on a scorecard. The ‘Tall Tactician’ will play in the National League with Washington, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh before serving as a manager and team executive for fifty-three years, spending fifty years as the owner-manager of the Philadelphia A’s from 1900 through 1950.
1899 The American League owners meet to map a strategy against the established National League. The fledgling circuit agrees to place a team in Chicago with Charles Comiskey as the new Windy City franchise owner-manager.
1953 Jack Dunn III officially turns over the name Orioles to the Browns, the major league franchise relocating from St. Louis to Baltimore. The Dunn family had successfully operated the International League team for 50 years in Charm City.
1959 The upstart Continental League awards a franchise to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, joining Denver, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York City, and Toronto, with Atlanta and Buffalo, will be added later. All the cities in the newly proposed third major league circuit, which disbands before its first scheduled game when baseball agrees to expand, will eventually be awarded an MLB franchise except Buffalo.
1962 Voters in Harris County (TX) approve a bond issue to finance the world’s first domed sports stadium, which will become home for the Houston Astros. The structure will become known as the Astrodome and dubbed the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World.’
1980 The Red Sox mail Fred Lynn and catcher Carlton Fisk their new contracts two days after the Basic Agreement December 20th deadline, technically making their productive All-Stars eligible for free agency. After a favorable arbitrator ruling in February, the 33-year-old backstop will leave Boston, signing a $3.5 million deal with the White Sox, with the team dealing Lynn to the Angels, providing Boston with some compensation for losing their popular outfielder.
1982 Lee Mazzilli is traded for the third time this season. In August, the Yankees, after obtaining the Brooklyn native from the Rangers for Bucky Dent, deal the first baseman/outfielder to the Pirates for Tim Burke and three minor leaguers.
1994 The Giants trade pitcher John Burkett to the Rangers for minor league infielders Desi Wilson and Rich Aurilia. The latter will spend nine years in his first tenure in San Francisco, becoming a vital offensive cog in the team’s everyday lineup.
1995 Bill DeWitt, Jr. and two investment partners, Frederick and Stephen Brauer, agree to purchase the Cardinals from Anheuser-Busch for a reported $150 million. As the Browns’ nine-year-old batboy, the new Redbird owner once lent his uniform to Eddie Gaedel, the shortest major leaguer in history, who made a single plate appearance, walking on four consecutive balls in a 1951 Bill Veeck stunt.
1995 After a Southwest Bank investment group promises to keep the franchise in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch agrees to sell the Cardinals to the financial establishment. The price tag of approximately $150 million is a bargain, with Forbes Magazine estimating the club’s value to be worth twice that amount.
2000 The Mariners sign former Padres’ second baseman Bret Boone to a $3.25 million, one-year deal. The brother of Aaron Boone, grandson of Ray Boone, and son of Bob Boone plays in only 127 games next season due to a bruised right knee that ends his season in August.
2000 The Giants, hoping to fill the void created by Ellis Burks’ departure, sign veteran outfielder Eric Davis to a $1.5 million, one-year contract. The Players Choice Awards ‘Man of the Year’ had considered retirement, but the lure of more playing time changed his mind.
2001 Highly sought free agent Chan Ho Park (15-11, 3.50) signs a five-year, $65 million deal with the Rangers. Last year, the Korean right-hander led the Dodgers in wins, starts, innings, strikeouts, and opponents’ batting average.
2005 The U.S. Treasury Department denies the request to allow Cuba to participate in the World Baseball Classic due to the possibility of financial gain by the island country. MLB reapplies after Fidel Castro says his country will donate any money earned to Hurricane Katrina victims.
2009 The Yankees reacquired Javier Vazquez by trading outfielder Melky Cabrera to the Braves. The right-hander’s last pinstripe performance was less than stellar, allowing two home runs, including a grand slam, which put Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS out of reach, completing the team’s historic collapse after beating the Red Sox in the first three games of the championship series.
2009 Colorado free agent Jason Marquis (15-13, 4.04) signs a $15 million, two-year contract with the Nationals, hoping to become the anchor of the team’s rotation. The 31-year-old right-handed starter, considered a workhorse by his former clubs, will be a veteran presence on the staff, which featured four rookies and a sophomore last season.
2009 Garrett Atkins (.226, 9, 48) and the Orioles finalize a $4.5 million, one-year deal after the 30-year-old infielder passes a physical. After his woeful performance last season, the Rockies, the only team he had ever played with during his seven years in the big leagues, failed to offer their former starting third baseman a contract for 2010.
2011 The Cardinals announce Carlos Beltran (.300, 22, 84), and the team has agreed on a two-year deal, pending the results of a physical. The 34-year-old outfielder, who signed for a reported $26 million, will play right field, allowing Lance Berkman to shift to first base to fill the void created by the departure of Albert Pujols to free agency.
2012 Ryan Freel, a victim of numerous head traumas during his nine-year major league career with the Reds and four other teams due to his aggressive style of play, is found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound. Within a year, a study of the 36-year-old’s brain will reveal he suffered from a degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a condition linked to suicides, believed to be triggered by repeated concussions.
