“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SEMI-STATE PAIRINGS
NORTH
CLASS 4A AT FRANKFORT
10 AM ET | G1: HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (26-0) VS. VALPARAISO (19-7)
12 PM ET | G2: WARSAW COMMUNITY (24-1) VS. MCCUTCHEON (24-3)
7:30 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CLASS 3A AT HUNTINGTON NORTH
10 AM ET | G1: NORWELL (20-6) VS. DELTA (18-7)
12 PM ET | G2: COLUMBIA CITY (23-4) VS. HIGHLAND (15-10)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CLASS 2A AT LOGANSPORT
10 AM ET | G1: WHITKO (21-4) VS. EASTSIDE (26-1)
12 PM ET | G2: SHERIDAN (25-1) VS. RENSSELAER CENTRAL (24-2)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CLASS 1A AT LAPORTE
10 AM CT | G1: ELKHART CHISTIAN (21-5) VS. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (23-4)
12 PM CT | G2: NORTH MIAMI (16-10) VS. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (22-4)
7:30 PM CT | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
SOUTH
CLASS 4A AT SOUTHPORT
10 AM ET | G1: PIKE (19-6) VS. BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (23-2)
12 PM ET | G2: GIBSON SOUTHERN (21-6) VS. LAWRENCE NORTH (16-8)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CLASS 3A AT NEW ALBANY
10 AM ET | G1: INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (18-9) VS. RONCALLI (17-8)
12 PM ET | G2: GREENSBURG (25-0) VS. EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (23-4)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CLASS 2A AT JASPER
10 AM ET | G1: PARKE HERITAGE (23-4) VS. SOUTH KNOX (25-2)
12 PM ET | G2: BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (22-5) VS. HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (14-12)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CLASS 1A AT SHELBYVILLE
10 AM ET | G1: SOUTH DECATUR (16-11) VS. BORDEN (20-5)
12 PM ET | G2: ANDERSON PREPARATORY (18-9) VS. NORTHEAST DUBOIS (19-6)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
INDIANA WRESTLING STATE FINALS
FRIDAY, FEB. 21, 2025
SESSION 1
1:30 PM ET – GATES OPEN
2:30 PM ET – PARADE OF CHAMPIONS
2:45 PM ET – PRESENTATION OF COLORS AND NATIONAL ANTHEM
3 PM ET – FIRST ROUND WEIGHT CLASSES 106 – 144
6 PM ET – FIRST ROUND WEIGHT CLASSES 150 – 285
SATURDAY, FEB. 22, 2025
SESSION 2
8 AM ET – GATES OPEN
9 AM ET – QUARTERFINALS BEGIN WITH SEMIFINALS TO FOLLOW
FIELDHOUSE CLEARED OF ALL SPECTATORS FOLLOWING SEMIFINALS
SESSION 3
3:30 PM ET – GATES OPEN
4:30 PM ET – CONSOLATION MATCHES
7 PM ET – INTRODUCTIONS OF STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PARTICIPANTS
APPROX. 7:24 PM ET – PRESENTATION OF COLORS AND NATIONAL ANTHEM
7:30 PM ET – STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES BEGIN
INDIANA BOYS SWIMMING SECTIONALS
DATES
THURSDAY, FEB. 20, 2025 (SWIMMING PRELIMINARIES).
SATURDAY, FEB. 22, 2025 (DIVING, CONSOLATIONS & FINALS IN SWIMMING EVENTS).
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25
WICHITA STATE 84 #14 MEMPHIS 79 OT
#20 MICHIGAN 86 OHIO STATE 83
#9 ST. JOHN’S 79 #24 CREIGHTON 73
#25 MARYLAND 101 IOWA 75
ELSEWHERE:
BRADLEY 61 DRAKE 59
GREEN BAY 79 RIGHT STATE 68
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 68 CLEVELAND STATE 60
NEBRASKA 68 NORTHWESTERN 64
MILWAUKEE 92 NORTHERN KENTUCKY 70
ILLINOIS CHICAGO 63 MISSOURI STATE 58
OAKLAND 93 DETROIT 83 OT
NEW MEXICO 82 UTAH STATE 79
OREGON 75 RUTGERS 57
EVANSVILLE 79 VALPARAISO 69
LOUISVILLE 75 NOTRE DAME 60
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25
#19 GEORGIA TECH 73 WAKE FOREST 62
#15 TENNESSEE 80 OLE MISS 71
#7 CONNECTICUT 87 #4 SOUTH CAROLINA 58
#12 NORTH CAROLINA 66 #10 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 65
#8 KENTUCKY 84 GEORGIA 55
#16 OKLAHOMA 82 MISSOURI 66
#23 FLORIDA STATE 83 MIAMI FLORIDA 82
#3 TEXAS 65 #5 LSU 58
#11 TCU 85 ARIZONA 73
#6 USC 69 WASHINGTON 64
#1 UCLA 75 #22 MICHIGAN STATE 69
ELSEWHERE:
WISCONSIN 75 PENN STATE 68
BRADLEY 56 INDIANA STATE 54
VILLANOVA 57 XAVIER 42
SETON HALL 59 PROVIDENCE 38
FLORIDA 69 MISSISSIPPI STATE 66
VIRGINIA 80 PITTSBURGH 67
ROBERT MORRIS 63 NORTHERN KENTUCKY 59
RICHMOND 59 ST. LOUIS 49
ILLINOIS CHICAGO 62 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 46
MISSOURI STATE 79 VALPARAISO 63
OREGON 76 MINNESOTA 70
VANDERBILT 98 AUBURN 88 OT
CLEMSON 72 SMU 46
STANFORD 80 BOSTON COLLEGE 75
ILLINOIS 77 NEBRASKA 68
ST. JOHN 65 BUTLER 43
CALIFORNIA 75 SYRACUSE 69
COLLEGE BASEBALL
TOP 25
#4 TENNESSEE 13 HOFSTRA 1
LOUISVILLE 13 #21 ARIZONA 1
#9 FLORIDA STATE 10 JAMES MADISON 0
#14 WAKE FOREST 24 MARIST 6
#20 DALLAS BAPTIST 11 NORTH DAKOTA STATE 1
#18 MISSISSIPPI STATE 5 MANHATTAN 1
CINCINNATI 19 #11 DUKE 5
#16 VANDERBILT 9 UC IRVINE 8
#1 TEXAS A&M 12 ELON 6
#25 TROY 7 BELLARMINE 3
#3 LSU 8 PURDUE FORT WAYNE 1
#7 OREGON STATE 6 INDIANA 0
#12 OREGON 6 TOLEDO 1
OLE MISS 15 #15 CLEMSON 5
#2 VIRGINIA 7 RICE 0
#23 TCU 13 SAN DIEGO 5
NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON 6 #8 GEORGIA 2
#22 UC SANTA BARBARA 14 CAMPBELL 4
#24 NEBRASKA 13 SAN DIEGO STATE 0
#19 TEXAS 14 #17 OKLAHOMA STATE 8
ELSEWHERE:
MICHIGAN STATE VS. DAYTON CANCELED
SOUTH FLORIDA 9 IOWA 5
ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM VS. BALL STATE CANCELED
MICHIGAN 19 VILLANOVA 0
ILLINOIS 6 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 2
PURDUE 16 STEPHEN F AUSTIN 12
HOUSTON 8 MINNESOTA 7
NORTHWESTERN 4 LONG BEACH STATE 3
ARIZONA STATE 17 OHIO STATE 10
COASTAL CAROLINA 11 WASHINGTON 1
UCLA 16 CAL POLY 0
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 7 GEORGE WASHINGTON 5
PENN STATE 7 CONNECTICUT 6
BUTLER 9 TARLETON 7 (11)
PITTSBURGH 17 EASTERN MICHIGAN 2
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EDWARDSVILLE 9 KENT STATE 4
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 21 NICHOLLS 2
WOFFORD 13 OHIO 12
AKRON 17 RADFORD 4
HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 9 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 6
SOUTHERN INDIANA 15 ALABAMA STATE 13
LITTLE ROCK 11 EVANSVILLE 1
SAMFORD 15 VALPARAISO 5
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
TOP 25
#7 TEXAS A&M 4 CHARLOTTE 2
VIRGINIA 7 #3 UCLA 6
#13 ARKANSAS 12 SOUTHERN MISS 3
#18 NEBRASKA 16 MONTANA 3
#21 OREGON 4 BELMONT 1
#5 TENNESSEE 5 NICHOLLS STATE 0
#4 OKLAHOMA 11 HOFSTRA 3
AUBURN 2 #24 LIBERTY 1
#8 LSU 7 #16 VIRGINIA TECH 4
#12 GEORGIA 11 LONGWOOD 5
#2 TEXAS 11 #11 TEXAS TECH 0
#25 BAYLOR 11 HOFSTRA 3
#10 ARIZONA 5 CAL STATE FULLERTON 1
#13 ARKANSAS 10 LOUISIANA MONROE 0
#17 MISSISSIPPI STATE 11 GEORGIA TECH 3
#12 GEORGIA 12 WESTERN CAROLINA 6
LOUISVILLE 4 #18 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 0
#4 OKLAHOMA 8 #25 BAYLOR 0
#23 STANFORD 13 UC DAVIS 5
#14 DUKE 8 #1 FLORIDA 1
#9 OKLAHOMA STATE 4 #20 ALABAMA 3
#6 FLORIDA STATE 8 CENTRAL FLORIDA 1
MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY VS. #22 BOSTON UNIVERSITY CANCELED
ELSEWHERE:
ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 15 INDIANA STATE 6
SOUTH FLORIDA 1 PENN STATE 0
CLEMSON 11 OHIO STATE 3
PURDUE 9 LOUISVILLE 3
NOTRE DAME VS. TOWSON CANCELED
MINNESOTA 2 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 0
WISCONSIN 3 SETON HALL 2
MICHIGAN STATE 9 WESTERN CAROLINA 1
WASHINGTON 5 NORTH DAKOTA 0
MASSACHUSETTS 10 MARYLAND 1
NORTHWESTERN 11 UT ARLINGTON 3
RUTGERS 4 E. TEXAS A&M 2
OHIO STATE 4 CENTRAL FLORIDA 4
MICHIGAN 11 GEORGIA STATE 1
ILLINOIS VS. QUINNIPIAC CANCELED
ILLINOIS VS. STONY BROOK CANCELED
IU INDY 9 CANISIUS 1
GREEN BAY VS. SOUTHERN INDIANA CANCELED
CAL STATE FULLERTON 17 OHIO 1
OLE MISS 6 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 0
UNC GREENSBORO 16 TOLEDO 14
MIAMI 7 WINTHROP 0
AKRON 9 TARLETON 8
KENT STATE VS. MARIST CANCELED
BUFFALO VS. DELAWARE CANCELED
DEPAUL VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN CANCELED
ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 15 INDIANA STATE 6
SAMFORD 4 INDIANA STATE 3
GREEN BAY VS. SOUTHERN INDIANA CANCELED
MEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE SCORES
TOP 25
NAVY 14 #16 TOWSON 10
WOMEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE SCORES
TOP 25
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NBA SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NHL SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
JAYSON TATUM, STEPHEN CURRY LEAD TEAM SHAQ’S ALL-STAR CLINCHER
Jayson Tatum scored 15 points and Stephen Curry added 12 on four 3-pointers as Team Shaq posted a 41-25 victory over Team Chuck on Sunday night to win the All-Star Game tournament in San Francisco.
Tatum made 6 of 7 shots and converted the decisive dunk to end the easy victory for Team Shaq, coached by former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal.
Curry was named MVP of the night. The Golden State Warriors star scored 20 points over two games played in his home arena.
Victor Wembanyama scored 11 points to pace Team Chuck, which was coached by former NBA star Charles Barkley.
Team Shaq’s LeBron James (ankle) sat out Sunday night’s festivities.
Team Shaq was seven points away from the target score of 40 when Curry hit two treys to pull them within one.
Tatum then converted the dunk to end the first All-Star Game played under this format.
Team Shaq shot 57.1 percent from the field, including 9 of 17 from 3-point range.
Team Chuck shot 35.5 percent and was a lowly 2 of 16 from behind the arc.
Team Shaq scored the first 11 points of the game.
Curry hit a game-opening 3-pointer and Tatum followed with the next eight on a dunk and two treys.
Team Chuck finally got on the board with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander splitting two free throws.
After missing their first 10 field-goal attempts, the Team Chuck drought ended on a layup by Karl-Anthony Towns. Wembanyama followed with a 3-pointer to pull Team Chuck within 11-6.
Team Shaq’s lead was back to double digits when Kyrie Irving connected on a trey to make it 19-8.
