MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD
#4 UCLA 60 COLORADO 56
#20 PROVIDENCE 88 GEORGETOWN 68
MARYLAND 75 #21 NORTHWESTERN 59
MISSOURI STATE 66 INDIANA STATE 62
ILLINOIS STATE 72 EVANSVILLE 53
MURRAY STATE 77 VALPARAISO 76 OT
MICHIGAN 87 WISCONSIN 79 OT
OHIO STATE 72 ILLINOIS 60
RUTGERS 59 PENN STATE 56
MEMPHIS 76 CINCINNATI 73
STANFORD 81 WASHINGTON 69
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230226
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD
#1 SOUTH CAROLINA 73 GEORGIA 63
#6 IOWA 86 #2 INDIANA 85
#5 LSU 74 MISSISSIPPI STATE 59
#9 VIRGINIA TECH 65 GEORGIA TECH 52
#10 NOTRE DAME 68 LOUISVILLE 65
#22 NORTH CAROLINA 45 #11 DUKE 41
WISCONSIN 78 #12 MICHIGAN 70
CLEMSON 74 #23 FLORIDA STATE 61
#25 ILLINOIS 75 RUTGERS 53
MINNESOTA 77 PURDUE 60
ARKANSAS 78 TEXAS A&M 65
MIAMI FLORIDA 85 VIRGINIA 74
MEMPHIS 69 SMU 68 OT
TENNESSEE 83 KENTUCKY 63
NEBRASKA 80 NORTHWESTERN 64
BOSTON COLLEGE 73 WAKE FOREST 63
OLE MISS 57 ALABAMA 55
KANSAS 66 OKLAHOMA STATE 57
FLORIDA 61 MISSOURI 52
AUBURN 78 VANDERBILT 76
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230226
NBA SCOREBOARD
MILWAUKEE 104 PHOENIX 101
ATLANTA 129 BROOKLYN 127
CHICAGO 102 WASHINGTON 82
LA LAKERS 111 DALLAS 108
CLEVELAND 118 TORONTO 93
SACRAMENTO 124 OKLAHOMA CITY 115
GOLDEN STATE 109 MINNESOTA 104
PORTLAND 131 HOUSTON 114
DENVER 134 LA CLIPPERS 124 OT
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP
NHL SCOREBOARD
BUFFALO 7 WASHINGTON 4
MINNESOTA 3 COLUMBUS 2
NY ISLANDERS 4 WINNIPEG 0
NY RANGERS 5 LOS ANGELES 2
PITTSBURGH 7 TAMPA BAY 3
NASHVILLE 6 ARIZONA 2
TORONTO 5 SEATTLE 1
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL – SPRING TRAINING
TEXAS 13 CLEVELAND 4
KANSAS CITY 8 SEATTLE 7
LA DODGERS 9 CHICAGO CUBS 4
SAN FRANCISCO 7 CINCINNATI 6
LA ANGELS 7 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 0
OAKLAND 11 MILWAUKEE (SS) 4
SAN DIEGO 18 ARIZONA 6
COLORADO 12 MILWAUKEE (SS) 6
BOSTON 7 TAMPA BAY 6
BALTIMORE 10 DETROIT 6
NY YANKEES (SS) 7 ATLANTA 0
WASHINGTON (SS) 3 HOUSTON 2
PHILADELPHIA 10 MINNESOTA 8
NY YANKEES (SS) 9 TORONTO 5
NY METS 6 WASHINGTON (SS) 3
ST. LOUIS 8 MIAMI 2
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/MLB/SCOREBOARD.ASP
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
Lillard has 71 pts and 13 3s; Blazers beat Rockets 131-114
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Damian Lillard set franchise and career highs with 71 points – tied for the most in the NBA this season – and 13 3-pointers and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a two-game skid with a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
Lillard tied Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan. 2.
“I enjoy those moments in the game when I’m just going after people,” Lillard said, “when I’m in attack mode.”
And Lillard got drug tested by the league shortly after his performance – which kind of dampened the moment because Lillard is afraid of needles.
“I know I’ve got a lot of tattoos, but when you’re doing a blood draw, it’s different from tattoos. It brought me down from here to floor,” Lillard said gesturing from above his head and then dropping his hand.
Lillard broke his own franchise mark of 61 points, which he’d done twice, on a 3-pointer with 4:42 left that also topped his previous career record for 3s, which was 11.
Lillard’s 13 3-pointers were one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State’s Klay Thompson in 2018. Thompson’s Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (2016) and Chicago’s Zach LaVine (2019) also made 13 3s.
“I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you’re hot, you’re in attack mode, you’re feeling good,” Lillard said. “But it’s the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like when I walked off the court, was I supposed to be overly excited, or what?”
In the final minutes, the crowd at the Moda Center was on its feet, phones recording the moment, while chanting “MVP! MVP!”
Lillard left the game with 44 seconds left, tied with Mitchell, Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1994) for the eighth-most points scored in a game in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain owns the league record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Lillard had 41 points and eight 3-pointers by halftime. It was a career high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter.
Lillard finished 22 of 38 from the floor and he hit on 13 of his 22 3-point attempts. He was also 14 of 14 from the foul line.
Jerami Grant added 13 points for the Blazers, who led by as many as 23. Portland is part of a cluster of eight Western Conference just four wins apart that are vying for playoff spots.
Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, sitting in last place in the Western Conference with just 13 overall wins and nine straight losses.
“It’s not like we didn’t give effort, he made some really tough shots,” said Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who sat Sengun midway through the third quarter for the rest of the game. “But we need everyone to give effort on the defensive end.”
Houston trailed 102-88 heading into the final quarter, but scored the first six points of the period to close the gap to 102-94. Grant’s 3-pointer for Portland extended the margin to 108-98.
Lillard’s 3, his 11th of the night to tie his career high, made it 113-103 with 6:43 left. He added a driving layup and a free throw. Houston could not catch up.
Lillard started after resting for Thursday night’s 133-116 loss to Sacramento. He participated in the NBA All-Star Game and won the 3-point contest the previous weekend.
But Portland remained without center Jusuf Nurkic (left calf) and guard Anfernee Simons (right ankle).
The Blazers led 73-58 at the break with Lillard the 10th player since the 1996-97 season with 40-plus points in a half.
Lillard has 15 games with 50 or more points, sixth-most in NBA history.
“It really, really was a masterful performance,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “It was a piece of art. That was incredible.”
Even Mitchell took notice.
“My mom calls me and says (at)Dame-Lillard tied your record . you gotta get 72 now,” Mitchell posted on Twitter with some laughing emojis.
SIDELINED
Guards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. did not play, althoughSilas said both should be available for the team’s short upcoming homestand. Green missed his second game with a strained left groin. Porter has been out 19 games because of a left foot contusion.
TIP-INS
Rockets: It was the third and final meeting between the teams this season. The Blazers won the previous two. Last season, the series ended 2-2. … Jae’Sean Tate had four fouls in the first half, but finished with 17 points.
Trail Blazers: Following reports Lillard was rallying his teammates for the final 23 games of the season, Billups was asked how he’s motivating his team for the stretch run. “What I’m mostly always talking about is `Here’s where we are. Here’s how we got there. This is how we’ve got to climb out of it,'” Billups said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Return home to face the Denver Nugget on Tuesday.
Trail Blazers: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
BUCKS OUTLAST SUNS 104-101 FOR 14TH CONSECUTIVE VICTORY
MILWAUKEE (AP) Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence couldn’t prevent the Milwaukee Bucks from extending the longest winning streak in the NBA this season.
Jrue Holiday scored 33 points and produced a critical steal, Brook Lopez made a tiebreaking layup with 24.8 seconds left and the Bucks edged the Phoenix Suns 104-101 on Sunday for their 14th consecutive victory.
The rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals didn’t include either Antetokounmpo or new Suns superstar Kevin Durant, but it still featured 14 lead changes and plenty of late drama.
“Both teams obviously have history,” Lopez said. “Those are the fun games, where the refs let it get physical a little bit, you can really go after each other. It was a great atmosphere.”
Durant has yet to appear in a game for the Suns and hasn’t played since Jan. 8 because of a sprained right medial collateral ligament. Antetokounmpo was out with a bruised right quadriceps after leaving in the first quarter of the Bucks’ 128-99 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday.
“It’s enough where he can’t play today, but I think we’re also confident that this is just a fairly common occurrence in our league,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. “You hit knees, you knock, sometimes it takes a day or two, and it’s really nothing more than that.”
Holiday led all scorers, while Lopez had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Khris Middleton added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Devin Booker scored 24 points, Deandre Ayton had 22 and Chris Paul added 18 for Phoenix. Ayton also had 11 rebounds.
After Booker made a game-tying jumper with 33 seconds left, the Bucks called a timeout and got the ball to Middleton, who found Lopez for the go-ahead layup.
Holiday said he initially expected Middleton to shoot the ball.
“It’s a great play,” Holiday said. “At first, I kind of saw it, but I thought that Khris was going to shoot it because that’s just what `K’ does. But he’s a playmaker. He’s not just a scorer.”
Phoenix called a timeout and went back to Booker, who lost possession as Holiday forced the steal and Lopez got the loose ball.
“That’s just the defender he is, the player he is,” Lopez said of Holiday. “He’s one of the top two-way players in the league, at least the top three. Just absolutely phenomenal. Just the best two-way player in the league. Those are the plays he makes just time and time again.”
Booker said there was contact on the play, but no foul was called, a reflection of the game’s physical nature.
“I was touched,” Booker said. “But I did the same thing to Jrue on the other end. On that play, he hit my arm. But it’s playoff-type basketball and refs are going to let things go. And that was that.”
Joe Ingles made the first of two free throws to extend Milwaukee’s lead to 103-100 with 11.3 seconds left. Ingles missed the second free throw and the ball initially was ruled out of bounds on Milwaukee.
But after Budenholzer challenged the call, replays determined the ball actually went out on Phoenix’s Terrence Ross. Holiday sank the first of two free throws with 10 seconds left but also missed the second, making the score 104-100.
Booker was fouled on a 3 by Ingles with 0.9 seconds left but missed the first free throw. Booker made the second and intentionally missed the third, but Lopez got the rebound to seal the victory.
TIP-INS
Suns: Booker increased his career point total to 12,143 to overtake Shawn Marion (12,134) for fourth place on the Suns’ all-time list. The Suns’ career scoring leader is Walter Davis, with 15,666 points from 1977-88. … The Suns lost for just the fifth time in their last 17 games.
Bucks: Wesley Matthews missed a second straight game due to a right calf strain. He also won’t be available Tuesday at Brooklyn. … Pat Connaughton returned after missing the Heat game with a sore left calf, but he went scoreless in 13 minutes. … Ex-Suns forward Jae Crowder had seven points. He made two 3-pointers during Milwaukee’s fourth-quarter comeback. … The Bucks’ franchise record for consecutive wins is 20 straight during their 1970-71 championship season.
UP NEXT
Suns: At Charlotte on Wednesday.
Bucks: at Brooklyn on Tuesday.
DEROZAN, LAVINE COMBINE FOR 56, BULLS ZOOM PAST WIZARDS
CHICAGO (AP) DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, Zach LaVine added 27 and the Chicago Bulls overcame their shooting woes from long range Sunday to beat the Washington Wizards 102-82.
Alex Caruso and LaVine each sank 3-pointers midway through the third quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a 57-52 lead the Bulls wouldn’t relinquish. Before the consecutive 3s, the Bulls converted only one of their first 16 3-point attempts.
“We have to find ugly ways to win games,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.
The Bulls (28-33) won their second game in a row after losing six straight to close the first half of the season. They finished shooting 8 of 30 from 3-point range, while the Wizards shot only 6 of 28 from long range.
Bradley Beal scored 18 points for the Wizards (28-32), who lost their second consecutive game. They played without forward-center Kristaps Porzingis due to left knee soreness and guard Monte Morris was scratched less than an hour before tip off because of lower back soreness.
The Wizards managed to stay close for three quarters thanks to balanced scoring by Beal, Daniel Gafford (15) and Delon Wright (14). Washington also managed 44 points in the paint.
Beal, however, missed three free throws to start the fourth quarter, and Andre Drummond’s putback extended the Bulls’ lead to 81-72.
“We have to do a better job of screening to free up guys,” coach Wes Unseld Jr. said after the Wizards committed 16 turnovers. “A lot of them (Bulls defenders) shoot the gap and be disruptive from that regard. But those turnovers are costly. Those are empty possessions for us and leads to some transition opportunities for them.
“We got to do a better job of that, fighting force with force and manage their physicality.”
Despite the Bulls’ struggles from long range, they had an 11-0 spurt, punctuated by a 3-pointer by Patrick Williams, to take a 32-27 lead nearly three minutes into the second quarter.
DeRozan and LaVine combined to shoot 22 for 33 from the field.
LaVine made eight of 10 shots en route to a 17-point first half. Coby White came off the bench to score 17 on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers.
“We can’t afford to have those slipups,” LaVine said of the Bulls’ two straight victories. “Obviously, we know teams are going to make their runs. You get a team down, got to keep them down and close the game out. We can’t afford to have those back-and-forths where you give up a big lead.”
NO TANKING
Donovan said before the game there were no discussions with team officials about tanking the rest of the season. The Bulls’ first pick was sent to Orlando in the Nikola Vucevic trade, but it becomes protected and retained if they don’t make the playoffs and they land in the lottery within the first four picks.
“I’ve never had a situation from ownership, front office, that has said, `Listen, we’ve got an opportunity to potentially manipulate or get a higher draft pick, (saying) let’s sit these guys. let’s give these guys an opportunity,'” Donovan said. “That’s never taken place. I respect that and appreciate that.”
UP NEXT
Wizards: Play at Atlanta on Tuesday night.
Bulls: Travel to Toronto to play the Raptors on Tuesday night.
DAVIS LEADS RALLY FROM 27 DOWN AS LAKERS BEAT MAVS 111-108
DALLAS (AP) Anthony Davis dunked a missed shot and screamed after giving the Los Angeles Lakers the lead for good with two minutes to go.
So much for the 27-point deficit in a showcase of stars that went from a laugher to a thriller with 13 fourth-quarter lead changes.
Davis had 30 points and 15 rebounds, LeBron James scored 26 and the Lakers completed their biggest rally in 21 years, beating the same team again in a 111-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
The fourth win in five games for LA came after trailing by 27 in the middle of the second quarter – the same deficit the Lakers faced at the start of the fourth at home against Dallas on Dec. 6, 2002, before finishing a 30-point rally in a 105-103 victory.
“The guys never got discouraged,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “They had that look of frustration, but it wasn’t a look of defeatedness on their faces. Everybody just wanted to stay encouraged.”
Luka Doncic scored 26 points for the Mavs, but the youngest of the four superstars was limited and frustrated, largely by the defense of Jarred Vanderbilt, after a 14-point first quarter that sent Dallas on its way to the huge lead.
Kyrie Irving had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas, but didn’t take over in the fourth quarter the way he did in his first victory with Doncic since the trade from Brooklyn – over lowly San Antonio.
“We have to grow up if we want to win a championship,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “What the Lakers just showed us is it’s not the rabbit that wins; it’s the turtle. And they worked the game. And that’s what we have to get better at.”
Davis and James were the fourth-quarter standouts as trade acquisition D’Angelo Russell sat out after spraining his ankle in a victory over defending champion Golden State in the previous game.
The Lakers had what looked like an ankle scare with James as the rally was gaining steam in the third quarter, with the recently crowned all-time scoring leader staying down for several minutes holding his lower right leg. He stayed in the game.