2014 Phil Hughes (16-10, 3.52) and the Twins come to terms on a $58 million, five-year contract that adds $42-million in guaranteed money from 2017-19. The 28-year-old right-handed control artist, who led the major leagues with an 11.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio, lost a $500,000 bonus when a rainout ended the game, leaving him one out shy of earning an incentive.
2015 Los Angeles finalizes the plans for a likeness of Jackie Robinson to appear at Dodger Stadium. The team commissioned former Brooklyn resident Branly Cadet to create 9-to-10 feet tall statue, the first-ever sculpture to appear at the Chavez Ravine ballpark.
SPORTS IN NUMBERS
97 – 23 – 10 – 9 – 7 – 23 – 77 – 16 – 8 – 21 – 11 – 14 – 3 – 13 – 88 – 30
December 22, 1917 – In the NHL’s first official week of play, 3 players score hat tricks in the same game, for the same team; Corb Denneny, Reg Noble, and Harry Meeking each score 3 for the Toronto Arenas in an 11-4 win over the Ottawa Senators
December 22, 1924 – Babe Dye of NHL’s Toronto St Patricks scores 5 goals beat Bruins 10-2
December 22, 1941 – 1942 NFL Draft: Bill Dudley, Number 97 from University of Virginia first pick by Pittsburgh Steelers
December 22, 1959 – New York Ranger goalie Number 23, Marcel Paille wears a customized mask
December 22, 1964 – Ballon d’Or: Manchester United striker Number 10, Denis Law won the award for best European football player; beats Inter midfielder Number 9, Luis Suárez and Real Madrid winger Number 7, Amancio Amaro. Law was the first Scotsman to win the award
December 22, 1969 – LSU’s Number 23, Pete Maravich sets NCAA record of making 30 of 31 foul shots
December 22, 1974 – Number 7, Phil Esposito, of the Boston Bruins, became 6th NHL skater to score 500 goals
December 22, 1990 – Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame Defenseman, Number 77, Paul Coffey became the second NHL defenseman to record 1000 points, doing so in a record-breaking 770 games
December 22, 1992 – Ballon d’Or: Milan’s Dutch striker Number 16, Marco van Basten wins his 3rd title as best soccer player in Europe ahead of Barcelona forward Number 8, Hristo Stoichkov and Ajax forward Number 10, Dennis Bergkamp
December 22, 1996 – St Louis Blues’ right wing Number 16, Brett Hull scored his 26th NHL career hat trick to reach 500 career goals in a 7-4 win over the LA Kings. This was signiificant in another aspect of hockey history as well. Brett with his father, Hockey Hall of Famer, Number 9, Bobby Hull, became the first father/son duo to each record 500 career NHL goals
December 22, 1996 – Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback, Number 10, Kordell Stewart ran for an NFL quarterback record 80 yds for TD
December 22, 1998 – Ballon d’Or: Juventus’ French midfielder Number 21, Zinedine Zidane is named best football player in Europe ahead of Real Madrid striker Number 9, Davor Šuker and Inter forward Number 9, Ronaldo
December 22, 2003 – Ballon d’Or: Juventus’ Czech midfielder Number 11, Pavel Nedvěd was named best football player in Europe ahead of Arsenal forward Number 14, Thierry Henry and Milan defender Number 3, Paolo Maldini
December 22, 2019 – New Orleans wide receiver Number 13, Michael Thomas sets NFL record for most catches in a season with his 144th as Saints beat Tennessee 38-28; breaks 17-year old record held by Colts legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Number 88, Marvin Harrison (143)
December 22, 2020 – Argentine soccer superstar Number 10, Lionel Messi scored his 644th goal for FC Barcelona during 3-0 win over Real Valladolid to break Pele’s record for most goals for one club; Pele, 643 goals for Santos 1956-74. Messi currently wears jersey Number 30 at Paris Saint Germain
TV THURSDAY
| COLLEGE BASKETBALL – MEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| HOLY CROSS AT SACRED HEART | 11:30AM | NEC |
| SUNY OLD WESTBURY AT HOFSTRA | 11:30AM | FLOHOOPS |
| VMI AT FORDHAM | 12:00PM | ESPN+ |
| TOWSON AT BRYANT | 12:00PM | ESPN+ |
| SIENA AT AMERICAN | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| ST. AMBROSE AT DRAKE | 2:00PM | – |
| MEDGAR EVERS AT ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN | 2:00PM | NEC |
| CORNELL AT COLGATE | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UNCG AT EASTERN KENTUCKY | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| NORTH FLORIDA AT BETHUNE-COOKMAN | 2:00PM | – |
| IONA VS. SMU | 3:00PM | ESPNU |
| KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LINDENWOOD AT UTAH TECH | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| JACKSON STATE AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| GWYNNED MERCY AT WAGNER | 4:00PM | NEC |
| SAN DIEGO AT CSUN | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| SEATTLE VS. UTAH STATE | 5:00PM | ESPNU |
| BOISE STATE AT SANTA CLARA | 5:00PM | WCC |
| AKRON AT BRADLEY | 5:00PM | ESPN+ |
| PORTLAND AT UC RIVERSIDE | 5:00PM | ESPN+ |
| STONY BROOK AT WEST VIRGINIA | 6:00PM | ESPN+ |
| SAINT PETER’S AT MARYLAND | 6:30PM | BTN |
| HARVARD AT KANSAS | 7:00PM | ESPN2 |
| WKU AT SOUTH CAROLINA | 7:00PM | SECN |
| LOUISVILLE AT NC STATE | 7:00PM | ACCN |
| YALE AT MONMOUTH | 7:00PM | FLOHOOPS |
| MILWAUKEE AT RHODE ISLAND | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| QUEENS AT FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON | 7:00PM | NEC |
| PURCHASE AT LIU | 7:00PM | NEC |
| DREXEL AT FAIRFIELD | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| WILLIAMS BAPTIST AT NORTH ALABAMA | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| GOUCHER AT LOYOLA MARYLAND | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| MARIST AT RIDER | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS AT INDIANA STATE | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| NJIT AT SOUTH FLORIDA | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| CENTRAL CONNECTICUT AT SAINT JOSEPH’S | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| MIAMI (OH) AT WRIGHT STATE | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| CHICAGO STATE AT MINNESOTA | 7:30PM | ESPNU |
| CHARLOTTE AT UAB | 7:30PM | ESPN+ |
| BUTLER AT CREIGHTON | 8:00PM | FS1 |
| MORGAN STATE AT ARIZONA | 8:00PM | PAC12 |
| ST. BONAVENTURE AT UNI | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| ALABAMA A&M AT VANDERBILT | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| TEXAS SOUTHERN AT WICHITA STATE | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LITTLE ROCK AT ARKANSAS STATE | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| SAM HOUSTON AT MISSOURI STATE | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| NORTH TEXAS AT UTSA | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| QUINNIPIAC AT PENN STATE | 8:30PM | BTN |
| WASHINGTON STATE VS. GEORGE WASHINGTON | 9:00PM | ESPN2 |
| ILLINOIS VS. MISSOURI | 9:00PM | SECN |
| WEBER STATE AT BYU | 9:00PM | – |
| HARTFORD AT SAN FRANCISCO | 9:00PM | WCC |
| LOYOLA CHICAGO VS. STANFORD | 10:00PM | PAC12 |
| SOUTHERN MISS AT UNLV | 10:00PM | MWN |
| PORTLAND STATE AT CALIFORNIA BAPTIST | 10:00PM | ESPN+ |
| PEPPERDINE AT HAWAI’I | 11:00PM | ESPN2 |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWL: AIR FORCE VS. BAYLOR | 7:30PM | ESPN |
| NBA | TIME ET | TV |
| SAN ANTONIO AT NEW ORLEANS | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| WASHINGTON AT UTAH | 9:00PM | NBATV NBCS-WSH ATTSN-RM |
| NFL | TIME ET | TV |
| JACKSONVILLE AT NY JETS | 8:15PM | PRIME |
| NHL | TIME ET | TV |
| PHILADELPHIA AT TORONTO | 2:00PM | SPORTSNET NBCS-PHI |
| CAROLINA AT PITTSBURGH | 7:00PM | NHLN ATTSN-PIT BALLY SPORTS |
| NY ISLANDERS AT NY RANGERS | 7:00PM | MSG MSGSN |
| WASHINGTON AT OTTAWA | 7:00PM | NBCS-WSH SPORTSNET |
| WINNIPEG AT BOSTON | 7:00PM | NESN SPORTSNET |
| SEATTLE AT VANCOUVER | 10:00PM | ROOT SPORTS SPORTSNET |
| CALGARY AT LOS ANGELES | 10:00PM | BALLY SPORTS SPORTSNET |
| MINNESOTA AT SAN JOSE | 10:30PM | BALLY SPORTS NBCS-CA |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: SLAVIA PRAHA VS ROMA | 12:45PM | DAZN |
| UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: ST. PÖLTEN VS WOLFSBURG | 12:45PM | DAZN |
| COPA DEL REY: GERNIKA VS CELTA DE VIGO | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| COPA DEL REY: CACEREÑO VS GIRONA | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| COPA DEL REY: REAL OVIEDO VS GRANADA | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| COPA DEL REY: ARENTEIRO VS ATLÉTICO MADRID | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND LEAGUE CUP: MANCHESTER CITY VS LIVERPOOL | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: CHELSEA FC VS PSG | 3:00PM | DAZN |
| UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: REAL MADRID VS VLLAZNIA | 3:00PM | DAZN |
| COPA POR MEXICO: TOLUCA VS CRUZ AZUL | 8:00PM | TUDN |
| COPA POR MEXICO: GUADALAJARA VS TIGRES UANL | 10:00PM | TUDN |