Team Chuck crept within 23-15 on consecutive dunks by Towns and Wembanyama.
But Curry let fly from the midcourt line and swished the shot to push Team Shaq’s lead to 11.
James Harden drilled a 3-pointer to give Team Shaq a 33-19 lead before the closing push.
The contest was the second of the night for both teams under the new format.
Team Shaq qualified for the title match with a 42-35 win over Team Candace, coached by former women’s star Candace Parker.
Team Chuck reached the final with a 41-32 victory over Team Kenny, coached by former NBA player Kenny Smith.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 9 ST. JOHN’S RUNS PAST NO. 24 CREIGHTON
Zuby Ejiofor and Kadary Richmond combined to score 10 unanswered points during a decisive second-half run on Sunday afternoon as No. 9 St. John’s extended its lead in the Big East standings with a 79-73 win over No. 24 Creighton in New York.
RJ Luis Jr. posted a double-double with 23 points and a career-high-tying 14 rebounds for St. John’s (22-4, 13-2 Big East), which moved two games ahead of Creighton (18-8, 11-4) in the conference while avenging a 57-56 loss to the Bluejays on Dec. 31.
Richmond (19 points, 10 rebounds) also recorded a double-double while Ejiofor (18 points, nine rebounds) fell one board shy of doing so for the Red Storm, who won despite shooting just 33.3 percent from 3-point land (6 of 18) and 58.6 percent from the free-throw line (17 of 29).
Steven Ashworth had 23 points and 11 assists for Creighton, which led by 10 points in the first half but shot just 35.3 percent overall (12 of 34) in the second, where the Bluejays missed 11 straight shots during a scoring drought that lasted nearly seven minutes.
Wichita State 84, No. 14 Memphis 79 (OT)
Corey Washington scored 18 points and added 15 assists, Quincy Ballard notched 19 points and the Shockers stunned the No. 14 Tigers in a comeback overtime win.
Bijan Cortes contributed 13 points and Xavier Bell had 12 as Wichita State (15-10, 5-7 AAC) won its fourth game in a row.
Tyrese Hunter had a game-high 24 points and PJ Haggerty chipped in 15 for Memphis (21-5, 11-2), which saw its eight-game winning streak snapped in the loss. The Tigers remain atop the AAC standings.
No. 20 Michigan 86, Ohio State 83
Danny Wolf scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Wolverines ran their winning streak to six games with a victory over the Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio.
Vladislav Goldin led Michigan (20-5, 12-2 Big Ten) with 20 points and had 10 rebounds as the Wolverines extended their conference lead to a full game over Michigan State.
Devin Royal scored 26, Bruce Thornton added 17 and John Mobley Jr. had 16 for Ohio State (15-11, 7-8), who missed out on a second straight win.
No. 25 Maryland 101, Iowa 75
Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds as the Terrapins rallied in the second half to rout the Hawkeyes in a Big Ten matchup in College Park, Md.
Derik Queen chipped in 18 points and 13 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double. Rodney Rice had 18 points and every starter scored in double figures for Maryland (20-6, 10-5 Big Ten), which made 58.2 percent of its shots from the field while owning the glass with a 40-28 rebounding advantage.
Pryce Sandfort notched 15 points, Payton Sandfort had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double and Seydou Traore chipped in 14 points for Iowa (14-11, 5-9), which led by four at the break.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 7 UCONN MAKES STATEMENT VS. NO. 4 S. CAROLINA
Azzi Fudd poured in 28 points on 6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, Sarah Strong added 16 points and 13 rebounds and No. 7 UConn steamrolled No. 4 South Carolina 87-58 on Sunday in Columbia, S.C.
Paige Bueckers tallied 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in a supporting role and Kaitlyn Chen scored 10 points as the Huskies (24-3) won their third straight game since losing another nonconference game at Tennessee earlier this month.
UConn went on a 13-0 run spanning the first and second quarters to gain a 31-14 advantage and led by double figures the rest of the way. The Huskies outrebounded the Gamecocks 48-29 and shot 46.4 percent from 3-point range, outscoring the hosts 39-9 beyond the arc.
Joyce Edwards led the Gamecocks (23-3) with 17 points and five boards, MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 11 points and Te-Hina Paopao had 10. South Carolina, named the No. 2 overall seed in the women’s selection committee’s bracket preview earlier in the day, has dropped two of its past three games.
No. 15 Tennessee 80, Ole Miss 71
Jewel Spear tied her season high with 28 points on 9-of-11 shooting (5 of 7 from deep) and the Lady Volunteers outlasted the visiting Rebels in Knoxville, Tenn.
Samara Spencer compiled 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as Tennessee (19-6, 6-6 SEC) won for the fourth time in five games. Zee Spearman collected 14 points and eight boards and Talaysia Cooper went for 11 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Vols outshot the Rebels 52.5 percent to 35.9 percent.
Kirsten Deans had a season-high 22 points for Ole Miss (17-8, 8-5), while Tameiya Sadler scored 14, Kennedy Todd-Williams had 11 and Madison Scott netted 10.
No. 19 Georgia Tech 73, Wake Forest 62
Kara Dunn scored nine of her 22 points in the fourth quarter as the host Yellow Jackets pulled away from the Demon Deacons in Atlanta.
Georgia Tech (21-5, 9-5 ACC) led by as many as 15 early before Wake Forest (8-17, 1-13) rallied to within one point midway through the third quarter. Malaya Cowles gave Wake its only lead at 54-53 at the 8:49 mark of the fourth quarter before Georgia Tech got away, with Dunn contributing back-to-back 3-pointers.
Tonie Morgan and Dani Carnegie each scored 14 points for the Yellow Jackets. For Wake, Rylie Theuerkauf had 20 points and Raegyn Conley and Demeara Hinds added 12 apiece.
RACING NEWS
OT CRASH CLEARS WAY FOR WILLIAM BYRON’S REPEAT WIN AT DAYTONA
William Byron made a late run with a melee unfolding in front of him in a two-lap overtime dash on Sunday night, stunning NASCAR Cup Series fans and also recording his second straight season-opening Daytona 500 victory in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Running ninth as the overtime started at high-banked Daytona International Speedway, Byron went high in his No. 24 Chevrolet and avoided a wreck between leader Denny Hamlin, Austin Cindric and others in the low lane.
Byron led five times for nine laps in recording his 13th career victory. It was the 10th win at the 500 for Hendrick Motorsports.
Tyler Reddick was second followed by seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Chase Briscoe and John Hunter Nemechek.
In the 67th version of NASCAR’s “Great American Race,” top qualifier Briscoe, Byron and Ty Dillon took turns leading the pack, but rain brought out the 200-lap race’s first caution on Lap 10.
After waiting out a nearly-four-hour rain delay, the 41-car field resumed under the lights with reigning series champ Joey Logano showing the point for 43 of the Stage 1 circuits.
His No. 22 Ford received some help when fellow blue-oval drivers Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney lined up behind, with the trio finishing in that order after Zane Smith and Josh Berry collided.
The first major incident occurred on the Lap 71 restart when leader Logano failed to get up to speed, causing a chain reaction that affected 10 cars throughout the field and ended with Ross Chastain being turned into Castroneves, plus Briscoe, Kyle Busch and others sliding into the grass.
Cindric’s No. 2 Ford moved to the front before the 250-mile mark, but Blaney got a strong push from Chase Elliott in the second segment to notch his fourth Daytona 500 stage win.
With 15 laps to go, the seventh caution was triggered at fourth place when Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. squeezed together and wrecked, starting a melee that ended chances at victory for Blaney, Busch, Keselowski and Elliott.
After second-place Christopher Bell hit the wall hard with five laps to go, his No. 20 Toyota smacked Ryan Preece, who got airborne for the second time in his career at Daytona, and his No. 60 Ford bounced down the backstretch.
GOLF NEWS
LUDVIG ABERG CAPTURES SIGNATURE WIN AT GENESIS INVITATIONAL
SAN DIEGO — Ludvig Aberg is feeling a lot better about San Diego than the last time he was here.
The world’s sixth-ranked golfer, who was so sick three weeks ago during the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course that he lost nearly 10 pounds, made four birdies in the final six holes Sunday to rally for a one-shot victory over Maverick McNealy at the Genesis Invitational.
Aberg wrapped up the victory with a birdie putt from 6 feet, 9 inches on the par-5 final hole, celebrating with a fist pump. About a half-hour earlier, McNealy missed a 15-foot birdie attempt at the same hole.
With a 6-under 66 on Sunday, Aberg finished 72 holes in 12-under 276 on Torrey Pines’ demanding South Course, which hosted the Genesis after wildfires burned within a few blocks of the tournament’s usual home at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, about 125 miles north of San Diego.
It was the second career win on the PGA Tour for the 25-year-old Aberg, who turned pro in June 2023 after an outstanding amateur career. Aberg won the RSM Classic that year, then finished second three times in 2024, including at the Masters.
Last year’s RSM marked the only previous tour victory for McNealy, who was hoping to accept the trophy here from tournament host Tiger Woods, a fellow Stanford University alumnus. McNealy shot an 8-under 64, the best round of the tournament, but after making nine birdies in his first 13 holes, he played the final five holes in 1 over.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 76 on Saturday to fall into a tie for eighth, was 10 shots better Sunday and finished at 9 under, tied for third with third-round leader Patrick Rodgers (71 on Sunday).
The Genesis is one of eight Signature Events on the PGA Tour, with limited fields and additional purse money and FedEx Cup points. Aberg earned $4 million from the $20 million purse.
JUSTIN LEONARD NABS CHUBB CLASSIC FOR FIRST CHAMPIONS WIN
Justin Leonard found the finishing push he needed by birdieing five of his last seven holes to win the Chubb Classic on Sunday at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla.
Leonard, who entered the day with a one-stroke lead, polished off a 4-under-par 68 to finish the tournament at 15-under 201, four ahead of Billy Andrade. It is Leonard’s first win on the PGA Tour Champions and his first professional win of any kind since 2008.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve won, and I tell myself all the time that I have won,” a tearful Leonard said on the Golf Channel broadcast. “But it’s easy to kind of forget a little bit and say, ‘Well, is it going to be?’
“I mean, last year was so bad, it was good. It was good for me. I made some changes with my golf swing and I’ve got a great situation with (his coaches) … It’s just so fun to finally be here. Because I always felt like I would be, but it’s nice to finally get it done.”
Leonard had a birdie-bogey start to his round, and when he settled for bogey at the par-3 10th he was 1 over for his round. Things could have gotten worse when he missed the fairway off the 11th tee, but he managed to save par.
“I felt like after bogeying 10, if I make bogey there, it’d be a tough sled coming in,” Leonard said. “That was a big momentum-booster … to save the week.”
The 52-year-old went on to roll in birdie putts at Nos. 12, 13 and 14 to secure the lead for good. He added birdies at Nos. 17 and 18 for good measure.
“I just kept telling myself that I was still in it and I felt like my best golf was ahead of me,” Leonard said. “… I kept telling myself to own the last six holes, the last seven holes.”
Andrade had six birdies in his round of 68, including four straight at Nos. 11-14, but he never climbed higher than 12 under for the tournament and went 1 over for his final four holes.
Andrade was happy to have old friend Mike “Fluff” Cowan as his caddie for the week.
“We jelled really well this week,” Andrade said. “That was so much fun. And, hey, I made a little run on the back nine and I didn’t finish it.”
Northern Irishman Darren Clarke (68) placed third at 10 under, and Fred Couples (66), Australian Richard Green (68), Heath Slocum (70) and Paul Stankowski (71) tied for fourth at 9 under.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES/HEADLINES
INDY FUEL
FUEL FINISH WEEKEND WITH SHUTOUT IN CINCY
CINCINNATI – The Fuel traveled to Cincinnati for their fourth game in five days. Ryan Kenny would get his first start in a Fuel uniform and make it count with a crucial 2-0 divisional shutout.
1ST PERIOD
It didn’t take long before Nathan Burke broke the silence. At 1:15, the first shot of the game and the first goal were recorded. That would be Burke’s 12th goal of the season.
There were three total power plays in the period, two for Cincinnati and one for Indy, but no goals would come.
The Cyclones would end the period outshooting the Fuel eight to seven.
2ND PERIOD
The lone action seen in the second frame was a power play for the Fuel just two minutes into the period.
The Fuel outshot the Cyclones six to five in the period, and after 40 minutes, the shooting evened out at 13 shots per team.
3RD PERIOD
The quiet of the second period did not carry over to the third for very long. Colin Bilek found the back of the net at 3:01 to extend the Fuel lead to two. The goal would give Bilek his 14th of the season.
That goal would prove the nail in the coffin as Cincinnati would be unable to convert on any of their 21 shots. The Fuel would win 2-0 and, in the same afternoon, Ryan Kenny would record his first ECHL win and shutout.