“It’s been better,” said James, who limped through the tunnel after the game. “But I definitely wasn’t going to locker room and not finish the game. The importance of this game and then the momentum that we had, I felt like we could steal one after being down.”
After the injury, James hit a tying 3-pointer to start the fourth, then another bucket for LA’s first lead since the middle of the first quarter.
After Davis’ rebound and dunk for a 104-103 lead with 2:00 remaining, James scored for a three-point edge.
The Mavericks were still down three with 15 seconds left when an inbound pass from Irving to Doncic was headed toward the backcourt. Doncic ran to save it from going into the backcourt, thinking it would be a turnover if he didn’t.
Davis grabbed the loose ball, forcing Dallas to foul. Doncic could have let the ball go past midcourt without Dallas losing possession.
Irving said he threw the ball toward the backcourt to give Doncic more room, and figured the soon-to-be 24-year-old would know he could let it cross midcourt.
“Once I saw him try to save it from half court, I looked at him about a minute later, `You know you could go backcourt?'” Irving said. “He’s like, `Ah, man, that’s my fault.’ This is what it’s going to be like when you’re learning in-game with one another.”
Vanderbilt, another trade pickup for LA, had 15 points, 17 rebounds and four steals, including two during a 12-0 third-quarter run that got the deficit inside 10 for the first time since late in the first.
TIP-INS
Lakers: LA won despite an 0-of-15 start from 3-point range, and was being outscored 30-0 from deep by the second quarter. The comeback was methodical, and inside-oriented, as the Lakers outscored the Mavericks 62-32 in the paint. … Dennis Schroder had 16 points and a game-high eight assists.
Mavericks: Dallas cooled off after a hot start from going 8 of 26 after the break. Doncic made his first 3 but missed four of the last five. Irving was 1 of 8 from deep after halftime. … Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points and helped fuel the early Dallas surge by blocking a shot from James, running down the loose ball and throwing a long pass to Doncic for a layup just before the first-quarter buzzer.
UP NEXT
Lakers: At Memphis on Tuesday.
Mavericks: Indiana visits Tuesday.
MITCHELL SCORES 35 POINTS, CAVALIERS ROUT RAPTORS 118-93
CLEVELAND (AP) Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and Jarrett Allen had 23 points and 11 rebounds, sending the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
Mitchell made eight 3-pointers – one shy of his career high – and had six rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes as the Cavaliers snapped their three-game losing streak and remained fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Darius Garland added 18 points and 11 assists, and Evan Mobley had 18 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland, which built a 110-80 lead in the fourth quarter and improved to 26-7 at home this season.
“We hadn’t played our best basketball the last three games, so we just came out and were aggressive,” said Mitchell, who scored 13 points in both the second and third quarters. “Darius got us going scoring-wise and the rest of us took over from there.”
Pascal Siakam paced Toronto with 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl had 13 points and nine boards. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet missed his third straight game for personal reasons.
The Cavaliers avoided a four-game season sweep by the Raptors.
“This was a big game for us and Donovan is a guy who shines brightest when we need him the most,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Most important, he’s a part of the team and I can’t say enough about that.”
The Raptors had won a season-high four in a row and are 7-2 since Feb. 3, moving into ninth in the East. They failed to reach .500 for the first time since Dec. 9 with the 25-point loss, shooting 38.7% from the field.
“What makes Donovan difficult to guard is he uses combination moves offensively,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “A lot of times, he moves in three different directions in one move over and over. Not a lot of guys can do that.”
Mitchell and Garland combined to make their first seven 3-point attempts and Allen made his first seven shots, staking Cleveland to a 64-52 halftime advantage. Mobley grabbed seven rebounds in the second quarter.
Veteran swingman Danny Green, who signed with the Cavaliers earlier this month, converted a four-point play in the fourth. It was his first appearance in a home game for Cleveland.
Toronto is in the midst of an eight-game stretch that only includes one at home. The span began with a 95-91 victory at Detroit on Saturday afternoon.
DOUBLE WHAMMY
Bickerstaff challenged an offensive foul by Mitchell in the third quarter. Not only did the officials uphold Mitchell’s push-off under the basket against Poeltl, they upgraded it to a flagrant-1 foul for being an unnatural basketball play.
“It’s a judgement call on their part, but I don’t know how you shoot a layup without putting your leg up,” Bickerstaff said. “I thought Donovan went to shoot a layup.”
Mitchell also disagreed with the decision, saying, “I felt like I didn’t foul him.”
TIP-INS
Raptors: G Scottie Barnes has overcome a rough start to his second season. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists since the beginning of January. “Scottie is back to playing with super joy and enthusiasm, just like he did in his rookie season,” Nurse said. … Nurse and Barnes were both called for technical fouls in the first eight minutes.
Cavaliers: G Dylan Windler, a first-round draft pick in 2019, is averaging 5.3 points through three games on a G League assignment with the Cleveland Charge. He missed the first four months with a sprained right ankle and has not logged a minute in the NBA since April 10, 2022. … The Cavaliers have one open roster spot following the release of five-time All-Star F Kevin Love.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
Cavaliers: Visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
FOX SCORES 33 AS KINGS BEAT THUNDER FOR 3RD STRAIGHT WIN
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown was worried his team might come out flat two days after one of the wildest games in NBA history.
Sacramento defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in two overtimes Friday night in the league’s second highest-scoring game ever. As it turned out, Brown had nothing to worry about.
De’Aaron Fox had 33 points and eight assists and the Kings defeated the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder 124-115 on Sunday night for their third straight victory.
The Kings led 36-26 after the first quarter and never trailed.
“At times, we start slow in situations like this, and it was great to see our starters go out there and kind of establish themselves and set the tone,” Brown said.
It was Sacramento’s third game in four nights – another reason for the concern about energy.
“You take a win in that situation a thousand times out of a thousand times,” Brown said.
Keegan Murray scored 20 points and Domantas Sabonis added 14 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Kings, who shot 52.9% from the field.
“The effort it takes to defend them for 48 minutes is substantial because they play with great pace, they have good creators and they’ve got shooting everywhere,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “So it’s not easy to do. But if you want to win the game, that’s what you have to do.”
Brown said he knew the Kings needed to take the Thunder seriously.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re down 15, down 20, up 20, they’re playing the same way,” Brown said. “They’re coming at you on both ends of the floor with physicality, that if you don’t match it, you’re going to get ran out of the gym.”
Isaiah Joe scored 24 points and Lu Dort and Josh Giddey each added 18 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder have lost all three of their games since the All-Star break.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat out with right ankle soreness and an abdominal strain. The All-Star leads the Thunder with 31 points per game – fifth-most in the league heading into the night.
Fox scored 14 points in the first half to help the Kings take a 58-50 lead. He got loose for a windmill dunk on a fast break to give the Kings a 74-59 lead in the third quarter.
The Thunder got hot later in the period. Joe scored 11 points in the final 3:50 of the third quarter to trim Sacramento’s lead to 94-90 heading into the fourth.
The Kings threatened to run away with the game before Joe made a 3-pointer, was fouled and made the free throw with 5:19 remaining to trim Sacramento’s lead to 113-104, but the Thunder never made another surge.
“They’re a great offensive team, obviously, so there’s got to be a little more resistance defensively to beat them,” Daigneault said. “I thought we got to it in the second quarter a little bit and at different times throughout the game, but not consistently enough.”
SPECIAL HONOR
The Kings honored radio play-by-play man Gary “G-Man” Gerould as Defensive Player of the Game in honor of his 3,000th Kings broadcast over 38 years.
The team cheered the decision loudly in the locker room.
“I think that was probably the best call by our coaching staff,” Brown said. “I think our players really thought that G-Man deserved it tonight because of his ability to communicate.”
TIP-INS
Kings: Sabonis, who was drafted by Orlando in 2016 and traded to Oklahoma City that same night, had nine points, five rebounds and five assists in the first quarter. … Trey Lyles scored 16 points.
Thunder: Joe got the start in place of Gilgeous-Alexander. … Jalen Williams scored 15 points and Lindy Waters III added 12.
UP NEXT
The teams play again Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
THOMPSON, WARRIORS’ SUPPORTING CAST HOLD OFF TIMBERWOLVES
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) So close to a playoff spot in the clogged-up Western Conference standings, this win meant so much for coach Steve Kerr’s undermanned Golden State Warriors – for many reasons.
The defending NBA champions were down three starters once again, and old stand-by Klay Thompson and newcomer Donte DiVincenzo delivered on both ends when it mattered most.
Thompson scored 32 points, including a key 3-pointer with 2:05 to play, and the Warriors held off the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-104 on Sunday in a matchup of teams fighting neck-and-neck for postseason positioning.
“This is a huge win not only for the standings but for the confidence of the guys,” Kerr said. “That was a team win. Everybody came in there and competed and played well.”
DiVincenzo put Golden State ahead for good on a 3 with 3:02 left and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He also won a jump ball in the final minute.
Naz Reid scored a career-high 30 points and added nine rebounds for Minnesota, but the Timberwolves have lost three straight and four of five.
Kevon Looney grabbed 17 rebounds and has 13 or more in six consecutive games. He finished with 12 points, and his career-best sixth game in a row with double-digit boards was much-needed for a depleted Warriors team.
“I think it has a huge impact,” Looney said. “I think last year that was one of our biggest strengths, especially in the playoffs, our rebounding.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer put Minnesota ahead 87-78 going into the final 12 minutes before the Warriors rallied behind Thompson. He overcame a slow start to shine late, following up his 42-point gem Friday night in which he matched a season high with 12 3-pointers.
Thompson missed five of his first six from deep Sunday. But with injured Splash Brother Stephen Curry cheering from the bench, Thompson’s 3 with 6:11 left got Golden State within 96-92 and then he followed it with a baseline jumper under pressure.
The Warriors were missing Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins again.
DiVincenzo said the team found “heart” down the stretch.
“It’s huge for your confidence,” DiVincenzo said. “So when those big dogs come back we’re clicking in the second unit.”
Green had a setback with his troublesome right knee and is scheduled for additional tests.
“It flared up today, so he will be more thoroughly checked out today by our medical staff,” Kerr said before the game. “So it was sort of unexpected the way he came through treatment yesterday and everything was looking good, and he had to step back today.”
Golden State has won 12 straight in the series at home but shot 9 for 24 in the first quarter, 1 of 6 by Jordan Poole. The Warriors were 6 of 20 from deep in the first half but grabbed a 59-57 advantage at the break.
BIG HITTERS
Retired baseball sluggers Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez – a T-Wolves owner – sat together courtside opposite Minnesota’s bench.
LOONEY ON THE GLASS
Looney has 24 games with double-digit rebounds, most for Golden State since Green had 37 in 2015-16. The last Warriors player with 13 or more rebounds in six straight games was Andris Biedrins from Dec. 28, 2008, to Jan. 7, 2009.
“We’ve just come to expect it now. He’s an elite rebounder,” Kerr said.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Reid shot 12 for 22 overall and had 18 points in the first quarter on 7-for-9 shooting. … Minnesota C Rudy Gobert is sick. F Taurean Prince is out for personal reasons and G Jaylen Nowell is nursing a left knee injury. … Minnesota had won two straight on the road.
Warriors: Curry, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, missed his eighth straight game with a left leg injury after getting hurt against Dallas on Feb. 4. … Wiggins sat out a fourth consecutive game while dealing with a family matter and Kerr isn’t sure when he might return.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night to continue a four-game California trip.
Warriors: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
LILLARD HAS 71 PTS AND 13 3S; BLAZERS BEAT ROCKETS 131-114
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Damian Lillard set franchise and career highs with 71 points – tied for the most in the NBA this season – and 13 3-pointers and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a two-game skid with a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
Lillard tied Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan. 2.
“I enjoy those moments in the game when I’m just going after people,” Lillard said, “when I’m in attack mode.”
And Lillard got drug tested by the league shortly after his performance – which kind of dampened the moment because Lillard is afraid of needles.
“I know I’ve got a lot of tattoos, but when you’re doing a blood draw, it’s different from tattoos. It brought me down from here to floor,” Lillard said gesturing from above his head and then dropping his hand.
Lillard broke his own franchise mark of 61 points, which he’d done twice, on a 3-pointer with 4:42 left that also topped his previous career record for 3s, which was 11.
Lillard’s 13 3-pointers were one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State’s Klay Thompson in 2018. Thompson’s Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (2016) and Chicago’s Zach LaVine (2019) also made 13 3s.
“I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you’re hot, you’re in attack mode, you’re feeling good,” Lillard said. “But it’s the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like when I walked off the court, was I supposed to be overly excited, or what?”
In the final minutes, the crowd at the Moda Center was on its feet, phones recording the moment, while chanting “MVP! MVP!”
Lillard left the game with 44 seconds left, tied with Mitchell, Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1994) for the eighth-most points scored in a game in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain owns the league record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Lillard had 41 points and eight 3-pointers by halftime. It was a career high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter.
Lillard finished 22 of 38 from the floor and he hit on 13 of his 22 3-point attempts. He was also 14 of 14 from the foul line.
Jerami Grant added 13 points for the Blazers, who led by as many as 23. Portland is part of a cluster of eight Western Conference just four wins apart that are vying for playoff spots.
Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, sitting in last place in the Western Conference with just 13 overall wins and nine straight losses.
“It’s not like we didn’t give effort, he made some really tough shots,” said Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who sat Sengun midway through the third quarter for the rest of the game. “But we need everyone to give effort on the defensive end.”
Houston trailed 102-88 heading into the final quarter, but scored the first six points of the period to close the gap to 102-94. Grant’s 3-pointer for Portland extended the margin to 108-98.
Lillard’s 3, his 11th of the night to tie his career high, made it 113-103 with 6:43 left. He added a driving layup and a free throw. Houston could not catch up.
Lillard started after resting for Thursday night’s 133-116 loss to Sacramento. He participated in the NBA All-Star Game and won the 3-point contest the previous weekend.
But Portland remained without center Jusuf Nurkic (left calf) and guard Anfernee Simons (right ankle).
The Blazers led 73-58 at the break with Lillard the 10th player since the 1996-97 season with 40-plus points in a half.
Lillard has 15 games with 50 or more points, sixth-most in NBA history.
“It really, really was a masterful performance,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “It was a piece of art. That was incredible.”
Even Mitchell took notice.
“My mom calls me and says (at)Dame-Lillard tied your record . you gotta get 72 now,” Mitchell posted on Twitter with some laughing emojis.
SIDELINED
Guards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. did not play, althoughSilas said both should be available for the team’s short upcoming homestand. Green missed his second game with a strained left groin. Porter has been out 19 games because of a left foot contusion.
TIP-INS
Rockets: It was the third and final meeting between the teams this season. The Blazers won the previous two. Last season, the series ended 2-2. … Jae’Sean Tate had four fouls in the first half, but finished with 17 points.
Trail Blazers: Following reports Lillard was rallying his teammates for the final 23 games of the season, Billups was asked how he’s motivating his team for the stretch run. “What I’m mostly always talking about is `Here’s where we are. Here’s how we got there. This is how we’ve got to climb out of it,'” Billups said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Return home to face the Denver Nugget on Tuesday.
Trail Blazers: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
GEORGE’S HEAVE JUST LATE, JOKIC AND NUGGETS TOP CLIPS IN OT
DENVER (AP) Nikola Jokic had 40 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 134-124 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Clippers in a matchup of Western Conference contenders Sunday night.
Paul George nearly won it for the Clippers with an incredible shot at the end of regulation, but his long heave from just in front of the 3-point line in the backcourt came just after the buzzer.
