“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BOYS SEMI-STATE
CLASS 4A
NORTH (AT ELKHART)
SOUTH BEND RILEY (22-4) VS. FISHERS (28-0), 10 A.M.
HOMESTEAD (22-5) VS. CROWN POINT (22-2), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
SOUTH (AT NEW CASTLE)
TERRE HAUTE NORTH (21-5) VS. LAWRENCE NORTH (21-6), 10 A.M.
JEFFERSONVILLE (21-5) VS. MT. VERNON (21-5), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
CLASS 3A
NORTH (AT LOGANSPORT)
MACONAQUAH (21-5) VS. SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (24-3), 10 A.M.
EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (20-8) VS. DELTA (17-7), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
SOUTH (AT SOUTHPORT)
PRINCETON (24-2) VS. CRISPUS ATTUCKS (20-6), 10 A.M.
NEW PALESTINE (25-3) VS. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (24-2), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
CLASS 2A
NORTH (AT MICHIGAN CITY)
GARY 21ST CENTURY (20-6) VS. WAPAHANI (26-1), 11 A.M.
MANCHESTER (23-2) VS. JIMTOWN (16-10), 1 P.M.
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8:30 P.M.
SOUTH (AT WASHINGTON)
PARKE HERITAGE (24-4) VS. FOREST PARK (19-6), 10:30 A.M.
UNIVERSITY (18-9) VS. LINTON-STOCKTON (21-6), 12:15 P.M.
CHAMPIONSHIP, 7:30 P.M.
CLASS A
NORTH (AT LAFAYETTE JEFF)
KOUTS (23-4) VS. MONROE CENTRAL (19-6), 10 A.M.
TRITON (23-4) VS. CLINTON PRAIRIE (24-2), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
SOUTH (AT SEYMOUR)
ORLEANS (22-4) VS. HAUSER (24-3), 10 A.M.
LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (18-8) VS. CLAY CITY (25-1), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TV SCHEDULE/RESULTS
THURSDAY
CREIGHTON 89 LOUISVILLE 75
PURDUE 75 HIGH POINT 63
WISCONSIN 85 MONTANA 66
HOUSTON 78 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EDWARDSVILLE 40
AUBURN 83 ALABAMA STATE 63
MCNEESE STATE 69 CLEMSON 67
BYU 80 VCU 71
GONZAGA 89 GEORGIA 68
TENNESSEE 77 WOFFORD 62
ARKANSAS 79 KANSAS 72
TEXAS A&M 80 YALE 71
DRAKE 67 MISSOURI 57
UCLA 72 UTAH STATE 47
ST. JOHN’S 83 OMAHA 53
MICHIGAN 68 SAN DIEGO 65
TEXAS TECH 82 UNC WILMINGTON 72
FRIDAY, MARCH 21 (FIRST ROUND/ROUND OF 64)
(8) MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. (9) BAYLOR, 12:15 P.M. | CBS
(2) ALABAMA VS. (15) ROBERT MORRIS, 12:40 P.M. | TRUTV
(3) IOWA STATE VS. (14) LIPSCOMB, 1:30 P.M. | TNT
(5) MEMPHIS VS. (12) COLORADO STATE, 2 P.M. | TBS
(1) DUKE VS. (16) MOUNT ST. MARY’S, 2:50 P.M. | CBS
(7) SAINT MARY’S VS. (10) VANDERBILT, 3:15 P.M. | TRUTV
(6) OLE MISS VS. (11) NORTH CAROLINA, 4:05 P.M. | TNT
(4) MARYLAND VS. (13) GRAND CANYON, 4:35 P.M. | TBS
(1) FLORIDA VS. (16) NORFOLK STATE, 6:50 P.M. | TNT
(3) KENTUCKY VS. (14) TROY, 7:10 P.M. | CBS
(7) MARQUETTE VS. (10) NEW MEXICO, 7:25 P.M. | TBS
(4) ARIZONA VS. (13) AKRON, 7:35 P.M. | TRUTV
(8) UCONN VS. (9) OKLAHOMA, 9:25 P.M. | TNT
(6) ILLINOIS VS. (11) XAVIER, 9:45 P.M. | TNT
(2) MICHIGAN STATE VS. (15) BRYANT, 10 P.M. | TBS
(5) OREGON VS. (12) LIBERTY, 10:10 P.M. | TRUTV
SATURDAY, MARCH 22 (SECOND ROUND/ROUND OF 32)
(4) PURDUE VS. (12) MCNEESE, 12:10 P.M. | CBS
(2) ST. JOHN’S VS. (10) ARKANSAS, 2:40 P.M. | CBS
(4) TEXAS A&M VS. (5) MICHIGAN, 5:15 P.M. | CBS
(3) TEXAS TECH VS. (11) DRAKE, 6:10 P.M. | TNT
(1) AUBURN VS. (9) CREIGHTON, 7:10 P.M. | TBS
(3) WISCONSIN VS. (6) BYU, 7:45 P.M. | CBS
(1) HOUSTON VS. (8) GONZAGA, 8:40 P.M. | TNT
(2) TENNESSEE VS. (7) UCLA, 9:40 P.M. | TBS
NIT SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT TV SCHEDULE
THURSDAY
COLUMBIA 63 WASHINGTON 60
WILLIAM & MARY 69 HIGH POINT 63
FRIDAY, MARCH 21 (FIRST ROUND/ROUND OF 64)
(6) MICHIGAN VS. (11) IOWA STATE/PRINCETON, 11:30 A.M. | ESPN2
(4) KENTUCKY VS. (13) LIBERTY, 12 P.M. | ESPN
(8) UTAH VS. (9) INDIANA, 1:30 P.M. | ESPN2
(3) NOTRE DAME VS. (14) STEPHEN F. AUSTIN, 2 (
P.M. | ESPN
(5) KANSAS STATE VS. (12) FAIRFIELD, 2:30 P.M. | ESPNEWS
(4) BAYLOR VS. (13) GRAND CANYON, 3:30 P.M. | ESPNU
(2) TCU VS. (15) FDU, 3:30 P.M. | ESPN2
(1) SOUTH CAROLINA VS. (16) TENNESSEE TECH, 4 P.M. | ESPN
(7) VANDERBILT VS. (10) OREGON, 5:30 P.M. | ESPNEWS
(4) OHIO STATE VS. (13) MONTANA STATE, 5:30 P.M. | ESPN2
(5) OLE MISS VS. (12) BALL STATE, 6 P.M. | ESPNU
(7) LOUISVILLE VS. (10) NEBRASKA, 6 P.M. | ESPN
(8) RICHMOND VS. (9) GEORGIA TECH, 7:30 P.M. | ESPNEWS
(2) DUKE VS. (15) LEHIGH, 8 P.M. | ESPNU
(5) TENNESSEE VS. (12) SOUTH FLORIDA, 8 P.M. | ESPN
(1) UCLA VS. (16) UC SAN DIEGO/SOUTHERN U., 10 P.M. | ESPN
SATURDAY, MARCH 22 (FIRST ROUND/ROUND OF 64)
(6) IOWA VS. (11) MURRAY STATE, 12 P.M.| ESPN
(2) UCONN VS. (15) ARKANSAS STATE, 1 P.M. | ABC
(5) ALABAMA VS. (12) GREEN BAY, 1:30 P.M. | ESPN2
(2) NC STATE VS. (15) VERMONT, 2 P.M. | ESPN
(6) WEST VIRGINIA VS. (11) COLUMBIA/WASHINGTON, 2 P.M. | ESPNEWS
(3) OKLAHOMA VS. (14) FGCU, 2:30 P.M. | ESPNU
(1) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VS. (16) UNC GREENSBORO, 3 P.M. | ABC
(7) OKLAHOMA STATE VS. (10) SOUTH DAKOTA STATE, 3:30 P.M. | ESPN2
(4) MARYLAND VS. (13) NORFOLK STATE, 4 P.M. | ESPN
(3) NORTH CAROLINA VS. (14) OREGON STATE, 4:30 P.M. | ESPNU
(7) MICHIGAN STATE VS. (10) HARVARD, 4:30 P.M. | ESPNEWS
(8) CALIFORNIA VS. (9) MISSISSIPPI STATE, 5:30 P.M. | ESPN2
(8) ILLINOIS VS. (9) CREIGHTON, 7:15 P.M. | ESPNEWS
(6) FLORIDA STATE VS. (11) GEORGE MASON, 7:45 P.M. | ESPN2
(1) TEXAS VS. (16) HIGH POINT/WILLIAM & MARY, 9:45 P.M. | ESPN2
(3) LSU VS. (14) SAN DIEGO STATE, 10:15 P.M. | ESPN
INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCOREBOARD
PURDUE 9 WISCONSIN 1
INDIANA COLLEGE MEN’S LAX
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA COLLEGE WOMEN’S LAX
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NBA SCOREBOARD
CHARLOTTE 115 NEW YORK 98
INDIANA 105 BROOKLYN 99 OT
GOLDEN STATE 117 TORONTO 114
CHICAGO 128 SACRAMENTO 116
MILWAUKEE 118 LA LAKERS 89
NHL SCOREBOARD
WASHINGTON 3 PHILADELPHIA 2
FLORIDA 1 COLUMBUS 0 OT
TORONTO 4 NY RANGERS 3
CALGARY 5 NEW JERSEY 3
COLORADO 5 OTTAWA 1
NY ISLANDERS 4 MONTRÉAL 3 OT
ST. LOUIS 4 VANCOUVER 3 OT
TAMPA BAY 3 DALLAS 2
ANAHEIM 4 NASHVILLE 1
LOS ANGELES 3 CHICAGO 1
UTAH 5 BUFFALO 2
WINNIPEG 4 EDMONTON 3 OT
VEGAS 5 BOSTON 1
CAROLINA 3 SAN JOSE 1
MLB SCOREBOARD
REGULAR SEASON
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
SPRING TRAINING
ATLANTA 7 PHILADELPHIA 0
TORONTO 4 TAMPA BAY 1
HOUSTON 11 MIAMI 0
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 2 LA ANGELS 1
KANSAS CITY 11 CINCINNATI 8
ARIZONA 11 LAS VEGAS 3
MINNESOTA 2 BOSTON 1
NEW YORK YANKEES 9 BALTIMORE 7
NEW YORK METS 10 WASHINGTON 3
COLORADO 7 TEXAS 4
SAN DIEGO 5 TEXAS 3
MLS SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT
NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: MCNEESE KNOCKS OUT CLEMSON IN MIDWEST
Brandon Murray came off the bench to score a team-high 21 points, and 12th-seeded McNeese pulled off the first major upset of the NCAA Tournament, eliminating fifth-seeded Clemson 69-67 in a first-round Midwest Region matchup Thursday in Providence, R.I.
Quadir Copeland added 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Cowboys (28-6), who advanced to a second-round contest on Saturday against No. 4 Purdue, which knocked out High Point 75-63.
Christian Shumate added 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Sincere Parker contributed 12 points in a reserve role. McNeese led by 24 points with 16:14 left in the game, building the enormous lead thanks to a 15-0 advantage in points off turnovers during the first half and a 44-24 margin in points in the paint on the day.
Jaeden Zackery scored a game-high 24 points and Chase Hunter added 21 — all in the final 10:02 — to pace the Tigers (27-7). But second-leading scorer Ian Schieffelin missed all four shots he tried and finished with just one point, 11.8 below his average.
No. 1 Houston 78, No. 16 SIU Edwardsville 40
Milos Uzan scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half to help the top-seeded Cougars cruise by the SIUE Cougars in Midwest Region first-round play in Wichita, Kan.
L.J. Cryer scored all 15 points in the first half and Ja’Vier Francis had 13 points and eight rebounds as Houston (31-4) won its 14th straight game on the way to a second-round matchup with No. 8 Gonzaga on Saturday.
SIU Edwardsville star Ray’Sean Taylor scored 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting. Taylor finished his career with a school-record 1,962 points. His cousin, Brian Taylor, also had 10 points for Edwardsville, which qualified for its first NCAA Tournament appearance by winning the Ohio Valley Conference postseason tournament.
No. 2 Tennessee 77, No. 15 Wofford 62
Chaz Lanier put up 29 points, Zakai Zeigler added 12 points and 12 assists and the Volunteers advanced to the second round of the Midwest Region with a win over the Terriers in Lexington, Ky.
Jahmai Mashack had nine points and seven rebounds for Tennessee (28-7), which will face No. 7 UCLA in the second round on Saturday.
Jackson Sivills had 15 points and five boards for Wofford (19-16), Corey Tripp scored 14 points and Jeremy Lorenz finished with 12.
No. 4 Purdue 75, No. 13 High Point 63
Trey Kaufman-Renn poured in 21 points, Braden Smith added 20 with six assists and the Boilermakers gritted out a victory over the Panthers in the first round in Providence, R.I.
Kaufman-Renn shot 10-for-16 and had eight rebounds to guide Purdue (23-11). Camden Heide added an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double for Purdue, which will face No. 12 McNeese in the second round of the Midwest Region on Saturday.
D’Maurian Williams scored 12 points and Trae Benham added 11 to pace High Point (29-6). The Big South champion entered its first NCAA Tournament in program history on a 14-game winning streak.
No. 7 UCLA 72, No. 10 Utah State 47
Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. scored 14 points apiece to lead the Bruins to an easy win over the Aggies in a Midwest Region contest.
Clark led a sharp-shooting display by the Bruins (23-10), who were 10-for-24 from 3-point range and advanced to face No. 2 Tennessee in the second round on Saturday.
Mason Falslev led the Aggies (26-8) with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Deyton Albury added 12 points and seven boards.
No. 8 Gonzaga 89, No. 9 Georgia 68
The Bulldogs raced out to a 27-3 lead out of the gate and coasted to a first-round win over Georgia in the Midwest Region in Wichita, Kan.
Khalif Battle had 24 points and eight rebounds to lead Gonzaga (26-8), which will play No. 1 Houston on Saturday. Braden Huff added 18 points and eight boards for the Bulldogs, who won their 16th straight first-round game. Nolan Hickman chipped in with 18 points.
Georgia (20-13) was led by Asa Newell’s 20 points and eight rebounds, while Silas Demary Jr. contributed 15 points. Blue Cain and Somto Cyril finished with 10 points apiece.
West Region
No. 2 St. John’s 85, No. 15 Omaha 53
RJ Luis Jr. made a career-high five 3-pointers and the Red Storm found their shooting stroke en route to a victory over Omaha in Providence, R.I.
St. John’s (31-4) earned its first tournament win since 2000. Coach Rick Pitino and the Big East champs will face John Calipari and No. 10 seed Arkansas in the second round Saturday. Luis led all scorers with 22 points and added eight rebounds. Simeon Wilcher scored 13 points for the Red Storm. Kadary Richmond had 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Zuby Ejiofor added 10 points, seven boards, four assists and three blocks.
JJ White posted 15 points and five assists to lead Omaha (22-13), which was playing in its first NCAA Tournament after claiming the Summit League championship.
No. 11 Drake 67, No. 6 Missouri 57
Bennett Stirtz had 21 points and four assists as the Bulldogs upset the Tigers in Wichita, Kan.
Tavion Banks added 15 points for the Bulldogs (31-3), who will face No. 3 Texas Tech on Saturday. After Missouri trimmed the deficit to 52-51 with 4:28 to play, Stirtz hit a jumper and Cam Manyawu scored inside to keep Missouri at bay. Banks then threw down a transition dunk with 58 seconds left to ice the game.
Caleb Grill scored 14 points and Tamar Bates added 10 for the Tigers (22-12).
No. 10 Arkansas 79, No. 7 Kansas 72
Jonas Aidoo scored a game-high 22 points and the Razorbacks canned eight straight foul shots in the final minute to clinch a win over the Jayhawks in Providence, R.I.
Johnell Davis added 18 points, including two free throws with 10.4 seconds left for a 77-72 advantage. D.J. Wagner scored 14 points and dished out six assists, while Trevor Brazile chipped in an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. The Razorbacks (21-13) advance to a second-round matchup on Saturday against St. John’s.
Zeke Mayo scored 18 points to lead Kansas (21-13), while AJ Storr came off the bench to add 15. KJ Adams hit for 13 points and Hunter Dickinson contributed 11.
No. 3 Texas Tech 82, No. 14 UNC Wilmington 72
Kerwin Walton established career bests of 27 points and eight 3-pointers to lead the Red Raiders past the Seahawks in West Region first-round play in Denver.
Elijah Hawkins added 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for Texas Tech (26-8), which will face No. 11 Drake in Saturday’s second round. Darrion Williams had 13 points and nine boards, and JT Toppin added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Nolan Hodge has 18 points and seven rebounds for UNC Wilmington (27-8), which is 1-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Bo Montgomery added 10 points for the Seahawks.
South Region
No. 1 Auburn 83, No. 16 Alabama State 63
Miles Kelly posted a game-high 23 points, hitting 7 of 15 3-pointers, as the Tigers cruised to a first-round win over the Hornets in the South Region in Lexington, Ky.
Johni Broome recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds for Auburn (29-5), which will face No. 9 Creighton in Saturday’s second round. Tahaad Pettiford finished with 16 points for the Tigers.
Amarr Knox led Alabama State (20-16) with 18 points, while TJ Madlock contributed 11. CJ Hines contributed nine points for the Hornets.
No. 4 Texas A&M 80, No. 13 Yale 71
Pharrel Payne tallied a career-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Wade Taylor IV had 16 points, and the Aggies beat the Bulldogs in Denver.
Jace Carter added 10 points for the Aggies (23-10), who will face No. 5 Michigan in the second round on Saturday night.
John Poulakidas scored 23 points, Nick Townsend had 15, Isaac Celiscar finished with 12 points and Casey Simmons contributed 11 points for the Bulldogs (22-8).
No. 5 Michigan 68, No. 12 UC San Diego 65
Tre Donaldson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:13 left, and the Wolverines weathered a second-half comeback by the Tritons in Denver.
Donaldson finished with 12 points, Vladislav Goldin had 14 points, Roddy Gayle Jr. contributed 11 and Danny Wolf grabbed 11 rebounds for the Wolverines (26-9), who play No. 4 Texas A&M on Saturday.
Tyler McGhie scored a game-high 25 points, Nordin Kapic added 15 and Hayden Gray finished with 10 for UC San Diego (30-5).
No. 9 Creighton 89, No. 8 Louisville 75
Jamiya Neal scored a career-high 29 points while posting 12 boards and six assists to lead the Bluejays to an upset victory over the Cardinals in South Region play in Lexington, Ky.
Steven Ashworth produced 22 points, five rebounds and five assists; Ryan Kalbrenner added 14 points and Jackson McAndrew had 11 for Creighton, which will face No.1 Auburn in the second round on Saturday.
Louisville was led by Chucky Hepburn (22 points), Terrence Edwards Jr. (21) and J’Vonne Hadley (13).
East Region
No. 3 Wisconsin 85, No. 14 Montana 66
John Blackwell scored 19 points, Steven Crowl had 18 and John Tonje chipped in 15 as the Badgers cruised past the Grizzlies in East Region action in Denver.
Leading Wisconsin in the loss, Te’Jon Sawyer posted a 15-point, eight-rebound effort, Kai Johnson added 15 points (hitting 4 of 7 shots from beyond the arc) and Joe Pridgen had 12 points.
Wisconsin outrebounded Montana 38-24 while making 55.4 percent of its shots. It led 40-32 after the first half and pulled away after the break. The Badgers will play sixth-seeded BYU in the second round on Saturday.
No. 6 BYU 80, No. 11 VCU 71
Richie Saunders had 16 points and Egor Demin poured in 15 to lead the Cougars to an East Region win over the Rams in Denver.
Fousseyni Traore had 13 points for BYU (25-9), which will face No. 3 Wisconsin in the second round on Saturday. Keba Keita finished with nine points and nine rebounds for the Cougars.