INDY IGNITE
IGNITE FALL JUST SHY IN FIVE-SET LOSS AT ATLANTA
The margin of error for success is miniscule in Pro Volleyball Federation competition. The Indy Ignite can vouch for that after dropping a heartbreaking, hard-fought, five-set match to the Atlanta Vibe tonight at Gas South Arena.
Playing without top scorer and PVF All-Star Leketor Member-Meneh – who was placed on injured reserve after injuring her ankle in Thursday’s win over San Diego – the remaining Ignite players turned in a complete team effort that fell just short of victory. The set scores for the Ignite – 30-28, 19-25, 18-25, 25-22 and 13-15 – were truly indicative of just how close they were to winning. Instead, Indy fell to 5-5 this season while Atlanta moved to 6-5.
The two teams meet again Thursday on the Ignite’s home court, the Fishers Event Center.
“Atlanta’s a tough team and we played them well in a five-set match,” Ignite head coach George Padjen said. “The team is going to get in the gym this week and get to work prepping to play them again Thursday.”
The Ignite showed their trademark grit in the opening set, rallying from a 16-11 deficit and fighting off four Vibe set points. Three straight Indy points – a Nina Cajic kill followed by back-to-back block points from middle blocker Caroline “CC” Crawford – nailed down the 30-28 set win. Outside hitters Cajic and Isabel Martin – the latter starting in place of the injured Member-Meneh – each had five kills in the set, with Crawford adding four kills to her two blocks and opposite hitter Azhani Tealer delivering four kills of her own.
The Ignite jumped to a 6-3 second-set lead before the Vibe came alive behind excellent net play and 2024 PVF MVP Leah Edmond. Atlanta registered eight block points in the set to Indy’s zero and Edmond had eight kills. Atlanta controlled the third set, with six Vibe players scoring three or four points each and Atlanta tallying three block points to none for Indy.
The Ignite’s tenacity was on full display in the fourth set after trailing 3-0 early and 17-15 later. Four straight points – three on Cajic kills – pushed Indy ahead and the Ignite closed the set win with three consecutive points on a Tealer kill, Martin block and Tealer service ace.
Things looked bleak in the fifth set when Indy trailed 10-5, but the Ignite rallied to close within 13-12 and denied one Vibe match point before Edmond’s season-high 26th kill of the night ended the match.
For the Ignite, Cajic led with 18 kills, two blocks and two aces. Martin had 15 kills, two blocks and 12 digs. Tealer added 15 kills, a block and an ace. Crawford posted a sensational .550 kill efficiency with 11 kills in 20 attempts with no errors. Padjen went deeper into his bench in the five-setter, with 12 Ignite players seeing action.
“I thought it was a really great team effort and everybody was fighting until the end,” Martin said after excelling in her first start. “I’m excited to face them again this week.”
Thursday’s match begins at 7 p.m. ET, with tickets available on the Ignite website, and the match also streams live on the PVF YouTube Channel. It is Indy’s final match prior to Saturday’s inaugural PVF All-Star Match, also being played at Fishers Event Center. Tealer and setter Sydney Hilley will represent the Ignite in the All-Star Match. Member-Meneh was named to the team but is unable to participate because of her injury.
Tickets for the PVF All-Star Match are available at provolleyball.com/tickets and the Fishers Event Center box office. The CBS national television network will broadcast the match live at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
Member-Meneh Placed on Injured Reserve
Member-Meneh was placed on injured reserve Saturday and will be out at least through the PVF All-Star Match. The Ignite activated middle blocker Lydia Martyn and outside hitter Anna DeBeer, while moving middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo to the practice squad. Martyn responded with a sensational night against Atlanta, coming off the bench in the final three sets to notch seven kills and a block.
INDIANA WRESTLING
NO. 21 INDIANA DROPS DUAL AT NO. 5 NEBRASKA
LINCOLN, Neb. ––– No. 21 Indiana wrapped the Big Ten dual season at No. 5 Nebraska on Sunday afternoon, losing 39-2 at the Devaney Center.
The match puts Indiana’s season record at 7-5 and finalizes the Big Ten record at 3-5.
KEY MOMENTS
• No. 16 Jacob Moran (125) did not surrender a takedown but dropped the opening match in a 2-0 decision.
• No. 27 Angelo Rini (133) was able to score on a third-period reversal, but was not able to score in an 8-4 loss to No. 16 Jacob Van Dee.
• Nebraska won the first nine bouts of the dual with seven bonus-point victories to take a commanding lead.
• No. 18 Jacob Bullock (285) looked stout against No. 21 Harley Andrews. Bullock limited Andrews to two escape points while scoring two takedowns in a 6-2 decision victory.
NOTABLES
• Bullock picked up his third ranked victory of the season with his defeat of No. 21 Harley Andrews.
• The match marked the return of Indiana assistant coach CJ Red to Lincoln. Red wrestled for Nebraska from 2016-22 and was a three-time All-American.
• Indiana has posted a 3-5 record in the Big Ten dual season for three consecutive seasons.
• It was Indiana’s first match in Lincoln since 2017.
MATCH RESULTS
125: No. 8 Caleb Smith (NEB) def. No. 16 Jacob Moran (IU) |Dec. 2-0 | Score: NEB up 3-0
133: No. 16 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) def. No. 27 Angelo Rini (IU) |Dec. 8-4 | Score: NEB up 6-0
141: No. 6 Brock Hardy (NEB) def. No. 26 Henry Porter (IU) |TF, 20-5 (5:54) | Score: NEB up 11-0
149: No. 4 Ridge Lovett (NEB) def. Joey Buttler (IU) |Fall (1:52) | Score: NEB up 17-0
157: No. 4 Antrell Taylor (NEB) def. Ryan Garvick (IU) |TF, 27-11 (5:12) | Score: NEB up 22-0
165: No. 8 Christopher Minto (NEB) def. No. 18 Tyler Lillard (IU) |MD, 10-0 | Score: NEB up 26-0
174: No. 10 Lenny Pinto (NEB) def. Roman Rogotzke (IU) |TF, 18-2 (5:00) | Score: NEB up 31-0
184: No. 7 Silas Allred (NEB) def. No. 24 DJ Washington (IU) |MD, 17-6 | Score: NEB up 35-0
197: No. 20 Camden McDaniel (NEB) def. No. 21 Gabe Sollars (IU) |MD, 17-4 | Score: NEB up 39-0
285: No. 18 Jacob Bullock (IU) def. No. 21 Harley Andrews (NEB) |Dec. 6-2 | Score: NEB up 39-2
FINAL TEAM SCORE: NO. 5 NEBRASKA 39, No. 21 INDIANA 2
*Conduct point deducted from Indiana’s team score
UP NEXT
• Indiana will finish out the dual season with a trip to Chattanooga on Friday, Feb. 21 for a 7 p.m. match.
INDIANA BASEBALL
OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES CONTINUE IN TOP-10 DEFEAT
SURPRISE, Ariz. – As the college baseball season gets going, the Indiana Baseball team (0-3) has yet to find any rythym at the plate. The Hoosiers were one-hit and held scoreless by No. 7 Oregon State in a 6-0 loss on Sunday (Feb. 16) afternoon at Surprise Stadium.
Through three games, IU has mustered just eight runs in 28 innings. The Hoosiers have just 18 hits to their name this campaign. Sunday was the first time IU was held scoreless in a game since a 12-0, seven-inning loss against No. 16 Alabama (March 1, 2024) at the Frisco Classic last season.
IU’s pitching staff managed to keep a potent Oregon State offense quiet for most of the game. The Beavers scored four off of starter Pete Haas (L, 0-1). But the home team managed just two runs off of IU’s bullpen in the final five innings. Redshirt senior pitcher Matthew Bohnert tossed a scoreless inning of relief in his IU debut.
Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley managed the only hit of the day for IU, a line drive single in the eighth inning that landed just in front of the center fielder. The Hoosiers loaded the bases in the eighth but left them stranded for the fifth time this weekend. IU is hitting just .105 (2-19) with runners in scoring position this weekend.
IU will look to salvage the final game of the weekend tomorrow morning (Noon ET) against UNLV. Flo College will handle the broadcast duties on the final day of the Sanderson Ford Collegiate Baseball Classic.
Scoring Recap
Bottom First
Gavin Turley singled to left field to open the scoring for the Beavers. Trent Caraway, who led off the inning with a single, scored.
Oregon State 1, Indiana 0
Bottom Third
Turley added to his tally on the afternoon, smashing a three-run home run to right-center field.
Oregon State 4, Indiana 0
Bottom Fifth
Oregon State added to the damage in the fifth. Jacob Krieg drove In Aiva Arquette on a sacrifice fly to left field. Wilson Weber followed that up with an RBI single on a ball that hit off the inside of the bat that landed over the head of the second baseman.
Oregon State 6, Indiana 0
Top Hoosier Performers
#34 Hanley, Jake
1-3
#28 Bohnert, Matthew
1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H
#30 Rushing, Ryan
1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Inside the Box Score
• The Hoosiers had just one hit on the afternoon. IU was held scoreless.
• Jake Hanley had the lone hit for the Hoosiers.
• IU’s pitching staff had a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (5 strikeouts, 5 walks).
Notes to Know
• Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley had the lone hit for the Hoosiers. He’s recorded one hit in each of his first three collegiate games. He’s the first IU true freshman to record a hit in each of his first three career starts since Tyler Cerny (5 starts – 2023).
• Senior third baseman Josh Pyne made his 108th-conseuctive start for the Hoosiers. His former teammate, Brock Tibbitts, made 149-straight starts through April of last season before missing a month of the year through injury. Pyne has appeared in 182 of a possible 185 games during his time in Bloomington.
Up Next
The Hoosiers end their weekend in Arizona on Monday in a rematch against UNLV. First pitch is set for Noon ET. It will be streamed on Flo College and can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
PURDUE BASEBALL
BASEBALL WINS SUNDAY SLUGFEST TO COMPLETE 4-GAME SWEEP
SUGAR LAND, Texas – Purdue Baseball batted around twice in the first three innings – hitting for the cycle in a five-run bottom of the first – and rode the early lead to a 16-12 victory vs. Stephen F. Austin on Sunday to complete a four-game series sweep.
The Boilermakers opened the season 4-0 for the second time in the last four years. They’re now 14-2 at Constellation Field while playing at Triple-A stadium near Houston for the opening weekend of each of the last four seasons.
Purdue carried a 12-1 lead into the fourth inning, but SFA did not quietly – outscoring the Boilermakers 11-4 over the final six innings. The Lumberjacks brought the tying run to the plate while loading the bases with two outs in the ninth inning.
Purdue’s 2024 regular-season finale vs. Illinois also featured a combined 28 runs. Sunday’s game represented the highest combined run total in a Boilermaker victory since a 16-15 final vs. Indiana in April 2022. Coincidentally, Friday’s season-opening doubleheader featured only a combined 11 runs.
Logan Sutter connected for RBI doubles in the first, second and eighth innings. It marked the third year in a row a Boilermaker has posted a three-double game, the last two coming at Constellation Field. Sutter hit safely and drove in a run in all four games of the series. Over the last two seasons at Constellation Field, he’s 17-for-31 (.548) with nine doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI.
Keenan Spence and Brandon Anderson both connected for a home run over the first three innings as the Boilermakers built their 12-1 lead. Spence hit a towering blast – a three-run shot – to left field on a Sunday in Sugar Land for the second year in a row. Anderson pulled a no-doubter past the right field foul pole and onto the roof of the bullpen in the third inning for his first home run as a Boilermaker.
Lukas Cook had two extra-base hits for the second day in a row, connecting for an RBI triple in the first inning and leading off the eighth inning with a double. Purdue went on to score twice in the eighth and it helped make the top of the ninth a bit less nerve-wracking after SFA mounted its rally.
The Boilermakers’ team cycle in the first inning featured Sutter’s first double, Cook’s triple, Spence’s home run and a single from CJ Richmond.
Brayden Olson went six-up, six-down over the first two innings in his first start as a Boilermaker. But he did not fare as well when he was forced to pitch from the stretch after SFA recorded inning-opening hits the next two frames.
Olson was the first of nine Purdue pitchers to take the mound. Enas Hayden was the only one not to allow a base runner, working a 1-2-3 fifth inning. Avery Cook closed out a win for the third time in the series after earning saves in both games of Friday’s doubleheader. The Lumberjacks registered a pair of singles against Cook to plate an inherited runner while loading the bases. Both outs Cook recorded Sunday came via strikeouts.
The Boilermakers are back in action Friday when they open a four-game series vs. Niagara, a 2024 NCAA Regional qualifier as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament champion, at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, N.C.