It was the 23rd triple-double of the season for Jokic and his 14th in the past 19 games. Denver is undefeated this season when he has a triple-double.
“If you’re looking for a super athlete to win MVP, he’s not your candidate,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “If you’re looking for a great player that impacts winning in every possible way, whose team is first place in the Western Conference, then he’s your man. Frankly, I don’t give a damn what people think. I know he’s the MVP and his teammates know that and all the fans here in Denver and back home in Serbia know that.”
Michael Porter Jr. had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray added 21 points and 12 assists.
Kawhi Leonard had 33 points to pace the Clippers – two nights after scoring a season-high 44 in a double-overtime loss against Sacramento. George finished with 23 points.
One night after scoring a season-low 94 points in an 18-point loss at Memphis, the Nuggets shot 51% overall – including 63.2% on 2-pointers.
“When we get embarrassed, I think we do a really good job of showing up the next game,” Malone said. “One thing we’re always talking about is good teams don’t lose two games in a row. That’s something you strive for. Tonight, we were able to pull it out.”
Denver is 4-0 this season against the Clippers, with each victory coming by at least 10 points.
Denver led by 18 in the first quarter and had a nine-point advantage entering the fourth, but George’s three-point play gave the Clippers their first lead, 109-107, with 4:17 remaining.
With his team trailing 118-117, Porter drained a 3-pointer with 26.6 seconds left, but George sank two free throws on the ensuing possession and the game went to overtime tied at 120.
“I think we’re right there,” George said. “We’re right where we want to be. We’ve just got to continue to keep working. These late-game losses, we’ll turn these around and we’ll figure out how to win these tough ones.”
HOMECOMING FOR HYLAND
Bones Hyland, a Nuggets first-round draft pick in 2021, played in Denver for the first time since being traded to the Clippers on Feb. 9. He was booed for much of the night and finished with 10 points in 15 minutes.
“Just with how things were playing out, I probably knew a little bit,” Hyland said when asked if he was surprised to be traded. “I’ve got so much love for Denver. I thank them for taking a chance on a kid like me.”
Hyland averaged 10.9 points in 111 career games with Denver, the fewest played by a Nuggets first-round selection between 2006-21.
“Just because you got to play a lot last year because guys were injured doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s going to be a role for you to play a lot this year,” Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said. “I think that was always going to be a point of friction for him and for the club.”
UP NEXT
Clippers: Will host Minnesota on Tuesday.
Nuggets: Play at Houston on Tuesday.
HAWKS HIRE SNYDER AS COACH TO REPLACE FIRED MCMILLAN
ATLANTA (AP) Quin Snyder has been hired as coach of the Atlanta Hawks to replace the fired Nate McMillan, the team announced Sunday.
The Hawks reached an agreement with Snyder on a five-year deal only five days after firing McMillan on Tuesday. The team has scheduled a news conference for Monday to introduce Snyder.
The announcement from the team Sunday came shortly after the Hawks’ second straight win under interim coach Joe Prunty, a buzzer-beating 129-127 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
When announcing McMillan’s firing, general manager Landry Fields stressed that Atlanta’s eighth-place standing in the Eastern Conference was not acceptable for a team that advanced to the conference finals in 2021. On Wednesday, Fields confirmed Snyder was a candidate.
Because Snyder, 56, was available, the agreement to return to Atlanta, where he was an assistant on Mike Budenholzer’s staff during the 2013-14 season, was reached quickly.
The decision to fire McMillan at the All-Star break allowed Fields to negotiate exclusively with Snyder. Had Fields waited until after the season, other teams might have had interest in Snyder.
“From our first conversation, it was clear that Quin had all the characteristics we were looking for in our next head coach,” Fields said in a statement released by the team. “He has both an incredible basketball and emotional IQ, and we share the same core values and basketball philosophies of having honest communication and collaboration with players, tremendous attention to detail and placing a great emphasis on player development.”
Snyder said he’s “thrilled to go back to Atlanta.”
“I am excited to collaborate with Landry to create a successful program that devoted Hawks fans are proud of and cheer for and am grateful to Tony, Jami and the Ressler family for this opportunity,” Snyder said in the team’s statement. “My family and I are looking forward to immersing ourselves in the community and calling Atlanta home.”
Snyder was coach of the Utah Jazz from the 2014-15 to 2021-22 seasons, accumulating a 372-264 record and leading the team to the playoffs in six of his eight seasons.
McMillan went 99-80 as Atlanta’s coach, including a 27-11 record as interim in the second half of the 2020-21 season. His success that season in leading Atlanta to the Eastern Conference finals earned him the full-time position.
McMillan was unable to follow up on the 2021 postseason success.
The Hawks finished 43-39 in the 2021-22 season and, after escaping the play-in tournament, lost to the Miami Heat 4-1 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The pressure on McMillan to guide the Hawks closer to the top of the conference increased this season. The team’s win-now approach became more clear when Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks were traded to the San Antonio Spurs for All-Star guard Dejounte Murray.
The trade formed a backcourt pairing of All-Star guards in Murray and Trae Young and placed more heat on McMillan. Despite the addition of another top scorer in Murray, the Hawks struggled near .500 most of the season. They lost four of six games before the All-Star break and were one game under .500 when McMillan was fired.
There was no immediate announcement about Snyder’s Atlanta staff. The new coach will have only one day before making his debut with the team in Tuesday night’s home game against Washington, so the expectation is Snyder will retain at least most of McMillan’s staff which continued to operate under Prunty.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NO. 4 UCLA TOPS COLORADO, CLAIMS PAC-12 REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 17 points and Tyger Campbell had 13 of his 14 points in the second half as No. 4 UCLA hung on to beat Colorado 60-56 on Sunday.
Amari Bailey added 11 points for UCLA (25-4, 16-2 Pac-12), which won its eighth in a row to close out an undefeated February and clinch the regular-season conference title.
“This doesn’t change anything,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “Our goal along the way was going to have to be winning the Pac-12 to try to be able to stay in the West (for the NCAA Tournament). So, we’ve got more games to win to be able to try to accomplish that goal. Also, we have the longest home winning streak (23 games) in the country we take a lot of pride in. So we’re focused on Arizona State.”
With the Pac-12 tournament and NCAA Tournament on the horizon, Jaquez agreed with his coach that now was not the time to rest on their regular-season title.
“That was one of the goals that we had in the beginning of the year. And we accomplished it,” he said. “And now, we’ve got two more goals that we want to accomplish, as well. And we’re just going to keep working hard.”
KJ Simpson had 14 points to lead Colorado (15-15, 7-12). Tristan da Silva, who left the game with just over five minutes remaining with an apparent lower leg injury, and Luke O’Brien each scored 13 points. Colorado nearly pulled off the upset against UCLA after coming off a lopsided loss to USC.
“There’s a different feeling today after the loss than after Thursday night’s loss, and something I talk to the players about, is that the reason that they’re down and disappointed tonight is because they fought their tails off,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “They competed their tails off, and they came up short.”
The Buffaloes fought back to take a 45-44 lead on da Silva’s 3-pointer with 8:13 remaining, capping an 8-2 run by the Buffaloes. The game remained tight down the stretch with the score tied twice in the final 3:41.
Jaquez made one of two free throws with 2:17 left to put UCLA on top by a point and Campbell added another basket for the Bruins. The Buffaloes got back within two points on a pair of free throws by Lawson Lovering with seven seconds remaining. Amari Bailey was fouled on the subsequent inbounds play and he made both free throws to secure the victory over Colorado, which did not get a shot off in the final seconds.
Down by a basket at the break, UCLA scored the first seven points of the second half to go in front 35-30. It was the Bruins’ first lead since Jaquez scored on a dunk in the opening minute of the game. Tyger Campbell capped the burst with a 3-pointer, the first make from beyond the arc for the Bruins, who went 0 for 6 in the first half.
UCLA missed 10 of its first 11 shots and fell behind 11-2 before gradually cutting into the deficit, pulling to within 30-28 on a layup by Jaylen Clark just before the halftime buzzer. Colorado couldn’t build on its early lead because of offensive problems of its own and actually finished the first half shooting 37.9%, some two percent lower than UCLA in the same span.
3-POINT STREAK
The Bruins made one of their 14 3-point tries but that was enough to extend a 23-year streak. Tyger Campbell’s 3-pointer early in the second half extended UCLA’s streak with at least one made 3-pointer to 782 games. The Bruins have not gone without a 3-pointer in a game since going 0 for 14 from beyond the arc in a 78-63 loss at then No. 2 Stanford on Feb. 3, 2000.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The Bruins earned a gritty victory that will serve them well as they turn their attention to post-season tournament. They overcame a slow start and spotty offensive play by maintaining their composure against an underdog, but determined, opponent, leaning on their defensive intensity to see the game through to a win.
Colorado: The Buffaloes put up a strong effort against a high-powered UCLA team, going toe to toe with their opponent until the final moments. They showed they can compete with the best in the conference and, with a young squad, showed they have the potential to improve in the near future.
UP NEXT
UCLA: Opens last regular season homestand Thursday against Arizona State ahead of Saturday’s finale against No. 7 Arizona. The Bruins are riding a 23-game home winning streak dating to last season, the longest active streak in the nation.
Colorado: Hosts Utah on Saturday in a regular-season finale.
MARYLAND ROLLS IN 2ND HALF, BEATS NO. 21 NORTHWESTERN 75-59
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) No matter what the postseason holds for the Maryland Terrapins, they’ll be able to point to some real accomplishments in Kevin Willard’s first season as their coach.
For example, they won all their Big Ten home games.
Jahmir Young scored 18 points and Don Carey added 13 to help Maryland wrap up an undefeated home season in conference play with a 75-59 victory over No. 21 Northwestern on Sunday.
“Going 10-0 in this conference at home, that’s pretty impressive for this group,” Willard said. “I just think it shows you how great of a program this is, how great of a fan base it is.”
The Terrapins (20-9, 11-7) finished 16-1 overall at home, and they used unusually impressive 3-point shooting to turn back the Wildcats (20-9, 11-7). Maryland’s win also clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title for No. 5 Purdue.
The Boilermakers (24-5, 13-5) now have a record 25 Big Ten championships, three more than Indiana, which is one of several teams that can still tie Purdue at the top this year. Remarkably, Maryland and Northwestern also are in that group. The Terps have made huge strides since Willard arrived from Seton Hall, and Chris Collins’ Wildcats entered the AP Top 25 this week before losing to Illinois and Maryland.
“This league is hard. You play good teams,” Collins said. “We’re not down in any way. We’re still excited. We’ve got a big week coming up again, and you’ve just got to learn from these games and go home and try to make it right when you get another opportunity to play.”
The Terrapins have not been a good 3-point shooting team this season. They entered their game Sunday at 31% from beyond the arc but went 14 of 22 against Northwestern. Young and Carey made four each.
The 6-foot-1 Young threw down an emphatic dunk to give Maryland a 35-32 lead. He later made a 3 at the buzzer to put the Terps up 41-39 at halftime.
“I was feeling it from 3 early on, so just trying to get a shot up,” said Young, who scored 16 of his points before halftime.
Maryland was 8 for 11 from long distance in the first half, and both teams were shooting around 60% from the field. The Terps didn’t regress much in the second. A 3 by Carey capped a 12-2 run that put Maryland up 67-51, and it was smooth sailing from there.
Chase Audige led Northwestern with 16 points.
BIG PICTURE
Northwestern: Purdue’s recent struggles gave the Wildcats a shot at their first Big Ten title since 1933, but those chances took a big hit Sunday in front of a packed house at Maryland.
“We haven’t been good enough the last couple years probably to kind of warrant that kind of spirited crowd,” Collins said. “They knew this was a high-level game. They knew there was a lot on the line for both teams here late in the season.”
Maryland: The Terps went unbeaten at home in Big Ten play for the second time. They also did it in 2014-15, their first season in the league. Maryland made more than 10 3s in a game for only the second time this season. The Terps had 13 in a win over Saint Louis in November.
SENIOR SENDOFF
Willard said he tried to stay loose on a day Maryland honored its senior class.
“I wanted to have fun. I never have fun on senior night. I’m an emotional wreck, and that goes off onto my players,” Willard said. “So the only thing I told them was I just wanted to have fun today. … I was going to have fun no matter what. We got blown out by 20, I was going to enjoy the fact that this group has worked really hard, and I was going to be appreciative of what they’ve given us.”
UP NEXT
Northwestern: The Wildcats host Penn State on Wednesday night.
Maryland: The Terps play at Ohio State on Wednesday night.
NO. 20 PROVIDENCE ROUTS GEORGETOWN 88-68; CROSWELL SCORES 25
WASHINGTON (AP) With his team facing early foul problems, Providence coach Ed Cooley had to do what he thinks is the norm in college basketball today: He turned to his “senior citizens,” and they delivered.
Ed Croswell scored a career-high 25 points and No. 20 Providence easily dispatched last-place Georgetown 88-68 on Sunday despite leading scorer Bryce Hopkins matching his season low with six points.
The Friars (21-8, 13-5) got double-digit performances from Jared Bynum, who had 18 points, and Noah Locke and Devin Carter, who each added 12. That helped Providence bounce back from its largest loss of the season – an 87-69 defeat at No. 18 UConn on Wednesday – as it continues to position itself for one of the top seeds in the Big East Tournament.
“We look around college basketball right now, because of COVID, we have two more years of having basically senior citizens playing on the court,” Cooley said.
“A lot of these teams are just old, and that experience just shows this late in the season.”
Croswell, Bynum and Locke are all fifth-year seniors who started their college careers elsewhere. Clifton Moore, another fifth-year player who played at two different schools and averages 4.9 points, scored eight points in a season-high 26 minutes with Hopkins on the bench.
Primo Spears had 26 points to lead Georgetown (7-23, 2-17), which has lost 13 straight games against AP Top 25 teams dating back to its surprising 2021 Big East Tournament championship under coach Patrick Ewing. The Hoyas also have lost their last 11 games at home to ranked opponents, last beating then-No. 25 Creighton on Jan. 15, 2020.
Hopkins, who was averaging 16.8 points per game, was whistled for three fouls in a 50-second span within the first four minutes and quickly found a seat on the Friars’ bench. He scored just two first-half points.
With the Kentucky transfer stuck on the sideline, the Friars went on a 24-7 run over the next eight minutes to turn a 9-8 deficit into a 32-16 lead. Providence took a 46-27 lead into halftime behind 15 points from Croswell while Carter added 10. The Friars held the Hoyas to 33% shooting while shooting 49%.
Georgetown opened the second half on a 12-3 run fueled by four 3-pointers to pull within 49-39. The Hoyas would never get closer and trailed by as many as 27 after two Croswell free throws with 10:57 remaining. Croswell added 13 rebounds and had a career-high six assists.
“Ed Croswell played probably his best game he’s played for us here,” Cooley said. “Just how far he’s come when he came from La Salle and his hard work really showed today.”
BIG PICTURE
Providence: With two games remaining, the Friars have a chance to break the school record for conference wins in a season, which was set in 2021-22 when they finished 14-3. Cooley has guided Providence to double-digit conference wins in eight of the last 10 seasons.
Georgetown: The Hoyas finished the home portion of their schedule at 5-12, setting a program record for most home losses in a season. The previous record of 11 home losses was set last season.
HOMECOMING
Bynum, who is from nearby Largo, Maryland, had another big game at Georgetown in hitting six 3-pointers to account for all of his points. Last season, Bynum posted career highs in points (32) and 3-pointers (7) at Georgetown.
“He’s from the area, so we know every time he plays against us he feels some sort of way about us,” Ewing said.