Zeb Jackson posted a season-best 23 points to lead VCU (28-7), while Jack Clark, Joe Bamisile and Max Shulga totaled 12 points apiece.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT
FIRST FOUR: COLUMBIA BEATS WASHINGTON FOR FIRST NCAA WIN
Riley Weiss scored 24 points and Kitty Henderson tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as Columbia held off Washington 63-60 in the First Four of the Women’s NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Columbia (24-6), playing in the First Four for the second straight season, won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in program history. The Lions earned the No. 11 seed in the Birmingham 2 Region and will face No. 6 West Virginia on Saturday.
The Lions rallied after trailing 21-10 at the end of the first quarter and 34-21 at halftime. Weiss scored 19 of her points and made four of her five 3-pointers in the second half.
She started the second half with a personal 7-0 run — two triples and one free throw — to give Columbia its first lead of the night. She hit one more 3-pointer after the Huskies tied the game.
Sayvia Sellers made consecutive buckets to help Washington pull even at 54-54 with 3:34 left, but Susie Rafiu’s layup 30 seconds later restored the Lions’ lead for good. Weiss added four important free throws down the stretch as Elle Ladine tried to will the Huskies back with a pair of late 3-pointers.
Sellers had 21 points and six assists to power the Huskies (19-14). Dalayah Daniels put up 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Ladine added 16 points and six boards.
Washington lost despite outshooting Columbia 52.9 percent to 40.7 percent from the field. The Huskies went a paltry 3-for-10 from the free-throw line compared with the 12-of-17 clip by Columbia.
Cecelia Collins scored 12 points for the Lions.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: BULLS STORM BACK FROM 19 DOWN TO BEAT KINGS
Coby White scored 31 of his 35 points after halftime as the Chicago Bulls overturned a 19-point deficit to defeat the host Sacramento Kings 128-116 on Thursday night.
White knocked down 13 of 14 free throws, while Kevin Huerter added 25 points — including 5 of 9 3-pointers — seven assists and four steals, and Nikola Vucevic nailed 4 of 5 from downtown as he compiled 24 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.
Malik Monk produced a season-high 34 points for Sacramento, including five 3-pointers, Trey Lyles contributed 22 points, including four 3-pointers, and DeMar DeRozan finished with 22.
With 1:56 remaining in the third quarter, DeRozan connected on a trademark mid-range jumper to become the sixth active player and 27th in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points.
Bucks 118, Lakers 89
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds while leading visiting Milwaukee to a victory over short-handed Los Angeles.
Gary Trent Jr. added 23 points and six 3-pointers off the bench as Milwaukee snapped a two-game skid. Kyle Kuzma added 20 with a team-high five assists, but Bucks star Damian Lillard was unable to go due to a calf injury. Los Angeles had its three-game win streak end on a night when LeBron James (groin), Luka Doncic (ankle) and Austin Reaves (ankle) sat out.
The Lakers were led by rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James with 17 points each — a career high for LeBron James’ son. Bronny James shot 7-for-10 from the field and tied for the team lead with five assists.
Warriors 117, Raptors 114
Draymond Green scored 21 points, Jimmy Butler III had a triple-double and Golden State beat Toronto in San Francisco despite Warriors star Stephen Curry exiting the game with a pelvic contusion.
Curry finished with 17 points after falling hard on his back on a drive to the basket with 3:24 left in the third quarter and the Warriors down 88-83. Green tied his season high with five 3-pointers and had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals for Golden State. Golden State rookie Quinten Post added 18 points on a career-high six 3-pointers off the bench for the Warriors, who won for the ninth time in their past 10 games. Butler had 16 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high 12 assists. Kuminga also scored 16 points, and Brandin Podziemski added 15.
Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Immanuel Quickley scored 21 points, Jakob Poeltl added 18 points, Jamison Battle had 14, and Jamal Shead 11.
Pacers 105, Nets 99
Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to lead Indiana to a third consecutive win, beating Brooklyn in Indianapolis.
Myles Turner, who had missed the previous 13 games with a hip injury, finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
D’Angelo Russell and Ziaire Williams led the Nets with 22 points, with Williams hitting 8 of 15 shots. Trendon Watford scored 11 points before being ejected for starting an altercation with Turner in the fourth quarter.
Hornets 115, Knicks 98
LaMelo Ball returned to action and scored 25 points as Charlotte beat visiting New York.
Mark Williams posted 19 points and 14 rebounds, Miles Bridges scored 15 points, DaQuan Jeffries had 14 and reserve Nick Smith Jr. added 13 for the Hornets. Ball, who has had a string of ailments and sat out Tuesday night’s 32-point loss to Atlanta, made 10 of 23 shots, connecting on five 3-point attempts. He added eight assists and five rebounds.
OG Anunoby supplied 25 points and Karl-Anthony Towns racked up 24 points and 10 rebounds, but the Knicks couldn’t overcome 10-for-39 shooting on 3-pointers. Mikal Bridges added 16 points and Josh Hart notched 13 points for New York, which dropped its sixth game in its last nine outings.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: JETS OUTLAST OILERS IN OT
Kyle Connor got the winner 1:13 into overtime as the Winnipeg Jets outlasted the host Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Thursday.
Josh Morrissey had a goal and an assist for the Jets, who won for the fourth time in five games, and Cole Perfetti and Brandon Tanev also scored. Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves for the victory.
The Oilers’ Jeff Skinner scored twice, Zach Hyman also scored, and Darnell Nurse registered two assists. Stuart Skinner saved 13 of 16 shots but was replaced by Calvin Pickard in the third period due to an injury.
Edmonton’s Connor McDavid also exited because of a lower-body injury.
Blues 4, Canucks 3 (OT)
A late Vancouver goal forced overtime, but Philip Broberg notched the winning tally as St. Louis picked up a victory over the visiting Vancouver in a key battle in the Western Conference wild-card race.
Tyler Tucker and Dylan Holloway each had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who picked up their fourth straight win. Zack Bolduc also scored, Brayden Schenn finished with two assists, and Jordan Binnington made 15 saves.
Brock Boeser had two goals for the Canucks, including one with four seconds left in the third period that tied the game. Kiefer Sherwood had a goal for Vancouver, while Elias Pettersson finished with two helpers. Kevin Lankinen turned aside 25 shots.
Golden Knights 5, Bruins 1
Pavel Dorofeyev produced his second career hat trick to lead Vegas Golden past Boston in Las Vegas.
Brett Howden and Ivan Barbashev also scored goals and Jack Eichel, Brandon Saad and Noah Hanifin each added two assists for the Golden Knights, who snapped a two-game losing streak (0-1-1). Adin Hill made 18 saves for the victory.
Morgan Geekie scored a goal and Jeremy Swayman finished with 27 saves for the Bruins, who dropped their fourth straight game (0-3-1) and lost for the seventh time in nine games (2-6-1).
Flames 5, Devils 3
Calgary registered four unanswered goals in the third period to rally for a victory in Newark, N.J.
Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist for the Flames, who picked up their second straight win, while Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, Daniil Miromanov and Nazem Kadri each tallied for Calgary.
Nico Hischier finished with a goal and an assist for New Jersey and Erik Haula and Paul Cotter both scored. The Devils led 3-1 heading into the third period before the Flames came back and dealt the hosts their second loss in three games.
Kings 3, Blackhawks 1
Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves for visiting Los Angeles in a win against Chicago.
Kuemper has surrendered just five goals in his past six games, after a 10-game run in which he gave up 31. Trevor Moore, Alex Turcotte and Joel Edmundson scored for the Kings, who have won six of seven.
Connor Bedard scored and Spencer Knight made 30 saves for the Blackhawks, who have lost a season-high six in a row (0-5-1).
Utah Hockey Club 5, Sabres 2
Mikhail Sergachev scored twice for Utah in a win against Buffalo in Salt Lake City.
Dylan Guenther broke a third-period tie for Utah before Kevin Stenlund and Sergachev added insurance goals. Logan Cooley also scored and Karel Vejmelka made 25 saves.
JJ Peterka and Ryan McLeod scored for the Sabres, while James Reimer finished with 27 saves.
Ducks 4, Predators 1
John Gibson returned after missing seven games with a lower-body injury and made 33 saves to help visiting Anaheim defeat Nashville.
Trevor Zegras had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, whose only two wins in the past six games have come against the Predators. Jackson LaCombe, Troy Terry and Alex Killorn also scored, and Mason McTavish had two assists. The Ducks swept Nashville for the first time since 2015.
Steven Stamkos scored and Justus Annunen made 30 saves for the Predators, who have lost four in a row (0-3-1).
Capitals 3, Flyers 2
Alex Ovechkin scored to get to within seven goals of the all-time scoring record as Washington held off visiting Philadelphia for its eighth win in nine games.
Brandon Duhaime and Andrew Mangiapane also tallied for the Capitals, who led 3-0 before the Flyers scored twice in the third period. Anthony Beauvillier had two assists and Charlie Lindgren stopped 27 shots for Washington.
Ryan Poehling had a goal and an assist and Sean Couturier tallied for Philadelphia, which snapped a stretch of two straight games without a goal. Samuel Ersson finished with 13 saves.
Lightning 3, Stars 2 (SO)
Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel each had a goal with an assist and Gage Goncalves notched the deciding tally in the shootout as Tampa Bay won at Dallas.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves for the Lightning, who overcame blowing a 2-0 lead to win their third straight. Goncalves came through in the fourth round of the shootout for Tampa Bay, which is 14-3-2 since Jan. 30.
Rookie Oskar Back and Mason Marchment each scored in the second period for the Stars, who had their eight-game home winning streak end. Casey DeSmith finished with 36 saves.
Panthers 1, Blue Jackets 0 (OT)
Aleksander Barkov scored the game’s lone goal just 29 seconds into overtime to earn Florida the road win over Columbus.
The Blue Jackets played a man down heading into the extra period after Kirill Marchenko was whistled for a delay-of-game penalty toward the end of regulation. Barkov capitalized with a shot from the high slot for his 19th goal of the season.
Sergei Bobrovsky had 25 saves in his fifth shutout of the season for the Panthers. Elvis Merzlikins totaled 27 saves for Columbus, which was shut out for the fourth time in seven games.
Islanders 4, Canadiens 3 (OT)
Bo Horvat’s second goal of the night was the game-winner with 1:23 left in overtime as New York beat Montreal in Elmont, N.Y.
Anthony Duclair and Simon Holmstrom each scored for the Islanders, who led 3-1 in the third period before the Canadiens stormed back to force overtime. Anthony DeAngelo and Noah Dobson both had two assists for New York, and
Ilya Sorokin recorded 38 saves.
Patrik Laine scored once and had an assist for Montreal, while Joshua Roy and Brendan Gallagher each tallied. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves.
Avalanche 5, Senators 1
Brock Nelson scored his first two goals for Colorado, leading the visitors to a victory over Ottawa.
Cale Makar scored a goal and added an assist while Nathan MacKinnon and Joel Kiviranta also tallied for the Avalanche, who improved to 9-1-1 in their past 11 games. Scott Wedgewood made 15 saves and both Jonathan Drouin and Ross Colton recorded a pair of assists.
Dylan Cozens had the lone goal for the Senators, who have lost back-to-back games. Linus Ullmark allowed four goals on 13 shots before being replaced by Anton Forsberg, who stopped 18 shots.
Maple Leafs 4, Rangers 3
John Tavares scored twice and added an assist to become the eighth active player to reach 1,100 career points as Toronto won at New York.
Matthew Knies also scored and Jack McCabe collected a career-high three assists by setting up the Maple Leafs’ first three goals. William Nylander contributed two assists, and Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz made 27 saves.
Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist and Will Borgen and Chris Kreider added a tally apiece as the Rangers dropped their third straight. Igor Shesterkin stopped 24 shots.
Hurricanes 3, Sharks 1
Sebastian Aho and Sean Walker scored third-period goals to lead Carolina to a road victory over San Jose.
The Hurricanes are on the eighth winning streak of eight or more games in franchise history, with two of those runs coming this season. Seth Jarvis scored Carolina’s other goal, and Frederik Andersen stopped 24 of 25 shots to earn his 10th victory in 15 starts this season.
William Eklund collected the only goal for the Sharks, who are 1-5-0 in their past six games. In his first career start and just his fourth NHL game, Georgi Romanov looked sharp while stopping 26 of 29 Carolina shots.
MLB NEWS
SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: BRAVES PITCHERS OVERWHELM PHILLIES
Five Atlanta pitchers scattered four hits and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna provided power with a two-run home run as the host Braves shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 7-0 on Thursday in spring training action in North Port, Fla.
Raisel Iglesias (1-0) earned the win with a perfect fourth inning, then Zach Thompson allowed two hits while fanning three in the final five innings to collect his first save of the spring. Starter Hector Neris, Daysbel Hernandez (four strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings) and Aaron Bummer combined to work the first three innings.
Ozuna knocked his third homer of the spring with the fifth-inning shot, and teammate Chadwick Tromp drove in three runs on a groundout in the fourth and a single in the fifth. Michael Harris II was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run as the Braves totaled 11 hits.
Phillies starter Nabil Crismatt (1-1) took the loss after yielding one run and three hits in three innings. Cal Stevenson and Johan Rojas hit doubles.
Blue Jays 4, Rays 1
New acquisition Anthony Santander went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and one run as host Toronto downed Tampa Bay in Dunedin, Fla.
Santander, an All-Star outfielder last season for the Baltimore Orioles, signed with the Blue Jays for five years for a contract reported to be worth more than $90 million. He hit an RBI single in the first and a two-run double in the fifth.
Toronto starter Bowden Francis (1-1) allowed one run, three hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings for the win. Tampa Bay starter Taj Bradley (0-1) was roughed up for four runs (three earned), nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Jonathan Aranda homered for the Rays’ run.
Astros 11, Marlins 0
Eight Houston pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts and just three walks and five hits in shutting out host Miami in Jupiter, Fla.
Zach Dezenzo was 3-for-4 with an RBI double, Jake Meyers hit a 409-foot two-run homer and Zack Short slammed a 430-foot two-run blast and an RBI double for the Astros. Josh Hader (1-0) went 1 1/3 innings in earning the victory.
Marlins starter Janson Junk (0-1) yielded one run, one hit and two walks with three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings in taking the loss. Griffin Conine and Jack Winkler doubled among Miami’s five hits.
GOLF NEWS
KEITH MITCHELL, STEPHAN JAEGER AMONG 5 TIED FOR VALSPAR LEAD
Former PGA Tour winners Keith Mitchell and German Stephan Jaeger were among the five co-leaders when first-round play was suspended at the Valspar Championship on Thursday in Palm Harbor, Fla.
Mitchell, Jaeger, Jacob Bridgeman, Ricky Castillo and Finland’s Sami Valimaki shot rounds of 4-under-par 67 at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course. Three players were one off the pace: Ryan Fox of New Zealand, Nico Echavarria of Colombia and Nick Hardy.
Ten players had yet to finish their rounds when the horn blew due to darkness. They’ll finish their rounds Friday morning.
Jaeger earned his maiden PGA Tour victory last year at the Houston Open. Mitchell won the 2019 Honda Classic and has been hunting for a follow-up title ever since.
Mitchell was in great position at the Valspar last year, when he held the 54-hole lead. A final-round 77 pushed him back to a T17 finish.
“I still think about it,” Mitchell said. “It’s still definitely in the back of my mind and I want it to stay there for hopefully for the rest of my career to just motivate me to remember what it feels like when you let those kind of nerves get in your way. A round like today feels like the opposite of that.”
The highlight of Mitchell’s round Thursday was four straight birdies at Nos. 17, 18, 1 and 2, though he finished with back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 8 and 9.
Jaeger reached 4 under thanks to a birdie-birdie finish: a 5-foot putt at the par-3 17th and a holeout from the greenside bunker at the par-4 18th.
“I think I only had 150 (yards to the pin) and I tried to hit it in that front bunker — to be honest with you that’s the only play I had,” Jaeger said. “I knew the bunker shot wasn’t terribly difficult, but obviously making that is a bonus. I would have taken par any day of the week. So that was definitely a nice way to finish.”
Bridgeman, a 25-year-old in his second year on tour, is a few weeks removed from his career-best T2 finish at the Cognizant Classic. He had a colorful card with six birdies, four bogeys and an eagle at the par-5 first hole.
“I was comfortable with this course. I played last year, I wasn’t really worried about it,” Bridgeman said. “Just played the pro-am, played nine holes. Yes, definitely a lot more comfortable. Seeing the courses for the second time, it’s nice not having to learn a whole course in one day.”
Valimaki’s only blemish among six birdies was a double-bogey 7 at No. 14, where he had trouble around the green. Castillo also rolled in six birdies against two bogeys.
Billy Horschel and Sahith Theegala were notable names part of a large tie at 2-under 69. Xander Schauffele and Norway’s Viktor Hovland each shot a 1-under 70 as they work through recent issues in their games.
Justin Thomas posted a 2-over 73, and Jordan Spieth was at 3-over 74.
TOP INDIANA HEADLINES
INDIANA PACERS
GAME RECAP
The Pacers’ flair for the dramatic continued on Thursday night in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana erased a five-point deficit in the final minute of regulation and then pulled out a 105-99 victory in overtime over the Brooklyn Nets.
Bennedict Mathurin, T.J. McConnell, and Myles Turner all played a starring role in Thursday’s victory. Mathurin hit three free throws with 14.2 seconds remaining in regulation. McConnell put Indiana in front for good, hitting five of six free throws in the extra session, while Turner came up with a game-sealing block in overtime.
The Pacers (40-29) have now won five of their last six contests, with four of those victories coming either in overtime or in the final seconds of regulation. Indiana will face Brooklyn (23-47) again on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Mathurin led Indiana with 28 points and a career-high 16 rebounds on Thursday, going 10-for-17 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Turner added 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 10 rebounds, and five blocks.
Indiana remains in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings and on track to secure homecourt advantage in the first-round of the playoffs with 13 games remaining in the regular season.
The Pacers trailed for much of the night and virtually the entire second half on Thursday, but managed to tie the game at 84 with 3:32 remaining in the fourth quarter after a 7-0 run.
D’Angelo Russell got to the rim for a layup on the other end, but Bennedict Mathurin answered with a basket of his own, tying the game once more with 2:49 to play.
Keon Johnson’s layup at 2:24 put Brooklyn back in front and the Pacers turned the ball over on their next two possessions. The second one was an offensive foul on Pascal Siakam. As Indiana argued the call, the Nets found Ziaire Williams open on the right wing for a three that pushed their lead to five.
Mathurin hit a floater with 39.5 seconds left to make it a one-possession game. On the other end, Russell tried to post up Andrew Nembhard, but his turnaround jumper bounced off the rim and over the backboard, giving Indiana the ball.
On the ensuing possession, Mathurin rose up for a 3-point attempt and was fouled by Johnson with 14.2 seconds remaining. The third-year guard stepped to the line and knocked down all three free throws to tie the game at 91.
Trendon Watford missed a three at the buzzer and the game headed to overtime.
Nembhard fouled Russell on the opening possession of the extra session, then picked up his second technical foul for arguing the call during the free throw, resulting in his second ejection in his last three games.
The two teams traded the lead five times over the first 2:14 of overtime. The Nets led 96-95 before Mathurin intercepted Nic Claxton’s pass at midcourt and raced ahead for a go-ahead layup with 2:11 left in the extra session.
After Williams missed a three on the other end, McConnell drove and drew a foul on Tyrese Martin with 1:30 to play. McConnell only hit one of two free throws, however, and Williams answered with a go-ahead triple 15 seconds later.
But McConnell was undeterred, once again attacking and drawing a foul on Russell with 1:06 left. This time, he made both free throws to put Indiana ahead 100-99.
McConnell then stole the ball from Martin in the backcourt and dished to a cutting Siakam, who was fouled with 58.6 seconds left. Siakam missed the first but made the second foul shot to make it a two-point game.