PURDUE BASEBALL
BOILERS FINISH JOAN JOYCE CLASSIC WITH FOUR WINS
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Boilermakers defeated Louisville (6-3) 9-3 to close out day three of the Joan Joyce Classic. The Boilermakers finished the weekend 4-1.
Moriah Polar went 4-for-4 on the day with three RBI, while Madi Elish went the full seven innings, moving to 3-1 after the victory.
BOILER BITS (vs. Louisville)
Offensive Highlights:
Moriah Polar: 4-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 R
Khloe Banks: 2-for-4, R
Jordyn Ramos: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, R
Pitching Breakdown:
Madi Elish , (3-1): 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 31 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Boilermakers started the game hot, scoring three runs in the first. Polar got aboard for the Boilers on a bunt single, and plated the first run on a double from Julia Gossett. Sage Scarmardo followed up Gossett’s double with a single of her own, before Jordyn Ramos brought both around on a two-RBI single.
Elish threw a scoreless frame in the bottom of the first, but Louisville scored one run in the bottom of the second, and one run in the third to make it 3-2.
In the fourth, Purdue tacked on four runs beginning with back-to-back singles from Delaney Reefe and Aslynn Campbell. A walk to Khloe Banks loaded the bases before Polar drove in two with a single to right center. Kyndall Bailey added one to the lead on a fielder’s choice before Polar scored on a passed ball to increase the lead to 7-2.
In the top of the seventh, the Boilers continued the run support after a walk from Ramos, who eventually came around to score on a passed ball. The Boilers scored their final run of the day on a bunt single from Polar. In the bottom of the inning, the Cardinals plated one more run and made some noise, but Purdue was able to close out the inning with the six-run win.
Elish went the distance for the Boilers going seven full, and surrendering just one earned run.
UP NEXT
Purdue will head to Birmingham, Ala. for the Green and Gold Classic hosted by UAB. The first game is slated for 9:00 a.m. on Feb. 22 against Belmont.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL
IRISH FALL 60-75 TO LOUISVILLE
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-14, 5-9) fell to the Louisville Cardinals (20-6, 13-2) in Purcell Pavilion on Sunday night by the score 60-75. It was a close back-and-forth affair until 9:37 remaining when the Cards fired off a 13-2 scoring run to garner their biggest lead of the game up 18.
Sophomore guard Markus Burton recorded his 10th 20+ point performance over the last 12 games (his 12th overall on the season) with 22 points tonight on 8-18 shooting. Burton went a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe, dished out a team-best four assists, and grabbed three boards for the Irish.
He was followed by Tae Davis, who put up 15 points while shooting 4-9 from the floor and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line.
Braeden Shrewsberry knocked down four threes, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds on the night. Kebba Njie led the rebounding efforts for the Irish with seven.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a hot start to the evening for both squads. Braeden Shrewsberry recorded three triples by 14:54 and the Irish were 4-7 from beyond the arc at the 11:33 media with an 18-15 lead.
However, the Irish then went into a minor cold spell in which they made just two of their next 13. During the early portion of said spell, the Cardinals fired off a 13-0 scoring run, grabbing their first lead of the game in the process.
Tae Davis ended the drought but minutes later was sent to the bench with three fouls. Markus Burton also had to spend some extra time on the bench due to two early fouls of his own.
Burton did sub back in late and tallied eight consecutive points to pull the Irish within four at 28-32. Yet with two seconds left on the clock, Louisville inbounded the ball from the baseline and got off a quick corner three for a 28-35 halftime advantage.
The Irish would cut the deficit down to one possession by 15:07 in the second half but Louisville settled in and recorded a 4-4 shooting stretch from the field which ballooned their lead to double digits for the first time at 44-55. At this point in time, the Irish had more turnovers than made field goals.
Three consecutive three-point plays from Louisville resulted in a 13-2 run in under three minutes, prompting a Coach Shrewsberry timeout now down 46-64.
The Irish came out of the timeout with a Mohammad and-one, but the Cardinals responded with a three-point play of their own shortly after.
A 6-0 run from the Irish cut the deficit to 12 at 67-55 with 3:18 remaining and stayed within 12 points after swapping pairs of free throws.
While Shrewsberry knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the night with just more than a minute left on the clock, the Cardinals would go on to win it 75-60. Louisville shot 56.5 percent in the second half compared to Notre Dame’s 32.0 percent.
UP NEXT
The Irish continue their homestand inside Purcell Pavilion against the top half of the conference with SMU on Wednesday, Feb. 19. That match will tip at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at FightingIrish.com.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
NO. 2 IRISH WELCOME NO. 13 BLUE DEVILS FOR MONDAY NIGHT HOOPS ON ESPN
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 2 Notre Dame (22-2, 13-0) hosts No. 13 Duke (20-5, 11-2) on Monday night in a battle of two of the top three teams in the ACC.
Duke is known as a defense-first squad, and this year is no exception. The Blue Devils are one of two ACC teams holding opponents under 60 percent from the floor (North Carolina), and Duke is allowing just 31.7 rebounds per game. Notably, Notre Dame leads the conference with 44.0 total rebounds and 31.6 defensive rebounds per game. Unsurprisingly, the Irish lead the league with a 10.6 rebounding margin, and Duke is second at 7.5.
The Blue Devils have had the same five starters for all 25 games this season and often go as freshman Toby Fournier does. The Canadian product leads the team with 13.5 points per game and 29 total blocks. She is also averaging 5.3 boards per game, second on the team behind Jadyn Donovan (6.8). Ashlon Jackson is a big threat from beyond the arc for Duke, averaging 2.5 3FGM per game and shooting 42.5 percent from deep this season.
Notre Dame is coming off its third consecutive victory of at least 30 points. On Thursday, the Irish beat Pitt for the 11th consecutive time, this time by a score of 88-57. Olivia Miles had 28 points and knocked down eight buckets from the beyond the arc, tying the Notre Dame single-game 3-pointer record set in 1998 by Shelia McMillen. Sonia Citron also exploded from deep, starting 4-4 from 3-point range and finishing the game 8-9 from the floor with 22 points and 10 rebounds, her third double-double of the year.
While she had an off night at Pitt, Hannah Hidalgo continues to be the best two-way player in the nation, ranking second in points per game (25.2) and second in steals per game (4.1). She notched a season-high 7 steals against the Panthers and posted her 57th game with 10+ points in as many tries.
Notre Dame is 18-4 all-time against Duke and 6-1 at home. Monday’s game will air on ESPN at 6 p.m. Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli will be on the call, and the game is sold out.
BUTLER BASEBALL
BUTLER BASEBALL WINS SERIES FINALE IN EXTRA INNINGS
The Butler baseball team left Stephenville with a 9-7 victory over Tarleton State in the fourth game of the weekend series. BU scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to force extras and two more runs would cross home plate in the 11th to push BU over the top. Jack Bello was credited with the win on Sunday while Colin Dailey picked up the save.
Bello gave Butler three solid innings limiting the Texans to just three hits while striking out three. The final three outs of the game belonged to Dailey, giving him his first save of the year.
Marcus Goodpaster got the start and pitched five innings for the Bulldogs in his BU debut. He struck out three and allowed three earned runs off eight hits.
Butler’s offense was highlighted by David Ayers’ three-hit game. The top of the order also saw Ian Choi, Jack Bello, Jack Moroknek and Tommy Townsend record two hits each. Townsend led the team with three RBI and Moroknek had a double and a home run.
A costly error helped BU score a pair in the ninth and Moroknek would lead off the 10th with a solo home run. Tarleton State responded with a single back up the middle of the diamond to tie the game at 7-7 in the 10th.
The game-winner came on a Bello at-bat. He singled through the left side to score Drew Charney and the insurance run came courtesy of Logan Crock off a groundout from Townsend.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ST. JOHN’S DEFEATS BUTLER AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
St. John’s defeated Butler 65-43 on Sunday afternoon to collect their 14th win of the season. With the setback, Butler moves to 14-14.
St. John’s used a 9-0 scoring run to open up a 15-9 advantage over Butler in the first quarter. Four different Bulldogs supplied the team with a field goal over the first 10 minutes, including Kilyn McGuff’s 3-pointer that broke open the scoring for BU at MSG.
The Red Storm pushed their lead to double digits by opening the second quarter with a quick 4-0 run. The BU deficit grew to 13 points near the midway point of the second frame causing head coach Austin Parkinson to call a timeout. McGuff knocked down her second 3-pointer of the night after the stoppage and would score her eighth point of the game a minute before halftime to make the score 31-21.
Riley Makalusky got involved on Butler’s next possession, hitting a field goal just before the shot clock expired. Those two points allowed BU to end the first half on a 6-0 run.
Butler’s leading scorer at the half was McGuff with eight. Makalusky made an impact going 3-for-3 from the field to net six points. The Johnnies however would head to the locker room with a 31-23 lead. Ber’nyah Mayo and Phoenix Gedeon combined to score 16 of the team’s 31 points to pace the offense.
The St. John’s defense was locked in over the first five minutes of the second half allowing the Johnnies to push their lead to 20 points. STJ outscored BU 16-4 before the media timeout and would enjoy a 53-29 lead heading to the fourth.
Butler continued to play hard down the stretch and would outscore St. John’s 14-12 in the fourth taking us to the final score of 65-43.
Inside the Box Score
– St. John’s outscored Butler 22-6 in the third quarter
– Kilyn McGuff recorded 12 points and six rebounds
– Sydney Jaynes had 11 points, two rebounds and a steal
– Each team shot over 50 percent from the field in the first half
– Butler struggled from distance, shooting 3-for-13 from 3-point range
– STJ scored 27 points off 22 BU turnovers.
– The Johnnies had 12 steals vs. Butler
– LaShae Dwyer had 21 points in 31 minutes
– Phoenix Gedeon nearly had a double-double with13 points and nine rebounds
– Lily Carmody was inactive today with an injury
– Karsyn Norman returned to the starting lineup in Carmody’s absence
Up Next
Butler heads home to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Wednesday night contest vs. rival Xavier. Tip on FloSports.com is set for 7 p.m.
IU INDY SOFTBALL
IU INDY CLOSES WEEKEND WITH DOMINATE WIN OVER CANISIUS, 9-1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After a rained out Saturday, the IU Indy softball team closed out the USC Upstate Invitational on Sunday with a run rule win over Canisius in five innings, 9-1. Junior Alexa Holman earned the win in the circle for the Jags and Callie Dickerson led the Jags at the plate, collecting four RBI.
The Jags jumped on the scoreboard first with one run in the bottom of the second inning. Tori Candler led off the inning with a single down the right field line. After Karley Kavanaugh entered to run for Candler, Molly Kable moved her into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. With two outs and Kavanaugh on second, Kennedy Cowan singled to second base to advance the runner. An error on the play by the Canisius defense, allowed for Kavanaugh to score the first run of the game.
After a scoreless third inning, the Jags added two runs on two hits in the bottom of the fourth frame to extend their lead to 3-0. Kable kicked off a two-out rally with a double to left field. Dickerson then knocked her first collegiate home run over the right field fence to collect two RBI and extend IU Indy’s lead.
Canisius refused to be blanked as they scored one run on two hits and two Jaguars’ errors in the top of the fifth inning to cut the lead down to two, 3-1.
IU Indy quickly regrouped on offense to close the door on the Griffs with six runs on five hits in the bottom half of the fifth inning. Reese Rosenbaum doubled to right center, followed by a walk from Kendal Calvert. Morgan Gilbert then singled to right field to load the bases for Paige McPhearson. With one out, McPhearson singled to short to move the runners up one, scoring Rosenbaum. Candler went right back at the shortstop who couldn’t handle the ball, allowing for the Jags to advance safely, scoring Calvert.
After Isabelle Waggner entered to run for Candler and the bases still loaded with one out, Kable singled down the left field line, scoring Gilbert and McPhearson. Dickerson then came up to the plate with the walk off run rule run on second. She doubled to right center to score Waggner and Kable and seal the run rule win for the Jags, 9-1.
Dickerson and Kable each totaled two hits as Dickerson collected a team-high four RBI and Kable added two RBI. Gilbert, McPhearson, Candler, Cowan and Rosenbaum each added one hit to give the Jags a total of nine hits in the win. Holman (W, 1-2) earned her first win of the season, throwing a complete five-inning game, giving up just one run (unearned) on two hits with four strikeouts.