“Unfortunately, he was able to make some great shots and get it going.”
ILLNESS ISSUES
Georgetown senior center Qudus Wahab, the Hoyas’ leading rebounder, participated in senior day activities in uniform before the game but did not appear on the Hoyas’ bench until the second half, when he was wearing a suit. He was officially ruled out with an illness at halftime.
UP NEXT
Providence: Hosts No. 16 Xavier on Wednesday.
Georgetown: Concludes the regular season at No. 19 Creighton on Wednesday.
OHIO STATE SNAPS LOSING STREAK WITH 72-60 WIN OVER ILLINOIS
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Bruce Thornton scored 20 points, fellow freshman Brice Sensabaugh scored 14, senior Justice Sueing contributed a double-double, and Ohio State defeated Illinois 72-60 on Sunday, snapping a nine-game losing streak.
The Buckeyes had lost 14 of their past 15 games coming in but have showed signs of improvement since starting four true freshmen – Thornton, Sensabaugh, Felix Okpara and Roddy Gayle – in back-to-back games.
Ohio State led 41-29 at halftime before Illinois rallied in the second half. Terrence Shannon scored eight straight Illinois points, including back-to-back three-point plays, during a 12-2 run that got the Illini within 45-41 with 15:11 remaining.
Illinois, which erased an 18-point deficit against Northwestern last time out, got within 53-52 on a 3-pointer by Jayden Epps. Ohio State came right back with a putback layup by Sueing, followed by a thunderous dunk from Sensabaugh and a jumper by Sensabaugh. The Buckeyes did not miss another shot, finishing 7-for-7 over the final 6:21.
The Buckeyes pushed their lead to 64-53 when Thornton finished off a three-point play with 3:57 remaining. Ohio State maintained a double-digit lead over the last 2:35.
Sueing had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Buckeyes (12-17, 4-14 Big Ten). Thornton made 8 of 11 shots and Sensabaugh was 5-for-11 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.
Coleman Hawkins had 14 points and seven rebounds for Illinois (19-10, 10-8). Matthew Mayer scored 11 points, and Shannon and Epps had 10 points each.
Thornton made 6 of 7 shots and scored 13 points to lead Ohio State to a 41-29 halftime lead. The Buckeyes hit on 60.7% of their shots to 36.7% for Illinois in the first half. Ohio State finished at 53.6% and Illinois hit 36.1% for the game.
Illinois had won 10 of 14 games after starting Big Ten play 0-3.
Ohio State has a home game against Maryland on Wednesday and plays at Michigan State on Saturday to close out the regular season. The Illini will be at home against Michigan on Thursday and at No. 5 Purdue on Sunday.
SIMPSON’S LATE AND-1 FT HELP RUTGERS BEAT PENN STATE 59-56
Derek Simpson tied his career high with 16 points, including the go-ahead three-point play in the closing seconds, Cam Spencer scored 11 of his 13 in the second half and Rutgers rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat Penn State 59-56 Sunday night.
Caleb McConnell added 12 points for Rutgers (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten) and Clifford Omoruyi scored nine points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Simpson, a 6-foot-3 freshman, went around a screen by Omoruyi, drove the right side of the lane and was fouled as he made a driving layup. He hit the and-1 free throw with 1:24 left to make it 57-56. Seth Lundy missed to 3-point shots on Penn State’s next offensive possession and, after Simpson missed a driving left-hand layup, Omoruyi grabbed the offensive rebound and his putback with 36 seconds to play capped the scoring.
Camren Wynter led (17-12, 8-10) with 16 points and Jalen Pickett had 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Lundy – who went into the game second on the Nittany Lions in scoring at 15.2 per game – finished with seven points and eight rebounds but made just 1 of 16 from the field, 0 of 11 from behind the arc.
Kebba Njie made a layup that gave Penn State a 10-point lead with 9:16 left in the game but the Nittany Lions went 0 for 14 from the field and committed five turnovers from there. McConnell scored seven points in an 11-1 run that made it 54-all when his 3-pointer capped the spurt with 2:36 remaining. Lundy made two free throws to put Penn State back in front about a minute later.
Penn State used a 21-2 first-half run to take a 16 point lead midway through the first half and Lundy’s dunk with 17:02 to play capped a 13-2 spurt to open the second half and gave the Nittany Lions a 42-23 lead. Spencer answered 15 seconds later with a 3-pointer and Oscar Palmquist made two more 3s as the Scarlet Knights scored 18 of the next 24 points to trim its deficit to seven points when McConnell made a layup with 10:37 to play.
UP NEXT
Rutgers plays its final road game of the regular season Thursday at Minnesota
Penn State plays at No. 21 Northwestern on Wednesday
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
REESE TIES LSU DOUBLE-DOUBLE MARK, NO. 5 TIGERS TOP MSU
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Alexis Morris was unfazed – if not motivated – by seeing her more than half-court basket disallowed as the third quarter expired.
Morris scored 13 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter, Angel Reese had 23 points and 26 rebounds to tie Sylvia Fowles’ LSU record of 27 double-doubles in a season, and the fifth-ranked Tigers topped Mississippi State, 74-59 on Sunday night.
“The shot being waved off probably did give me a little more ammunition, but I’m one of the go-to players,” Morris said. “It’s something I definitely embrace.”
LaDazhia Williams added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Tigers (27-1, 15-1 SEC), whose regular-season record matched the program’s best, set in the 2004-05 season by a squad starring Seimone Augustus.
Morris and Williams were both seniors playing in their final regular-season home game at LSU, but both took comfort in knowing LSU is virtually guaranteed to be a host site for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
“I want my senior night to be in Dallas,” Morris, a Beaumont, Texas, native said referring to the site of this season’s NCAA Women’s Final Four.
But Morris did note that she nearly gave up playing basketball before transferring to LSU in 2021 for a second stint with coach Kim Mulkey after having left Mulkey’s Baylor program for Texas A&M early in her career.
“I’m just happy I didn’t give up on myself,” Morris said. “Thank you, coach Mulkey, for giving me an opportunity to see this day.”
JerKaila Jordan, a New Orleans native who’s been among the SEC’s most productive players this month, scored 16 for Mississippi State (20-9, 9-7), which had won five of its previous six before visiting an LSU team whose only loss this season came at unbeaten and top-ranked South Carolina.
Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell said he changed his lineup to put more size in the paint in an effort to prevent Reese from dominating in the paint. But Reese still ended up with 10 rebounds on the offensive end and 16 on the defensive end. Reese also hit foul-line and baseline jumpers to go with an array of layups and put-backs.
“No offense to our scout team, but they’re not Angel Reese – and those are some pretty athletic male practice players,” Purcell said. “Angel Reese is special.”
LSU missed all 14 of its shots from 3-point range, but got away with it because of Reese’s and Williams’ productivity in the paint. The Tigers pulled down 21 offensive rebounds and finished with a 24-2 advantage in second-chance points.
“Offensive boards,” Mulkey began. “That’s a big stat, guys.”
Morris and Williams each scored 10 points in the first half and were instrumental in helping the Tigers take a 12-point lead in the second quarter.
Williams’ layup ignited a 10-3 run during which the center added another layup, as well as an offensive rebound that set up Morris’ jumper.
Morris hit two more jump shots during the spurt to make it 36-24.
The Bulldogs scored the final six points of the period, highlighted by Ramani Parker’s 3, and cut it to 36-30 at halftime. But LSU never saw its lead drop below five in the second half and was not threatened down the stretch.
BIG PICTURE
Mississippi State: Did not lead by more than two points and trailed for all of the final three periods in falling to 5-24 all time in Baton Rouge. The Bulldogs have lost the past three meetings.
LSU: Improved to 53-7 since coach Kim Mulkey left Baylor to take over the Tigers before the 2021-22 season. The sellout crowd of 15,721 – an official paid attendance record since the Pete Maravich Assembly Center opened in 1972 – erupted when senior Emily Ward, a Bossier City, Louisiana, native who averages just a few minutes per game, checked into the game for the final minute. They cheered again when she grabbed an offensive rebound.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State: Opens SEC Tournament play in Greenville, South Carolina, as the No. 5 seed on Thursday against the winner of Wednesday’s game between 12th-seeded Vanderbilt and No. 13 seed Texas A&M.
LSU: Has a double bye in the SEC Tournament as the No. 2 seed and opens postseason play in the quarterfinal round on Friday against the winner of Thursday’s game between No. 7-seed Georgia and 10th-seeded Auburn.
NO. 22 NORTH CAROLINA WOMEN KEEP NO. 11 DUKE FROM ACC TITLE
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) Three players scored nine points and No. 22 North Carolina went 9 of 9 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to deny No. 11 Duke a share of the ACC championship on Sunday with a 45-41 win, the lowest scoring game in the 105 meetings of these bitter rivals.
Combined with No. 10 Notre Dame coming from behind to win at Louisville, the Irish win the conference title outright.
The game was either a defensive masterpiece or an offensive nightmare for the sellout crowd of 9,314. It was the lowest scoring game of the season for both team teams and the lowest score ever in a win for the Tar Heels.
In 112 quarters this season, North Carolina failed to reach double figures just five times but only scored eight in each of the first two quarters to trail 20-16. Duke was in single digits in both the second and third quarters, for 10 on the season.
Duke scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to take a 36-29 lead but shot 2 of 11 with two turnovers from that point and the Blue Devils’ suffocating defense ended up sending the Tar Heels to the foul line.
After Alyssa Ustby got North Carolina on the board, Paulina Paris made four free throws to make it 36-35. Taya Corosdale ended a 5:19 Duke drought but Kennedy Todd-Williams hit a clutch 3-pointer to tie it and followed with two free throws. Deja Kelly then converted a three-point play and the Tar Heels were up 43-38 with 1:16 to play.
Duke got a Shayeann Day-Wilson jumper and after an offensive foul on Kelly, Duke had a chance to pull within one but Kennedy Brown made just 1 of 2 from the line at 37.2 seconds. Kelly iced it with two free throws at 13 seconds.
Kelly, Ustby and Todd-Williams each had nine points for North Carolina (20-9, 11-7), which swept the series for the second straight season.
Elizabeth Balogun led Duke (24-5, 14-4), which was 13-0 at home, with 12 points.
North Carolina shot 34% (15 of 21) with 21 turnovers but went 12 of 15 from the foul line. Duke shot 30% (16 of 53) but was only 5 of 6 from the line and had 25 turnovers.
NHL NEWS
DYLAN COZENS SCORES 3 IN SABRES’ 7-4 ROUT OF CAPITALS
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The familiar and frustrating February swoons the Buffalo Sabres have best been known for just might be a thing of the past.
With the calendar approaching March, the NHL’s youngest team at the start of the season continues showing signs of making an actual playoff push in a bid to end an 11-year playoff drought, the longest in league history.
The latest glimpse of the Sabres staying in contention came Sunday, when Buffalo overcame a lineup missing two of its top three leading scorers – forward Alex Tuch and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin – in a 7-4 rout of the Washington Capitals.
Dylan Cozens enjoyed the first three-goal game of his career and added an assist. More important, Buffalo had 12 players register at least a point, including Tage Thompson, with his team-leading 40th goal.
“I think everyone stepped up. We knew that was a big game,” Thompson said. “We have a group that’s really hungry in here to succeed. And I think everyone in here takes that to heart.”
Tuch will miss at least two weeks with a lower-body injury. Dahlin, who is tied with Tuch for second on the team with 62 points, is listed as day to day as he rests a nagging injury.
Jeff Skinner, Zemgus Girgensons and Vinnie Hinostroza also scored in a game the Sabres broke open with four goals in a seven-minute span in the second period.
In doing so, the Sabres followed a 6-3 dud of a loss to Toronto on Tuesday to rattle off three straight wins and keep pace in a tightly contested race for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card spots. Buffalo (31-23-4) opened the day sitting ninth in the East, with three points separating seventh and the suddenly slumping 12th-place Capitals.
The Capitals followed a promising 6-3 win over the New York Rangers to lose for the seventh time in eight outings.
“Its just not good enough. The consistency of attention to detail for us right now has to be at an all-time high,” T.J. Oshie said. “Yesterday it was there for us. Today it wasn’t. You’re not going to last much longer being inconsistent like this.”
Alex Ovechkin scored his team-leading 33rd goal and registered his 1,467th career point to tie Stan Mikita for 16th on the NHL list. Dylan Strome and Oshie had a goal an assist apiece, and Sonny Milano also scored for the Capitals.
Darcy Kuemper was yanked after allowing five goals on 19 shots with 9:53 left in the second period. He was replaced by Charlie Lindgren, who allowed two goals on 18 shots.
The Sabres, meantime, gained contributions from a reshuffled lineup. Rookie Jack Quinn, filling Tuch’s spot on the top line, had two assists, while Hinostroza had a goal and assist a day after being recalled from the minors.
“I think what it says is, psychologically, that doesn’t affect them,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “They believe in their own ability and their ability to rise, and we’re gonna need guys to rise when players are absent, specifically the caliber of Tuch and Dahlin.”
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 26 shots for Buffalo.
With the game tied at 2, Skinner scored the go-ahead goal to spark Buffalo’s four-goal outburst 5:49 into the second period, when he stuffed in a puck that got in behind Kuemper after he got a piece of Mattias Samuelsson’s shot from in front.
Kyle Okposo forced a turnover at the right boards to set up Girgensons alone in front 2:47 later, and Kuemper was chased after Hinostroza wrapped a puck behind the goalie at the 10:07 mark of the second period.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Head west for a three-game swing beginning at Anaheim on Wednesday.
Sabres: Host Columbus on Tuesday.
KAPRIZOV CAPS HAT TRICK IN OT AS WILD BEAT BLUE JACKETS 3-2
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Kirill Kaprizov might not like the spotlight. But if he keeps playing like he has been, he’d better get used to being the center of attention.
Kaprizov scored with 20 seconds left in overtime, completing a natural hat trick and lifting the Minnesota Wild past the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Sunday.
“I work hard. So does the rest of the team,” Kaprizov said through an interpreter. “At the end of the day, we all come out, we play 60 minutes and do our best. I don’t like to be singled out. I don’t like to be compared, but I just go out there and do my job. Sometimes it goes in and sometimes I get a couple goals but ultimately I just kind of play my game.”
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 22 shots for the Wild, who trailed 2-0 heading into the third period before Kaprizov took over.
Minnesota’s 25-year-old All-Star set a team record with 47 goals last season. He’s now ahead of that pace this year after his third career hat trick gave him 37 goals with another six weeks yet to play in the regular season.
“He might be the hardest working superstar ever,” said defenseman Calen Addison, who set up the winning goal. “I mean, this guy goes to the corners like no one else, and he’s not losing a battle ever. I mean, he does everything for us.”
Mathieu Olivier and Liam Foudy scored for Columbus, while Elvis Merzlikins made 41 saves.
The Wild have earned points in eight of their last nine games (6-1-2), but their offense has been sputtering, averaging just 1.7 goals over their previous 10 contests.
Those struggles continued for two periods against Columbus, which has allowed more goals than all but three teams in the NHL this season. Merzlikins blanked them through the first 40 minutes before Kaprizov scored twice in the first six minutes of the third to tie the game.
First, Kaprizov tipped home a shot directly in front of the net to get Minnesota on the board at 1:15 of the third. Then, with Minnesota on its first power-play of the game, Foudy was sent off for high sticking Addison in the face.
Just as the 5-on-3 was about to expire, Kaprizov scooped up a loose puck in the slot and wired a wrist shot past Merzlikins.