Williams missed a deep three on the other end, but Brooklyn came up with an offensive rebound. Johnson drove from the right wing and tried to rise up for a two-hand jam, but Turner met him at the rim with a stern rejection. The Nets were forced to foul McConnell and Turner raced down the court in celebration, bumping chests with his dad who was seated on the opposite baseline.
“I was letting out a lot of emotions for the past couple games for myself,” Turner said. “My biggest goal today was to respond. When you have big moments like that, I don’t take it for granted.”
Two McConnell free throws with 18.2 seconds left pushed the lead to four and effectively sealed the win.
Mathurin scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, going 6-for-9 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line over that span. That followed his brilliant performance in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win over Dallas, when he scored 16 points in the final frame while going 4-for-4 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
“What Mathurin has done these last two games is very special,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Because he just decided that he was going to leave an indelible imprint on the game. The 16 rebounds for a guy starting at the two guard position is unheard of…That’s a real demonstration of will.”
Aaron Nesmith was the third and final Pacer to finish in double figures, tallying 14 points and six rebounds.
Russell and Williams led Brooklyn with 22 points apiece in the loss.
Neither team was able to create much separation in an opening quarter that featured four ties and 10 lead changes. Nesmith scored seven points in the first quarter, but Indiana trailed 28-23 after the first 12 minutes.
Brooklyn scored the last five points of the first quarter and the first five points of the second quarter to open up the first double-digit lead of the night.
Second-year forward Jarace Walker provided Indiana with a spark, scoring six quick points off a 3-pointer and then a three-point play. After Walker hit a free throw to complete the and-one, Ben Sheppard stole the ensuing inbounds pass and dropped the ball off to Turner, who thundered down the lane for a tomahawk slam.
That sequence pulled the Pacers back within three at 34-31, but the Nets responded with seven unanswered points to push the lead back to 10. That’s where the margin remained at the intermission, with Brooklyn leading 52-42 at the half.
Turner scored 10 points and Nesmith added seven in the third quarter, but the Nets remained in front for the entire frame.
Indiana climbed within one at 64-63 with a 10-2 run capped by a three from Nesmith. But the Nets responded with seven unanswered points to keep the lead, eventually taking a 71-67 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Pacers got off to a strong start in the fourth quarter. Thomas Bryant rejected Watford at the rim on the opening possession of the final frame, springing a fastbreak that Siakam finished with a layup. The next time down the floor, Siakam found Bryant in the post for a bucket to tie the game.
But Indiana was unable to take the lead, as the Nets reeled off another 7-0 spurt over the next three minutes.
Brooklyn called timeout up 84-79 with 4:48 remaining. As the teams headed back to the sideline, Watford shoved Nembhard. Turner expressed his displeasure with the gesture and Watford then shoved Turner as well. Upon video review, Watford received two technical fouls and was ejected, while Turner and Nembhard were each assessed at technical.
After the fracas, Mathurin’s layup made it a three-point game with 4:05 remaining. Turner then drilled a game-tying three with 3:32 remaining. The Pacers never took the lead in regulation, but tied the game on three separate occasions, with Mathurin’s three free throws in the closing seconds sending the game to overtime.
Indiana has won three straight games despite not having star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who has not played this week due to a sore lower back.
The Pacers and Nets will meet again on Saturday before Indiana finishes its five-game homestand by hosting Minnesota and the Lakers next week.
Inside the Numbers
Mathurin set a new career high with 16 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. His previous career high was 13, set on Jan. 1, 2024 at Milwaukee. His five offensive boards matched his career best, set on Nov. 8, 2023 against Utah.
Mathurin now has eight double-doubles on the season. He had just three double-doubles in his first two seasons.
Turner recorded his 11th double-double of the season. He also had five blocks for the fifth time this year.
Both teams struggled from the field, with the Pacers shooting 43.8 percent and going 8-for-31 (25.8 percent) from 3-point range and the Nets shooting 35.6 percent and 14-for-50 (28 percent) from beyond the arc.
Indiana won despite having a season-high 25 turnovers.
McConnell scored five of his seven points on free throws in the final 1:30 of overtime.
INDIANA FEVER
INDIANA FEVER TO FEATURE IN WNBA RECORD 41 NATIONAL TELEVISION GAMES IN 2025
The WNBA announced the complete national broadcast schedule for the 2025 season, with the Indiana Fever featured on national television in 41 of the team’s 44 regular season games. With all but three games airing nationally, the total marks a franchise high for most national TV games in Fever history as well as the most for a single team in WNBA history.
With a 44 game regular season for the first time in WNBA history, Fever games will be aired across the league’s portfolio of broadcast partners including five games on ABC, five games on ESPN, eight games on ION, six games on Prime Video, three games on CBS, four games on CBS Sports Network, and 10 games on NBA TV.
The Fever’s 2025 local broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.
Tip off times for four games were also updated as part of the announcement with May 17 and Aug. 3 now scheduled for 3 p.m., Aug. 12 now at 7:30 p.m., and Aug. 17 now at 1 p.m. (all times ET.)
WNBA League Pass will stream select games this season through the WNBA App and WNBA.com, as well as select third-party distributors (subject to local blackouts.) The league’s direct-to-consumer streaming service also provides access to every game on demand. For more information, visit WNBA.com/leaguepass.
Single-game and group tickets for the 2025 Fever season are now available, with more information at FeverBasketball.com/Tickets.
2025 Indiana Fever National Broadcast Schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (ET) | Nat’l Broadcast |
| Sat., May 17 | Chicago | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 3:00 PM^ | ABC |
| Tues., May 20 | Atlanta | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:00 PM | NBA TV |
| Thurs., May 22 | Atlanta | State Farm Arena | 7:30 PM | Prime Video |
| Sat., May 24 | New York | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| Wed., May 28 | Washington | CFG Bank Arena | 7:30 PM | NBA TV |
| Fri., May 30 | Connecticut | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 PM | ION |
| Tues., June 3 | Washington | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:00 PM | NBA TV |
| Sat., June 7 | Chicago | United Center | 8:00 PM | CBS |
| Tues., June 10 | Atlanta | Gateway Center Arena | 7:30 PM | – |
| Sat., June 14 | New York | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 3:00 PM | ABC |
| Tues., June 17 | Connecticut | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:00 PM | NBA TV |
| Thurs., June 19 | Golden State | Chase Center | 10:00 PM | Prime Video |
| Sun., June 22 | Las Vegas | T-Mobile Arena | 3:00 PM | ESPN |
| Tues., June 24 | Seattle | Climate Pledge Arena | 10:00 PM | NBA TV |
| Thurs., June 26 | Los Angeles | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:00 PM | Prime Video |
| Fri., June 27 | Dallas | American Airlines Center | 7:30 PM | ION |
| Thurs., July 3 | Las Vegas | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:00 PM | Prime Video |
| Sat., July 5 | Los Angeles | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:00 PM | – |
| Wed., July 9 | Golden State | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 12:00 PM | NBA TV |
| Fri., July 11 | Atlanta | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 PM | ION |
| Sun., July 13 | Dallas | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 1:00 PM | ABC |
| Tues., July 15 | Connecticut | TD Garden (Boston) | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
| Wed., July 16 | New York | Barclays Center | 7:30 PM | CBSSN |
| Tues., July 22 | New York | Barclays Center | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
| Thurs., July 24 | Las Vegas | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:00 PM | Prime Video |
| Sun., July 27 | Chicago | United Center | 3:00 PM | ABC |
| Wed., July 30 | Phoenix | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:00 PM | – |
| Fri., Aug. 1 | Dallas | College Park Center | 7:30 PM | ION |
| Sun., Aug. 3 | Seattle | Climate Pledge Arena | 3:00 PM^ | ABC |
| Tues., Aug. 5 | Los Angeles | Crypto.com Arena | 10:00 PM | CBSSN |
| Thurs., Aug. 7 | Phoenix | PHX Arena | 10:00 PM | Prime Video |
| Sat., Aug. 9 | Chicago | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 8:00 PM | CBS |
| Tues., Aug. 12 | Dallas | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 PM^ | ESPN |
| Fri., Aug. 15 | Washington | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 PM | ION |
| Sun., Aug. 17 | Connecticut | Mohegan Sun Arena | 1:00 PM^ | NBA TV |
| Fri., Aug. 22 | Minnesota | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 PM | ION |
| Sun., Aug. 24 | Minnesota | Target Center | 7:00 PM | CBSSN |
| Tues., Aug. 26 | Seattle | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:00 PM | CBSSN |
| Fri., Aug. 29 | Los Angeles | Crypto.com Arena | 10:00 PM | ION |
| Sun., Aug. 31 | Golden State | Chase Center | 8:30 PM | NBA TV |
| Tues., Sept. 2 | Phoenix | PHX Arena | 10:00 PM | NBA TV |
| Fri., Sept. 5 | Chicago | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 PM | ION |
| Sun., Sept. 7 | Washington | CFG Bank Arena | 3:00 PM | NBA TV |
| Tues., Sept. 9 | Minnesota | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 PM | ESPN |
^ Time Change
Home Games in Bold
Commissioner’s Cup in Italics
INDY FUEL
FUEL PLAY BLOOMINGTON ON INDY SPORTS NIGHT
INDIANAPOLIS- The Fuel will host the Bloomington Bison on Saturday night as the middle game of a three-game set at home against three different opponents.
LAST TIME OUT
The last time these two teams met was February 23 where the Fuel were shutout 2-0. Bison captain Eddie Matsushima had both goals for the team. The first was a shorthanded goal just 23 seconds into the third frame, while the other was an empty net goal at the end of the third to secure the win. These teams were supposed to meet two days later on February 25, but ice issues resulted in a postponement of the game for April 9.
SCOUTING REPORT
Eddie Matsushima has found success against the Fuel and beyond as he leads the Bison in scoring with 51 points in 55 games. As of March 20, he is the team’s leading goal scorer with 26 goals on the season. Chongmin Lee and Danny Katic follow up with 13 each themselves, though Lee leads the team in assists with 31. Those three will be important players to neutralize early if the Fuel want to win.
INDIANA WRESTLING
ALL SIX HOOSIERS WRESTLERS ALIVE AFTER DAY ONE OF NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. –––– Indiana built upon its strong Session I success with an even better Session II on Thursday night at the NCAA Championships in the Wells Fargo Center.
All six Hoosiers who qualified for the championships are still in the tournament field after two sessions.
In Session II, No. 21 Angelo Rini (133) and No. 24 Gabe Sollars (197) continued their tournament run with dominant wins in the Round of 16 as each picked up bonus-point victories to advance to the quarterfinals.
Both wrestlers won by major decision as Rini defeated No. 5 Dominick Serrano (N. Colorado) 15-7, and Sollars won over No. 25 Patrick Brophy (Citadel), 14-4.
Rini dominated and took Serrano down four times and only was taken down once in his defeat of the top-five opponent. The takedown allowed didn’t occur until the final 30 seconds, as well.
Sollars scored on Brophy within the first 30 seconds of the bout and didn’t look back. Sollars spent much of the match on top, riding Brophy out in the dominant win.
Rini and Sollars are the first quarterfinalists for the program since Graham Rooks reached that stage in 2023. The duo also marks the first time under Angel Escobedo had two quarterfinalists in his tenure as head coach.
No. 18 Jacob Moran lost by major decision to No. 2 Matt Ramos, 9-0, to move to the wrestlebacks.
No. 27 Tyler Lillard (165), No. 22 DJ Washington (184) and No. 21 Jacob Bullock (285) all won in the first round of consolation matches to stay in the tournament.
Lillard led 3-0 over No. 22 Enrique Mungia (Rider) before working a fall at the 3:45 mark to advance.
Washington used two first period takedowns to set the tone with an early 6-1 lead against No. 27 Ross McFarland (Hofstra). He held on to the lead and got another takedown to earn a 10-8 decision.
Bullock and Iowa State’s Daniel Herrera were locked in at 1-1 late before Bullock brought Hererra down for a takedown and three nearfall points in a 7-1 decision victory.
Indiana will be back in action tomorrow for Session III at noon.
FULL RESULTS
125 – No. 18 Jacob Moran:
-Round 1: No. 18 Jacob Moran (IU) def. No. 15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State): Dec. 7-6
-Round of 16: No. 2 Matt Ramos (Purdue) def. No. 18 Jacob Moran (IU): MD, 8-0
133 – No. 21 Angelo Rini:
-Round 1: No. 21 Angelo Rini (IU) def. No. 12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina): Dec. 7-1
-Round of 16: No. 21 Angelo Rini (IU) def. No. 5 Dominick Serrano (N. Colorado): MD, 15-7
165 – No. 27 Tyler Lillard:
-Round 1: No. 6 Beau Mantanona (Michigan) def. No. 27 Tyler Lillard (IU): Dec. 7-3
-Cons. R1: No. 27 Tyler Lillard (IU) def. No. 22 Enrique Mungia (Rider): Fall (3:45)
184 – No. 22 DJ Washington:
-Round 1: No. 22 DJ Washington (IU) def. No. 11 Gabe Arnold (Iowa): Dec. 4-1
-Cons. R1: No. 22 DJ Washington (IU) def. No. 27 Ross McFarland (Hofstra): Dec. 10-8
197 – No. 24 Gabe Sollars:
-Round 1: No. 24 Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 9 Zac Braunagel (Illinois): Dec. 6-5
-Round of 16: No. 24 Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 25 Patrick Brophy (Citadel): MD, 14-4
285 – No. 21 Jacob Bullock:
-Round 1: No. 12 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) def. No. 21 Jacob Bullock (IU): Dec. 4-2
-Cons. R1: No. 21 Jacob Bullock (IU) def. No. 28 Daniel Herrera (Iowa State): Dec. 7-1
TEAM SCORES (THROUGH SESSION II)
1. Penn State (39.5)
2. Nebraska (28.0)
3. Oklahoma State (27.0)
T-4. Iowa (18.0)
T-4. Ohio State (18.0)
T-4. Minnesota (18.0)
T-13. Indiana (10.5)
T-13. NC State (10.5)
T-13. Penn (10.5)
INDIANA SWIMMING
PEPLOWSKI BRONZE, PAEGLE RECORD HELP HOIST HOOSIERS
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Senior Anna Peplowski repeated as NCAA bronze medalist in the 500-yard freestyle Thursday (March 20) night as Indiana moved into fifth in the team race through two days at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
Three podiums and five All-America finishes pushed IU from eighth to fifth on the second day of the national meet.
“It was a great overall day for the Hoosiers,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “I am super proud of how we handled preliminaries and then took it up a notch in finals. The 200 free relay was simply outstanding. We still have more to give and can’t wait for the next challenge.”
Peplowski, now a three-time NCAA medalist, will swim her best event, the 200-yard freestyle, Friday as the top-seeded swimmer coming into the meet. The 2024 silver medalist in the event is the only swimmer entered with a time under 1:41 this season. On Wednesday, Peplowski split 1:40.97 in the 800-yard freestyle relay, the quickest leg of anyone in the meet.
Fellow senior Ching Hwee Gan joined Peplowski on the 500 free podium, touching in a career best 4:36.69 to place seventh for the second time in her career. Thursday’s final marks the first time two Hoosiers have finished top eight in the event.
Junior Kristina Paegle lowered the program record in the 50-yard freestyle once again, placing 10th with a time of 21.56. The Bloomington native reclaimed the record with a 21.63 during her run to the Big Ten title in February and now owns the four quickest performances in program history. Prior to Paegle’s freshman season in 2023, no Hoosier had ever been under 21.90; since, Paegle, 2024 graduate Ashley Turak and Peplowski all have better personal records.
Peplowski and Paegle bookended a historic Hoosier 200-yard freestyle relay that finished fifth, IU’s greatest-ever placement in the event. Indiana won the second-to-last heat of the night to improve from the No. 10 seed to fifth nationally. Peplowski kicked it off in 21.86 and handed it off to junior Mya DeWitt’s 21.65. Senior Kacey McKenna kept it close for Paegle in 22.12, and the Hoosier hammer put IU back in front with a 21.05 anchor. Indiana’s 1:26.68 missed the program record by two hundredths.
Sophomore Ella Roselli earned her first-career All-America honors on the 1-meter springboard, improving from 16th in the prelim to 14th in the consolation final.
“I am so proud of the team and congratulations to Ella,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “She was consistent today, didn’t miss a dive all day and improved her position in the B final to score. The 1-meter event is always a close contest.
“We’re looking forward for tomorrow. This team always gets better as we move to the higher levels.”
RESULTS
500 FREESTYLE
3. Anna Peplowski – 4:34.12 (NCAA Bronze, All-America)
7. Ching Hwee Gan – 4:36.69 (All-America, Career Best)
50 FREE
10. Kristina Paegle – 21.56 (Second-team All-America, Program Record, Career Best)
3-METER
14. Ella Roselli – 291.85 (Second-team All-America)
200 FREESTYLE RELAY
5. Anna Peplowski, Mya DeWitt, Kacey McKenna, Kristina Paegle – 1:26.68
HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Brearna Crawford – 200 medley relay*
Mya DeWitt – 200 freestyle relay
Ching Hwee Gan – 500 freestyle
Miranda Grana – 200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay
Kacey McKenna – 200 medley relay*, 200 freestyle relay
Kristina Paegle – 200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 50 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay
Anna Peplowski – 800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay
Ella Roselli – 1-meter*
Reese Tiltmann – 800 freestyle
* – Denote second-team honoree
UP NEXT
Indiana will look to set the tone for a great night when they open day three with the preliminary session on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. ET. The 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 3-meter dive and 400 medley relay will be contested.
INDIANA BASEBALL
BASEBALL CENTRAL: UCLA
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For the first time since 2018, the Indiana Baseball team (12-9, 4-2 B1G) will head west to California for a weekend series. In a new era of the Big Ten, each team will play at least one series on the west coast. The Hoosiers head to Los Angeles to face UCLA (March 21-23) before getting a return trip from its crosstown rivals USC next week in Bloomington (March 28-30).
The Hoosiers have won five-straight games heading into the weekend, their longest winning streak since February of 2024. A pair of clutch home runs from junior outfielder Devin Taylor and freshman third baseman Cooper Malamazian helped finish off a 7-4 win over Evansville on Tuesday (March 18).
IU has started to pitch the ball better over the past few weeks. Pitching coach Dustin Glant’s crew has allowed seven-or-fewer earned runs in the past seven ballgames. In five of those games, IU’s pitching staff gave up fewer than five runs. Redshirt junior reliever Pete Haas has been prolific in that stretch with one win, one save and 15 strikeouts to just two walks.
While Taylor is the big name in the lineup – and has produced as such – redshirt sophomore Korbyn Dickerson continues to swing one of the hottest bats in the country. He narrowly missed another home run on Tuesday night but is tied for the Big Ten lead in home runs (10) and RBIs (37). He’s the outright leader in hits (36).
This weekend provides IU a big opportunity at picking up resume-building wins. IU let games against Xavier slip away earlier in the year and will be eager to add an important victory to its postseason case. UCLA enters the weekend at No. 13 in the RPI, the highest-ranked Big Ten team.
All three contests in California will operate on Pacific time but will stick to the traditional weekend schedule. Friday’s game in Westwood will have a first pitch of 9:00 p.m. ET. The Saturday and Sunday contests will begin at 5:00 p.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. ET respectively.
Gameday Info
vs. UCLA (Friday, March 21st – 9:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/4tPRD
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/XdYoo
vs. UCLA (Saturday, March 22nd – 5:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/g0Fet
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/Dd8CK
vs. UCLA (Sunday, March 23rd – 4:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/WTUJP
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: ln.run/gWN_V
Probable Starters
UCLA
• Friday: TBD
• Saturday: RHP Ben Grable, Gr. (3-0, 4.50 ERA)
• Sunday: TBD
Leading Off
OUT WEST: IU will have its last big trip for over a month when it goes to UCLA this week. The Hoosiers have already been to Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina this season. After starting the season 0-4, IU has won 12 of its past 17 games entering the weekend.