With the win, IU Indy improves to 2-5 and will next travel to Chattanooga for the Chattanooga Invitational. During the Feb. 21-23 weekend, the Jags will face Illinois State, Chattanooga, Lamar, Southeast Missouri State and Indiana State.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
INDIANA STATE DROPS CLOSE GAME TO SAMFORD, FALLS TO UAB IN GAME TWO
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Indiana State dropped two games on Sunday, losing 4-3 to Samford and 15-6 to UAB. Despite strong starts, the Sycamores couldn’t hold their leads, with Samford rallying in the 7th and UAB extending their advantage throughout the game.
Game 1: Samford 4, Indiana State 3
In Game 1, Indiana State recorded five hits, with Morgan Goodrich leading the way with two. Madison Poulson, Isabelle Saylor, and Hannah Welch each contributed one hit.
The Sycamores came out strong in Sunday’s game against Samford, scoring three runs in the first inning.
Madison Poulson and Morgan Goodrich led off with singles, followed by Hannah Welch’s RBI. Annie Waggoner added another run on a fielder’s choice, and Taylor Erschen’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0 early for ISU.
Samford responded in the bottom of the second, cutting the lead to 3-1 with a solo home run by Campbell.
Indiana State threatened to extend its lead in the third with Goodrich and Saylor reaching base, but they couldn’t capitalize on the scoring opportunity.
Samford cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth, capitalizing on Bruce’s double, a wild pitch, and Hargis’ RBI single.
Samford completed their comeback in the bottom of the 7th, scoring two runs to take the lead. Nelson and Cothran helped set up the scoring, with Squillace’s sacrifice fly and Shaw’s bunt single securing the 4-3 win for the Bulldogs.
Lauren Sackett (1-3) took the loss, allowing ten hits and four runs while striking out five.
Game 2: UAB 15, Indiana State 6
The Blazers dominated early in Sunday’s game and extended their lead throughout the game to secure a 15-6 victory over Indiana State.
UAB jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, with key contributions including RBI singles from Smith and Aguilar, a throwing error that allowed Tucker to score, and Madison’s two-RBI double.
The Blazers extended their lead to 7-0 in the second inning with Shirah’s RBI and a wild pitch that allowed Aguilar to cross the plate.
Indiana State had a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the second, as Colip singled, Mills advanced to second, and Saylor reached on a hit-by-pitch. However, the Sycamores were unable to capitalize.
UAB continued to build their lead in the third, as Miles launched a two-RBI homer to make it 9-0, with Madison scoring alongside her. Indiana State’s defense retired the next three batters to end the inning.
The Sycamores responded in the third, with Marsicek walking and Poulson singling. Marsicek then scored on a wild pitch, cutting UAB’s lead to 9-1.
UAB struck again in the fourth with three more runs, including Wortham’s two-RBI single and Wiggins’ sac fly, pushing their lead to 12-1.
Freshman Abby Widmar made her first collegiate hit count, launching a two-run homer as part of Indiana State’s fifth-inning rally. Simmons led off with a single before Widmar sent one over the fence to bring her home. The Sycamores kept the pressure on, with Marsicek doubling in Thatcher and Welch adding a two-RBI double to cut the deficit to 12-6.
The Blazers added three more runs in the sixth, with Miles contributing an RBI single and Tucker driving in two with a single of her own, bringing the score to 15-6.
Cassi Newbanks (0-2) took the loss, allowing 8 earned runs in 2.1 innings. Annie Waggoner gave up 3 earned runs in 1.2 innings, and Megan Asher allowed 3 runs in 2 innings of relief, striking out one.
Up Next:
The Sycamores will travel to UT Chattanooga next weekend, from February 21-23, to compete in a tournament. They will face off against UT Chattanooga, Lamar University, Illinois State, SEMO, and IU Indy.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SYCAMORES FALL TO BRADLEY IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Bella Finnegan tallied a game-high 15 points Sunday afternoon, but visiting Bradley outlasted Indiana State in a 56-54 nailbiter inside Hulman Center.
Savannah White finished one point and one rebound short of a double-double, while Deja Jones added 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
In a back-and-forth contest where neither team led by more than seven, Indiana State used a strong opening quarter from behind the arc to take an 18-17 lead. Bradley took the lead early in the second and had a 36-31 advantage at the half, despite a strong close to the half from Indiana State. The Sycamores were within two possessions for the entire third quarter, even going back in front 46-45 following a three from Finnegan and a layup from Jones. Baskets from Jones and Mia Simpson kept the Trees ahead by a point midway through the fourth, but Indiana State struggled from the field down the stretch. The Sycamores went the final five minutes without a basket as Bradley squeaked out a narrow win.
First Half
A pair of early threes from Finnegan along with two layups from White saw the Sycamores take an 11-9 lead midway through the first. Jones tacked on a fastbreak layup, while Queen Ruffin hit a corner three on the fastbreak as the Sycamores took their largest lead of the game at 18-13 late in the opening quarter. After the opening 10 minutes of play, Indiana State clung to an 18-17 lead.
Baskets from Jones and White kept things close early in the second, but Bradley started the quarter strong and led 29-22 just past the midway point. Simpson and Keslyn Secrist connected on layups, with Finnegan adding another three, as the Sycamores pulled within a pair at 31-29 with just over two minutes left in the period. Semie Brar added a buzzer-beating basket to close the half, but Indiana State trailed 36-31 at the intermission.
Second Half
The Sycamores got the ideal start to the third quarter courtesy of baskets from Secrist and Jones, with White adding another layup midway through. Baskets from Jones and Secrist on either side of the midway point of the quarter pulled the Sycamores within a pair, 43-41, and Finnegan cut the deficit to one with a fastbreak trey. Jones put the Sycamores ahead briefly with a basket, but Bradley claimed a 47-46 lead entering the fourth.
After an early struggle to start the fourth, Jones and Simpson connected on baskets to give Indiana State a 51-50 lead midway through the final frame. Those were the last two baskets Indiana State made, though, as the Sycamores struggled down the stretch. Three late free throws from Finnegan kept Indiana State alive, but the Sycamores went the last five minutes without a field goal in a 56-54 defeat.
News and Notes
Indiana State finished with a 19-2 advantage in fastbreak points, with the 19 fastbreak points being the Sycamores’ most in a game this season.
Indiana State limited Bradley to just 20 points in the second half, the lowest point total for a Sycamore opponent in a half during conference play.
Indiana State finished plus-one (38-37) in rebound margin, and had an 11-4 advantage in second chance points. All five starters had five or more rebounds.
Savannah White registered five blocks in Sunday’s game and is one of two players in the MVC averaging more than two blocks per game against conference foes.
Bella Finnegan has knocked down at least three 3-pointers in each of the last four games, including Sunday’s game. Finnegan is shooting 51.3 percent from behind the arc in that span.
Up Next
Indiana State begins a four-game road trip Friday at UIC, with tipoff slated for noon.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
NO. 2 LSU TAKES SERIES FINALE 8-1
BATON ROUGE, La. – A five-run fourth inning was the difference in Purdue Fort Wayne’s 8-1 loss at No. 2 LSU on Sunday (Feb. 16) afternoon at Alex Box Stadium.
The Mastodons led for three and a half innings thanks to a run in the first. Camden Karczewski scored on a double steal with Justin Osterhouse taking second on the play.
Sunday’s contest flipped on a five-run LSU fourth inning. The big hit was an Ashton Larson three-run home run just over the wall in right center. The frame put a damper on a nice debut for Gavin Walters on the mound. He opened the game with three shutout innings before giving up five runs in 3.2 innings of work. Carter Orner made his collegiate debut by throwing two scoreless innings out of the pen.
Osterhouse finished with a pair of singles for the ‘Dons in the contest. Nick Hockemyer earned his first hit as a Mastodon.
Walters got the loss for the ‘Dons. LSU starter Chase Shores went the requisite five innings to get the win, allowing three hits and a run.
LSU is 3-0. The ‘Dons are 0-3 and travel to Indiana on Wednesday.
EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL
ACES DEFEAT VALPO IN RIVER CITY GAME
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Sporting a “River City” look on Sunday at the Ford Center, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team outscored Valparaiso by a 39-25 margin in the second half to pull away for a 79-69 victory.
Connor Turnbull put together another career performance, scoring 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting. He added six boards, three blocks, and three assists. Tayshawn Comer picked up a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists. He was a perfect 10-for-10 from the line. Gabriel Pozzato added 12 points while Josh Hughes finished with 11.
“I thought we did a great job of sharing the ball; having 18 assists was great for us. On the other side, we switched up defenses and had a good sense of urgency to keep them off balance,” UE head coach David Ragland exclaimed. “As we go into the next two games on the road, we need to bring that same sense of urgency that we had in the second half for the entire 40 minutes.”
Valparaiso had a big start, jumping out to a 9-2 lead. The Beacons connected on their opening five attempts on their way to a 13-6 lead in the first four minutes. Connor Turnbull registered UE’s first four points and finished with a game-high 10 in the first half. Evansville made it a 3-point game at 13-10 on a Josh Hughes basket, but Valpo regrouped to retake a 7-point lead, going up 19-12 with 12:30 remaining in the period.
Approaching the midway point of the period, the Aces made their move. Trailing 24-19, Evansville scored seven in a row to take its first lead of the night at 26-24. Tayshawn Comer got things started with a layup while Kaia Berridge followed with the tying 3-pointer. A pair of Comer free throws finished the run to put UE in front.
It did not take long for the Beacons to counter as they scored the next six tallies to go back in front. With 5:31 remaining the stanza, Josh Hughes drained a triple to tie the game at 32-32 while the Beacons would go up six (42-36) inside of the 3-minute mark. A late bucket by the Aces made it a 44-40 game at halftime.
Out of the break, Valparaiso took its largest lead of the game (49-41) just over two minutes in. The Aces fought back with Turnbull picking up another basket and three free throws while Comer followed with a steal and dunk that cut the deficit to one at 51-50 with 13:42 remaining. Turnbull kept it going once again, scoring the next four to take a 54-51 lead entering the final 12 minutes. The second basket gave him 21 points, eclipsing his previous mark of 20.
Entering the final seven minutes, Gabriel Pozzato knocked down all three free throws to push the lead to six points. Just over two minutes later, a 3-pointer by Comer and another field goal by Turnbull gave the Aces their largest advantage of the game at 68-59.
A quick spurt by the Beacons got them within five before UE scored the next five to go up by double figures. Hughes’ second triple of the night capped the run. UE finished things off from there, earning the 79-69 win.
Four Valpo players reached double figures with All Wright leading the way with 17. After trailing by a 44-40 margin at halftime, UE outscored the Beacons by a 39-25 margin to rally in the second half. The Aces finished the night shooting 50% while Valpo finished at 40.4%. UE also finished with a 32-29 rebounding advantage.
Next up for UE is a 2-game road trip beginning on Wednesday at Indiana State before heading to UIC for a Saturday matinee.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
UE BASEBALL FALLS IN SERIES FINALE AT LITTLE ROCK
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The University of Evansville baseball team wasn’t able to stop Little Rock’s red-hot offense in an 11-1 loss on Sunday afternoon.
The Purple Aces faced their first run-rule defeat as the Little Rock Trojans burst out to an early lead and didn’t surrender through eight innings. Sophomore left-hander Kevin Reed (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville HS) made his first start of 2025, pitching 3.2 innings with four strikeouts. Senior catcher Evan Waggoner (Bedford, Ind. / Bedford Lawrence North HS) led UE on offense going two of three at the plate with two hits, a double, and an RBI.
Evansville’s offense started Sunday with two hits to have runners in scoring position as senior second baseman Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) singled and went to third on a double from Waggoner. But a strikeout to shortstop Brodie Pert (Markham, Ontario, Canada) ended the Aces offensive threat in the first. UE began the bottom of the inning with an out, but soon struggled with the Trojan offense.
Little Rock put together three hits and reached on an error in four at-bats to take a 3-0 lead early. And the Trojans weren’t done as a ground out scored another runner and a balk call on Reed scored a fifth runner in half an inning. Evansville faced a 5-0 deficit after only an inning of work at Gary Hogan Field.
It was a clean second inning for both teams with three up and three down appearances at the plate. Little Rock added another run in the bottom of the third on a single but back-to-back strikeouts from Reed kept the Trojan lead at 6-0. Waggoner connected on his second hit in the top of the fourth but was stranded on the basepaths.
Little Rock began the bottom of the fourth with two singles and making it a 7-0 game on a stolen base attempt at second. Reed added his fourth strikeout of the game after the score, but the inning was finished out by freshman right-hander RJ James (Toronto, Ontario) in his collegiate debut. James stayed on the mound for the Aces for the next four innings with two strikeouts.
UE went three-up and three-down in the top of the fifth while the Trojans led-off with a double. The double wouldn’t lead to anything as center fielder Ty Rumsey (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) turned a fly out into a double play at home with a bullseye throw to Waggoner to end the inning. Evansville quickly got a batter on base in the top of the sixth as McGinnis was hit by a pitch with one out.