Kaprizov nearly completed his hat trick in regulation with a breakaway later in the period, but after making a nifty spin move to shake a defender, his shot beat Merzlikins but hit the post.
On the final shift of overtime, Addison feathered a pass across the crease and Kaprizov slammed it into the open net for the game winner.
“I literally could have kept them on the ice the whole . game, probably, but certainly the third period and overtime,” Minnesota coach Dean Evason said of Kaprizov’s line. As it was, Kaprizov had a team-high 25 minutes and 36 seconds of ice time.
The Blue Jackets, despite being buried in last place in the Metropolitan Division, have made strides recently. They are 3-1-2 in their last six games, with the only loss a 2-0 defeat by the Wild in Columbus on Thursday. But coach Brad Larsen sensed his team was fighting the effects of a second straight day game, after they beat Edmonton 6-5 on Saturday.
“I thought the first half of the game we were real sharp,” Larsen said. “We needed more guys tonight to be on their game – we had a few guys who just weren’t locked in and it cost us tonight. … We just ran out of gas and got a little bit sloppy and it cost us.”
Minnesota outshot Columbus 13-7 in the first period but wasn’t able to solve Merzlikins. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead late in the period when Olivier scored his fifth of the year off a Wild turnover in their own zone.
Foudy doubled Columbus’ lead just three minutes into the second when he redirected a centering pass from Erik Gudbranson past Fleury.
That merely set the stage for Kaprizov’s star turn. And, as great as his superstar played, Evason said he can’t be surprised by it.
“It’s hard to tell, because he rarely doesn’t have it,” Evason said. “He plays like that all the time. … His drive and his desire and his willingness to compete is always at that level.”
LOFTY COMPARISON
Fleury, who spent 13 seasons and won three Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh, said Kaprizov’s play reminds him of a former teammate with a great track record of his own.
“Reminds of me of (Sidney Crosby) a bit,” Fleury said. “The way he’s built: big legs, big butt. Short, fast, plays, goes to the corner, battles, big hits. Finishes his checks. Defense, comes back in the zone. Helps out in our d-zone, too. It’s all similar to Sid. Obviously he’s got a great finish, too.”
UP NEXT
Blue Jackets: At Buffalo on Tuesday night.
Wild: Host Islanders on Tuesday night.
RANGERS END 4-GAME SLIDE WITH 5-2 WIN OVER KINGS
NEW YORK (AP) Mika Zibanejad briefly left Sunday’s game with an injury and the New York Rangers’ roster issues became even more problematic.
However, Zibanejad returned later and scored a goal to help the Rangers end a four-game skid with a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
The team’s No. 1 center left late in the second period after blocking Drew Doughty’s shot on a power play. He returned for the start of the third period.
Vincent Trocheck had two goals and an assist, Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist, Alexis Lafreniere also scored and Adam Fox had two assists for New York. Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves.
“Him coming back in the third was definitely a relief,” Trocheck said of Zibanejad.
“It’s a big one for us, just the way we’ve been playing the last couple of games, going on a little slide there,” Trocheck said. “We made sure we were able to bring it back.”
Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller was given a match penalty and ejected after spitting at Doughty late in the first period, leaving the Rangers with just five defensemen the remainder of the game.
“The kid feels bad about it,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said of Miller. “He said it was an accident.”
“It’s unfortunate,” Doughty said. “Whether or not he meant to do it, I have no idea. It’s pretty big loogie on my face, so I was pretty (miffed).”
Also, Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren was not in the lineup a day after being injured on a hit by Capitals forward T.J. Oshie in the first period of Saturday’s loss. He is listed as day to day.
Viktor Arvidsson had a power-play goal late in the second period, Matt Roy scored early in the third and Phillip Danault had two assists for Los Angeles.
Jonathan Quick stopped four of seven shots for the Kings before being pulled after Trocheck’s second goal late in the second period. He was replaced by Pheonix Copley, who had 12 saves. The Kings are 1-2-1 so far on their five-game road trip.
“When you play the cream of the crop in this league, you can’t have off nights,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said.
Shesterkin had a bounce-back game a day after he was pulled after allowing five goals on 22 shots in a 6-3 loss at Washington.
“The game they played yesterday set them up for the game they played tonight,” McLellan said.
The Rangers made it 3-0 early in the second period on two goals by Trocheck just 1:35 apart. Trocheck’s shot deflected off Roy’s stick at 2:02 and his wrister at 3:37 beat Quick for his 19th goal of the season.
The Kings made it 3-2 early in the third period on Roy’s ninth goal at 1:27. But Panarin answered for the Rangers just 44 seconds later for his 19th. Zibanejad added his 31st on the power play at 5:26 to put the Rangers in control.
The Kings got on the board on Arvidsson’s 18th goal with 1:48 left in the second as he batted the puck out of the air and past Shesterkin.
The Rangers opened the scoring in the first period as they took advantage of a turnover in the Kings’ zone. Filip Chytil got the loose puck to Lafreniere at the left side of the net. He he sent a pass to Kaapo Kakko, who sent a pass back and Lafreniere’s shot deflected off Quick for his 11th of the season 14 minutes into the game.
“We kept it simple. It was a good team effort from everyone.” Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba said.
The Kings entered Sunday in a tight race for first place in the Pacific Division. The Kings trail division-leading Vegas by two points and lead third-place Edmonton by two points.
NOTES: Lafreniere has points in seven of his past 11 games (five goals, two assists) and 10 of his past 15 games (six goals, five assists). … The Rangers recalled C Ryan Carpenter from Hartford of the AHL and sent F Jake Leschyshyn to the Wolf Pack.
UP NEXT
Kings: At Winnipeg on Tuesday night to finish a five-game road trip.
Rangers: At Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
DEVILS ACQUIRE TIMO MEIER IN BLOCKBUSTER TRADE WITH SHARKS
Timo Meier is going to the New Jersey Devils in the latest ante of the high-stakes poker game among Eastern Conference playoff contenders.
Meier joins the Devils after the New York Islanders made a big acquisition, the NHL-leading Boston Bruins got bigger and tougher and the Rangers added one scorer and could get another significantly productive winger before the deadline Friday.
New Jersey sent a 2023 first-round pick, a conditional 2024 first-rounder, forward Andreas Johnsson and prospects Shakir Mukhamadullin, Fabian Zetterlund and Nikita Okhotiuk to San Jose. In return, the Devils got Meier, defenseman Scott Harrington and prospects Timur Ibragimov, Santeri Hatakka and Zach Emond.
“I was just doing what I felt was best for the New Jersey Devils, not reacting because of what the Rangers did or what they may do again or what the Islanders did,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. “When you can add a player like Timo Meier to the lineup that you feel is growing and getting stronger each day, it really puts a smile on my face.”
Meier is under team control for at least the next year. He’s a pending restricted free agent with a $10 million qualifying offer for the 2023-24 season, and Fitzgerald expects to be able to sign Meier long term.
“One thing I am confident in is who we are, what we can sell – our team,” Fitzgerald said. “I do believe New Jersey will sell itself. I think he will love it here. I think he will thoroughly enjoy it and want to stay here. That’s my bet.”
The 26-year-old Swiss winger has 31 goals and 21 assists in 57 games this season. Meier did not fit in with San Jose’s long-term plans.
“There’s realities at play here with the salary cap and the salary structure of our group,” Sharks GM Mike Grier said. “To pay him the money he’s looking for and wanted, it didn’t seem to make sense and to line up where were are kind of headed as a franchise and where we’re at. We don’t want to keep spinning our wheels here. We’re going to try and move this thing forward.”
The opposite is going on in New Jersey, with a team perhaps a half-step ahead of schedule to make the playoffs. The Devils are in second place in the Metropolitan Division, and Meier is joining a young core that includes countryman and captain Nico Hischier.
“Having this new chapter coming my way, it’s definitely very exciting,” Meier said. “I’m just very excited to get this started.”
The Devils are just getting started on their climb in the East. With some cap space left before the deadline Friday, this was undoubtedly their biggest move but might not be their last.
“We’ve been gearing for this for a long time,” Fitzgerald said, referencing New Jersey’s multiyear rebuild. “We have a lot of work to do. This is just part of trying to build success.”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS
AP SOURCE: MACHADO, PADRES AGREE TO NEW $350M, 11-YEAR DEAL
(AP) — All-Star slugger Manny Machado has agreed to a new $350 million, 11-year contract that will keep him with the San Diego Padres through 2033, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Machado must pass a physical before the deal, which was first reported by ESPN, is finalized.
“We’re excited to be here for the rest of our careers and have this hat go into the Hall of Fame,” Machado said as he passed a group of reporters before batting second against the Arizona Diamondbacks and going 2 for 3.
Machado, 30, had said that after this season he planned to opt out of the $300 million, 10-year free agent deal he signed in 2019. With the $120 million he already has received, the new deal increases the free-spending Padres’ commitment to Machado to $470 million over 15 years.
Machado, who has helped turn the Padres into a World Series contender, finished second in the NL MVP race last year. He’ll anchor a superstar-laden lineup that includes Xander Bogaerts, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr., who can return on April 20 from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
Earlier in spring training, Machado said a deadline for negotiating a new deal had passed, but owner Peter Seidler has said that retaining the smooth-fielding third baseman was his top priority.
Seidler, a member of the O’Malley family that once owned the Dodgers, hasn’t been afraid to spend big money in pursuit of the franchise’s first World Series title. The Padres haven’t been to the Fall Classic since 1998, when they were swept by the New York Yankees.
Hometown product Joe Musgrove was given a $100 million, five-year deal in July. The Padres signed Bogaerts to a $280 million, 11-year contract just after the winter meetings and signed ace Yu Darvish to a new $108 million, six-year deal earlier this month.
With the flashy Tatis sidelined all of last year, first due to injury and then the suspension, Machado was a steadying force in helping lead the Padres on a thrilling run to the NL Championship Series, where they lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres eliminated the 101-win New York Mets in the wild-card round and then beat the 111-win rival Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
Machado and Bogaerts are under contract through 2033, while Tatis is locked up through 2034 under a $340 million, 14-year deal he signed in early 2021. Soto is under contract for two more seasons.
Machado batted .298 with 32 home runs and 102 RBIs in 2022 and is entering his 12th big league season. He has a career .282 batting average with an .833 OPS, 283 homers and 853 RBIs.
He has also been remarkably durable, playing in all 162 games twice and in fewer than 150 games just once, excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He was limited to 82 games in 2014, when he didn’t make his season debut until May 1 due to knee surgery the previous year, and then had the season cut short by a knee injury in August.
Machado played in 150 games last year. He sustained a scary-looking sprained left ankle on June 19 at Colorado but returned less than two weeks later.
The $350 million deal would be baseball’s fourth-largest contract behind Mike Trout ($426.5 million for 12 years), Mookie Betts ($365 million for 12 years) and Aaron Judge ($360 million for nine years).
However, the $31.8 million average will rank just 16th.
RACING NEWS
KYLE BUSCH GETS 1ST RCR VICTORY IN FONTANA’S NASCAR FAREWELL
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) Kyle Busch still smiles at the memory of getting thrown out of California Speedway during his first competitive trip here in 2001. The 16-year-old upstart dominated a NASCAR Truck Series practice, only to be told he couldn’t run in a race sponsored by Marlboro because he was too young to smoke.
“That was my `Welcome to NASCAR’ moment and my `Welcome to California Speedway’ moment,” Busch said.
Anger, conflict and disrespect have always appeared to be Busch’s favorite fuels, and the record-setting veteran burned plenty of them Sunday while rewarding his new team – and sending this beloved track off in style.
Busch stormed up from the back after an early speeding penalty to earn his first victory for Richard Childress Racing, winning on this two-mile Southern California track for the fifth and final time.
Busch held off Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series’ final race on the gloriously weathered asphalt at Auto Club Speedway, which will soon be demolished to make room for a proposed half-mile track. Busch asked Fontana officials for a chunk of that asphalt as a souvenir after he burned it up one last time on his way to Victory Lane.
“That’s what I enjoy the most about this racetrack,” Busch said. “It’s big. It gets spread out. But man, you can move around and you can spread out and you can make your own destiny by trying to find something that will work for your race car. It’s a sad day for me to see this racetrack in its last race being a two-mile configuration. Glad I was able to win the final run here.”
Busch drove his Chevrolet to victory in only his second race with RCR, which scooped him up in December after his 15-year tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing ended. This win was Busch’s first since Bristol last season on a dirt track, and his first on pavement since Pocono in 2021.
With his 61st career victory, Busch earned a win in his record 19th consecutive Cup season, breaking a tie with Richard Petty. Busch said he set his focus on Petty’s longevity record “a long, long time ago.”
“I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to set that bar, and would love to continue to keep raising it,” Busch said.
The victory also was the combined 95th win by Kyle and Kurt Busch, breaking the NASCAR record for brothers previously held by Bobby and Donnie Allison.
Elliott finished 2.998 seconds behind Busch in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Daniel Suarez finished fourth, and Kevin Harvick was fifth in the Bakersfield native’s 750th Cup start.
“Congratulations to Kyle,” Elliott said. “For him to leave and then to go get the job done like that is pretty cool. He’s always been really good to me, so happy for them.”
After that teenage trouble, the Las Vegas native has enjoyed plenty of highlights down the I-15 at Fontana. Busch got his first Cup victory at this speedway back in 2005 in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and only Jimmie Johnson (6) earned more Cup victories here.
Even the California fans appreciate a driver who typically gets boos after his triumphs: Fontana serenaded him with cheers as he claimed another surfboard trophy.
“There’s nothing more rewarding than being able to go to Victory Lane,” Busch said. “I death-gripped that wheel throughout the second half of that race, but we got the victory.”
Busch was sent to the back early in the race for speeding on pit road, and the penalty infuriated him. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, he roared through the field in response, passing Michael McDowell for the lead with 20 laps to go.
“That’s why he’s won as many races as he has,” said Randall Burnett, Busch’s crew chief. “Because he always pushes it to the limit.”
GOODBYE FONTANA
The traditional five-wide salute before the race carried added poignancy because of the finality of this race: NASCAR is shutting down the track built by Roger Penske with vague plans to build a new track in its place, along with selling off much of the surrounding property.
The decision brings an end to an entertaining era for stock car racing in Southern California’s rich car culture. The big track east of Los Angeles is a favorite of nearly every racer in multiple disciplines, with its coarse grip and wide-open spaces creating impressive racing for a quarter-century.
NASCAR currently has nowhere to race in the area in 2024, and the new track might not even be ready by 2025 – if it happens at all.
DRY SUNDAY
A week of unusual rainstorms and occasional snow finally abated Saturday night, and NASCAR dried the asphalt impressively before the race. Although sand and debris bothered some drivers, the track even managed to avoid any major problems from collected rainwater weeping out of cracks in the track.
BIG CRASH
The race featured a major wreck out of a restart shortly before the midway point involving 10 cars, the most in any collision in a Cup race at Fontana. Four drivers – including pole-sitter Christopher Bell – couldn’t continue after the wreck that sent several cars skidding into across infield.
FOR STARTERS
Defending champion Kyle Larson was out of contention after developing engine trouble on the opening laps. Shortly after Brad Keselowski spun from contact with Corey LaJoie, Busch was sent to the back.
MEN’S GOLF NEWS
CHRIS KIRK, AFTER 8-YEAR WAIT, WINS THE HONDA CLASSIC
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) Chris Kirk waited nearly eight years to win a PGA Tour event again. Waiting one more hole on Sunday was no problem.
Kirk stuck his approach to the par-5 18th to tap-in range, and his birdie on the first hole of a playoff lifted him past Eric Cole for the victory at the Honda Classic on Sunday.