KEEPS HITTIN’: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley just keeps doing his thing at the plate. He is the Big Ten leader and is third in the NCAA among freshman in base hits (32). Hanley has hit safely in 19-of-21 games this season and hasn’t made an error at first base.
Heading into the weekend, Hanley is tied for third in the Big Ten with 32 base hits. The Hoosiers hold the top three spots in the conference (Dickerson – 36, Taylor – 33, Hanley – 32).
WALKIN’ AWAY: Junior outfielder Devin Taylor and sophomore outfielder Andrew Wiggins just know how to get on base. The IU duo is tied for the Big Ten lead in walks with 22 each. Having them at the top of the order has set it up for IU RBI leader Korbyn Dickerson (37) in the three hole.
Through 21 games last year, IU had 175 strikeouts to just 106 walks. Those numbers have improved greatly on each side through 21 games this season. The Hoosiers have 35 more walks at this point in the season and 21 fewer strikeouts. Seven different players have at least 11 walks this season.
KD THE MVP: Redshirt sophomore center fielder Korbyn Dickerson is having a breakout season for the Hoosiers. He’s the only Big Ten player to reach 10 home runs, 30 runs scored and 30 RBIs this season. He also happens to lead the conference with 36 hits.
Dickerson is one of four players in the NCAA – and one of two in the Big Ten – with at least 10 home runs and 37 RBIs this season. The others are Justin Lebron of Alabama, Ryland Zaborowski of Georgia and Alex Calarco of Maryland.
THE RISE OF GILLEY: Graduate student pitcher Cole Gilley has been a revelation for IU’s pitching staff and now will likely be used as a piece the Hoosiers call on to win games. His most impressive feat is his 27 strikeouts compared to just five walks.
The Hoosiers have opted towards a one-starter rotation going forward with a couple of injuries to its pitching staff. That will allow Gilley and redshirt senior Gavin Seebold to become high-leverage arms around starting pitcher Ben Grable. Redshirt junior pitcher Pete Haas has been another impressive arm out of the bullpen lately.
SERIES SWEEP: IU’s weekend sweep of Ohio State was the first of the season and the ninth Big Ten sweep in the tenure of head coach Jeff Mercer. IU outscored the Buckeyes 34-12 while recording 33 hits, seven home runs and 18 free bases. The Hoosiers made zero errors on the weekend.
Scouting the Opponent
UCLA
• After a down season in 2024, UCLA has quickly flipped the script with a tremendous 20-game (16-4) start to the new campaign. Legendary head coach John Savage has over 690 wins as the UCLA skipper in his 21st year in Westwood. He won the 2013 College World Series – a World Series that also featured Indiana.
• As is a staple of Savage-coached teams, UCLA is prolific on the mound, especially in its bullpen. All four of UCLA’s primary starters have thrown at least 20 innings this year. The Bruins have walked just 89 batters on the season and only allowed 80 earned runs.
• UCLA is led offensively by former Freshman All-American Roch Cholowsky. The sophomore infielder is hitting .338 on the season with seven home runs and 26 RBIs. Him and sophomore outfielder Dean West have each worked 20 walks this season.
• The Bruins’ debut season in the Big Ten has begun with a series win at Maryland and a sweep of Nebraska in Los Angeles. UCLA has also picked up non-conference wins against USC, Michigan State and Michigan.
Inside the Series
UCLA
• These two teams have played just once before, a 6-4 UCLA win in April of 1969. This will be the first weekend meeting against any of the new west coast programs.
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE MOVES TO ROUND OF 32 WITH FIRST-ROUND VICTORY OVER HIGH POINT
[4 seed] Purdue 75, [13 seed] High Point 63 (Postgame Notes)
No. 22 Purdue opened up NCAA Tournament play with a 75-63 first-round victory over No. 13-seed High Point in Providence. Purdue improves to 23-11 overall with the victory, snapping High Point’s 14-game winning streak.
Since the 2016-17 season, Purdue has won 15 NCAA Tournament games, CURRENTLY tied with Duke and Houston for the fourth most in the country.
Purdue won its 50th game all-time in the NCAA Tournament, now owning a 50-35 record all-time. Matt Painter is 23-15 at Purdue during the NCAA Tournament.
Purdue outrebounded High Point by a 45-24 advantage, the fourth time in the last two NCAA Tournaments that Purdue had a plus-21 (or larger) rebound margin (+25 vs. Grambling; +23 vs. Utah State; +21 vs. Tennessee; +21 vs. High Point).
Purdue’s 19 offensive rebounds were the fifth most in an NCAA Tournament game in school history. The Boilermakers had 20 second-chance points.
Purdue’s seven turnovers tied for its fewest in an NCAA Tournament game in school history.
Purdue had two players score at least 20 points in an NCAA Tournament for the first time since Carsen Edwards (29) and Ryan Cline (27) surpassed 20 points each against Tennessee in the 2019 Sweet 16. Trey Kaufman-Renn (21) and Braden Smith (20) each had at least 20 points.
Purdue’s bench scored 22 points and grabbed 22 rebounds. High Point had 24 rebounds as a team.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored his 18th, 20-point game of the season with a 21-point, eight-rebound effort. He is now tied for the Big Ten lead in 20-point games.
Kaufman-Renn now has 687 points, moving past Carsen Edwards (2018; 686 points) into 13th place on the school’s single-season points list.
Braden Smith scored 20 points with six assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Smith surpassed his own single-season school record, now with 293 assists. He had 292 assists in 39 games last season.
Smith joins Georgia Tech’s Kenny Anderson (1989-90) as the only players in NCAA history to have at least 500 points, 275 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a season. Smith now has 550 points, 287 assists, 155 rebounds and 76 steals on the season.
Camden Heide recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Heide went 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and is now 11-of-18 (.611) from long distance in the last nine games.
Gicarri Harris grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Trey Kaufman-Renn had 21 points and eight rebounds, and fourth-seeded Purdue held off High Point for a 75-63 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
Big Ten player of the year Braden Smith added 20 points and six assists as Purdue (23-11) avoided a first-round exit after reaching the championship game last season. The Boilermakers will meet the winner of Clemson and McNeese State in the second round of the Midwest Region on Saturday.
D’Maurian Williams had 12 points for No. 13 seed High Point (29-6), which had won 14 straight. Trae Benham added 11 points.
The game was tight throughout the first half before Purdue used a 17-7 surge to take a 37-27 halftime lead.
High Point cut a 10-point halftime deficit to 59-56 on a dunk by Juslin Bodo Bodo with 7:47 left. But Kaufman-Renn slowed High Point’s surge with a tough fadeaway jumper — part of a 7-0 spurt for the Boilermakers.
“The game was so back and forth the entire time and I think me and Trey and all these other guys who have been through it, we understand how to keep our composure and stay with the game,” Smith said.
Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said the leadership of his veteran players was key.
“You get into trouble when you don’t move into the next play,” Painter said. “We all get caught into it. The crowd gets into it or it gets to be a close game, you can still do your job.”
Takeaways
High Point: The Panthers have much to build on after making the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. The program made the move up to Division I in 1999 but hadn’t been able to break through before coach Alan Huss got the team into the field in his second season. Huss could be a hot commodity in the offseason coaching carousel.
Purdue: Seniors Smith, Caleb Furst and Fletcher Loyer were freshmen in 2023 when the Boilermakers became the second No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed. All three were key in helping steady the Boilermakers down the stretch.
Worth watching
Huss believes how his staff used the transfer portal to bring in experienced players over the first two years is a formula than can be replicated.
“We certainly hope so,” Huss said. “Doesn’t matter where you come from. If you come to High Point, you’re going to have an experience that’s better than where you came from.”
Paint domination
The Boilermakers did most of their damage underneath the basket. They owned a 45-24 rebounding edge and outscored the Panthers 38-22 in the paint.
“That’s what won us the game,” Kaufman-Renn said. “I think we have done a better job lately on rebounding, put more of an emphasis on it from a player standpoint and we got to keep that up if we want to keep winning.”
Up next
Purdue is back in the tournament for the 16th time and 10th consecutive season under Painter, who is looking for his first NCAA title.
PURDUE TRACK
MILLER NAMED GREAT LAKES REGION MEN’S INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –Cameron Miller was named the 2024-25 Great Lakes Region Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Thursday.
Miller is coming off a historic season that ended with a third-place finish in the 200m at the NCAA Indoor Championships. It was his highest finish at a nationals meet and earned Miller his fifth-career First Team All-American honor.
Already the program record holder in the 200m heading into the season, Miller shattered his own record with a 20.27 in the Big Ten Indoor Championships prelims. He followed the performance with a 20.31 in the finals to earn the Big Ten victory.
During Big Tens, Miller also helped the 4x400m relay team set a new school record (3:04.95) that won the title and qualified the group for indoor nationals. The relay team finished 10th at NCAAs to earn Second Team All-American honors.
The season started with a then-sixth fastest 300m time (32.43) in NCAA history and stands as the seventh fastest at season’s end. In total, Miller eight finals victories this season with three in the 200m, three in the 4x400m and two in the 300m.
The decorated graduate student will head into the outdoor season seventh in the world in the 200m (20.27).
Purdue’s outdoor schedule will begin March 21-22 at the USF Alumni Invitational.
PURDUE WRESTLING
4 BOILERS WRESTLE ON AS PURDUE WRAPS DAY 1 OF NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
PHILADELPHIA — Four Boilermakers will wrestle on to day two at the NCAA Championships after a strong showing in Thursday’s first two sessions.
Session III will begin inside Wells Fargo Center at noon ET on Friday, televised by ESPNU and ESPN+.
For the third straight year, redshirt senior Matt Ramos will compete in the national quarterfinals after defeating No. 18 Jacob Moran (Indiana) in the second round.
Ramos did not allow a single point to his Hoosier counterpart, earning an 8-0 major decision with an escape, a takedown and a four-point nearfall, topping him for the third time this season.
The Boiler is poised for a rematch with Oklahoma State’s No. 7 Troy Spratley on Friday afternoon. He previously beat Spratley in December’s Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, 5-2, en route to his tournament title.
A win on Friday afternoon would put Ramos two wins away from hoisting Purdue’s first national title in 33 years. But he’s not looking ahead – ranked No. 7 by InterMat and the Big 12 runner-up, Spratley is 20-4 on the year.
Sophomore Joey Blaze earned his first two career victories in the NCAA tournament on day one, highlighted by a heart-stopping 3-2 tiebreaker decision in the second round.
After being deadlocked 1-1 with Minnesota’s No. 9 Tommy Askey after three periods and a sudden-victory frame, Blaze started the first tiebreaker on bottom and escaped after 11 seconds.
In the second tiebreaker, he held on for a four-second riding time advantage to clinch his spot in the NCAA quarterfinal.
It was Blaze’s second win over Askey in 11 days after defeating him at the Big Ten Championships.
Blaze will scrap with Penn State’s top-seeded Tyler Kasak in Friday afternoon’s quarterfinal bout.
Sophomore Greyson Clark kept his season alive with a 13-3 major decision upset over No. 22 Jordan Soriano (Drexel) in Consolation Round 1.
It’s Clark’s second time wrestling into Day 2 at NCAAs after a similar path last season, when he upset No. 12 Wyatt Henson in the 2024 Consolation First Round.
Redshirt sophomore Brody Baumann (No. 26, 174) shook off a tough first round loss and turned around to stun No. 10-seeded Alex Cramer of Central Michigan via 3-2 decision.
Trailing 1-0 after two periods, Baumann clutched up with a reversal and forced a stall call to outlast the highly-ranked Chippewa.
Baumann will make his first career appearance on Day 2 of the NCAA Championships against No. 25 Dalton Harkins (ARMY).
RESULTS / UP NEXT
125 | #2 Matt Ramos (R-Sr.)
Round 1: Ramos over #31 Richard Castro-Sandoval (CSUB) – MD 11-3
Round 2: Ramos over #18 Jacob Moran (IU) – MD 8-0
Quarterfinal: vs. #7 Troy Spratley (OKST)
141 | #27 Greyson Clark (So.)
Round 1: #6 Vance VomBaur (MINN) over Clark – D 2-0
Cons. Round 1: Clark over #22 Jordan Soriano (DREXEL) – MD 13-3
Cons. Round 2: vs. #21 Dylan Chappell (BUCKNELL)
157 | #8 Joey Blaze (So.)
Round 1: Blaze over #25 Sonny Santiago (UNC) – D 7-0
Round 2: Blaze over #9 Tommy Askey (MINN) – D 3-2 (OT)
Quarterfinal: vs. #1 Tyler Kasak (PSU)
174 | #26 Brody Baumann (R-So.)
Round 1: #7 Danny Wask (NAVY) over Baumann – TF 15-0 (6:41)
Cons. Round 1: Baumann over #10 Alex Cramer (CMU) – D 3-2
Cons. Round 2: vs. #25 Dalton Harkins (ARMY)
285 | #33 Hayden Filipovich (R-Jr.)
Prelim: Filipovich over #32 Stephan Monchery (APP ST) – MD 9-0
Round 1: #1 Gable Steveson (MINN) over Filipovich – Fall (1:25)
Cons. Round 1: #17 Jake Andrews (CSUB) over Filipovich – D 4-2
PURDUE SOFTBALL
BANKS EARNS 100TH CAREER-HIT, BOILERS RUN-RULE WISCONSIN
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Boilers picked up their first Big Ten win of the year, defeating Wisconsin (18-10, 2-2 Big Ten) 9-1 at Devon Park on Thursday afternoon. Purdue (16-12, 1-3 Big Ten) moves to 16-12 on the year, one win closer to the 900 program victory mark.
The Boilers combined for 12 hits, scoring two runs in the first, and 7 runs combined in the last three innings. Khloe Banks notched her 100th career-hit, a bunt single, while Delaney Reefe hit her second home run of the year.
BOILER BITS (vs Wisconsin)
Offensive Highlights:
Delaney Reefe: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Khloe Banks: 2-for-5, R
Jordyn Ramos: 2-for-4, 3B, R
Pitching Breakdown:
Kendall Klochack (W, 6-3): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 23 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the top of the first inning, the Boilermakers struck first in Devon Park, plating two runs on a single to centerfield. The inning began with Banks reaching on an error to the pitcher, who was then joined by Kyndall Bailey who was hit by a pitch. The two came around on the single from Julia Gossett to put the Boilers out-front 2-0.
The Boilermakers threatened again in the top of the second, putting back-to-back runners aboard with Banks’s 100th career-hit, and a walk from Moriah Polar. Wisconsin was able to strand the runners, working a strikeout and a ground out to work out of the inning.
Kendall Klochack continued to shine on the mound, giving up just two hits throughout the first three innings, while holding the Badgers scoreless. The Boilers added another run in the top of the fourth after a single up the middle from Alivia Meeks, her first hit of the day.
The Badgers put up a crooked number on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth, adding one run on a solo homer, but the Boilers answered back in the top of the fifth, plating two runs on a home run from Reefe, just her second of the year. The inning continued with a two-run pinch hit single from Maura Condon which brought Purdue out to a 7-1 lead.
In the sixth inning, Ashlyn Campbell’s two-run single sealed the mercy-rule victory with the Boilers winning it 9-1 in six innings.
UP NEXT
Purdue will take on Wisconsin again tomorrow, Mar. 21, for the second game of the series. The Boilers will then face Maryland for another Big Ten series over the weekend.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
NO. 3 IRISH WELCOME SFA FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 3 Notre Dame (26-5) will open 2025 NCAA Tournament play on Friday with No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (29-5).
While the Irish have dropped three games in their last five contests, Notre Dame’s offensive firepower remains a matchup nightmare for opponents. Three players earned AP All-America status on Wednesday — Hannah Hidalgo (First Team), Olivia Miles (Second Team) and Sonia Citron (Honorable Mention). Hidalgo is leading the team with 24.2 points and 3.7 steals per game. Both numbers rank fourth in the nation, while Miles is the only player in the nation averaging 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and shooting better than 40 percent from deep.
Stephen F. Austin has been to the NCAA Tournament in three of the last five seasons, and this is the first appearance for the LadyJacks since 2022. SFA brings a balanced scoring attack to the floor, as five of the players are averaging double-figure points.
The LadyJacks’ bread and butter comes from beyond the arc, as the group averages 9.4 triples per game, which ranks 10th nationally. Harmanie Dominguez is pacing SFA with 89 3-pointers this year, and Avery VanSickle leads the group with a 44.3 success rate from beyond the arc. That ranks 12th in the nation.
The Irish are 73-27 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and this is Notre Dame’s 30th appearance, tied for ninth in women’s basketball history. Friday’s game tips off on ESPN at 2 p.m. Pam Ward and Stephanie White will be on the call from Purcell Pavilion.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH TO HOST #17 STANFORD IN ACC HOME OPENER THIS WEEKEND
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Coming off a 2-1 win over Western Michigan yesterday, the Notre Dame Softball team is set for its ACC home opener this weekend when the Irish host 17th-ranked Stanford at Melissa Cook Stadium.
Friday night’s game will begin at 6:00 pm on ACC Network Extra. Saturday’s game is set for a 4:30 pm first pitch while Sunday’s series finale is at 6:00 pm. Saturday and Sunday’s games will be broadcast nationally on ACC Network. Friday night’s game will be a poster giveaway featuring the six Irish freshmen, while Saturday is Irish Wear Green and green pom poms will be distributed to fans before the game. On Sunday, kids can run the bases postgame.
Tomorrow’s game will mark the first time Stanford has played in South Bend, and it’ll be the first matchup between the two programs since 2009.
Notre Dame comes into the weekend with the second-most strikeouts in the conference with 183. Micaela Kastor leads the team with 64, while Kami Kamzik (47) and Brianne Weiss (44) are both in the top-20 in the ACC.
Offensively, Addison Amaral has been a bright spot in the Irish lineup, leading the team with a .375 batting average and 24 RBI. The sophomore shortstop is currently on an 11-game on base streak. Sydney Poeck, who slotted into the two-hole in the lineup last weekend, has continued to develop in her sophomore season. She leads the team with a .474 on base percentage in conference play and worked three walks Tuesday against Indiana.
Parking and admission to all Notre Dame softball games are free. Please be advised that due to the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament being played on campus, there will be an increase of traffic in the area on Friday and Sunday.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL HOSTS ST. JOHN’S FOR BIG EAST SERIES
BIG EAST Series: St. John’s
DATE: Friday, Mar. 21 – Sunday, Mar. 23
LOCATION: Indianapolis, Ind. / Butler Softball Field
LIVE STATS: butlersports.com
LIVE VIDEO: (Fri.) FloSports
The Butler softball team hosts league-leading St. John’s this weekend for a three-game BIG EAST series. The Bulldogs (16-8, 5-1 BIG EAST) went 2-1 last weekend at Providence and lost a midweek game on Tuesday to Ball State. The Red Storm (21-8-1, 3-0 BIG EAST) swept Georgetown last weekend and defeated Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon.
Bulldog Bits
(through games 3/18/25)
Cate Lehner leads the BIG EAST (12 nationally) with 20 stolen bases. She is third (95th) in batting average (.422) and third (47th) with 38 hits.
Makena Alexander is second in the BIG EAST (91st nationally) with 7 home runs, fourth with a .704 slugging percentage, and fourth with 25 RBI.
Ella White is third in the BIG EAST (63rd nationally) with a .529 on base percentage and fifth with 24 RBI.
Leigh Vande Hei is fifth in the BIG EAST with a .419 batting average.
Gwen Baker is fourth in the BIG EAST (95th nationally) with 7 wins.
(as of 3-16-25) Butler leads all BIG EAST teams in batting average (.330) and slugging percentage (.461) and is second in on base percentage (.410), runs scored (136), hits (205), stolen bases (49), and RBI (122).
vs. Providence
Leigh Vande Hei led Butler’s offense going 6-for-9 (.667) with three stolen bases and two runs scored.