With McGinnis at first right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast HS) had his second multi-base hit in as many games with a double to left center. With runners on third and second Waggoner was able to drop the ball in between first and second to score McGinnis and advance Taubert to third with two outs. Taubert would stay at third as Little Rock got the third out to keep it a 7-1 game.
The Aces made three defensive changes in the seventh inning that kept the Trojans from scoring. But Little Rock’s offense got going in the bottom of the eighth inning to end the game a half inning early with four runs for the 11-1 run rule. UE will return to action on Tuesday, February 18 at Lipscomb. First pitch from Ken Dugan Field is set for 3 p.m. next week.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
USI HOLDS ON TO DEFEAT ALABAMA STATE, 15-13
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball had to hold on to defeat Alabama State University, 15-13, Sunday in Montgomery, Alabama. USI is 3-1 after two days of 2025, while Alabama State is 1-3 to begin its season.
USI senior centerfielder Khi Holiday gave the Screaming Eagles the first inning lead for the third time in the series, crossing the plate on an error with two outs in the opening frame. Holiday got into scoring position by singling, stealing second, and advancing to third on a bunt single by senior leftfielder BJ Banyon.
After USI added to the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second and Alabama State posted a tally in the bottom half, sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd put the Eagles up 5-1 with a two-run blast to right field. The home run was USI and Boyd’s first of the season.
The Eagles extended the lead for the fourth-straight frame, exploding for six runs in the fourth for an 11-1 advantage. USI sent 11 men to the plate, scoring six times on a bases-loaded hit by pitch, a single, and three bases-loaded walks.
The Hornets would not be outdone as they rallied with five runs in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the fifth to cut the USI advantage to 11-8.
USI would rebound with four in the top of the sixth to re-extend the lead to 15-8. A RBI-single by junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens and junior shortstop Clayton Slack highlighted the rally.
Alabama State, however, would mount a comeback, scoring five in the bottom of the eighth before sophomore right-hander Aaron Rubio closed the door on the Hornets. Rubio got the final out of the eighth and stranded the bases loaded in the ninth.
On the mound, freshman right-hander Sage Stout picked up his first collegiate win in relief. Stout (1-0) blanked the Hornets for an inning, striking out one batter.
USI senior right-hander Hiroyuki Yamada started and received a no-decision. Yamada was charged with six runs on three hits, two walks, and a hit batter in 3.1 innings of work.
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Eagles open the 2025 home schedule by hosting Western Kentucky University on Tuesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the first 200 fans get a USI red rally towel.
WKU is 2-0 after starting the year with a pair of wins over Illinois State University at home this weekend. USI trails 10-2 in the all-time series with WKU after falling to the Hilltoppers, 5-3 and 2-1, last spring.
Due to the prediction of inclement and cold weather, USI encourages fans to watch for potential schedule changes on USIScreamingEagles.com, X, and Facebook.
VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL
VALPO FALLS AT EVANSVILLE ON SUNDAY
The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team dropped Sunday night’s visit to the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. 79-69 to host Evansville despite four Beacons tallying double figures in the scoring column, led by freshman All Wright (Durango, Mexico / Link Year) with 17 points.
How It Happened
Wright nailed his first four shots of the game, all mid-range jumpers from around 15 feet.
Valpo raced out to a 9-2 lead early, but Evansville closed to within 22-18 at the 11:03 mark as Connor Turbull started to get going inside to the tune of 4-of-5 shooting and eight points.
Evansville went on a 7-0 run to take a 26-24 lead, but an Isaiah Shaw (Phoenix, Ariz. / Davidson Academy [GCU]) 3 helped Valpo regain the advantage, and Valpo led 29-26 at the under-8 media timeout.
Shaw continued a smooth start for the Beacons, knocking in a mid-range jumper to make it 4-for-4 from the floor and give Valpo a 37-34 lead with 3:27 to go in the half. He reached double figures in his first six minutes of action in the game.
Sophomore Cooper Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest [Link Year]) hit a 3 with three minutes left in the first half to boost the lead to six, and a steal and score by senior Tyler Schmidt (Valparaiso, Ind. / Victory Christian Academy) helped Valpo go into the break leading 44-40.
After being limited by foul trouble in the first half, Wright drained a 3 early in the second half to enter double figures for the game and help Valpo own a 49-43 advantage through the first four minutes of the second stanza.
Valpo went over four minutes without a made field goal, and UE clawed to within one at 51-50 when Roger Powell Jr. took a timeout with 13:25 on the second-half clock. The Aces made it a 9-0 run and took a 54-51 lead with 11:55 on the clock as Turnbull made big plays on both ends of the court during that stretch.
Valpo continued to battle, but was plagued by cold shooting that kept Evansville in front at 60-57 at 6:53 of the second half. Turnbull remained the biggest factor for the Aces, climbing above 20 points for the contest. At the under-4 media timeout, the Aces held a 68-61 lead, and then eventually won by 10.
Inside the Game
Wright scored 17 points or more for the fifth time in six games, finishing with 17. He’s 9-for-9 at the free-throw line over the last two games.
Schwieger scored a dozen or more for the 18th straight game, finishing with 13 points.
DeAveiro scored 10 points, his first double-figure scoring output in the last 10 games. He tied a career high with seven rebounds and handed out five assists, lifting his career total to 363, surpassing Scott Anselm, Lubos Barton and Jamie Sykes to move into seventh on the program’s career assists list.
Shaw totaled 14 points, his highest total since 15 on Dec. 5 vs. Drake. Shaw went 5-of-8 from the field against the Aces and drained two of his three 3-point attempts.
The free-throw line remained a Valpo specialty, as the Beacons went 16-of-17 (94.1 percent) at the stripe.
After shooting 55.6 percent from the field in the first half (6-of-13 from 3), Valpo cooled to 26.7 percent after halftime (1-of-10 from 3).
Connor Turbull led Evansville with 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting.
Evansville had slim edges in the rebounding battle (32-29) and turnover battle (11-10), but it was the shooting numbers that told the tale, as the Aces went 50 percent from the floor for the game.
Up Next
Valpo (11-16, 4-12 MVC) will host Missouri State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center. For ticket information, visit tickets.valpoathletics.com.
VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BEACONS BATTLE BACK BEFORE FALLING AT MISSOURI STATE
The Valpo women’s basketball team battled back from a double-digit deficit in the first quarter to briefly take the lead in the second period and was still tied with MVC-leading Missouri State into the second half Sunday afternoon, but a key third-quarter run for the Lady Bears was too much to overcome as the Beacons fell by a 79-63 final.
How It Happened
It was Missouri State on the front foot to start the game, as the Lady Bears scored the game’s first seven points over the opening three minutes before a 3-pointer from Katie Beyer (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) got Valpo on the board.
MSU’s lead remained around that seven-point mark for the rest of the period, and in fact it was a 20-13 Lady Bears advantage at the end of the first.
A 10-2 run over the first four-plus minutes of the second quarter pushed the Beacons in front. Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) had three baskets during the spurt, and a steal and bucket for Nevaeh Jackson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) with 5:40 to play in the half gave Valpo a 23-22 edge.
Missouri State came back with seven straight points in a span of 67 seconds to regain the lead and push it to six.
The Beacons had another run in them, ending the half by scoring eight of the final 10 points. Layla Gold (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and Maci Rhoades (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) each had triples during the stretch, while another finish at the rim for Earnest evened the score at 31-31 entering halftime.
Valpo and Missouri State traded punches to start the second half. Earnest had two more baskets early on in the third quarter, and another 3-pointer from Gold with 6:47 to play in the period had the score tied at 38-38.
It was at that point the Lady Bears reeled off 11 straight points over a stretch of four-plus minutes to take the lead and push it into double figures at 49-38.
MSU’s lead was 55-41 with 10 minutes to play, and an 11-3 run to start the fourth quarter put the result out of reach. The Beacons did keep fighting to the final buzzer, as after the Lady Bears’ advantage reached as many as 25 points, Valpo got to within 14 late on.
Inside the Game
Earnest and Jackson tied for team-high honors with 19 points apiece. Earnest, who also tied for game-high honors with eight rebounds, scored her 19 on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, while Jackson connected on four 3-pointers on the way to her best scoring performance in conference play.
Earnest connected on a pair of free throws as well, giving her 110 on the season — eighth-most in a single season in program history.
Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) was one off her season best with a team-best four assists.
Six different Beacons hit from behind the 3-point line as Valpo went 12-of-26 from deep on the afternoon, tying its season best for 3-pointers made and its third-best 3-point percentage of the season (.462).
Valpo forced 20 Missouri State turnovers, the 10th time this year the Beacons’ opponent has coughed up the ball 20 or more times, and came up with 10 steals, led by three by Jackson as it hit double digits in steals for the 13th time on the season.
However, Valpo was a -3 in the turnover department, as the Beacons committed 23 turnovers of their own. Missouri State also held a 39-21 advantage on the glass.
Next Up
Valpo (9-16, 5-9 MVC) returns home to the ARC next weekend for a pair of games, starting on Friday evening against Evansville at 6 p.m.
VALPO BASEBALL
BASEBALL DROPS FINALE AT SAMFORD
Senior Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) collected two more hits to sustain his solid start to the season, but the Valparaiso University baseball team dropped Sunday’s series finale to Samford 15-5 in seven innings in Birmingham, Ala.
How It Happened
A double, ground ball and wild pitch helped Samford produce a run in the opening inning.
The Beacons leveled the score in the top of the second as junior Austin Amburgey (Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg) singled and eventually came around to score the tying run.
Samford scored nine times in the bottom of the second including a grand slam by Cade Carr. The Bulldogs added one more in the third on another RBI by Carr to make it 11-1.
Valpo climbed back into the game with a four-run fourth to cut the lead to six at 11-5. Redshirt sophomore Thomas Cooper (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) clubbed a two-run double as a key component of that rally.
Samford scored twice in the fifth, then redshirt sophomore Ryan Kruse (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) came on to work the sixth and had the best outing of the day by a Beacon pitcher, working a scoreless frame with a pair of strikeouts.
Five free passes in succession – two walks and three hit batters – pushed across two runs in the bottom of the seventh, allowing Samford to clinch the run-rule victory 15-5.
Inside the Game
Maka accounted for two of the team’s five hits, going 2-for-3 plus a walk.
Cooper’s double was Valpo’s lone extra-base knock of the contest. That marked the first extra-base hit of his collegiate career.
This weekend’s sweep came at the hands of an opponent that is coming off a 36-win season and was picked second in the Southern Conference preseason poll. The Bulldogs have reached NCAA Regionals as recently as 2023.
Up Next
Valpo (0-3) will begin a three-game series at Memphis on Friday at 4 p.m. All three games in the series will be streamed on ESPN+.
UINDY WRESTLING
UINDY PLACES FOURTH AT GLVC CHAMPIONSHIPS
LEBANON, Ill. – The No. 3-seed UIndy wrestling team secured the 37-8 win over No 6-seed Quincy in their first dual of the GLVC Championships. This was a similar result to the team’s first meeting this season when UIndy took down Quincy 41-3.
The Greyhounds started slow in this dual, but won its final seven matches in this one. Securing two tech falls and two pins in those seven matches.
INS & OUTS
Jadon Gyan began the day for the Hounds at 125, with a back-and-forth dual against Quincy’s Brian Farley. The two traded blows in the first two periods, with Gyan picking up a take down in the first and Farley a three-point near fall in the second period. But, Farley’s take down in the final seconds of the match secured the 6-2 victory over Gyan.
Toby Billerman responded for the Hounds at 133 with a commanding 16-0 tech fall victory over Damien Flores. Billerman had two four-point near falls, two take downs and a two-point near fall to lock up the five team points for UIndy.
Harrison May fell in the 141 weight class to two-time GLVC wrestler of the week Sabian Russell via tech fall, giving Quincy an 8-0 lead.
Trailing at this point in the dual, UIndy wasted no time getting back out in front. Gavin Garcia (149), Nathan Conley (157), and Shane Bates (165). Conley had the biggest victory of the three, using seven take downs in the first two periods to earn the 21-6 tech fall victory.
Trey Sizemore (174) and Aidan Petersen (184), both used pin victories in the first and second periods to push the Hounds out to an insurmountable 28-8 lead with two matches remaining.
No. 1-ranked Derek Blubaugh in 197 won via a tech fall easily over Quincy’s Logan Colbert. While Cale Gray in 285 used two early first period take downs to solidify the Hounds 37-8 win over Quincy, and set up a semi final dual with No. 2-seeded McKendree.