Cole had a chance, playing his third shot from the sand to just outside of 10 feet for a birdie that would have extended the playoff. But it lipped out, and Kirk nudged his ball in for his fifth career win – his first since prevailing at Colonial in 2015.
“I was obviously very, very nervous today having not won in so long,” Kirk said. “Coming down the stretch, I felt good.”
And he’ll be the last Honda winner. The car company is ending its title sponsorship of the event after 42 years, with a new sponsor set to be in place – the PGA Tour hopes, anyway – in the coming weeks.
They finished 72 holes tied at 14-under 266, Kirk shooting 69 on Sunday, Cole shooting 67.
Kirk earned $1,512,000 for the win, and is now eligible to play the Masters again for the first time since 2016. Cole earned $915,600 for the runner-up finish, a check that more than doubles what the 34-year-old has earned in 14 previous tour starts.
“I loved it. It was a lot of fun,” Cole said. “I can’t wait to get back and do it again. I didn’t have my best stuff today, and I was proud of how hard I fought.”
Kirk went to the par-5 18th with a one-shot lead. His tee shot found the fairway. His second shot found the water, leading to bogey. Cole made par, giving Kirk new life in the playoff.
“Bad swing at the wrong time. … Thank God it worked out,” Kirk said.
Kirk hadn’t held a trophy since 2015. That’s not to say he hasn’t done any winning in that span.
He walked away from the game in May 2019 because of alcoholism and depression. He struggled with anxiety, struggled to deal with pressure, even though he had a penchant for making it seem like no big deal on the golf course – he was a four-time winner, plus made a big putt to help the U.S. win the Presidents Cup at South Korea in 2015.
The tour gave him a major medical extension for the time he missed, meaning he had a set number of tournaments to do well enough to regain his full status. He got it back by the slimmest of margins at the Sony Open in 2021.
And now he’s a champion again.
“I just have so much to be thankful for,” Kirk said. “I’m so grateful for my sobriety, I’m so grateful for my family, I’m so grateful for everyone that has supported throughout the past three or four years.”
Tyler Duncan, ranked No. 360 in the world coming into the week, shot 66 on Sunday and was third at 12 under. Monday qualifier Ryan Gerard, playing the weekend for the first time on the PGA Tour, shot 67 and finished fourth at 10 under.
Gerard’s career earnings on tour went from $0 to $411,600. His plans for the next few weeks might be changing based on this finish.
“I’ve got to go book some flights and hotel rooms, swipe the credit card,” said Gerard, who came into the week ranked 472nd in the world. “We’ll see what happens.”
Defending champion Sepp Straka (68) was in a group tied for ninth at 9 under, with all four of his rounds in the 60’s. Also in that group: Shane Lowry, who had a chance to win the Honda last year and finished with an even-par 70.
“I played lovely, and I just couldn’t get it going,” Lowry said.
DIVOTS: It was the first playoff for both Kirk and Cole. … Jhonattan Vegas had the round of the day with a 64, getting to 5 under. He started birdie-birdie-eagle, made a 50-footer for double bogey on the par-3 15th after his tee shot found the water, then made a 36-footer for another eagle to cap the round. … Billy Horschel (72) battled through sinus issues and finished 2 under for the week, after having a share of the first-round lead. The Florida native still hasn’t won a tour event in Florida, now 0 for 40.
TOP INDIANA NEWS RELEASES
INDIANA WBB
2023 BIG TEN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET ANNOUNCED
ROSEMONT, Ill. (Feb. 26, 2023) – The Big Ten Conference has announced the full bracket for the 30th Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by TIAA that will take place March 1-5 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
All-session and single-session tickets for the 2023 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament are on sale at the Target Center box office and online at AXS.com. In addition, several special ticket offers and activities are lined up for this year’s Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament. For more information on this year’s tournament ancillary events and promotions, visit the Big Ten Tournament Central page at bigten.org/WBBT.
All 13 games of this year’s Big Ten Tournament will be televised live to a national audience, with the first round through semifinal games from Wednesday through Saturday broadcast on the Big Ten Network, as well as on the FOX Sports app. The Big Ten Tournament championship game on March 5 will tip off at 4 p.m. (CT) and will be televised live on ESPN, as well as the ESPN app.
Indiana (26-2, 15-2 Big Ten) is the No. 1 seed for this year’s tournament after clinching their second Big Ten title and first since it shared the 1982-83 conference championship. The Hoosiers, who have been ranked No. 2 in both national polls for the past three weeks and earned the No. 2 national seed in both NCAA Committee top-16 seed reveals earlier this month, have earned one Big Ten Tournament title, that coming in 2002. Indiana was also the runner-up at last year’s tournament.
Indiana will open Big Ten Tournament play on Friday with a quarterfinal contest at 11:30 a.m. (CT) live on Big Ten Network against the winner of the second-round game between No. 8 seed Nebraska and No. 9 seed Michigan State.
Defending Big Ten Tournament champion Iowa (23-6, 15-3) earned the No. 2 seed for this year’s tournament in dramatic fashion on Sunday, defeating Indiana, 86-85 on Caitlin Clark’s three-pointer at the horn before a sellout crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and a national television audience. The victory moved the Hawkeyes into a tie with Maryland for second place in the Big Ten standings, with Iowa earning the edge over the Terrapins based on a better winning percentage against the highest team in the standings (Indiana – Iowa was 1-1 against the Hoosiers this season, Maryland 0-1).
Iowa has won four Big Ten Tournament titles and is currently ranked No. 6 in both major national polls, while also garnering the No. 9 national seed in the Feb. 23 NCAA Committee seed reveal. The Hawkeyes will tip off their postseason schedule at 5:30 p.m. (CT) Friday with a tournament quarterfinal game live on Big Ten Network against the winner of the second-round matchup between No. 7 seed Purdue and 10th-seeded Wisconsin.
Maryland (24-5, 15-3) earned the No. 3 seed for the Big Ten Tournament after tying for second place in the Big Ten standings. The Terrapins have risen to No. 7 in the AP poll and No. 8 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association/USA Today poll, and they were the No. 6 national seed in last week’s NCAA Committee seed reveal. Maryland has won five Big Ten Tournament titles since joining the conference in 2015, with their most recent championship coming in 2021. The Terrapins will begin this year’s tournament Friday night against either No. 6 seed Illinois, No. 11 seed Rutgers or No. 14 seed Northwestern in the last quarterfinal live on Big Ten Network, 25 minutes following the completion of Iowa’s quarterfinal.
Rounding out the top four seeds is Ohio State (23-6, 12-6), which claimed the last of the tournament’s double-byes into the quarterfinal round. The Buckeyes, who began the season 19-0 and moved up to No. 2 in both major national polls, are currently No. 16 in the AP poll and No. 13 in the coaches’ poll, while collecting the No. 12 national seed in the latest NCAA Committee seed reveal. Ohio State, which also has five Big Ten Tournament championships (most recently in 2011), will open this year’s tournament slate Friday afternoon against No. 5 seed Michigan, No. 12 seed Minnesota or No. 13 seed Penn State in the quarterfinals, playing live on Big Ten Network 25 minutes after Indiana’s game has concluded.
The 2023 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, March 1 (First Round)
Game 1 (#12 Minnesota vs. #13 Penn State) – 1 p.m. CT (BTN)
Game 2 (#11 Rutgers vs. #14 Northwestern) – 25 minutes following Game 1 (BTN)
Thursday, March 2 (Second Round)
Game 3 (#8 Nebraska vs. #9 Michigan State) – 11:30 a.m. CT (BTN)
Game 4 (#5 Michigan vs. Game 1 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 3 (BTN)
Game 5 (#7 Purdue vs. #10 Wisconsin) – 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN)
Game 6 (#6 Illinois vs. Game 2 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 5 (BTN)
Friday, March 3 (Quarterfinals)
Game 7 (#1 Indiana vs. Game 3 winner) – 11:30 a.m. CT (BTN)
Game 8 (#4 Ohio State vs. Game 4 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 7 (BTN)
Game 9 (#2 Iowa vs. Game 5 winner) – 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN)
Game 10 (#3 Maryland vs. Game 6 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 9 (BTN)
Saturday, March 4 (Semifinals)
Game 11 (Game 7 vs. Game 8 winner) – 1:30 p.m. CT (BTN)
Game 12 (Game 9 vs. Game 10 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 11 (BTN)
Sunday, March 5 (Championship)
Game 13 (Game 11 vs. Game 12 winner) – 4 p.m. CT (ESPN)
HOOSIERS FALL IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE HEARTBREAKER
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa hit a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds to play as it snapped No. 2 Indiana’s 14-game win streak in a 86-85 loss at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday afternoon.
KEY MOMENTS
After graduate student guard Grace Berger hit her signature jumper, Iowa went on a run forcing an Indiana timeout trailing 10-2 with just over two minutes in. The Hawkeyes led by as many as 13 in the opening frame as the Hoosiers began to chip away at the deficit. A bucket from Berger and a triple from freshman guard Yarden Garzon made it a 21-15 as Indiana came within as many as three on an and-1 opportunity by Holmes.
Facing a five-point deficit going into the second, junior guard Sydney Parrish started the Hoosiers off attacking the rim while a smooth triple from Scalia kept IU within three. Moore-McNeil pulled the Hoosiers within one with 6:20 to play on a baseline drive, 30-29.
An 8-0 run ensued for the Hoosiers in a two minute and change span, as Berger’s signature jumper gave Indiana the lead back, 37-36. It was short lived as Iowa scored on the next possession but got two at the line from Garzon to take a 39-38 lead. With just five ticks on the clock before the break, the Hawkeyes would score and take a 40-39 lead at the half.
Iowa stretched its lead to seven in the early goings of the third quarter and a lead it mostly maintained. Moore-McNeil connected on her second triple of the day as IU closed the gap on a 5-0 run with 22 seconds left. Iowa stepped to the line to make two in the final seconds of the third, taking a 61-58 lead.
The Hoosiers kept pressuring the Hawkeyes in the fourth, as Holmes got fouled on the way up with 2:17 left on the clock as she hit one in the bonus to tie the game at 79-all. Buckets were traded by the two teams on the following possessions as Indiana would end up in the bonus with 34 seconds remaining to send Moore-McNeil to a line for a pair.
Off a missed opportunity by Iowa, Holmes came down and got herself to the line again on a move inside with 1.5 remaining. She would give her team the 85-83 lead as Iowa used the timeout to advance the ball in to its own half court. Iowa would then go on to hit the buzzer beating three in the final 1.5 seconds.
NOTABLE
Holmes led the way with 21 points and six rebounds.
Three others scored in double figures with Moore-McNeil and Parrish each adding 18 points.
Berger chipped in 16 points on 8-for-15 shooting with eight assists and four rebounds.
Garzon set a new career-high 14 rebounds in the effort.
The Hoosiers shot 49.2 percent and a season-high 94.1 percent at the free throw line.
The Hoosiers 14-game win streak was snapped in the loss. It was tied for the second-longest win streak in program history.
QUOTABLE
Indiana head coach Teri Moren
“Well certainly I’m disappointed for my crew. I can’t be more proud than the way they handled themselves here this afternoon. We got off to such a, you know, not the start we wanted to, but then as they always do, they never panic, they battle back. Got the lead then lost the lead, third quarter, came out again a little bit too slow, but then regained the lead. The last play there Chloe just gets tripped a little bit, and that thing could’ve gone either way. But as I always remind the kids, it’s a 40-minute game, and there’s a lot of reps in there that we all wish we could have back. It never comes down to one play. Whether it’s me play calling over there and calling a bad set, or Box over there scheming and allowing an easy bucket. Every one of our kids, there’s probably a play that they want back. So, it never ever comes down to one play. I am really, really proud of our group once again they showed how tough they are, how they are one of the very best teams in the country in terms of just the way they fight, and how they handle themselves, and they never panic and again I can’t tell you how proud I am of this group.”
UP NEXT
Indiana will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament March 1-5 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Hoosiers will face the winner of the No. 8 vs. No 9 matchup on Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
INDIANA BASEBALL
SUNDAY WIN DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS
AUSTIN, Texas – For the second straight Sunday, sophomore starting pitcher Luke Sinnard tossed five strong innings and the Indiana baseball program used a four-run sixth inning on its way to a 4-2 victory in the series finale at Disch-Falk Field.
Texas (3-4) opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning and added one run in the third inning. Indiana (3-4) took the lead with four runs – all coming with two outs – in the sixth inning and sophomore Ryan Kraft closed out the game with three scoreless innings.
The pitching staff held the Texas offense to just two runs on six hits in the series finale, with Sinnard (2-0) throwing five innings with two runs allowed on five hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out a career-high seven batters to earn his second straight Sunday victory.
After sophomore Cooper Hellman tossed a scoreless sixth inning, Kraft (1) entered and fanned two batters over three scoreless innings with one hit allowed to earn his first career save.
Eight different hitters account for IU’s eight hits, with sophomore Brock Tibbitts two-RBI double providing the different in the game. Senior Hunter Jessee pushed his reached base streak to 26 games with a single. Senior Peter Serruto got the first hit of the sixth inning and came around to score but made his mark behind the plate with three potential base stealers thrown out.
Porter Brown hit a solo home run for Texas and Mitchell Daly posted the lone multi-hit game of the afternoon with a 2-for-3 afternoon at the plate with one run scored. Travis Sthele (0-2) took the loss with three runs allowed on five hits. He struck out six and did not walk a batter in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Scoring Recap
Bottom First
Porter Brown hit a solo home run with two outs.
at Texas 1, Indiana 0
Bottom Third
Mitchell Daly doubled to start the inning and moved to third on a Jared Thomas hit. Dylan Campbell grounded out to push the lone run across.
at Texas 2, Indiana 0
Top Sixth
Two-out hitting was the key in the four-run fourth inning. After Peter Serruto singled to start the inning, Texas got two quick outs. Josh Pyne singled up the middle to drive in Serruto and Bobby Whalen’s base hit put two runners on base. Carter Mathison pushed a base hit into right center field for an RBI and Brock Tibbitts doubled to score two more runs and give IU the lead.
Indiana 4, at Texas 2
Up Next
Indiana will return home for a midweek contest against Butler on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. The game will be available on B1G+ and the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
INDIANA SB
HOOSIERS STUMBLE AGAINST HUSKIES 5-0, STRIKE BACK AT SPARTANS IN 17-2 WIN
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Indiana Softball (6-8) stumbled in game one against the UCONN Huskies as they fell, 5-0, but they would come out swinging at the Spartans with a 17-2 victory to wrap the weekend at UNCG Softball Stadium.
INDIANA 0, DELAWARE 5
KEY MOMENTS
• Indiana freshman Avery Parker doubled to left center for the first hit of the game, but the Huskies would earn the outs to close the inning.
• UCONN hit a leadoff homer in the top of the second to score first. The Huskies would hit another in the bottom of the third to extend the lead, 3-0.
• In the top of the fourth, Indiana had three hits and a fielder’s choice as they went to score, but the umpire would call freshman Cassidy Kettleman out at the plate.
• Two more runs from UCONN would score two more on an error and an RBI single up the middle.
• Senior Abby Meeks would reach on an error by second base as she dropped the catch. Junior Aaliyah Andrews would single to center field advancing Meeks into scoring position, but the Huskies got the third out to escape the inning.
• In the bottom of the sixth, Huskies had two hits including an RBI single to extend the lead.
INDIANA 17, UNCG 2
KEY MOMENTS
• Sophomore Taylor Minnick stepped up to bat as she hit a 3 RBI homer to clear the bases in the top of the first.