Paige Dorsett, Makena Alexander, and Olivia Moxley each had a home run in the game-three victory.
After going 6-for-9 (.667) with three stolen bases and two runs scored in the series at Providence, Leigh Vande Hei was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
BIG EAST coaches ranked Butler sixth in the 2025 Preseason Poll. The Villanova Wildcats were voted preseason favorites behind six first place votes and a league-best 61 points. UConn followed with 57 points, appearing first on two ballots. St. John’s (46) ranked third, and Creighton (43), who garnered the final first-place vote, ranked fourth. Seton Hall (39) landed in the fifth spot and was followed by Butler (28).
SCOUTING ST. JOHN’S (21-8-1, 3-0 BIG EAST)
Series- St. John’s leads, 20-10
2024 (BE Tournament) St. John’s 12, Butler 2 (5 in.)
2024 (Queens, N.Y.) St. John’s 6, Butler 3 |St. John’s 6, Butler 1 |St. John’s 5, Butler 4
2023 (BE Tournament) St. John’s 9, Butler 6
2022 (Queens, N.Y.) Butler 10, St. John’s 1 (5 in.) | Butler 3, St. John’s 2 | St. John’s 8, Butler 3
St. John’s has won the most recent six meetings, including two in postseason play.
Butler swept the 2021 three-game series in Indianapolis (the last time the Red Storm visited the Bulldogs).
2025 BIG EAST Series: St. John’s 8, Georgetown 2 | St. John’s 7, Georgetown 4 | St. John’s 12, Georgetown 2 (5 in.)
Additional wins include: Penn St., Iona, Mercer, Jacksonville, Loyola-Chicago, LeMoyne, Youngstown St., and Saint Louis.
Additional losses include: No. 1 Texas, Houston, Army, Penn St., Loyola-Chicago, Winthrop, and USF.
St. John’s vs. (opponents) Butler
runs: 163-76 136
hits: 241-145 212
RBI: 148-64 122
SB: 55-37 50
ERA: 2.23-4.98 3.72
Batting Leaders:
London Jarrard (.440) 40H, 9-2B, 5HR, 32RBI
Jess Bianco (.418) 41H, 20SB
Elanna Lysiak (.322) 6-2B, 4HR, 24RBI
Cassidy Stouffer (.312) 4-2B, 3HR, 18RBI
Pitching Leaders:
Loreley Francia (11-3) 1.49 ERA, 113K
Ana Serafinko (9-4) 2.30 ERA, 132K
Jailynn Banda (1-1) 3.50 ERA, 22K
BUTLER BASEBALL
SUNDAY SHOWDOWN SENDS BUTLER TO CINCINNATI
Butler added Cincinnati to their schedule this week and will now take on the Bearcats at the UC Baseball Stadium on Sunday. The 4 p.m. first pitch will stream on ESPN+
GameDay
Date: Sunday, March 23
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Field: UC Baseball Stadium
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoBearcats.com (Statbroadcast)
Scouting Cincinnati
The Bearcats will host BYU this weekend, playing two games on Friday followed by a single contest on Saturday. The Big 12 matchup will be played at the UC Baseball Stadium as UC searches for their first conference win after being swept by Arizona last weekend. Even with those three losses, Cincinnati owns an 11-9 overall record that includes two wins over then-ranked #11 Duke. The Bearcats won 8-3 and 19-5 at Duke over opening weekend with the Blue Devils avoiding the sweep with a win in extra innings.
Head Coach Jordan Bischel is in his second season with the program. He guided UC to 32 wins a year ago, marking the program’s first 30-win season since 2019. Bischel arrived on campus after a five-year stint at Central Michigan.
The Bearcat lineup has five players with 20 hits or more this season. Jack Natili and Kerrington Cross have the best averages on the roster while Landyn Vidourek and Cal Sefcik supply the power with a combined 10 home runs. Cincinnati heads into their weekend series with a perfect 6-0 record at home. Their team ERA on the mound is 4.96.
About Butler
The Bulldogs lost midweek games at Notre Dame and at Ball State over the last two days to move their overall record to 6-15. Will Burgess started in each contest this week and came up with four hits in his five at-bats. Burgess had a double and a home run during the week and scored a team-best three runs. Jack Moroknek stayed hot this week with a .571 average. He went 4-for-7 vs. in-state rivals with a homer and four RBI.
Monster Numbers from Moroknek
Jack Moroknek leads the nation in total bases (84) and is tied for the home run lead among all NCAA players with 12. He’s second in the country in batting average (.494), second in slugging percentage (1.037), and fifth in total hits (40).
Best in the BIG EAST
Butler leads the BIG EAST in hits (219), batting average (.313), doubles (44), home runs (35), on-base percentage (.393), and slugging percentage (.543).
Bulldog Bits
– BU leads the league in sacrifice flies with 17
– They are third in sac bunts with eight
– Butler has scored 152 runs this year, trailing only Georgetown in the conference (157)
– Jack Bello ranks third in the BIG EAST in batting average (.447)
– Bello and Moroknek share the league lead in doubles with eight each
– Moroknek leads the BIG EAST in on-base percentage (.546) and RBIs (25)
– Bello ranks third in the BIG EAST in total bases (61) and triples (2)
– Moroknek is on a five-game hitting streak and has reached safely in 10-straight
– Moroknek has 13 multi-hit games and has multiple RBIs in six games
– Tre Benjamin made his first start for Butler at Ball State
– Will Burgess went 3-for-3 at Notre Dame with two RBI and two runs scored
– Harry Carr has a hit in four-straight games
– Colin Dailey made his first start of the season at Notre Dame
– Dailey struck out four over three innings
– Ryan Drumm had two RBIs at Ball State
– Gunnar Duncan’s first multi hit game came at Notre Dame
– Duncan went 2-for-3 with an RBI
– Adam Galdoni made his season debut at Notre Dame
– Connor Sackett has an RBI in back-to-back games
– Alex Thomas struck out a season-high three batters in just 1.2 innings at Ball State
BIG EAST Standings
Creighton 11-5
Villanova 11-8
St. John’s 7-11
UConn 7-11
Xavier 8-13
Seton Hall 7-12
Georgetown 7-14
Butler 6-15
Up Next
Butler will play a single game at St. Louis on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
IU INDY SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL HEADS TO CLEVELAND FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF CONFERENCE
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The IU Indy softball team heads into the second week of conference play with a three-game series (March 21-22) against Cleveland State. The Jags will head to Cleveland, Ohio to build on their 2-1 conference record.
IU Indy is coming off a strong weekend against Purdue Fort Wayne as they took two of the three games. This has placed the Jags fourth in the Horizon League standings after week one.
Molly Kable had a strong hitting performance over the three game span. Kable led the Jags lineup with seven hits, six RBI, and six runs earning her Horizon League Player of the Week. Game two of the series was the breakout day for Kable along with senior Kendal Calvert. Calvert led the way with four hits and one RBI, Kable added three hits and six RBI. Both scored seven of the thirteen runs that helped lead the Jags to victory.
Alexa Holman led the way for the Jags on the pitching side. Holman picked up two wins bringing her record to an even .500 on the year. Holman’s wins came in game two and three where she entered as a reliever to close out both games. Holman dominated game three with six strikeouts and zero hits over five innings.
IU Indy will kick off the weekend with a doubleheader on Friday, March 21. Game one is set for a 1:00 PM first pitch.
The Jags will close out the three-game series with one game set for 1:00 PM on Saturday, March 22.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO FACE OLE MISS IN FIRST ROUND OF NCAA TOURNAMENT FRIDAY IN WACO
Opening Tip:
– The 2025 Mid-American Conference Tournament champion Cardinals (26-7) received a No. 12 seed in the Spokane 1 Regional and will play in the NCAA First & Second Rounds in Waco, Texas. No. 14/15 – ranked Baylor, the No. 4 seed will serve as the host for games on Friday, March 21, and Sunday, March, 23, at Foster Pavilion.
– Ball State will face No. 5 Ole Miss (20-10) who enters the tournament with a national ranking of 23/25 in the first round on Friday at 6 pm ET on ESPNU. This will mark the first-ever meeting between these programs.
– The Cardinals, who are 1-1 all-time in NCAA play, were the first-ever school to pull off a first round NCAA Tournament upset over the then fifth-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols back in 2009. Ball State won that game in Bowling Green, Ky., on the campus of Western Kentucky on March 22 by a score of 71-55. Ball State would then fall in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to fourth-seeded Iowa State by a 71-57 decision on March 24, 2009.
– Led by Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament Most Valuable Player Ally Becki, the Cardinals captured their second MAC tournament championship in program history, defeating the Toledo Rockets in the title game last Saturday, 65-58, following victories over Western Michigan in the quarterfinals and Kent State in the semifinals.
– Ball State will be making its 12th postseason tournament appearance under the Cardinals’ 13th-year head coach Brady Sallee. This is Sallee’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. The Cardinals went 16-2 in MAC play, tying the program record for most league wins for the second-straight season. The 20-win season also marks the eighth time within the last 10 campaigns Sallee has reached the 20-win plateau.
About Waco, Texas:
Waco is a city in central Texas. By the Brazos River, Cameron Park Zoo is home to lions, otters and meerkats. The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum traces the history of the state law enforcement agency and displays vintage badges and weapons. The Dr Pepper Museum pays homage to the famed, locally invented soft drink. The Waco Mammoth National Monument is a fossil site home to the bones of Columbian mammoths. Dr. Pepper is Ball State head coach Brady Sallee’s favorite.
Ball State vs. NCAA Bracket Teams:
Ball State played four games vs. teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field, including North Carolina (L, 63-52), Columbia (L, 69-62), South Dakota State (L, 63-55) and Ohio State (L, 80-48).
Mitchell Was Once the PA Voice For Ole Miss WBB:
Ball State director of athletics Jeff MItchell earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law in December of 2005. While at Ole Miss, Mitchell served as a graduate assistant in the external relations unit and worked with the Ole Miss football and men’s basketball programs. He also was the PA announcer for the Ole Miss women’s basketball team.
Becki MAC Tourney MVP | Richard MAC Tourney Team:
Ally Becki earned the 2025 Mid-American Conference Tournament MVP while Alex Richard was tabbed to the All-MAC Tournament squad. In three games, Becki averaged 13.7 points per game, dished out 6.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 6.3 rebounds while Richard averaged 18.7 points per game, 6.3 rebouns and 1.0 blocks.
Nicki Collen Was Once a Cardinal:
Baylor head women’s basketball coach Nicki Collen used to be a Ball State Cardinal. Collen was an assistant coach for the Cardinals in 2003 under former Ball State head coach Tracy Roller.
Our Bread and Butter:
The Cardinals have had one of its best year ever scoring in the paint. In 34 games Ball State has totaled 1,206 points in the paint while their opponent has only scored 872 points. Ball State is averaging 35.47 points in the paint per game while their opponents only average 25.65.
400 was Magical for Sallee:
It worked out that Ball State head coach Brady Sallee’s 400th career victory as a DI head coach came in the MAC title game against Toledo last Saturday. The winningest coach in Ball State women’s basketball program history, owns an overall record of 264 with the Cardinals. Prior to Ball State, Sallee coached at Eastern Illinois for eight seasons finishing his career there with 136 career victories.
BALL STATE SOFTBALL
HOME AT LAST; SOFTBALL WELCOMES TOLEDO FRIDAY & SATURDAY
» THIS WEEKEND IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: After playing its first 23 games on the road, the Ball State softball team will finally get a taste of home this weekend, when it welcomes Toledo for a three-game series at the Ball State Softball Stadium … The teams are currently scheduled to play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Friday and a 1 p.m. single game Saturday.
» HOME PROMOTIONS: This weekend has been dubbed Kids Weekend at the Ball State Softball Stadium and will feature a postgame autograph session following game two of Friday’s twinbill and anthem buddies joining the Cardinals on the field prior to the start of Saturday’s contest.
» THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters the weekend with a 1193-1178-4 (.503) overall record dating back to 1975 … The Cardinals have tallied 30-or-more wins in 16 seasons, most recently a 37-18 mark in 2021 … Of the 16 seasons with 30-or-more wins, 11 have come in the past 17 years.
» QUOTING COACH PEÑA: “Our goal this season is to have fun competing. If we can compete every single pitch, and have fun doing it, I believe we are going to have a really good season. It’s truly about getting better every weekend and not putting so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect.”
» AGAINST THE ROCKETS: Ball State holds a 65-53-1 advantage in the all-time series versus Toledo, including a 9-7 win in its second of three “Elimination Day” victories on May 10 on its way to the title game of the 2024 MAC Softball Championship … The tournament victory avenged three regular season losses to the Rockets in Toledo that season … The Cardinals hold a 30-22 edge in games played in Muncie, including a 6-1 victory in the latest showdown at the Ball State Softball Stadium on April 8, 2024.
BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:
» MAC PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: Ball State was picked to finish fourth among 11 teams in the Mid-American Conference’s annual preseason poll … The Cardinals, who finished sixth in the league last season with a 12-13 MAC record, are looking for a third consecutive MAC Softball Championship berth, with the league’s top six teams advancing to Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio, for the three-day event which runs May 7-10 … BSU also picked up one of the 11 votes to win the MAC Tournament title.
» WATCH OUT FOR TIMMONS: McKayla Timmons was named a player to watch this season, ranking 36th on the Softball America Top 100 Preseason list and as the No. 8 ranked utility/designated player in the country by D1Softball.com … Most recently, Softball America named her the nation’s seventh-best catcher in its March position rankings while D1Softball.com named her the nation’s fifth-best catcher in its player power rankings … Timmons enters the weekend ranked first on Ball State’s career list in on base percentage (.503), second in slugging percentage (.791), second in home runs (51), third in batting average (.385), third in RBI (157) and 10th in runs scored (133) … She also owns the program record for being hit by a pitch at 39.
» EARNING THE ACCOLADES: So far, McKayla Timmons has earned the accolades, entering the weekend ranked first in the MAC and eighth nationally with a .500 batting average … Timmons, who is currently on a 15-game hitting streak and a 49-game streak of reaching base safely, has blasted 10 home runs so far this season including at least one home run in seven of the last 10 games … In addition to her solid batting average, she ranks second in the nation in slugging percentage (1.117), third in on base percentage (.655) and 43rd in RBI (32).
» SHINING BEHIND THE PLATE TOO: In addition to pacing the offense, McKayla Timmons has proven to be one of the nation’s top threats behind the plate and finished the 2024 season ranked as one of the nation’s best catchers by Softball America … She was fifth on SA’s final catchers list and 47th among the nation’s top 100 players … The effort was aided by Timmons throwing out 11 of the 37 runners attempting to steal a base on her last season … She has already caught seven runners trying to steal this season, while surrendering just 10 stolen bases.
» ON THE BASES: Ball State has also proven to be one of the nations’ craftiest teams on the base paths, ranking first in the MAC and 36th nationally with a 1.83 stolen bases per game average … The Cardinals have successfully stolen 42 of the 45 bases it has attempted to steal this season, led by a MAC-leading 12 stolen bases from McKayla Timmons… Overall, 11 different Cardinals have stolen at least one base, with redshirt junior second baseman McKenna Mulhollandranking second on the squad with nine … Conversely, Ball State has limited opposing squads to just 11 stolen bases in 18 attempts this season.
» ON THE OFFENSIVE FRONT: Ball State has been putting on an offensive clinic so far this season, ranking 24th nationally by averaging 7.00 runs per game … The Cardinals have earned seven run-rule victories so far this season and have scored 10-or-more runs in six games … Overall, Ball State is out-scoring opponents 161 to 79 this season and owns a 13-3 record when scoring at least five runs.
» THE WHITNEY EFFECT: Ella Whitney, who played her first two seasons of collegiate softball at FIU, leads the MAC and ranks 24th nationally with her 10 pitching victories … Over 74.2 innings of work, the two-time MAC Pitcher of the Week honoree has compiled a 1.59 ERA which ranks 44th in the country … Whitney has also limited opposing batters to a MAC-best .205 average against and ranks 93rd nationally by allowing just 5.44 hits per seven innings.
» MORE ON WHITNEY: A two-way player for the Cardinals, Ella Whitney is also a big offensive threat, boasting a .342 average and ranking second on the team in both home runs (4) and RBIs (24) … She recorded Ball State’s first triple of the season and leads the squad with five doubles … Whitney also enters the weekend ranked second on the squad with a six-game hitting streak and an 11-game streak of reaching base safely.
» ANOTHER FRESH START: Redshirt sophomore pitcher Brinkley Kita, who began her collegiate career in 2023 at Lipscomb, earned her first win for the Cardinals in the 3-2 (8) victory over Cal Poly by throwing the final 2.2 innings … Kita also picked up a complete game victory in Ball State’s 15-4 (5) win over Lehigh (Feb. 22) … She currently ranks second on the squad in opponent’s batting average (.269) and third in ERA (5.33).
» SHUTTING ‘EM OUT: Freshman Breanna Severino picked up her first collegiate complete game shutout in Tuesday’s 7-0 victory at Butler … She limited the Bulldogs to just seven hits over her 7.0 innings of work in the games … She also struck out one batter and worked out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fourth to improve to 3-4 on the year … She currently ranks second on the BSU pitching staff with a 3.87 ERA.
» LONG BALL NUMBERS: The Cardinals currently rank second in the MAC with 26 home runs, trailing only Miami’s 42 … Timmons leads the way and is currently second among all league players and 22nd nationally with her 10 home runs … On the opposite spectrum, Ball State’s pitching staff ranks first in the MAC and tied for fifth nationally, allowing just five home runs … Toledo’s pitchers are second in the league with 12 home runs allowed, while Ohio is third at 18.
» SOME OF THE NATION’S TOUGHEST: Senior outfielder Kara Gunter enters the weekend as one of the nation’s toughest batters to strike out, with just one strikeout in 66 official at bats … The total has her ranked first in the MAC and 10th among all NCAA Division I players … Not far behind is sophomore shortstop Maia Pietrzak, who is sixth in the MAC 63rd nationally at one strikeout per every 25 at bats.
» D-FENSE: Ball State enters the weekend tied for first in the MAC and 15th nationally with a .977 fielding percentage this season … The Cardinals have committed just 15 errors in its first 23 games, including 12 games without an error … The current program record for best fielding percentage in a season is .974 for the 2010 squad which committed just 40 errors.
INDIANA STATE TRACK
ANGELA MARTIN NAMED USTFCCCA GREAT LAKES REGION WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD COACH OF THE YEAR
NEW ORLEANS – Indiana State Cross Country and Track and Field Program Director and Head Coach Angela Martin was named the 2025 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year Thursday afternoon by the organization.
Martin, in her 23rd season at Indiana State and 14th season in charge of the women’s team, was also named the 2025 MVC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year following another strong season for the Sycamores. She led the Blue and White to their second straight conference title and their third MVC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship in the last four years (2022, 2024, 2025). It was the program’s fifth women’s indoor title under Martin’s leadership (2014, 2015, 2022, 2024, 2025). Indiana State’s 123 points were its most since 2022 and the eighth-most for the Sycamores at an MVC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship in program history.
Under Martin’s watch, Rachel Mehringer set the school, conference and championship record in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.19, a mark she accomplished twice during the season. Jahnel Bowman was named the MVC Freshman of the Year after winning the triple jump and contributing to the Sycamores’ distance medley and 4x400m relay teams.
Mehringer (60 hurdles), Janiya Bowman (long jump), Jahnel Bowman (triple jump) and Niesha Anderson (weight throw) earned individual conference titles in their respective events, while Indiana State had 11 student-athletes earn all-conference honors for top-three finishes. 22 different athletes scored points for the Blue and White as part of their MVC title defense, while 17 Sycamore women’s track and field student-athletes set 17 program top-10 marks during the 2024-25 season. Every Sycamore event group (sprints/hurdles, distance, jumps, throws) was represented in the additions to the program top-10 charts this season.