#3 UINDY 37, #6 QUINCY 8
125: Brian Farley over Jadon Gyan (Dec 6-4)
133: Toby Billerman over Damien Flores (TF 16-0)
141: Sabian Russell over Harrison May (TF 20-4)
149: Gavin Garcia over Zachary Harrington (Dec 9-3)
157: Nathan Conley over Easton Norris (TF 21-6)
165: Shane Bates over Jackson Jones (Dec 5-1)
174: Trey Sizemore over Dalton Schell (Fall 1:02)
184: Aidan Petersen over Raymond Fernandez (Fall 4:18)
197: No. 1 Derek Blubaugh over Logan Colbert (TF 18-2)
285: Cale Gray over Caleb Groff (Maj 11-1)
UIndy’s second dual of the day was a heavyweight clash between the two and three seeds in the GLVC Championships. McKendree came out on top 21-19, in a dual full of runs and in every weight class.
INS & OUTS
Jadon Gyan once again led off the dual for the Hounds in 125 against McKendree’s Jason Strope. Two first period take downs were enough for Gyan over Strope, securing the 6-4 decision and three team points.
Toby Billerman (133) and Brayden Lowery (141) both picked up massive pins in their weight classes to lock up 12 team points between both matches, and give UIndy a 15-0 lead.
Billerman’s second period take down caused a pin of Anthony Bernardo, while Lowery’s momentum changing pin came in the second period over No. 3-ranked Ronan Schuelke, after a stalemate first period between the two.
But McKendree would go on a run of their own, winning the next six matches and taking the lead back 21-15 over UIndy with 21 unanswered team points.
Every match in those six weight classes were close, all being decided by three points or fewer, except one which was decided by a fall from No. 11 Zeke Waltz over Aidan Petersen in 184.
Jackson Hoover (149), Shane Bates (165), and Trey Sizemore (174) all faced top-seven ranked wrestlers in their respective weight classes. Hoover fell after a walk-off take down from McKendree’s No. 7-ranked Joey Semerad, while McKendree’s No. 7 Cory Peterson (165) and No. 7 Matt Ortiz (174), both won in low scoring defensive battle decisions.
With UIndy down 18-15 at this point, the dual would come down to the final two matches of the dual.
The first being a top-five showdown in 197 between No. 1-ranked Derek Blubaugh and No. 3-ranked Logan Kvien of McKendree. This one was decided in overtime when Kvien took down Blubaugh in the final minute of the period, after both guys had opportunities to take the other down in the first minute of overtime.
With the Hounds now down 21-15, Cale Gray would need to pin McKendree’s Ridge Schutte to extend the match to a tiebreaker decision.
Gray did what he could, jumping out to a quick 6-1 lead in the first period, but the key moment came in the third period when Schutte’s great defensive recovery prevented a pin from Gray, but earned Gray the 10-2 major decision win over Schutte.
Even with Gray’s four team points, it was not enough for the Hounds, as they would fall 21-19. The Hounds now pair up in the third place match against the No. 4-seeded Maryville Saints.
#3 UINDY 19, #2 McKENDREE 21
125: Jadon Gyan over Jason Strope (Dec 6-4)
133: Toby Billerman over Anthony Bernardo (Fall 6:49)
141: Brayden Lowery over No. 3 Ronan Schuelke (Fall 3:44)
149: No. 7 Joey Semerad over Jackson Hoover (Dec 5-4)
157: James Hoskinson over Nathan Conley (Dec 4-1)
165: No. 7 Cory Peterson over Shane Bates (Dec 4-2)
174: No. 7 Matt Ortiz over Trey Sizemore (Dec 2-1)
184: No. 11 Zeke Waltz over Aidan Petersen (Fall 5:49)
197: No. 3 Logan Kvien over No. 1 Derek Blubaugh (SV-1 4-1)
285: Cale Gray over Ridge Schutte (Maj 10-2)
The Hounds final dual of the day was a mix of guys who had and had not wrestled for UIndy in its first two duals. UIndy squared off against No. 4-seed Maryville, and dropped the dual 32-13, giving the Hounds a fourth place finish at this year’s GLVC Championships.
UIndy picked up two major decision wins and a tech fall victory in their dual against Maryville.
INS & OUTS
Jadon Gyan (125), Toby Billerman (133) and Harrison May (141) all fell in their matches, giving Maryville the early 12-0 lead in the dual.
But that lead didn’t last long, as Jackson Hoover (149) and Nathan Conley (157) both won their second matches of the day over the Saints’ Dylan Gvillo (149) and Logan Rubinstein’s (157) via major decisions.
Shane Bates backed up Hoover and Conley’s wins with a win of his own in 165 over Nehemiah Washington, and giving UIndy a 13-12 team point lead.
The Hounds dropped their remaining three matches, as Derek Blubaugh and Cale Gray both got rests in their respective weight classes for Armen Koltookian (197) and Elijah Hinshaw (285), while Aiden Petersen lost via a pin in the third period.
UIndy wraps up their 2025 GLVC season with a very strong fourth place finish in this year’s conference tournament.
#3 UINDY 13, #4 MARYVILLE 32
125: Sam Shafer over Jadon Gyan (Fall 2:19)
133: Evan Binder over Toby Billerman (Dec 4-0)
141: JP Homfeld over Harrison May (Dec 2-0)
149: Jackson Hoover over Dylan Gvillo (Maj 15-4)
157: Nathan Conley over Logan Rubinstein (Maj 15-2)
165: Shane Bates over Nehemiah Washington (TF 16-1)
174: No. 11 Cole Ritter over Trey Sizemore (Maj 16-5)
184: Dalton Litzsinger over Aidan Petersen (Fall 6:23)
197: Jeremiah Larson over Armen Koltookian (Maj 11-1)
285: Orest Nazarchuk over Elijah Hinshaw (Fall 4:33)
UP NEXT
The Hounds will have a few weeks off to prepare for the NCAA Division II Super Regionals on March 1 in Tiffin, OH.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
Feb. 17
1923 — Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators becomes the NHL’s career scoring leader. He scores his 143rd goal to surpass Joe Malone in a 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
1924 — Johnny Weissmuller sets a world record in the 100-yard freestyle swim with a time of 52.4 seconds.
1926 — Suzanne Lenglen beats Helen Wills 6-3, 8-6 in Cannes, France, in their only tennis match against each other.
1928 — Sweden’s Gillis Grafstrom successfully defends his 1920 and 1924 Olympic figure skating title, with Austrian Willy Bockl finishing in second place as he did four years earlier.
1941 — Joe Louis knocks out Gus Dorazio in the second round in Philadelphia to defend his world heavyweight title.
1955 — Mike Souchak establishes the PGA 72-hole scoring record with a 257 at the Texas Open. Souchak starts with a record-tying 60 at San Antonio’s Brackenridge Park course and ends with a 27-under-par, beating the previous low for a 72-hole event by two shots.
1968 — The Basketball Hall of Fame opens in Springfield, Mass.
1974 — Richard Petty wins his second straight Daytona 500. It’s the fifth Daytona 500 title for Petty, who also won in 1964, 1966, 1971 and 1973.
1992 — Raisa Smetanina wins a gold medal with the Unified Team in the 20-kilometer cross-country relay to set the career Winter Olympics medal record with 10. Smetanina, 39, also becomes the oldest champion and the first to win a medal in five straight Winter Games.
1994 — San Antonio’s David Robinson records the fourth quadruple-double in NBA history with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks in the Spurs’ 115-96 win over Detroit.
1998 — The U.S. women’s hockey team wins the sport’s first Olympic gold medal. Sandra Whyte scores on an empty-netter with 8 seconds left to give the United States a 3-1 victory over Canada.
2010 — Americans Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso finish 1-2 in the downhill at the Vancouver Olympics. It’s the first time since 1984 that the U.S won gold and silver in a women’s Alpine event.
2013 — Danica Patrick wins the Daytona 500 pole, becoming the first woman to secure the top spot for any Sprint Cup race.
2014 — Meryl Davis and Charlie White win the gold medal in ice dance, the first Olympic title in the event for the U.S..
2018 — Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu becomes the first man to successfully defend his Olympic figure skating title since Dick Button in 1952.
2020 – 62nd Daytona 500: Denny Hamlin wins second straight title by 0.014 seconds over Ryan Blaney on the second restart in overtime; his third Daytona victory
Feb. 18
1924 — Theresa Weld Blanchard wins her sixth and final U.S. figure skating championship. Sherwin Badger captures his fifth straight and final men’s title.
1928 — Sonja Henie, 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating champion. She easily beats Fritzi Burger of Austria and Beatrix Loughran of the U.S.
1932 — Sonja Henie wins her sixth straight world title.
1951 — Manhattan District Attorney Frank Hogan orders the arrest of three City College basketball players on bribery charges and two professional gamblers and two intermediaries in a game-fixing scandal involving college teams across the country.
1961 — Bob Pettit of St. Louis scores a career-high 57 points in a 141-138 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
1964 — Wilt Chamberlain scores 52 points against Detroit, his second consecutive 50-point game.
1972 — Randy Smith of Buffalo plays the first of what would become 906 consecutive games, an NBA record which took more than 11 full seasons to accomplish.
1981 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores five goals and adds two assists to lead the Oilers over the St. Louis Blues 9-2.
1986 — San Antonio’s Alvin Robertson records the second quadruple-double in NBA history, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in the Spurs’ 120-114 win over Phoenix.
1990 — Dale Earnhardt blows a tire with one mile remaining in the Daytona 500, giving Derrike Cope the biggest upset in stock car racing history.
1992 — Italy’s Alberto Tomba wins the giant slalom in Albertville, France, to become the first Alpine skier to win the same event at two Winter Olympics.
1995 — Utah guard John Stockton becomes the first NBA player with 10,000 assists in a 108-98 victory over the Boston Celtics.
2001 — Dale Earnhardt, the greatest stock car star of his era, is killed in a crash on the last turn of the last lap of the Daytona 500 as he tries to protect Michael Waltrip’s victory.
2006 — Shani Davis becomes the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics, capturing the 1,000-meter speedskating race. Joey Cheek makes it a 1-2 American finish, adding a silver to his victory in the 500 at the Turin Games.
2010 — Evan Lysacek becomes the first U.S. man to win the Olympic gold medal since Brian Boitano in 1988, shocking everyone with an upset of defending champion Evgeni Plushenko.
2012 — Shenneika Smith’s 3-pointer from the wing with 8 seconds left lifts St. John’s to a 57-56 win over No. 2 Connecticut, ending the Huskies’ 99-game home court winning streak. It’s the Huskies’ first home loss to an unranked opponent in nearly 19 years.
2013 — Brittney Griner scores 25 points, including the 3,000th of her career, to help No. 1 Baylor rally past third-ranked Connecticut 76-70.
2017 — Mikaela Shiffrin wins a third straight slalom title at the world championships to retain her unbeaten record at major events.
2022 – Johannes Thingnes Bø of Norway wins his 4th biathlon gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics when he takes out the men’s mass start.
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Feb. 19
1928 — Canada wins the gold medal in ice hockey at the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Canada, represented by the 1926 Toronto University team, receives a bye to the final round. The Canadians beat Sweden 11-0, Britain 14-0 and Switzerland 13-0.
1955 — Bernie Geoffrion of the Montreal Canadiens scores five goals in a 10-2 victory over the New York Rangers.
1977 — Rod Gilbert of the New York Rangers gets his 1,000th career point with a goal in a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders.
1982 — Atlanta’s 127-122 four-overtime win over Seattle equals the fourth-longest game in NBA history and the second-longest since the institution of the 24-second clock.
1984 — Phil and Steve Mahre of the United States become the first brothers to finish 1-2 in an Olympic event, the men’s slalom, at the Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The Soviet Union beats Czechoslovakia 2-0 to win the gold medal in hockey.
1984 — Cale Yarborough sweeps into the lead two turns before the finish to win the Daytona 500. He becomes the second driver to win consecutive Daytona 500s; Richard Petty was the other.
1993 — Wendel Suckow edges two-time world champion Georg Hackl of Germany by 0.106 seconds to capture the first world luge championship medal of any kind for the United States.
1994 — Speedskater Bonnie Blair wins the fourth gold of her Olympic career with her third consecutive 500-meter victory.
2002 — In Salt Lake City, bobsledders Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers give the United States 21 medals in the Winter Games. Flowers becomes the first black athlete in history to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
2005 — Lindsay Kennedy becomes the first woman to play in a Major Indoor Soccer League game. Kennedy, a St. Louis forward, participates in the final 76 seconds of Milwaukee’s 7-3 win over the Steamers at Savvis Center.
2005 — Schreiner ends its NCAA-record losing streak at 83 games, beating Sul Ross State 75-69 in a women’s basketball game. It’s the Division III Mountaineers first win since Jan. 17, 2002, when they also beat Sul Ross.