• UNCG hit an RBI single up the middle to cut the Hoosiers lead, 3-1.
• Meeks hit a leadoff double to left field to start the top of the second inning. She would advance on a ground out and put IU up, 4-1, on a sac fly to centerfield from junior Brooke Benson to push the lead.
• The Spartans continued to fight for the lead as they scored on a bases loaded walk, 4-2.
• The third inning proved to be the difference as Indiana scored eight runs on four hits with no errors. A leadoff single through the left side from Minnick started things off. Sophomore Brianna Copeland would reach base with a single straight up the middle.
• Meeks hit another clutch double to left center as she cleared the bases to earn three RBI. She would score after UNCG gave up two on free passes, 7-2.
• Copeland cleared out the bases for the second time as she hit a double to left center for three RBI for a 12-2 Hoosier led to end the top of the third.
• In the top of the fourth, the Hoosiers would score three more runs to extend the lead, 14-2 in the top.
• IU sealed the game with three runs on four hits to take a 17-2 lead to finish in five.
NOTABLES
• Minnick went three-for-three at bat and had a team high four RBI against the Spartans. She had four runs, seven hits, two home runs and 11 RBI on the weekend.
• Copeland had one double and three RBI, going two-for-three at bat.
• Meeks had two doubles against the Spartans going 2-for-three at bat with three RBIs. The senior concluded the weekend with four runs, three doubles and seven RBI.
• Freshman Elle Smith went 2-for-2 in her first career at bat and tallied two stolen bases and three runs.
• Indiana’s 17 runs rank in the top-10 for most runs scored in a single-game. The Hoosiers have scored 17 runs three other times in 2021, 2022 and 1974.
UP NEXT
Indiana will return to Bloomington as they host Purdue-Fort Wayne, IUPUI, Wisconsin and Wisconsin Green-Bay in the Hoosier Classic Tournament on March 3-5 at Andy Mohr Field.
PURDUE MEN’S BB
PURDUE CLINCHES SHARE OF BIG TEN REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Thanks to other results around the Big Ten Conference today, the No. 5-ranked Purdue men’s basketball team has clinched no worse than a share of the 2023 Big Ten Championship.
The Boilermakers can now win the outright title with a win in their next two games, with contests looming against Wisconsin (Thursday) and Illinois (Sunday). Purdue holds a two-game lead over four teams with seven losses each.
The championship is the third title in the last seven years (2017, 2019, 2023) for the Boilermaker program. Purdue’s 25 regular-season titles are the most in Big Ten history. Purdue finished just one game back in both 2018 and 2022.
Purdue is 24-5 overall and 13-5 in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers started the season 13-0, winning the Phil Knight Legacy with wins over West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke. Purdue owns one of America’s best resumes with a 9-4 quad-1 record and 14 quad-1 and quad-2 wins combined – the third-highest total in the country.
Head coach Matt Painter has been a fixture among the league leaders year-in and year-out. Purdue has finished in the top three of the Big Ten standings in seven of the last nine seasons, with one season (2021) where a game was wiped out due to CoVid that would have given the Boilermakers another chance at a top-three finish. Painter now has 11, top-three finishes in his 18 years at Purdue, tied for the sixth-most top-three finishes in Big Ten history.
Purdue will finish the season at Wisconsin on Thursday, then by hosting Illinois on Sunday. The Boilermakers have locked up a double-bye in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. Purdue has earned a double-bye in every tournament under its current format (eight years).
PURDUE WBB
BOILERS FALL IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE TO MINNESOTA
MINNEAPOLIS – After rallying from a double-digit deficit in the second half, a lull late in the fourth quarter sent the Purdue women’s basketball team to a 77-69 loss in the regular season finale at Minnesota on Sunday afternoon.
The Boilermakers finished the regular season 18-9 with a 9-8 mark in Big Ten play, the first winning record in league action since 2017-18.
For the third straight game, Lasha Petree topped 20 points, finishing with 26 on the afternoon on 10-of-20 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. She became the first Boilermaker since Dominique Oden in 2019-20 to record 20 points in three straight games. Petree went 4-of-5 at the line and hauled down six rebounds as well.
She was joined in double figures by Madison Layden who tallied 10 points off the bench with a pair of 3-pointers. Layden added four rebounds, an assist and three steals.
Purdue shot 42.1% overall for the game, while going 5-of-17 from behind the arc. The Boilermakers got to the line 17 times, making 16 attempts.
Despite a 55.6% clip in the first quarter, the Boilermakers found themselves trailing 20-15. Caitlyn Harper and Jayla Smith both paced Purdue with four points each. Minnesota capitalized on five first quarter Boilermaker turnovers to score nine points.
Purdue’s shooting percentage dipped down to 35.7%, as the hosts were able to extend the gap to 11 at the break, 41-30. Purdue went 1-of-7 in the first half with Petree leading the way on the offensive end with seven points.
The Boilermakers quickly erased the 11-point gap with a 12-2 run to open the third, as Petree scored eight straight. Abbey Ellis gave Purdue its first lead since the first quarter with a hard drive to basket with 4:26 to play in the frame. The Boilermakers later ran off five straight points to take a five-point lead, its largest advantage of the game. Purdue was 8-of-15 shooting and scored 10 points off four Minnesota (11-18, 4-14) turnovers in the third.
Both sides traded the lead in the opening stages of the fourth, as the two sides combined to make just four of 15 shots in the first five minutes of the period. Late in the fourth with the game tied at 62-62, Minnesota benefitted from an intentional foul call with Purdue on offense to roll off seven straight points.
Petree scored Purdue’s final seven points, as Purdue fell on the wrong side of a 15-7 run to close the game.
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Minnesota 48-24.
• Abbey Ellis extended her 17 straight.
• Purdue was outrebounded 36-26 and allowed 10 second chance points off nine offensive boards.
• Jeanae Terry tallied eight points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block.
• Purdue scored 11 points on fast breaks to Minnesota’s one.
UP NEXT
Purdue will enter the Big Ten Tournament as the seventh seed and will face the 10th-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday afternoon. Tip from the Target Center in Minneapolis is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (ET) on the Big Ten Network.
PURDUE BASEBALL
BOILERMAKERS RACK UP 15 KS BUT RALLY COMES UP SHORT
HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. – Three different pitchers registered five strikeouts as the team racked up a season-high 15 Ks, but Purdue baseball’s ninth-inning rally was squashed before the tying run could reach base in a 7-5 defeat at the hands of NJIT on Sunday at Ting Stadium.
The Highlanders (4-3) led wire-to-wire for the second time in the series after scoring three times over the first two innings. The Boilermakers (5-3) made it a one-run game on Mike Bolton Jr.’s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, but NJIT’s two home runs in the eighth inning proved to be the difference. The teams split the four-game series.
Doubles from Jake Jarvis and Cam Thompson in the ninth inning helped bring the tying run to the plate after RBI from Jo Stevens and Camden Melvin. But Evan Albrecht was called out on strikes on a full-count offering to end the game.
Thompson homered off the videoboard in left field in the second inning. But it was Purdue’s only long ball of the series after hitting 11 last weekend vs. Holy Cross in Texas. With seven home runs and 15 extra-base hits in the series, NJIT enjoyed a .504 to .344 edge in slugging percentage.
Kyle Iwinski struck out five over four innings of two-hit relief, retiring 11 of the 14 batters he faced while also accounting for Purdue’s fifth pickoff of the series. Calvin Schapira had five Ks vs 15 batters faced and Carter Doorn struck out five of 10, becoming the latest Boilermaker with a minimum five Ks while striking out at least half the batters he faced.
The Boilermakers have registered at least 15 strikeouts in a game four times over the last year and also done it seven times since their March 2019 series with NJIT in Marion, North Carolina.
Couper Cornblum barreled up for an RBI double to the wall in left center in his first at-bat, finishing the series 8-for-17. He and Stevens (5-for-13) hit safely in all four games of the weekend. Albrecht now has an 11-game on-base streak dating back to the end of last season after he doubled and scored in the fifth inning Sunday.
Iwinski retired the dangerous first two hitters in the Highlanders’ lineup twice each and also enjoyed a 1-2-3 frame vs. NJIT’s 3-4-5 hitters in the fifth inning. Jarvis and Cornblum both made nice running catches as the corner outfielders to take away singles in the top of the seventh.
Even with a rough eighth inning Sunday, the Purdue bullpen performed well over the four games. The relief corps had a 2.57 ERA and .215 batting average against with 24 strikeouts vs. eight walks in 21 innings.
The Boilermakers struggled against NJIT’s lefties for much of the weekend, finishing the four games 4-for-37 against a trio of southpaws. Grant Vurpillat worked three innings of one-hit relief Sunday, striking out the 3-4-5 portion of the lineup in order in the sixth inning and registering another 1-2-3 frame vs. the top of the order in the bottom of the eighth.
Purdue returns to Ting Stadium in Holly Springs next weekend for a four-game series against Akron. Friday’s series opener is set for a 3 p.m. ET first pitch.
PURDUE SB
BOILERMAKERS COME UP SHORT VS. LOUISVILLE
ORLANDO, Fla. – Despite a powerful start, which saw three Boilermaker runs in the first inning, Purdue was held scoreless for the remainder of the game to ultimately fall to Louisville, 3-4, to close out the Knights Classic. With the result, Purdue’s record drops to 8-5, while Louisville, which was receiving votes in the latest polls, improves to 9-4.
The Boilermakers’ sound defense held the Cardinals scoreless for four innings, but home runs by Louisville were ultimately Purdue’s downfall, as a home run by the Cardinals in the top of the fifth tied the game up, 3-3 and another homer in the sixth proved to be the game-winner. Purdue kept fighting, leaving two runners stranded at the bottom of the sixth inning, but were unable to find home.
Purdue’s runs were collected by Tyrina Jones, Kyndall Bailey and Anna Lonchar in the first inning.
In total, the Boilermakers registered nine hits in the outing, led by Kiersen George’s three, which included a double. The other six singles were notched by Becca Edwards, Jade Moy, Jones, and a pair from Lonchar.
Fifth-year righty Alex Echazarreta (1-4) received the loss in her 2.1 innings pitched despite her two registered strikeouts and only one run allowed. Alexa Pinarski preceded with 4.2 innings pitched to start the game, earning one strikeout.
Purdue had a fierce start securing three runs in the first inning thanks to Jones, Bailey and Lonchar. Moy and Khloe Banks registered an RBI while Jones capitalized a run off a Louisville wild pitch.
The Boilermakers will be back next weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C. for the Carolina Classic. The games will last the duration of the weekend Friday March 3-Sunday March 5, and face North Carolina and James Madison twice each.
BUTLER SWIMMING
East Meadow, N.Y. – The Butler swim team placed sixth overall in the 2023 BIG EAST Championship Meet. BU posted 590 points, earning 130 more than a year ago at the conference meet. In all, nine school records were broken (800 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Free, 200 IM, 400 IM, 200 Back, 200 Fly) and Maurice Stewart was named 2023 Women’s Co-Coach of the Year!
The Villanova women and Georgetown men repeated as BIG EAST Swim and Dive Champions, taking the titles on Saturday night at the Nassau County Aquatic Center. The Wildcat women captured their tenth consecutive championship, and 15th overall, with 1534 points. After conquering the BIG EAST for the first time last season, the Hoyas repeated as champions with 792.
UConn finished as the women’s runners-up for the third time in as many years (1316.5), followed by Georgetown in third (1265.5). Xavier earned a fourth-place finish (1012) while Seton Hall took fifth (1002). Butler (590) and Providence (403) rounded out the pack in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Coach Stewart selected Kate Schilling and Caroline Zimner as the Butler Swimmers of the Meet. Schilling set the school record in the 200 IM and 200 Fly. Zimner set school records in the 400 IM and the 200 Back.
Honorable mention selections for Coach Stewart went to Sadie Brown, Emily Landwehr, and Alani Hightower-Bend. Brown was a top BU performer in the 400 IM and 200 Fly. Landwehr put her name all over the BU Top Ten list with excellent swims in the 50 Free, 100 Breast, and 100 Free. Hightower Bend reached the B Final in the 50 and 100 Free. She was in the A Final of the 100 Back.
Zimner reached the A Final of the 200 Back. She placed seventh with a personal-best time of 2:00.52.
Hightower-Bend was the top BU swimmer in the 100 Free. She posted a time of 52.21 in the B Final to place 14th. Senior Abigail Roberts took 16th in the B Final and Landwehr was 20th in the C Final (52.34).
Senior Alexa Vota had a season-best swim in the 200 Breast to finish 15th. She competed in the B Final and placed 15th. Allie Carmichael placed 16th (2:27.14) and Ava McGonigle was 21st (2:26.64)
Schilling set the school record in the 200 Fly with a time of 2:03.53. She finished fourth in the A Final with her new personal-best time. Sadie Brown was 17th with a win in the C Final (2:06.03) and Avery Piel placed 18th (2:07.12)
Landwehr, Hightower-Bend, Olivia Stotts, and Abigail Roberts represented Butler in the 400 Free Relay. That unit placed seventh with a time of 3:29.16.
Major Awards
Women’s Most Outstanding Swimmer – Audrey Pastorek, Villanova
Women’s Most Outstanding Diver – Julia Pioso, UConn
Women’s Diving Coach of the Year – David McKown, UConn
Women’s Co-Coaching Staffs of the Year – Villanova and Butler
Final Team Standings
Villanova – 1534
UConn – 1316.5
Georgetown – 1265.5
Xavier – 1012
Seton Hall – 1002
Butler – 590
Providence – 403
BUTLER BASEBALL
CAMPBELL CLAIMS 10-9 WIN OVER BUTLER IN EXTRA INNINGS
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game and the Camels would go on to complete the series sweep vs. Butler with a 10-9 win over the Bulldogs in the bottom of the 10th inning. Pierson hit a two-out solo home run in the ninth to make the game 9-9. Campbell played small ball in the 10th and used a sac bunt to move a runner into scoring position. Howard scored the game-winning run off a Thompson single.
Butler once again jumped out to an early lead at Jim Perry Stadium, but they were unable to hang on for the win. Garret Gray and Lukas Galdoni scored in the third and a three-RBI double to left center from Kollyn All in the fifth gave BU a 6-0 advantage.
Campbell got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with two runs and the ‘Dawgs would get those two runs back in the sixth on a Joey Urban homer. Butler scored their final run in the seventh off a wild pitch, but the tide would turn after the stretch.
The Camels scored four runs off five hits in the seventh and two more runs in the eighth would get the home team back within one. Pierson’s homer tied it and the game ended in the 10th after the Thompson single.
Aaron Barokas struck out five batters over four innings and Alex Voss would contribute with 3.2 innings on the mound. The loss went to Jon Vore (0-1) and the win went to O’Brien.
Butler will play at Indiana on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 4 PM.
BUTLER SB
BUTLER SOFTBALL CLOSES OUT UAB INVITE WITH SPLIT
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Butler softball team defeated Cleveland State and was then shutout by Alabama-Birmingham on the final day of the UAB Green & Gold Classic. The Bulldogs (3-13) led from start to finish in a 6-1 over the Vikings (2-8), while the Blazers (10-6) recorded a perfect game as pitcher Olivia Valbak retired 21 straight batters.
Game 4: Butler- 6, Cleveland State- 1 (7 innings)
After loading the bases in the first inning, Butler made a statement when Paige Dorsett (2-3, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) crushed a grand slam over the center field fence. The 4-0 lead held through two.
In the third, after Dorsett drew a walk, Monique Hoosen (3-3, HR, 2 RBI) hit the second dinger of the game, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 6-0.