Thursday’s announcement marks the fifth Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honor for Martin in her career, having earned three women’s coach of the year accolades (2013 outdoor, 2022 indoor, 2025 indoor) and two men’s coach of the year honors (2023 outdoor, 2024 outdoor). Martin has earned at least one Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honor in each of the last four seasons.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES BEGIN CONFERENCE PLAY WITH WEEKEND SERIES AGAINST VALPARAISO
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball begins Missouri Valley play this weekend as the Sycamores welcome Valparaiso to Bob Warn Field for a three-game series over March 21-23. All three games will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Friday’s first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m., while Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) will complete the series. Keep up-to-date on the weekend schedule as dates/times may change due to expected inclement weather in the Wabash Valley.
Indiana State puts one of the Missouri Valley’s longest winning streaks to the test this weekend as the Sycamores begin conference play in the 2025 season. The Sycamores have won 19 consecutive MVC weekend series, including all nine series in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, on their way to claiming back-to-back regular season titles for the first time in program history.
The series wins stretch back to the end of the 2022 season when Indiana State took the first two games against then-member Dallas Baptist over May 19-21, 2022, before the third game ended in a 2-2 tie due to weather concerns and travel logistics. Since that weekend, Indiana State has posted a 46-8 record in Missouri Valley play, including a 22-5 mark last season that featured a 13-2 record at Bob Warn Field.
Indiana State was tied for fifth in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll as announced by the conference office earlier this week. The Sycamores received 49 total points to sit tied with Evansville in the poll and Indiana State did not place a player on the preseason All-Conference team. Missouri State (90 total points, five first-place votes) was voted as the league’s preseason favorite.
The Sycamores head into the Valparaiso series looking for the spark to ignite the rest of the season as Indiana State comes off a midweek 8-6 loss on the road at Illinois. Indiana State’s offense came to life against the Fighting Illini highlighted by Eli Gipson (two), Carter Beck, and Carlos Pena home runs, while Jack Armstrong and Zac Laird both turned in quality relief outings in the midweek defeat.
The power-hitting continues a recent stretch over the last 10 games with the Indiana State lineup combining to hit 13 of their 22 home runs this season, while adding five triples and 20 doubles since coming off the season-opening road trip. Keegan Garis and Gipson both have multi-homer games on the season, while Beck has homered in three of the last four games to propel the offense over the recent stretch. Jackson Taylor has also emerged as a bat in key situations, sparking rallies with several doubles while hitting .357 over the last 10 games.
The Sycamore pitching staff has taken its lumps over the last two weeks with multiple players missing time due to injury. However, Max McEwen has emerged as a strong arm on the weekend with a 1.74 ERA over the last 10.1 innings while allowing opponents to hit just .132 from the plate. Aaron Moss (1-0, 1.42 ERA), Jack Armstrong (0-0, 3.52 ERA), Zac Laird (0-0, 4.76 ERA), and Carson Seeman (0-0, 5.06 ERA) have all made multiple appearances out of the bullpen to eat up innings during the stretch.
Carlos Pena leads the Indiana State offense on the season with a .342 batting average and is one of three Sycamore regulars in the lineup hitting above the .300 mark on the year. The senior paces the Sycamores with 26 hits and 21 RBIs, while adding seven doubles and connected on his first triple of 2025 this past weekend against Pacific.
Gipson has seen his average steadily rise over the last week and enters the weekend hitting .310 from the plate while lining up at both shortstop and third base. All three of his home runs have come over the last four games, including his first multi-homer game of 2025 after going deep twice against Illinois. Garis (.304) is also hitting above the .300 mark while leading the team with 22 runs scored.
Additional offensive players of note include Beck’s emergence at the top of the lineup hitting .289 from the plate with a team-high six home runs. He’s second on the team with 20 runs scored, while pacing Indiana State with five stolen bases. Jackson Taylor (.278) has also emerged while taking over the everyday position at second base, while Andrew Ortiz has tripled twice over the last two weeks to provide another dynamic to the offense.
McEwen (2-1, 3.68 ERA) leads the Indiana State pitching staff in a majority of the statistical categories heading into the weekend. The redshirt sophomore right-hander paces the Sycamores in innings pitched (22.0), strikeouts (23), and opponent batting average (.188) while sitting tied for the team lead in wins. Ty Brooks (1-2, 6.86 ERA) is expected to be back in the weekend rotation, while a number of arms are expected to see time on the mound this weekend against the Beacons.
Armstrong (0-0, 2.45 ERA), Moss (1-0, 3.07 ERA), Laird (0-0, 3.38 ERA), and Gavin Morris (2-2, 7.02 ERA) have all put in extended innings over the last two weeks and will be key to an Indiana State pitching staff that sits third in the MVC in team ERA (6.60) and among the conference leaders in strikeouts (130).
Scouting Valparaiso
Valparaiso enters the weekend conference opener with a 4-12 overall record after dropping their Tuesday midweek contest at Ball State, 14-10. The Beacons have played one of the tougher schedules in the conference to date with weekend series at Ohio State and Illinois, while traveling to Vanderbilt for a midweek series. Key wins on the year include securing the series-opening Friday win at Ohio State and the Saturday contest at Illinois, while also topping Memphis and Niagara.
The Beacons were selected 10th overall in the conference’s preseason poll as announced by the MVC office on Monday afternoon. Valparaiso received 19 total points and did not place a player on the preseason All-Conference team.
Valparaiso returns several key faces to the lineup and rotation this season headlined by the return of outfielder Ryan Maka. Maka (.396) powers the Valparaiso offense on the season leading the way in hits (21) and home runs (4), while adding a .522 on-base percentage and 1.201 OPS. Liam Patton (.345) is also hitting above the .300 mark on the year, while. Case Sullivan (.290) is the team leader with 17 runs scored. Overall, Valparaiso is hitting .265 as a team over the 16 games played.
Connor Lockwood headlines the Valparaiso pitching staff as the redshirt junior right-hander returns to the mound as one of the MVC’s top strikeout arms. Lockwood (1-3, 8.07 ERA) sits second in the Valley with 29 strikeouts through his first five games, including an 11-K game against Memphis earlier this season.
Harry Deliyannis (2-1, 9.92 ERA) and Spencer Boynton (1-3, 10.34 ERA) are also expected to be among the weekend’s rotation for the Beacons leading 18 Valparaiso pitchers that have combined for a 10.64 team ERA over 124.1 innings. The Beacons have posted a 107:98 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .329 opponent batting average.
Series History
Indiana State leads the all-time series against the Beacons with a 59-29-1 overall record, including a 48-19 mark in Terre Haute. The Sycamores improved to 10-10-1 last year in Valparaiso following last season’s sweep over the Beacons.
Indiana State has dominated the series recently against Valparaiso winning the last 25 contests between the two programs dating back to the 2007 season when Valparaiso topped the Sycamores on March 31 in the first game of the doubleheader, 11-2. The Sycamores’ loss there snapped an eight-game winning streak against the Beacons that dated back to March 30, 1999.
Indiana State took all three games in the series last year in the regular season series finale. The Sycamores battled through the elements in Friday’s opening 13-4 win highlighted by Mike Sears’ two-homer game, while Jared Spencer struck out 10 in the win. Saturday’s contest featured six home runs, including two each from Randal Diaz and Luis Hernandez, while Zach Davidson worked 6.0 innings out of the bullpen in the 11-9 win. Sunday’s finale featured five more Indiana State home runs, while Cole Gilley worked extended relief in the 15-4 victory.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
‘DONS TRAVEL TO QUINCY AND LINDENWOOD
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball will play at Quincy (March 21) and Lindenwood (March 22) to return to MIVA play.
Game Day Information
Who: Quincy Hawks | Lindenwood Lions
When: Friday, March 21 – 6 PM ET | Saturday, March 22 – 2 PM ET
Where: Quincy, Ill. | St. Charles, Mo.
Live Stats: Link (Friday) | Link (Saturday)
Watch: GLVC Sports Network | ESPN+
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | MIVA
Know Your Foe
• Quincy started the season 7-11 overall, 1-7 in MIVA play. The Hawks’ lone conference win came at Queens in their first MIVA contest this season. Middle blocker Relja Milosavljevic leads the nation in blocks per set with 1.25. Aleksandar Sosa leads Quincy in kills per set (3.34). Armaan Dosanjh is the Hawks’ primary setter, averaging 9.08 assists per set.
• Lindenwood is 6-11 through the season, going 3-6 in the MIVA. The Lions have picked up wins against Purdue Fort Wayne, Lewis and Quincy. Lindenwood’s duo of scorers, Ian Schuller (3.68) and Brendan Louthain (3.25), both average over three kills per set. MIVA Offensive Player of the Week Zach Solomon runs setter for the Lions, averaging 10.29 assists per set.
Series History
• Purdue Fort Wayne holds a 56-8 series lead over Quincy, winning the last eight straight matches. Andrej Polomac notched 28 assists and seven digs in last year’s meeting.
• The Mastodons lead the series history 15-12 against Lindenwood. The Lions took the first match of the season, with Logan Muir putting up 20 kills and Andrej Polomac had 38 assists.
Locked and Logan
Logan Muir has the second-most kills per set (4.06), services aces per set (0.49) and points per set (4.86) in the MIVA.
Mastodon Starters
Both Casey Lyons and Andrew Mayer have started every match for Purdue Fort Wayne this season.
Eyeing The Century Club
Purdue Fort Wayne head coach Donny Gleason needs one win to reach 100 for his head coaching career.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne lost in straight sets to No. 8 Loyola Chicago (March 14).
Coming Up
The ‘Dons round out March by hosting Quincy (March 29).
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
‘DONS & ‘GUINS BATTLE THIS WEEKEND
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Mastodon baseball team heads east to Youngstown, Ohio to face the Penguins of Youngstown State this weekend.
Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (1-18, 0-3 Horizon League) at Youngstown State (3-16, 1-2 Horizon League)
When:
Friday, March 21 | 4 PM (moved up one hour)
Saturday, March 22 | 1 PM (moved up two hours)
Sunday, March 23 | 1 PM
Where: Youngstown, Ohio
Live Stats: Link
Listen:Listen (YSU radio)
Weather:
Friday: 51, sunny
Saturday: 44, chance of rain
Sunday: 50, chance of rain
Series History: Youngstown State leads 21-10
Pitching Probables:
Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Dillon Fischer, LHP Zane Danielson, TBD
Youngstown State: TBD
Know Your Foe: Youngstown State’s Kyle Fossum is hitting .449 with seven home runs and a .855 slugging percentage. The Penguins went 1-2 against Milwaukee last week. YSU earned a 15-5 win over Mercyhurst this week in midweek play.
O Yeah:Justin Osterhouse hit three home runs on March 18 at Bowling Green. He is one of 14 players this season to hit three or more home runs in a game this season. Osterhouse was also intentionally walked three times in the game. It is the fifth time in the Division I era a Mastodon his hit three home runs in a game. The other times:
Cade Fitzpatrick at Northern Kentucky 5/10/2024
Ben Higgins at Youngstown State 3/31/2023
Greg Kaiser at Western Illinois 4/15/2016
Tyler Fowler vs Toledo 4/6/2004
O Boy: Justin Osterhouse is seventh in all-time program history in career slugging percentage at .569. His .335 career batting average is 10th.
On the BGSU Game: The Mastodons scored a season-high 18 runs at Bowling Green (March 18), it is the third most runs scored by a Horizon League team this season. It is the ninth most runs in a game in the Division I era for the Mastodons.
‘Dons & Ends
– Dillon Fischer (9) and Cole Newell (3) combined to strikeout a season-high 12 batters on March 14 vs. NKU.
– Brooks Sailors owns a current 14-game on-base streak.
– Justin Osterhouse has a team-best six multi-hit games.
– Jackson Micheels and Justin Osterhouse are the only two Mastodons to start in all 19 games this season.
– Justin Osterhouse has 21 hits on the year, 9th in the Horizon League.
– In the Horizon League, Zane Danielson ranks first in innings pitched (28.0), second in opposing batting average (.245) and third in ERA (4.50).
– Dillon Fischer is third in the league in innings pitched (26.1).
– Brooks Sailors is tied for the league lead in caught stealing (5).
Fischer Honor: Dillon Fischer was picked as a top 100 pitcher from the fourth weekend of the season by DI Baseball. Fischer allowed no runs in 6.1 innings at Tennessee Tech.
Nice to Meet You: This season isn’t the first time Kevin Hall and Nick Hockemeyer are teammates. They spent the summer of 2024 playing for the Elizabethton River Riders of the Appalachian League. Hall had a .453 OBP in 26 games for the River Riders. Hockemeyer hit .296 in 18 games.
Blood Lines: Mastodon head coach Doug Schreiber coached Trent Murphy’s father, Rob, when Schreiber was an assistant at Ball State.
Up Next: The Mastodons have their 2025 home opener on Tuesday, March 25 against Toledo. It will be a 3 PM start at Mastodon Field.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
UE SOFTBALL TRAVELS TO MISSOURI STATE FOR WEEKEND SERIES
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Week two of the Missouri Valley Conference schedule will see the University of Evansville softball team travel to Missouri State for a 3-game series. Friday’s game is set for a 5 p.m. start time while Saturday and Sunday’s contests take place at 2 and 12 p.m., respectively with the final two games set to be carried on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
– Evansville staged late rallies in the final two games of the series against UNI, but the Panthers held on both times to sweep last weekend’s series
– Sunday’s finale saw Niki Bode go 3-4 with three runs and two RBI while Eliza Piggott and Brooke Voss added two RBI apiece
On a Streak
– Jess Willsey heads into the weekend riding a team-best 7-game hitting streak
– Over that span, Willsey has seen her average rise from .279 to .326
– Willsey is the MVC leader with 24 runs scored and 89 at-bats while her 23 RBI and seven home runs are each tied for second in the conference
– With eight doubles, she is tied for the Valley lead
Pacing the League
– Morgan Adams has established herself as one of the top offensive players in the MVC and leads the league in multiple statistics
– Her season tally of ten home runs paces the conference and is 22nd in the nation
– Adams also leads the conference in slugging (.743) and OPS (1.191)
– She hit a home run in each of the first two games of the UNI series
On a Roll
– Since March 9, freshman Eliza Piggott has seen her average rise nearly 100 points from .229 to its current mark of .328
– With five home runs, she is tied for sixth in the Valley
– Piggott put together one of her top performances in the second contest versus UNI as she went 3-4 with a home run, two RBI, two runs, and a sacrifice.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
SCREAMING EAGLES HEAD BACK ON THE ROAD FOR A SERIES AT MOREHEAD STATE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball hits the road for a second straight weekend in Ohio Valley Conference play when the Screaming Eagles head to Morehead State University for a three-game series.
The series was originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Morehead, Kentucky, but it was moved up a day to avoid rainy weather in the forecast later in the weekend. Friday’s series opener starts at 1:30 p.m. CT, and Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT.
Southern Indiana (5-15, 2-3 OVC) has had bad luck with inclement weather lately. USI was supposed to play Austin Peay State University at USI Softball Field on Wednesday, but the game had to be postponed. Additionally, USI’s series finale at Tennessee State University last Saturday was canceled due to thunderstorms in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the two games played at Tennessee State last Friday, Southern Indiana split the doubleheader against the Tigers. The Screaming Eagles were edged 6-5 in the opener against the Tigers before rebounding for a 9-2 win in the backend of Friday’s twin bill.
Freshman catcher Jordan Mackey had a stellar week for USI, hitting .600 with nine RBIs and three extra-base hits. Mackey had six RBIs, a double, and a home run in the two-game set against Tennessee State. Sophomore infielder Sydney Long went 4-6 at the plate against the Tigers, and senior outfielder Kennedy Nalley drove in three runs in the doubleheader.
In the pitching circle, freshman pitcher Kylie Witthaus notched her second win and complete game of the season in the second game of the twin bill, striking out four with only two runs allowed. Senior pitcher Josie Newman struck out 12 in a complete-game loss in the first game.
Following Mackey’s standout week, the freshman moved into the team lead for doubles (5), RBIs (11), and into a tie for a team-best two home runs. Junior outfielder Caroline Stapleton is USI’s top hitter this season with a .338 batting average among qualifying batters. Stapleton has also scored a team-high 12 runs. Freshman first baseman Lilly Brown has gotten more at-bats as of late and higher in the batting order, hitting .414. USI has three players tied for a team-high two home runs.
On the pitching side, Witthaus (2-5) has a team-best 4.17 ERA in 43.2 innings with 25 strikeouts. Newman (3-9) has a 4.59 ERA. Newman has thrown the most innings with 71.2 innings pitched, including eight complete games. Newman has an OVC-high 114 strikeouts.
Morehead State (1-25, 0-6 OVC) has had a rough go of it so far this season, dropping its last 17 games. Last weekend, the Eagles were swept on the road at Eastern Illinois University (7-3, 9-0 in five innings, and 6-5).
Sophomore infielder Kendra Lewis paces Morehead State at the plate with a .351 batting average and 16 runs scored. Lewis is also one of four players in the Eagles’ lineup with 10 or more RBIs this season. Fellow sophomore infielder Sela Pickford, who is hitting .272, has a team-best 16 RBIs. Morehead State’s pitching staff is still looking to find its footing this season. Junior pitcher Emma Solis is responsible for the Eagles’ only win while striking out a team-high 31 batters. Junior pitcher Rylie Burney has thrown the most innings with 83 innings of work.
USI leads the all-time series against Morehead State, 7-4. The Screaming Eagles swept Morehead State at home last March, including an extra-inning win and a run-rule victory. Southern Indiana took two of three games in its last visit to Morehead State in 2023.
The three-game series can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.
VALPO BASEBALL
VALPO BASEBALL TO OPEN MVC PLAY AT DEFENDING CHAMPION INDIANA STATE
Valparaiso (4-12, 0-0 MVC)
at Indiana State (9-12, 0-0 MVC)
Friday, March 21, 5:30 p.m. CT – RHP Connor Lockwood
Saturday, March 22, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Harry Deliyannis
Sunday, March 23, noon CT – RHP Spencer Boynton
Bob Warn Field (2,500) | Terre Haute, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The 2025 Missouri Valley Conference portion of the Valparaiso University baseball season will begin the same way the 2024 season ended – playing Indiana State. This time, the Beacons hit the road for a three-game, league-opening set against the Sycamores, who won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title a year ago.
Last Time Out: Ball State’s Ty Davis had a wind-aided three-homer game to lift the host Cardinals to a victory over Valpo by a football score of 14-10 in Tuesday’s midweek game in Muncie. Ryan Maka slugged his 20th career home run, while Thomas Cooper returned to the lineup after missing the previous seven games with an injury and delivered a long ball of his own.
Following the Beacons: All three games in the series will air on ESPN+. For links to live video and stats, visit ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X.
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (206-344) is in his 11th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. On April 19 vs. Missouri State, he became the third head coach in program history to secure his 200th win. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.
A Look Back at 2024: Valpo finished 14-38 overall and 6-21 in Missouri Valley Conference play last season and hopes to return to the MVC Tournament field in 2025. Kaleb Hannahs earned Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors last season, while Kyle Schmack finished one home run shy of tying the program’s career and single-season records. The team launched 71 home runs, the second most in program history and most since 2001. Alex Ryan made an incredible leaping catch that was featured at No. 4 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, robbing a grand slam as part of a 20-0 victory at UIC on April 28. The 2024 campaign also saw Valpo post a fielding percentage of .970 that ranked fourth in program history. The season also saw head coach Brian Schmack reach the 200-win threshold.
Series Notes: Valpo is 30-60-1 all-time against Indiana State in a series that began in 1947. As much as we’d like to not even include this stat, we’re obligated to report that the Beacons have lost 25 straight head-to-head matchups since last beating the Sycamores 11-2 on March 31, 2007. Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference prior to the 2018 season, Valpo is 0-20 against Indiana State.