2012 — American star Hannah Kearney’s all-discipline record for consecutive FIS World Cup victories ends at 16 with a semifinal loss in a dual moguls event at Naeba, Japan. Kearney’s streak began in Lake Placid, N.Y., on Jan. 22, 2011.
2012 — Steven Holcomb and brakeman Steve Langton win the two-man bobsled in Lake Placid, N.Y., the first time the U.S. captures this event at the world championships.
2014 — Norway wins the first Olympic mixed relay in biathlon at the Sochi Games and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen becomes the most decorated Winter Olympian ever with 13 medals. Ted Ligety wins the giant slalom with a dominating performance, becoming the first American man to win two Olympic gold medals in Alpine skiing.
2017 — Laura Dahlmeier wins the world title in the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start, becoming the first to win five gold medals at a single biathlon world championship.
2017 — Anthony Davis scores 52 points, 10 more than Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star record that had stood for 55 years. The Western Conference beats the Eastern Conference 192-182 in the highest-scoring game in league history.
2021 – In a softening of 4-year WADA ban on Russia from all international sport, Russia to compete under acronym “ROC” after name of the Russian Olympic Committee.
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Feb. 20
1887 — The International Association, the first minor league baseball association, is organized in Pittsburgh.
1951 — The college point-shaving scandal prompts Long Island University to drop basketball and all other intercollegiate sports. LIU revives basketball in 1957.
1971 — En route to a record 76-goal season, Boston’s Phil Esposito becomes the first player to score his 50th goal in February, but the Bruins lose to the Los Angeles Kings 5-4.
1972 — Larry Brown of the Denver Rockets sets ABA records for assists in a game (23), half (18) and quarter (10) during a 146-123 home win over the Pittsburgh Condors.
1974 — Gordie Howe, the NHL’s career scoring leader, comes out of retirement and signs a $1 million, four-year contract to play with the Houston Aeros of the WHA and sons Mark and Marty.
1976 — Muhammad Ali beats Jean-Pierre Coopman with a fifth-round knockout at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico to defend his world heavyweight title.
1988 — In Calgary, Alberta, Brian Boitano of the U.S. wins the Olympic figure skating gold medal on a technical merit tiebreaker and nearly flawless free skate.
1993 — Julio Cesar Chavez records a fifth-round TKO over Greg Haugen in a WBC super lightweight title bout before a record crowd of 130,000 at Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium.
1998 — Tara Lipinski, 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating champion, beating fellow teen and U.S. teammate Michelle Kwan to take the gold. Lipinski is two months younger than Sonja Henie was in her 1928 victory.
2006 — Tanith Belbin and partner Ben Agosto end the U.S. medals drought in Olympic ice dance competition with a silver. The last to do so were Colleen O’Connor and James Millns, who won bronze in 1976.
2009 — Lindsey Van of the U.S. becomes the first female ski jumping world champion. Women’s ski jumping makes its debut at this year’s Nordic world championships in the Czech Republic. Todd Lodwick wins the opening Nordic combined event to give the U.S. two golds in one day. Before Van’s victory, the U.S. had not won a gold at a Nordic worlds since 2003 when Johnny Spillane took a Nordic combined sprint.
2010 — Switzerland’s Simon Ammann wins the large hill at the Vancouver Games to become the first ski jumper with four individual Olympic titles.
2011 — Trevor Bayne, 20, wins the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest race, in only his second Sprint Cup start.
2011 — Kobe Bryant wins his record-tying fourth All-Star game MVP award, scoring 37 points before his hometown fans and leading the West past the East 148-143.
2016 — Lindsey Vonn clinches a record 20th World Cup crystal globe title and surpasses Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark. It’s Vonn’s record eighth downhill title. Stenmark won 19 globes between 1975 and 1984.
2021 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Naomi Osaka of Japan wins her 4th major and second Australian title; beats American Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3.
2022 – Hannah Green of Australia becomes first woman to win a mix-gender golf tournament over 72 holes; closes with 5-under 66 for a 4-stroke win in TPS Murray River on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1900 Instead of unpaid alimony, Mary H. Vanderbeck takes possession of the American League franchise in Detroit. Her ex-husband George Vanderbeck, who decided to build Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues, the Tigers’ home for the next 104 seasons, will later regain control of the team.
1916 During their annual meeting at the Hotel Wolcott in New York, the American League owners endorse a new major league draft concept proposed by Dodger president Charles Ebbets. The approved plan gives second-division clubs the first pick of the available minor leaguers each season.
1937 The Yankees purchase Red Sox first baseman Babe Dahlgren, who will replace Lou Gehrig at first base in 1939, ending the Iron Horse’s consecutive game streak at 2,130 games. During his four-year tenure with the Bronx Bombers, the California native compiles a .248 batting average before being bought by the Braves before the 1941 season.
1943 Without notifying the Yankees, 28-year-old Joe DiMaggio waives his draft deferment and enlists in the U.S. Army Air Force, not playing for the team again until 1946. Although the Bronx Bomber outfielder asked for no special treatment, he will spend most of his time out of harm’s way by playing baseball in California and Hawaii.
1954 “Realization that you now count your years at the four score mark reminds me, with something of a shock, that it was fifty years ago that I used to follow your batting average with the keenest of interest.” – DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, 34th President of the U.S., congratulating Honus Wagner on his birthday. President Dwight Eisenhower sends a letter labeled “personal and confidential” to Honus Wagner, wishing the former Pirates’ shortstop a happy 80th birthday. The Hall of Fame infielder was Ike’s boyhood hero growing up in Abilene (KS).
1964 White Sox shortstop Luke Appling, although he received only two Baseball Hall of Fame votes when he first appeared on the ballot in 1953, is elected to the Hall of Fame by BBWAA, named on 189 of the 201 ballots cast (94%) to defeat Red Ruffing a run-off election. This selection method, used intermittently from 1947 to 1967, occurred when the writers did not select anyone on their initial ballot and then listed the top 20-30 players on a second ballot, with only the top vote-getter chosen for induction.
1976 Future National League Cy Young Award winner Mike Scott pitches a perfect game for Pepperdine against California Lutheran University. The Mets select the right-hander, who will throw a no-hitter for the Astros, in the second round in the June draft.
1987 Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly wins his $1.975 million arbitration case. The award breaks the record for the most substantial sum ever given to a player, established just four days ago by Jack Morris.
1990 Herb Raybourn, the Yankee director of Latin American operations, signs amateur free-agent Mariano Rivera, an athletic 20-year-old with an effortless pitching motion but a less-than-average fastball, to a modest $3,000 contract. The future all-time major league saves leader has no formal training as a pitcher, having hurled for the first time two weeks before being scouted at the team’s tryout camp in Panama City.
1995 Unwilling to be part of an inferior product placed on the field and as a show of support for his players, Tigers skipper Sparky Anderson is suspended without pay when he refuses to manage replacement players in spring training during the work stoppage. The popular pilot will resume his duties when the strike ends but will ‘retire,’ believed by some not to be voluntary, at the end of the season.
2003 Avoiding arbitration, the Braves and 36-year-old righty Greg Maddux (16-6, 2.62) agree to the largest one-year contract in major league history. The $14.75 million deal for the four-time Cy Young Award winner eclipses the $12 million given to David Cone by the Yankees in 2000.
2003 After his body temperature soars to 108 degrees, Orioles pitching prospect Steve Belcher dies of multi-organ failure following a spring training workout in Fort Lauderdale. The use of ephedrine, the dietary supplement linked to heatstroke and heart attacks, may have led to the 23-year-old expectant father’s death.
2006 White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen apologizes for his comments published in Sports Illustrated that criticized Alex Rodriguez’s indecision concerning the country the Yankee All-Star would represent in the World Baseball Classic. At first, A-Rod, born in the United States, revealed he would play for the Dominican Republic due to his parents’ heritage, deciding not to participate before choosing Team USA.
2007 In a poll conducted by his hometown newspaper, more than half of the respondents thought Carl Pavano would not bounce back with the Yankees this year. The reader poll on myrecordjournal.com revealed that 54.5% believe the Yankee pitcher would not overcome his slow start with the team, while 45.5% stated he would have a comeback season.
2009 The Marlins announced a contract extension for manager Fredi Gonzalez through 2011. The South Florida native, who became the third skipper in franchise history to compile a winning campaign, guiding the club to an 84-77 record, was named The Sporting News Manager of the Year last season.
2011 Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays agree on a $64-million, five-year contract extension. Last season’s major league leader with 54 home runs, the 30-year-old third baseman/outfielder set a record for the most significant increase in round-trippers for a single season in baseball history, hitting 41 more homers than his total of 13 in 2009.
2021 After playing 143 major league games, Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Padres agree to a $340 million, 14-year extension. The 22-year-old shortstop’s deal, which includes a full no-trade clause, ranks as the third-richest contract in baseball history, trailing only the money made by Angels’ Mike Trout and Mookie Betts of the Dodgers.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
9 – 16 – 43
February 17, 1923 – Ottawa left wing Cy Denneny surged past Joe Malone in the record books as the all-time NHL goal scorer. Cy pounded his 143rd career goal in Ottawa’s 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on this day. We are not quite sure if he ever wore a number on his sweater or not as records are non-revealing. He is featured in today’s banner photo (see credits below).
February 17, 1927 – The Toronto Maple Leafs have their first victory using that moniker when they defeated the New York Americans 4-1 on the ice. The team was previously known as the Toronto St Patrick’s.
February 17, 1951 – Detroit Red Wings Number 9, right winger Gordie Howe scored his 100th career NHL goal and adds an assist in a 2-1 Red Wings’ victory away to the Montreal Canadiens
February 17, 1952 – Montreal Canadiens center Elmer Lach, Number 16 picked up his 354th career assist in a 3-2 loss at the New York Rangers to become the NHL’s all-time assists leader. The former holder of the the record was Bill Cowley who played with the Boston Bruins during the 1930s and 40s and wore Number 10.
February 17, 1974 – The orange and blue Number 43 STP Dodge driven by Richard Petty claimed the checkered flag as Petty became the first person to win the Daytona 500 in back to back years.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
1905 – Andy Oberlander the fine Dartmouth halfback and tackle celebrated his birth. Lean more about this legend by clicking his name!
1920 – Huntington, West Virginia – The explosive halfback from Marshall University, Jackie Hunt arrived into this life. According to the NFF website , Hunt lettered in football as a Freshman and got even better from there. Jackie thrived in 1940 when his team switched to the single wing offense, scoring 21 touchdowns in the season’s final five games. His 27 scores for the year set an NCAA record that would last for 31 seasons. Jackie made the first of back-to-back Little All-America teams. Jackie Hunt received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
1936 – St Simons, Georgia – The all time great running back Jim Brown was born. There is so much more about this NFL and College Football Great, so click his name to catch up on this gridiron great!
1959 – Portland Oregon – Neil Lomax the great quarterback from Portland State was born. Neil threw for 106 touchdowns and 13,220 yards at Portland State in the seasons of 1977 through 1980 as he left school with those as collegiate records per the NFF. The 1980 game against Delaware State, Lomax threw seven touchdown passes in the first quarter on the way to a 105-0 victory. The 1980 Portland State team won the national scoring championship with 541 points in 11 games as Neil tossed for 4094 yards in just 11 games! The National Football Foundation selected Neil Lomax for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
TV SPORTS MONDAY
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| 4 Nations Face-Off: Finland vs Canada | 1:00pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| 4 Nations Face-Off: Sweden vs USA | 8:00pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Lehigh at Bucknell | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| McNeese at Southeastern Louisiana | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Lamar at Northwestern State | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Nicholls at New Orleans | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Stephen F. Austin at East Texas A&M | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Northwestern State at Nicholls | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| UIW at UTRGV | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Maryland Eastern Shore at Howard | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Morgan State at North Carolina Central | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Duke at Virginia | 8:00pm | ESPN |
| Delaware State at Norfolk State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Houston Christian at A&M-Corpus Christi | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas Southern at Southern | 9:00pm | ESPNU |
| Arizona at Baylor | 10:00pm | ESPN |
| Kansas State at Utah | 11:00pm | ESPN2 |
| NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Iowa at Ohio State | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Kansas St. at West Virginia | 2:00pm | FOX |
| Duke at Notre Dame | 6:00pm | ESPN |
| Michigan at Maryland | 6:00pm | BTN |
| Texas A&M at Alabama | 8:00pm | SECN |
| Northwestern at Rutgers | 8:00pm | BTN |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Serie A: Genoa vs Venezia | 2:45pm | Paramount+ |
| LA Liga: Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano | 3:00pm | ESPN+ fuboTV |