Notes Wrapping Up March 18 – Ball State 14, Valpo 10
Ryan Maka has reached base safely in every game he’s played this season, extending his streak to 15 on Tuesday. He became the first Valpo player with an on-base streak of 15 games or more since Alex Ryan reached safely in 24 straight last season.
Maka’s home run was the 20th of his career, one away from cracking the program’s all-time top 10.
Thomas Cooper homered for the second time this season and in his career. This marked his first home run since Feb. 22 at Memphis.
Valpo scored nine runs or more for the third time in the last four games.
Case Sullivan, Maka, Liam Patton and Kevin Denty all had multiple hits including Maka and Denty leading the way with three apiece.
The Beacons outhit the Cardinals 14-10 as the Beacons tied a season high for hits that was set on Feb. 28 vs. Niagara. This marked Valpo’s third double-figure hit total in the last four games.
Free bases plagued the Beacons as Valpo walked 10, hit a batter and made three errors.
Notes Wrapping Up March 14-15 at Illinois (L 13-9, W 13-10, L 14-4 [F/7])
Liam Patton homered in each of the first two games in the series, lifting his career total to five in a Valpo uniform.
Kevin Denty’s home run in the series opener was his first of the year and the fourth of his collegiate career. Denty was a triple shy of the cycle in the series opener.
Valpo accrued 13 hits in Friday’s game, tied for the team’s second-highest total of the season. The Beacons also had 13 hits in the series opener at Ohio State and eclipsed that with 14 in the second game of a doubleheader against Niagara.
Reliever Joe Seiber was charged with no runs on two hits and no walks in two innings of work on Friday.
Ryan Maka reached base safely in all three games of the series, extending his season-long on-base streak to 14 games.
In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader and second game of the series, Aidan Thaxton hit his first collegiate home run.
Connor Giusti also homered in Saturday’s first game, his second of the season and the ninth of his Valpo career.
The three home runs in the first game of Saturday’s twinbill represented the team’s season high.
Starter Harry Deliyannis picked up the win, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out seven. Adam Guazzo allowed one run on one hit over two frames of relief.
The 13 runs in Saturday’s first game marked the second-highest total of the season behind 16 on Feb. 28 vs. Niagara. Valpo has scored double-figure run totals in three of the team’s four wins.
The 11 hits marked Valpo’s second straight game with a double-figure hit total after recording 13 in the series opener. Valpo has notched double-figure hits five times this season.
Maka racked up four hits in Saturday’s first game, equaling a season high. Giusti became the second Valpo player with a four-RBI game this season, joining Patton. The four RBIs represented a career high for Giusti.
Maka’s home run in the second game on Saturday’s doubleheader marked his third of the season and the 19th of his collegiate career, within two of cracking the program’s all-time top 10.
Beating B1G Foes
Valpo picked up its second Big Ten win of the season on March 15 with a 13-10 win at Illinois.
Valpo knocked off the defending Big Ten regular-season champions and an NCAA Regional team from last season. The Illini won 35 games last season and went 18-6 in Big Ten play.
The Beacons beat the Illini for the second time in the last three head-to-head matchups after also winning in 2018.
Valpo enjoyed a 10-7 series-opening win on March 7 at Ohio State, the program’s second power-conference win in the last three seasons after beating Kansas 11-3 on Feb. 18, 2023.
The win over the Buckeyes snapped a 10-game skid against power-conference competition.
The Beacons earned their first Big Ten win since 2018, when they prevailed 11-7 at No. 25 Illinois.
The win came against an Ohio State club that won 29 games last season.
Since Brian Schmack took over as head coach, Valpo has wins over four different Big Ten opponents – Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue.
In the Other Dugout: Indiana State
Won the MVC regular-season title and earned an at-large NCAA Regional berth last season, compiling 44 wins and a 22-5 MVC mark.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Tracy Archuleta, who spent the previous 18 years at the University of Southern Indiana.
Picked tied for fifth of 10 in this year’s MVC preseason poll.
Won two out of three against Pacific this past weekend before an 8-6 midweek setback to Illinois.
MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MARIAN CLINCHES A STATEMENT WIN OVER NO. 2 CUMBERLANDS
Sioux City, Iowa – The Marian women’s basketball team is still dancing with their 77-72 upset over No. 2 Cumberlands in the NAIA National Tournament Round of 16. The Knights are now 27-7 overall on the season and move to the NAIA National Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Knights took the early 5-0 lead with a layup by Abbey McNally and a three-pointer from Kenna Kirby. The Patriots fired back with a three-pointer but Kiley McNally was able to decrease the blow with a two point basket. The Cumberlands were able to get back on their feet and take the 9-7 lead with a trio of baskets. Marian fired back with four straight baskets to take the four point lead. Abbey recorded a pair of free throws, Kiley recorded a layup, and Madisyn Bailey recorded a layup in the run. The Patriots fired off a layup to draw a media timeout with the Knights in the 13-11 lead. Out of the media timeout Marian knocked down three more baskets only to be broken up by a jumper from their opponents. In the run Taylor Double fired off a three-pointer and Kirby recorded a pair of baskets. Each team traded a layup with Kiley recording the basket for the Knights but the Patriots were able to fire off a pair of baskets to end the quarter and decrease Marians lead 22-20.
Madisyn Bailey opened up the second quarter with a layup but the Cumberlands were able to take the 28-24 lead from Marian with a four basket run. Kiley fought back with a free throw and a pair of layups but the Patriots were able to keep pushing with a layup and three-pointer. The Knights fired off three baskets from Double and Kiley to take back the 36-33 lead. With three minutes remaining the Cumberlands outscored the Knights with four baskets compared to Double’s layup. Bailey was able to take the lead with a three-pointer and layup but the Patriots had the final basket before the half to bring the game to a 43-43 bottleneck.
The Cumberlands came out of halftime with three straight baskets to take the 50-43 lead. Olivia Faust and Abbey answered with a layup each but the Patriots were able to counter with a jumper. Abbey fired off another layup and free throw to bring the margin down to two. The Cumberlands fired off a free throw but Faust’s jumper and Kiley’s trio of free throws allowed Marian to take the 54-53 lead. The Patriots fired off a layup but the Knights were able to quickly counter with a pair of free throws from Abbey. Each side traded baskets with Kiley and Abbey each recording a basket for Marian. The Cumberlands tied up the game 60-60 with a free throw once more to end the quarter.
Abbey, Kirby, and Double opened up the final quarter with a four basket run for the Knights to take the 66-60 lead. The Cumberlands pushed back with a pair of baskets but Abbey quickly fired off three points to increase the Knights lead. Each team traded baskets once more with Double recording the basket for Marian to increase the lead 71-67. With 1:27 remaining on the clock the Cumberlands fired off a pair of free throws but Bailey fired off a layup in return to maintain the four point lead. The Patriots fired off a free throw and layup but Marian was able to clinch the upset with a layup from Kiley and duo of free throws from Double to end the game with the 77-72 win.
Abbey McNally led the team with 20 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Kiley McNally recorded 17 points on the evening leading the team in rebounds with eight. Taylor Double recorded 16 points and four assists while Madisyn Bailey recorded 11 points, four assists, and led the Knights in assists with nine. Kenna Kirby recorded nine points and one rebound while Olivia Faust recorded four points and two rebounds.
With her 20 points Abbey McNally was able to break Ella Colliers single-season scoring record for the Knights and now records over 1500 points in her career.
Marian’s victory allows them to move on to the Quarterfinals on Saturday as they take on No.1 Dort at 3 p.m. CT on March 22nd.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/
MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/
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 BASEBALL HISTORY
1908 Detroit outfielder Ty Cobb signs for $4000, with an $800 bonus if he hits over .300. The 21-year-old ‘Georgia Peach’ will finish the season with a league-leading .324 batting average for the first-place Tigers.
1931 On a chilly night at Houston’s (TX) Buffs Stadium, the White Sox and Giants become the first major league clubs to play a night game when they square off in an exhibition under 245-kilowatt lamps, according to reports, provided adequate lighting for the contest. The disappointing crowd of 2,500, due most likely to the cold weather, watch Chicago score five runs in the tenth frame to beat John McGraw’s New York squad, 11-6.
(Ed Note: Our thanks to SoxNerd blogger David Marran for sharing his research, including the correct date the historic game occurred. -LP)
1936 The Reds trade first baseman Jim Bottomley for the Browns’ utility player Johnny Burnett, who will never appear in a game for his new team. The former Cincinnati infielder plays two seasons with St. Louis, finishing his 16-year Hall of Fame career with a lifetime .310 batting average.
1943 The A’s trade Bob Johnson to the Senators for Jimmy Pofahl and Bobby Estalella. Although the former Philadelphia fan-favorite will make the All-Star squad for his new team and receive consideration for the Most Valuable Player award, Washington will sell the outfielder to the Red Sox.
1957 The owners will receive 9.3 million dollars in revenue for the 1957 TV and radio rights. The breakdown includes $3.2 million for the World Series/All-Star contests, $1.26 million for two Saturday games of the week, and the remaining $4.84 million for local rights fees.
1959 The Indians trade Larry Doby to the Tigers for Tito Francona. The deal will be a great swap for the Tribe when their new outfielder hits .363, while Doby will play in just 16 games for Detroit.
1962 Before the spring training game against New York in Clearwater, the Phillies honor Robin Roberts, sold to the Yankees in the off-season, by retiring his uniform number 36, the familiar numerals he wore for 14 seasons with Philadelphia. The future Hall of Fame right-hander starts the exhibition game giving up four runs in three innings but gets credit for the win when the Bronx Bombers beat his former team, 13-10.
1965 In an exhibition game, Gary Kroll and Gordie Richardson combine to keep Pittsburgh hitless for nine innings in the Mets’ 6-0 win in St. Petersburg. The first no-hitter thrown during the regular season in franchise history won’t occur until 2012, when Johan Santana accomplishes the feat against St. Louis.
1966 In a spring training game in Houston’s Astrodome, the Dodgers and Astros become the first major league teams to play on artificial grass. The material, which will become known as AstroTurf, was developed by Monsanto to overcome the team’s inability to grow grass indoors.
1968 The new American League team in Kansas City announces its nickname. The expansion club, joining the circuit in 1969, will now be known as the “Royals,” paying tribute to the Negro League Monarchs, a team playing in the City of Fountains from 1920 through 1965.
1973 In an exhibition game against the Mets, Fritz Peterson appears in his first game since going public about swapping families with Yankee teammate Mike Kekich. Many of the 4,320 fans at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg roundly boo the 31-year-old southpaw, but he goes the first five innings, picking up the win in the Bronx Bombers’ 6-2 victory over their crosstown rivals.
1975 Georgia Tech blanks Earlham (IN), 41-0, setting the NCAA mark for the largest margin of victory. In 1999, Nebraska will break the record, equaled by West Chester (PA), with a 50-3 win over Chicago State at Buck Beltzer Stadium.
1978 In a surprise move, Padres manager Alvin Dark becomes the second manager ever fired during spring training after being told he was having difficulties communicating with his players. San Diego names the club’s pitching coach, Roger Craig, as the interim skipper.
2002 The Phillies make public the one-day regular-season suspension of Larry Bowa imposed by Major League Baseball’s vice president for on-field operations, Bob Watson. The action comes from the Philadelphia manager’s “inappropriate conduct toward the umpire” when he became enraged with the home plate umpire over two close calls on checked swings during an exhibition game against the Indians on March 9.
2011 Citing a lack of velocity and command, Mets GM Sandy Alderson announces the release of 29-year-old southpaw Oliver Perez, who is still owed $12 million on his deal. The roster move marks the second time in four days that the team has cut a player with a significant contract, with second baseman Luis Castillo asked to leave despite his $6 million price tag.
2013 David Wright is named the Mets captain, joining John Franco, Keith Hernandez, and Gary Carter as the fourth player honored by the franchise. Like Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter and White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, the two other major leaguers currently with the title, the 30-year-old third baseman will not wear a “C” on his uniform.
2018 The Cleburne Railroaders’ first baseman Rafael Palmeiro becomes the oldest player in professional baseball history to homer in a game when he goes deep against Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks starter Trey McNutt in the American Association independent team’s 4-3 home loss at the Depot. The 53-year-old former major league All-Star batted sixth in the lineup, behind his 28-year-old son Patrick, who plays the corner infield spots for the second-year club.
2019 The Angels announce the signing of center fielder Mike Trout to a 12-year record-setting contract, making the biggest financial commitment to a player in North American team sports history. The Halos reportedly will pay the two-time American League Most Valuable Player more than $430 million, far surpassing the mega-deal Bryce Harper (13 yrs, $330 M) and the Phillies agreed on earlier in the month.
2019 After a 19-year eventual Hall of Fame career, Ichiro Suzuki announces his retirement, receiving an overwhelming ovation from the Japanese crowd at the sold-out Tokyo Dome. The 45-year-old three-time Silver Slugger, who holds the MLB mark for consecutive 200-hit seasons, left the Mariners’ 5-4 extra-inning victory over the A’s in the bottom of the eighth, standing alone on the field, soaking in the admiration of over 46,000 fans in the country he started playing professional baseball.
2021 Before an exhibition game at Surprise Stadium, the Royals announce catcher Salvador Perez has agreed to a four-year extension reportedly worth $82 million, setting a franchise record. The 30-year-old backstop’s deal, with an average annual value of $20.5 million, easily surpasses the $72 million contract signed by outfielder Alex Gordon in 2014.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
March 21
1893 — The first women’s collegiate basketball game is played at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. In this game, each basket is worth 1 point and the freshman class defeats the sophomore class 5-4. The game takes place behind locked doors and men are prohibited from watching.
1941 — Joe Louis knocks out Abe Simon in the 13th round at Olympia Stadium in Detroit to retain the world heavyweight title.
1945 — George Mikan of DePaul scores 53 points in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament. Mikan matches Rhode Island in offensive output and his teammates add another 44 for a final score of 97-53.
1953 — Rookie Bob Cousy sets an NBA record with 50 points and leads the Boston Celtics to a 111-105 victory over the Syracuse Nationals in a quadruple overtime playoff game. Cousy scores 30 of his points from the foul line.
1959 — California edges West Virginia 71-70 for the NCAA basketball championship. Jerry West scores 28 points for West Virginia.
1959 — Oscar Robertson scores the first triple-double in the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four history, tallying 39 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in Cincinnati’s 98-85 win over Louisville in the third-place game.
1964 — UCLA caps a 30-0 season with a 98-83 victory over Duke in the NCAA basketball championship. UCLA is the third team to go undefeated and win the title. The victory gives coach John Wooden the first of his 10 NCAA Tournament championships.
1970 — Curtis Rowe scores 19 points and Sidney Wicks adds 17 points and grabs 18 rebounds to lead UCLA to an 80-69 victory over Jacksonville for its fourth consecutive NCAA basketball championship. Jacksonville ends the season with a scoring average of 100.4 points per game, the first team to average more than 100 points in a college basketball season.
1973 — Frank Mahovlich scores his 500th goal as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2.
1984 — Glenn Anderson of Edmonton scores his 50th goal of the season and helps the Oilers beat the Hartford Whalers 5-3. The Oilers become the first NHL team to have three 50-goal scorers in one season.
1985 — Arthur Ashe is nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
1985 — Washington’s Bobby Carpenter becomes the first U.S.-born player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season. He reaches the milestone in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at The Forum.
1990 — Brett Hull of St. Louis becomes the sixth player in NHL history to score 70 goals in a season with a goal in the Blues’ 8-6 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
1994 — Wayne Gretzky ties Gordie Howe’s NHL record of 801 goals.
1996 — Todd Eldredge becomes the first American in eight years to win the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships.
2011 — Courtney Vandersloot has 29 points and 17 assists to help Gonzaga beat UCLA 89-75 in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Vandersloot becomes the first player in Division I history — men or women — to record 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in a career.
2014 — Mercer pulls off the biggest upset in the men’s NCAA tournament by knocking off Duke 78-71 in the second round. The 14th-seeded and senior-laden Bears score 11 straight points during the late 20-5 run to clinch the biggest victory in school history.
2015 — Top-ranked Kentucky outworked eighth-seeded Cincinnati for a 64-51 victory to reach the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. The Wildcats improve to 36-0 — the best start to a season for any team.
2019 — Japanese baseball right fielder Ichiro Suzuki finishes his career with a record 4,367 base hits (NPB & MLB) as Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland A’s, 5-4 in Tokyo, Japan.
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March 22
1932 — The blue lines are eliminated with the center red line used to determine offsides in an experiment by the NHL. With both teams out of playoff contention, the league tries it in the New York Americans’ 8-6 victory over Boston.
1952 — The St. John’s Redmen avenge an earlier 41-point loss, beating top-ranked Kentucky 64-57 in the East Regional championship game of the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament. St. John’s, led by Bob Zawoluk’s NCAA tournament record 32 points, advances to its first Final Four.
1953 — The United States beats host Chile, 49-36 to win the first FIBA World Championship for Women basketball tournament.
1958 — Vern Hatton and Johnny Cox combine for 54 points to give Kentucky an 84-72 victory over Seattle in the NCAA basketball championship.
1959 — Montreal Canadiens forward Dickie Moore sets an NHL record for most points in a season with 96. He scores a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win at New York.
1969 — Lew Alcindor scores 37 points to lead UCLA to the NCAA men’s basketball title with a 97-72 win over Purdue. Alcindor is chosen as MVP for the third straight year.
1969 — West Chester State beats Western Carolina 65-39 to win the first women’s collegiate national championship. The game is played using the six-player format.
1986 — Trevor Berbick wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Pinklon Thomas in Las Vegas for the WBC heavyweight title.
1994 — The NFL announces the addition of the 2-point conversion, the league’s first scoring change in 75 seasons.
1997 — Tara Lipinski’s jumps, the cleanest and the surest in women’s figure skating, lift the 14-year-old into history as the youngest women’s world champion.
2000 — Pat Verbeek of the Detroit Red Wings scores twice in a 2-2 tie with Calgary to become the 28th player in NHL history with 500 career goals.
2007 — Kobe Bryant becomes the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points in three straight games. Bryant scores 60 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-119 win over Memphis. Bryant joins Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
2008 — The first of two assists Colorado captain Joe Sakic has in a 7-5 loss to Edmonton are the 1,000th of his career. He is the 11th player in NHL history to reach the milestone.
2011 — The NFL owners vote to make all scoring plays subject to review by the replay official and referee.
2013 — Florida Gulf Coast, a school so new it wasn’t eligible for the NCAA men’s tournament until last year, upsets second-seeded Georgetown 78-68 in the second round of the South Regional. The Eagles used a 21-2 second-half run to pull away from the Hoyas and hold on in the final minute to become the seventh No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2.
2015 — Oklahoma advances in the NCAA Tournament with a 72-66 victory over Dayton. Sooners coach Lon Kruger becomes the second coach to take four schools to the round of 16.
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March 23
1939 — Long Island University finishes the season undefeated after a 44-32 victory over Loyola of Chicago in the NIT championship.
1944 — Maurice Richard, playing in his second Stanley Cup Playoff game, scores five goals in a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup semifinals. Toe Blake has five assists.
1948 — Kentucky, behind Alex Groza and Ralph Beard, defeats Baylor 58-42 for the NCAA basketball championship.
1956 — Bill Russell leads San Francisco to an 83-71 victory over Iowa in the NCAA basketball championship.
1957 — North Carolina defeats Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas in triple-overtime to win the NCAA men’s championship. The Tar Heels win 54-53 to finish the season with a 32-0 record.
1968 — Lew Alcindor scores 34 points to carry UCLA to a 78-55 win over North Carolina in the NCAA basketball championship.
1974 — N.C. State ends UCLA’s streak of seven national championships with an 80-77 victory in double overtime of the NCAA tournament semifinals. David Thompson leads the Wolfpack with 28 points and 10 rebounds while teammate Tom Burleson scores 20 and pulls down 14 rebounds.
1991 — London beats Frankfurt 24-11 in the first World League of American Football game.
1994 — Wayne Gretzky scores his 802nd goal, passing Gordie Howe as the top goal scorer in NHL history. The Los Angeles Kings center scores in the second period for his 62nd NHL record.
1996 — Michelle Kwan caps a nearly perfect season by winning the women’s title at figure skating’s world championships for the United States’ first singles sweep since 1986.
2002 — Brendan Shanahan of the Red Wings scores his 500th career goal, breaking a scoreless tie at 7:48 of the third period. Detroit beats Colorado 2-0.
2002 — Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson becomes the first undefeated four-time NCAA wrestling champion at the NCAA championships. Sanderson beats Lehigh’s Jon Trenge 12-4 to win at 197 pounds and finish his career with a 159-0 record.
2007 — Kobe Bryant becomes the second NBA player to score at least 50 points in four straight games when he has 50 in the Lakers’ 111-105 win at New Orleans. Only Wilt Chamberlain has more, scoring at least 50 points in seven consecutive games during the 1961-62 season.
2010 — The NFL changes its overtime rules for playoff games to give both teams an opportunity to get the ball.
2014 — Quardell Young drives the length of the court for a go-ahead layup with 0.9 seconds left and Wisconsin-Whitewater holds off Williams to win the NCAA Division III men’s championship 75-73. The Warhawks (29-4), whose football team took the national championship in December, win the basketball championship for the second time in three years and fourth time in four trips to the final.
2016 — Guard Russ Smith of the Delaware 87ers scores an NBA D-League-record 65 points in a 140-129 loss to the Canton Charge.
2022 — After 114 consecutive weeks as world #1 female tennis player, 25 year old Australian Ash Barty makes unexpected retirement announcement.
2023 — Harry Kane overtakes Wayne Rooney’s record to become England’s all-time greatest goalscorer in 2-1 victory over Italy with his 54th goal.
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March 24
1936 — Detroit’s Mud Bruneteau ends the longest game in NHL history with a goal after 116 minutes and 30 seconds (six overtimes) to edge the Montreal Maroons 1-0 in the semifinals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
1941 — Long Island University wins the NIT championship with a 56-42 victory over Ohio.
1945 — NYU battles back from a ten-point deficit with two minutes to go to send the NCAA Tournament national semifinal game into overtime. NYU wins 70-65. At the time, a team got one free throw when fouled near end of game, but could elect instead to inbound the ball. Ohio State is fouled three times, opts to shoot the foul shot and misses each time.
1956 — San Francisco’s Bill Russell has 26 points and 27 rebounds to lead the Dons to an 83-71 win over Iowa and their second-straight national title and 55th consecutive victory, then an NCAA record.
1962 — Paul Hogue scores 22 points and grabs 19 rebounds and Tom Thacker adds 21 to lead Cincinnati to a 71-59 victory over Ohio State for its second NCAA basketball championship.
1970 — Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers wins his only NBA scoring title, accumulating 2,309 points in 74 games for a 31.2 ppg. average.
1973 — Kansas City-Omaha’s Nate “Tiny” Archibald becomes the first player in NBA history to lead the NBA in both scoring (34.0 ppg.) and assists (11.4 apg.) in the same season.
1975 — Muhammad Ali knocks out Chuck Wepner in the 15th round to retain the world heavyweight title in Cleveland.
1975 — Princeton becomes the first Ivy League school to win the NIT title with an 80-69 win over Providence.
1979 — Indiana State, led by Larry Bird, advances to the NCAA Championship game by squeezing past DePaul 76-74. Bird has 35 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists.
1980 — Louisville beats UCLA 59-54 to win the NCAA basketball title.
1992 — Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux becomes the 36th player in NHL history with 1,000 points, getting an assist in the second period of the Penguins’ 4-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
1994 — Kansas State’s Askia Jones scores 62 points in 28 minutes in a 115-77 victory over Fresno State in the NIT quarterfinals. Jones shoots 18-for-25 from the floor, including 14-of-18 on three-pointers, and 12-for-16 from the line.
2013 — Florida Gulf Coast goes from shocking the men’s college basketball world to downright impressing it. The Eagles beat San Diego State 81-71 to become the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
2017 — Devin Booker scores 70 points, becoming the sixth different player in NBA history to reach that total, but the Boston Celtics get 34 points from Isaiah Thomas and outlast the Phoenix Suns 130-120.
2018 — Nathan Chen completes six quadruple jumps in the free program to become the first U.S. winner of the men’s world figure skating title since 2009.
2018 — Loyola Chicago romps to a 78-62 victory over Kansas State to cap off a stunning run through the bracket-busting South Regional. The Ramblers (32-5) match the lowest-seeded team ever to reach the Final Four, joining LSU (1986), George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011). The South is the first regional in tournament history to have the top four seeds — including overall No. 1 Virginia — knocked out on the opening weekend.
March 25
1934 — Horton Smith wins the first Masters golf tournament by one stroke over Craig Wood.
1947 — Holy Cross, led by George Kaftan, beats Oklahoma 58-47 in the NCAA basketball championship.
1958 — Sugar Ray Robinson regains the middleweight title for a record fifth time with a 15-round decision over Carmen Basilio.
1961 — Cincinnati ends Ohio State’s 32-game winning streak with a 70-65 win in the NCAA basketball championship. In the third-place game, St. Joseph’s beats Utah 127-120 in quadruple-overtime.
1967 — UCLA, led by sophomore Lew Alcindor’s 20 points, beats Dayton 79-64 for the NCAA basketball championship.
1972 — Bill Walton scores 24 points to lead UCLA to an 81-76 victory over Florida State and the NCAA basketball title.
1972 — Maryland beats Niagara 100-69 in the NIT championship, becoming the first team to score 100 points in the finals of the tournament.
1973 — The Philadelphia 76ers post the worst mark in NBA history at 9-73 under coaches Roy Rubin (4-47) and Kevin Loughery (5-26).
1982 — Wayne Gretzky becomes 1st NHL to score 200 points in a season.
1995 — Scotty Bowman gets his 900th regular-season coaching victory as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Canucks 2-1 in Vancouver.
2006 — Following the tradition of teenage American women pulling off big upsets, 16-year-old Kimmie Meissner uses the performance of her life to soar to the World Figure Skating Championships title.
2008 — Tennessee gives coach Pat Summitt her 100th NCAA tournament win, a 78-52 rout of host Purdue. The win sends the Lady Vols to the NCAA regional semifinals.
2011 — The Southwest regional is the first in NCAA men’s basketball history with three double-digit seeded teams in the semifinals. Virginia Commonwealth, an 11th seed beats 10th seed Florida State 72-71 in overtime and the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks beat No. 12 seed Richmond 77-57 in the region’s other semifinal.
2012 — In the NBA’s first quadruple-overtime game since 1997, Joe Johnson scores 37 points and Josh Smith adds 22 as the Atlanta Hawks beat Utah 139-133. The four overtimes tie for the third-longest game in NBA history.
2016 — Klay Thompson scores 40 points and Stephen Curry adds 33 to help the Golden State Warriors become the second team to post back-to-back 65-win seasons with a 128-120 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors improve their record to 65-7 following a 67-win season a year ago. The only other team to win at least 65 games in consecutive seasons was Chicago in 1995-96 and 1996-97.
2017 — Arrogate shows his class again in the $10 million Dubai World Cup as he comes from last place to win by an impressive 2 1/4 lengths.
_____
March 26
1944 — St. John’s, coached by Joe Lapchick, cruises by DePaul 47-39 to become the first back-to-back winner of the National Invitation Tournament.
1946 — Hank Iba’s Oklahoma A&M Aggies beat North Carolina 43-40 for their second straight NCAA men’s basketball title. Bob Kurland scores 23 points, including the first two dunks in NCAA tournament history.
1949 — Alex Groza leads Kentucky to a 46-36 victory over Oklahoma State for the NCAA championship.
1952 — Kansas’ Clyde Lovelette scores 33 points to lead the Jayhawks to a 80-63 win over St. John’s for the NCAA basketball title.
1972 — The Los Angeles Lakers beat Seattle 124-98 to finish the season at 69-13, the best record in NBA history, until the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls finish at 72-10.
1973 — Bill Walton scores 44 points to help UCLA win its record seventh NCAA basketball championship with an 87-66 triumph over Memphis State.
1974 — George Foreman knocks out Ken Norton in the second round in Caracas, Venezuela, to retain the world heavyweight title.
1994 — Utah’s John Stockton becomes the second player in NBA history to collect 2,000 career steals. Stockton gets a pair of steals during a 98-83 loss at Houston to join Maurice Cheeks, who finished his career with 2,310 steals.
2005 — In the NCAA men’s basketball regional finals, Louisville and Illinois make tremendous comebacks to force overtime and advance. Louisville, trailing by 20 to a West Virginia, complete an amazing come-from-behind 93-85 win. Illinois, trailing by 15 with just four minutes to play, went on a dazzling 20-5 run to send Arizona to a crushing 90-89 defeat.
2006 — George Mason stuns No. 1 seed Connecticut 86-84 in overtime to become the first No. 11 seed to reach the men’s Final Four since LSU in 1986.
2011 — Shelvin Mack scores 27 points, including five in overtime, as Butler returns to the Final Four with a 74-71 victory over Florida in the Southeast regional.
2012 — Jaime Alas scores in stoppage time and El Salvador forges a 3-3 tie that ousts the United States from Olympic qualifying. The Americans miss the Olympics for the second time since 1976.
2016 — Breanna Stewart has 22 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks to lead No. 1 UConn to a 98-38 record rout of fifth-seeded Mississippi State in the Bridgeport regional semifinals. The victory supplants the record 51-point win the Huskies had over Texas in the regional semifinals last year that set the NCAA record for margin of victory in the regional rounds and beyond.
2017 — Luke Maye hits a jumper with 0.3 seconds left, and top-seeded North Carolina holds off Kentucky 75-73 in the South Regional to earn a second straight trip to the Final Four and 20th all-time.
_____
March 27
1939 — Oregon beats Ohio State 46-33 in the NCAA’s first national basketball tournament.
1942 — Joe Louis knocks out Abe Simon in the sixth round at Madison Square Garden to retain his world heavyweight title.
1945 — Oklahoma A&M beats New York University 49-45 for the NCAA basketball championship.
1951 — Bill Spivey scores 22 points to lead Kentucky to a 68-58 win over Kansas State for the NCAA basketball title.
1960 — The Boston Celtics score a then NBA Finals record 76 points in the first half a 140-122 win over the St. Louis Hawks. Tom Heinsohn (24), Bill Sharman (23), Frank Ramsey (22) and Bob Cousy (20) each score 20-or-more points to win the series opener.
1971 — UCLA beats Villanova 68-62 for its fifth NCAA basketball title.
1978 — Jack Givens scores 41 points to lead Kentucky to a 94-88 victory over Duke for the NCAA basketball title.
1983 — Larry Holmes wins a unanimous 12-round decision over Lucien Rodriguez to retain his world heavyweight title in his hometown of Scranton, Pa.
2005 — Annika Sorenstam shoots a final-round 68 to finish at 15-under to win the Nabisco Championship by eight shots over Rosie Jones. It’s he 59th victory of the Swedish star’s LPGA Tour career — and her eighth major championship win.
2010 — Long shot Al Shemali wins the $5 million Dubai Duty Free, pulling away from a crowded field to pull off a surprisingly easy win in the Dubai World Cup. Al Shemali, at 40-1, starts slow then duels it out with Bankable before taking the lead for good.
2011 — Jamie Skeen scores 26 points as Virginia Commonwealth delivers the biggest upset of the NCAA tournament, a 71-61 win over No. 1 seed Kansas in the Southwest Regional final.
2014 — The Philadelphia 76ers tie the NBA record for futility with their 26th straight loss, falling 120-98 to the Houston Rockets. Philadelphia matches the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA’s worst skid.
2017 — UConn’s women’s basketball team advance to its 10th consecutive Final Four with a 90-52 victory against Oregon. The victory moves coach Geno Auriemma past Pat Summitt for the most NCAA Tournament victories at 113.
TV SPORTS FRIDAY
| MLB SPRING TRAINING | TIME ET | TV |
| Philadelphia vs Minnesota | 1:05pm | MLBN |
| Arizona vs Milwaukee | 9:10pm | MLBN |
| NBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Orlando Magic vs Washington Wizards | 7:00pm | MNMT FanDuel Sports FL |
| Philadelphia 76ers vs San Antonio Spurs | 8:00pm | ESPN NBCS-PHI FanDuel Sports SW |
| Charlotte Hornets vs Oklahoma City Thunder | 8:00pm | FanDuel Sports CHA FanDuel Sports OKC |
| Houston Rockets vs Miami Heat | 8:00pm | SCHN FanDuel Sports Sun |
| New Orleans Pelicans vs Minnesota Timberwolves | 8:00pm | GCSN FanDuel Sports North |
| Detroit Pistons vs Dallas Mavericks | 8:30pm | KFAA FanDuel Sports DET |
| Boston Celtics vs Utah Jazz | 9:30pm | KJZZ NBCS-BOS |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs Phoenix Suns | 10:00pm | FanDuel Sports Ohio AFSN |
| Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers | 10:00pm | Rip City ALT |
| Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Clippers | 10:30pm | FanDuel Sports SoCal FanDuel Sports MEM |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Columbus Blue Jackets vs Pittsburgh Penguins | 7:00pm | NHLN FanDuel Sports Ohio ATTSN-PIT |
| MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| NCAA First Round: (8) Mississippi State vs. (9) Baylor | 12:00pm | CBS |
| NCAA First Round: (2) Alabama vs. (15) Robert Morris | 12:30pm | TruTV |
| NCAA First Round: (3) Iowa State vs. (14) Lipscomb | 1:30pm | TNT |
| NCAA First Round: (5) Memphis vs. (12) Colorado State | 2:00pm | TBS |
| NCAA First Round: (1) Duke vs. (16) Mount St. Mary’s/American | 2:30pm | CBS |
| NCAA First Round: (7) Saint Mary’s vs. (10) Vanderbilt | 3:00pm | TruTV |
| NCAA First Round: (6) Ole Miss vs. (11) North Carolina/San Diego State | 4:00pm | TNT |
| NCAA First Round: (4) Maryland vs. (13) Grand Canyon | 4:30pm | TBS |
| NCAA First Round: (1) Florida vs. (16) Norfolk State | 6:45pm | TNT |
| NCAA First Round: (3) Kentucky vs. (14) Troy | 7:00pm | CBS |
| NCAA First Round: (7) Marquette vs. (10) New Mexico | 7:15pm | TBS |
| NCAA First Round: (4) Arizona vs. (13) Akron | 7:30pm | TruTV |
| NCAA First Round: (8) UConn vs. (9) Oklahoma | 9:15pm | TNT |
| NCAA First Round: (6) Illinois vs. (11) Xavier/Texas | 9:30pm | CBS |
| NCAA First Round: (2) Michigan State vs. (15) Bryant | 9:45pm | TBS |
| NCAA First Round: (5) Oregon vs. (12) Liberty | 10:00pm | TruTV |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| NASCAR Truck: Baptist Health 200 | 8:00pm | FOX |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA Tour: Valspar Championship | 2:00pm | GOLF |
| Champions Tour: Hoag Classic | 6:00pm | GOLF |
| DP World Tour: Singapore Classic | 10:30pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| World Cup Qualifying: Ecuador vs Venezuela | 5:00pm | Fanatiz |
| World Cup Qualifying: Uruguay vs Argentina | 7:30pm | Fanatiz |
| NWSL: Portland Thorns vs Angel City | 10:00pm | Prime |
TV SPORTS SATURDAY
| MLB SPRING TRAINING | TIME ET | TV |
| Cincinnati vs San Diego | 4:10pm | MLBN |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Brooklyn Nets vs Indiana Pacers | 5:00pm | YES FanDuel Sports IND |
| Golden State Warriors vs Atlanta Hawks | 7:00pm | NBCS-BAY FanDuel Sports ATL |
| Washington Wizards vs New York Knicks | 8:00pm | MNMT2 MSG |
| Milwaukee Bucks vs Sacramento Kings | 10:00pm | NBATV FanDuel Sports WI NBCS-CA |
| Chicago Bulls vs Los Angeles Lakers | 10:30pm | CHSN Spectrum |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Vancouver Canucks vs New York Rangers | 1:00pm | NHLN MSG Sportsnet |
| Philadelphia Flyers vs Dallas Stars | 2:00pm | ESPN+ Victory+ NBCS-PHI |
| Buffalo Sabres vs Minnesota Wild | 2:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports North MSG-BUF |
| Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues | 3:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports MW CHSN |
| Calgary Flames vs New York Islanders | 4:00pm | ESPN+ MSGSN Sportsnet |
| Carolina Hurricanes vs Los Angeles Kings | 4:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South FanDuel Sports West |
| Florida Panthers vs Washington Capitals | 5:00pm | ESPN+ MNMT Scripps |
| Tampa Bay Lightning vs Utah Hockey Club | 5:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Sun Utah16 |
| Colorado Avalanche vs Montreal Canadiens | 7:00pm | ESPN+ ALT Sportsnet |
| Ottawa Senators vs New Jersey Devils | 7:00pm | ESPN+ MSGSN2 Sportsnet |
| Toronto Maple Leafs vs Nashville Predators | 7:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South Sportsnet |
| Detroit Red Wings vs Vegas Golden Knights | 8:00pm | ABC ESPN+ |
| Seattle Kraken vs Edmonton Oilers | 10:00pm | ESPN+ KONG Sportsnet |
| Boston Bruins vs San Jose Sharks | 10:30pm | ESPN+ NESN NBCS-CA |
| MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| NCAA Second Round | – | – |
| NCAA Second Round | – | – |
| NCAA Second Round | – | – |
| NCAA Second Round | – | – |
| NCAA Second Round | – | – |
| NCAA Second Round | – | – |
| NCAA Second Round | – | – |
| NCAA Second Round | – | – |
| NIT Second Round | – | – |
| NIT Second Round | – | – |
| NIT Second Round | – | – |
| NIT Second Round | – | – |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| Xfinity: NASCAR Xfinity S Race at Homestead-Miami | 4:00pm | CW |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA Tour: Valspar Championship | 1:00pm | GOLF |
| PGA Tour: Valspar Championship | 3:00pm | NBC |
| BOWLING | TIME ET | TV |
| PBA Tour: WSOB XVI World Championship | 3:00pm | FS1 |
| FISHING | TIME ET | TV |
| Bassmaster Classic | 12:00pm | FOX |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| World Cup Qualifying: Liechtenstein vs North Macedonia | 10:00am | FS1 fuboTV |
| World Cup Qualifying: Moldova vs Norway | 1:00pm | FS2 fuboTV |
| World Cup Qualifying: Montenegro vs Gibraltar | 1:00pm | Tubi fuboTV |
| MLS: Cincinnati vs Atlanta United | 2:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| World Cup Qualifying: Israel vs Estonia | 3:45pm | Tubi fuboTV |
| World Cup Qualifying: Wales vs Kazakhstan | 3:45pm | fuboTV |
| World Cup Qualifying: Czech Republic vs Faroe Islands | 3:45pm | fuboTV |
| MLS: Minnesota United vs LA Galaxy | 4:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Charlotte vs SJ Earthquakes | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Columbus Crew vs New York City | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: New York RB vs Toronto FC | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Orlando City SC vs DC United | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Philadelphia Union vs St. Louis City | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| NWSL: Washington Spirit vs Kansas City Current | 7:30pm | Tubi ION |
| MLS: Nashville SC vs CF Montréal | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Sporting KC vs Los Angeles FC | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| NWSL: Colorado Rapids vs Portland Timbers | 9:30pm | Tubi ION |
| NWSL: Real Salt Lake vs Dallas | 9:30pm | Tubi ION |
| MLS: Seattle Sounders FC vs Houston Dynamo | 10:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Chicago Fire | 10:30pm | MLS Season Pass |