Cleveland State used a sacrifice fly to get on the board in the top of the fourth, but Butler’s defense ended the scoring there.
Along with Dorsett and Hoosen, Cate Lehner (2-4, SB) and Kaylee Gross (2-4) each had multiple hits in the game.
Rylyn Dyer (2-3) pitched a complete game for Butler and picked up her second win of the season. In 7.0 innings, she allowed one earned run on five hits while striking out three.
Game 5: Alabama-Birmingham- 2, Butler- 0 (7 innings)
UAB scored two in the first, on a home run, and the 2-0 lead was all that was necessary.
Blazers pitcher Olivia Valbak, a sophomore, delivered a perfect game in the contest, retiring 21 straight batters.
Mackenzie Griman (1-6) pitched a complete game for Butler and suffered the loss. In six innings of work, she allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two.
Bulldog Bits
Paige Dorsett’s grand slam vs. Cleveland State was her first home run of the season and the second of her career.
Monique Hoosen’s home run vs. Cleveland State was her fourth of the season and the 17th of her career.
Rylyn Dyer’s winning effort in the circle vs. Cleveland State was her first complete game of the season.
Cate Lehner’s stolen base vs. Cleveland State was her third of the season.
Up Next
Butler heads to Carbondale, Ill., to play in the Saluki Invitational from Mar. 3 – Mar. 5. Opponents will be the host school, SIU, along with Loyola (Chicago) and Tennessee-Martin.
IUPUI WOMEN’S TRACK
AWOSANYA COLLECTS FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR HONORS AT HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Freshman Modupe Awosanya capped an already impressive meet with some additional hardware and the IUPUI women’s track and field team added to their point total as the Jaguars placed sixth at this weekend’s Horizon League Indoor Championships at Lutheran Health Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne. Awosanya was voted the league’s Freshman of the Year, Fielding by the league’s coaches after winning the long jump on Saturday.
On Sunday (Feb. 26), Awosanya continued to impress, finishing third in the 200m event with a school record time of 24.83, placing second in her heat. She also finished sixth in the 60m event at 7.70.
Senior Sophia Taylor added to the point total in the 800m event, running 2:23.66 in the finals after nudging into the finals the day prior. Similarly in the mile, Ellie Cates placed eighth with a time of 5:09.14 in a return trip to her hometown. Freshman Julie Smith ran a personal best time of 5:11.59 in her heat, leading for the bulk of the race before succumbing with roughly 300 meters remaining.
Junior Madison Fry was the team’s top finisher in the 3,000m event with a season-best time of 10:36.79 while Claire Mehling was impressive in her race with a time of 10:42.44.
The Jaguars’ all freshman 4×400 relay team of Awosanya, Jada-Marie Davis, Karis Davis and Reese McCuan ran a time of 4:02.71 to add to the point total.
Earlier in the day, McCuan broke her own school record in the triple jump with a mark of 11.46m (37′ 7.25”), placing tops among her flight and seventh overall.
Collectively, IUPUI finished with 33 points at the championships. The Jaguars will continue training with the outdoor season slated to begin in March.
IUPUI MBB
JACKSON REPEATS AS #HLMBB FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
INDIANAPOLIS – IUPUI freshman guard DJ Jackson has been named the #HLMBB Freshman of the Week for the final week of the regular season, as announced by the league office on Sunday (Feb. 26). It marks the second straight week and third time this season that Jackson has earned the award.
For the week, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 19.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 56 percent (14-of-25) from the floor and a perfect 11-of-11 from the foul line. He had his first career double-double with a career-high 24 points (7-11 FG, 10-10 FT), 12 rebounds, two steals and an assist in the win over Robert Morris on Thursday (Feb. 23), playing a career-high 36 minutes in that game. He then followed up with 15 points (7-14 FG, 1-1 FT), two boards and two assists off the bench against Youngstown State on Saturday (Feb. 25).
The 24-point game was his second 20-point game of the season and his 15 against YSU was his seventh game in double-digits this season.
For the season, Jackson is averaging 9.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the foul line.
BALL STATE SB
LATE RALLY LEADS SOFTBALL PAST LOYOLA
MURRAY, Ky. – – The Ball State softball team used a five-run fifth inning to rally past Loyola Sunday afternoon for a 6-4 victory to close play in the Velvet Milkman Invitational hosted by Murray State.
The Cardinals (5-5) posted a 3-2 record in the event, led by a solid offensive effort which saw BSU produce a .359 average as a team. Ball State’s pitchers combined for a 3.03 ERA and stuck out a combined 25 batters while holding opponents to a .211 average.
In Sunday’s contest, Ball State found itself trailing 4-0 with just one hit through the first four innings. The Ball State offense came to life in the bottom of the fifth, however, posting five runs on five hits.
The big plays were a two-run single from senior third baseman Haley Wynn and a two-run double by redshirt senior catcher Jazmyne Armendariz. The Cardinals added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to give the game its final score.
HIGHLIGHTS
Wynn led the Ball State offense with three RBI in the game, adding an RBI single to her two-run single in the fifth.
Angelina Russo picked up her team-leading third win of the season in the circle, throwing the complete game and allowing just five hits and four runs (three earned), while striking out a season-high eight batters
Sophomore Kaitlyn Gibson opened the scoring for Ball State with her first hit of the season, an RBI double to left field.
SCORING SUMMARY GAME 1 – Ball State 6 – Loyola 4
T1 | Loyola put the first run across with a double to left from Sydney Barnett (0-1)
T2 | A single to right center by Madison Ebeling scores another for the Ramblers (0-2)
T3 | Abbie Gregus adds two more with a single to right to stretch the lead to four (0-4)
B5 | Ball State get on the board courtesy of Gibson’s double to left scoring junior Kaitlyn Mathews (1-4)
B5 | Wynn added two more runs for the Cardinals with a single up the middle scoring junior Remington Ross, and sophomore Katie Van Der Mark (3-4)
B5 | A two-run double down the left field line by Armendariz scores fifth-year senior Amaia Daniel and Wynn to put BSU ahead (5-4)
B6 | Wynn adds an insurance run with a single to center scoring Van Der Mark for her second run of the day (6-4)
UP NEXT
The Ball State softball team returns to action Friday, when it opens play at the Bulldog Classic with games versus Samford (10:30 a.m.) and host Georgia (3:30 p.m.).
BALL STATE WOMEN’S TENNIS
WOMEN’S TENNIS WINS HOME DOUBLEHEADER; DEFEATS DAYTON & EIU
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State women’s tennis team (8-2) defeated Dayton (6-4) and Eastern Illinois (4-7) Sunday afternoon in their home doubleheader by a score of 6-1 at the Northwest YMCA.
Against Dayton, Ball State earned the doubles point by taking the No. 2 and No. 3 spots over the Flyers. Jessica Braun and Emily Desai started things off winning, 6-0 while Amy Kaplan and Elena Malykh, took down the Flyers’ No. 3 doubles tandem, 6-1 to clinch the point.
Singles play saw Ball State win all but one matchup. The Cardinals won at No. 1, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 spots in straight sets against their respective opponents. Malykh earned the deciding match point for BSU after her 6-0, 6-3 defeat against Dayton’s No. 5 singles player Erica Wojcikiewicz.
The Cardinals kept things going in the evening competition against Eastern Illinois. Ball State dominated doubles as Ella Hazelbaker paired up with Kaplan beating the Panthers’ Madeline Monroy and Brittany Steve, 6-1 on court No. 2. Desai and Malykh earned a 6-4 win on the top court to claim the first point of the match for the Cardinals.
In singles, courts No. 4 and No. 6 exited quickly as Allison Mulville and Hazelbaker gave up a combined six games in four sets total to push the Cardinals lead over the Panthers to 3-0.
With four courts remaining, Desai earned match point over Eastern Illinois after beating Jemma Booth, 7-5, 6-1 at the No. 3 slot.
The Ball State women’s tennis team will remain at home Friday, March 3 when it hosts Butler at the Northwest YMCA. First serve is at 1:30 pm ET.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
RYAN BROWN DOMINATES AS BALL STATE DEFEATS CANISIUS
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Ryan Brown was nearly perfect in his 4 1/3 innings of relief as he struck out 12 of the 13 batters he faced for the Ball State baseball team. The Cardinals bested the Griffs in the final game of the Swig & Swine on Sunday 6-1.
The Cardinals improved to 4-4 on the season, while the Griffs fell to 1-2 on the season.
Canisius jumped out to an early 1-0 in the top of the first.
Nick Gregory got the bottom of the fifth started with a one-out single through the left side. Justin Conant dropped down a sac bunt to move Gregory to second. Ryan Peltier followed with an RBI single up the middle. Adam Tellier singled to third base and advanced to third on an error by the third baseman, which allowed Peltier to score.
In the bottom of the sixth, CJ Horn led the inning off by being hit by a pitch. Matthew Rivera singled through the left side and moved Horn to second. Zach Lane singled to left center and plated Horn from second. The Cardinals held a 3-1 advantage after six innings.
Peltier led off the bottom of the seventh by being hit by a pitch. After Peltier moved to second on a wild pitch, Tellier drew a four-pitch walk. The Cardinals executed a perfect double steal, which moved Peltier to third and Tellier to second. Horn reached on a fielder’s choice and scored Peltier from third. Blake Bevis singled to the pitcher and drove in Tellier. BSU led 5-1 after seven innings in the books.
Gregory drew a walk with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Conant grounded out to third and moved Gregory to second. Peltier notched an RBI single to left field.
Peltier, Tellier, and Rivera each produced two hits on the day. Peltier and Gregory each scored twice.
Casey Bargo got the start for the Cardinals and went one inning with two strikeouts. He surrendered just one earned run on two hits. Logan Schulfer added 3 2/3 innings of hitless baseball in relief. He struck out a career-high seven batters with three walks. Brown picked up the win and moved to 3-0 behind a stellar 12 strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings of relief.
Justin Guiliano got the start for the Griffs and went five innings. He surrendered three runs, two earned, on six hits. He struck out five batters. Brett Kochanski tossed three innings in relief. He gave up three earned runs with four strikeouts and two walks.
“Our boys rebounded nicely from a tough opening-season series,” said Head Coach Rich Maloney. “We played gritty baseball and earned a nice win against Rutgers (preseason picked second in Big Ten) as well as beating Canisius who was in NCAA Tournament last year. Vastly improved pitching, timely hitting, and sound defense were the keys.”
“Ryan was simply marvelous in earning two wins this weekend,” said Coach Maloney. “He struck out five of the seven batters he faced against Rutgers. He then struck out 12 of 13 batters he faced against Canisius without walking anyone. At one point he struck out 11 in-a-row. The most dominate performance I have seen in my twenty-eight years as a head coach.”
Ball State returns North Carolina for a tournament at Wake Forest on Friday, March 3. The Cardinals will open against the Cornell Big Red with first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH TAKE THE SERIES AT UNCG
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to 3-3 on the 2023 season as they took home their first series win of the year after today’s win over UNC Greensboro. Notre Dame defeated the Spartans in a 7-4 victory on Sunday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
How it Happened
The Irish struck first as grad students Zack Prajzner and Brooks Coetzee got the Notre Dame offense rolling. Prajzner would reach first on a walk and after stealing second, Coetzee recorded an RBI single to send Prajzner home and put the Irish on the board. Notre Dame held the Spartans scoreless the first three innings and led 1-0 to start the fourth.
Prajzner would reach first again from a throwing error by third base and after a single to right field from Coetzee, the Irish had runners on first and second with no outs. After consecutive walks, Carter Putz and Jack Penney would reach and send home Prajzner with bases loaded and Vinny Martinez up to bat.
Martinez reached on a fielder’s choice to third base and advanced Putz to third and Penney to second. Casey Kmet followed with a sacrifice bunt and sent home Putz, giving the Irish a 3-0 advantage over UNCG. To cap off the five-run inning for Notre Dame, Danny Neri recorded an RBI single to right field that scored Martinez and Penney.
While the Irish led 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Spartans weren’t going anywhere. On their second hit of the day, UNCG homered to left field and scored three Spartans to bring it within two at 5-3.
Williams would keep the offense going in fifth after a single up the middle and a stolen base at second. Williams advanced to third after Prajzner grounded out to the shortstop and ran home on a passed ball with Coetzee at the plate. The Irish extended their lead to 6-3 heading into the sixth.
Notre Dame held the Spartans scoreless in the fifth and sixth inning as the Irish continued to put runs on the board. In the top of the seventh, freshman Estevan Moreno got his first career hit as he doubled to left field and after stealing third, was scored on a William’s single to make it a 7-3 ballgame.
Bedford, who got the win for Notre Dame, continued to dominate at the hill for the Irish. He threw four strikeouts over three innings and allowed no runs and only one hit.
Sammy Cooper and Carter Bosch would close out the game for the Irish. Cooper relieved Bedford to start the bottom of the ninth and Bosch relieved Cooper with two outs in the ninth. Bosch went to work, striking out the final batter for UNCG as Notre Dame took home the 7-4 win to take the series.
Up Next
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are back in action this upcoming weekend to take on UAB in a three game series at Young Memorial Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
NOTRE DAME SB
IRISH FINISH PERFECT WEEKEND WITH DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP OF FIU AND DARTMOUTH
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – The University of Notre Dame softball team finished THE Spring Games a perfect 5-0, closing the weekend with a doubleheader sweep of FIU and Dartmouth. The Fighting Irish rallied to defeat FIU 4-3 and rode that momentum to a 7-4 victory over the Big Green to finish the weekend. The Irish improve to 10-4 with the wins.
Shannon Becker and Micaela Kastor combined for the win over FIU. Becker started, throwing 2.2 innings, allowing four hits, three runs, none of which were earned and struck out three. Kastor closed the game out, earning her second win of the season. The freshman threw 4.1 innings without allowing a hit and struck out five.
At the plate, the Irish offense went for seven hits against the Panthers. Leea Hanks led the team with a 2-for-3 performance and scored a run. Jane Kronenberger finished 1-for-3 with a two-run home run. Brooke Marquez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in addition to a single of her own.
Payton Tidd started the nightcap in the circle. She threw 4.0 innings, allowing two runs, one earned on four hits and struck out three as she earned her fifth win of the season. Becker was the first reliever, throwing an inning, allowing two hits and two earned runs to go with a strikeout. Kastor picked up her first collegiate save, facing the minimum over 2.0 innings and striking out three.
Eight of nine starters in the Irish lineup recorded a hit, led by a 4-for-4 effort from freshman Mickey Winchell. Hanks finished 2-for-5 with a run scored as Karina Gaskins and Tidd provided the pop, each hitting a home run. Tidd finished 2-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored and a double to go with her second long ball of the season.
How It Happened – FIU
The Panthers got on the board in the top of the third inning, plating three runs. A single and a walk put two on with two outs. An error loaded the bases before a single to left scored two. Another single in the same direction added another run as FIU took the lead 3-0.
Notre Dame battled back late, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. A two-out single by Hanks set the stage for Kronenberger who homered to left.
The sixth inning featured some dramatics, as the Irish took the lead. Oroczo led off with a double to right and moved up with a single and a walk loaded the bases. Marquez looped a fly ball to right to tie the game. A fielder’s choice threw out the potential go-ahead run at the plate for the second out, putting runners on the corners. The Irish executed a double steal as Joley Mitchell slid in just under the tag to put the Irish up, 4-3.
Kastor sat the Panthers down in order in the top of the seventh, striking out two of the three looking at pitches on the outer half to secure the win.
How It Happened – Dartmouth
The Irish didn’t waste any time in the second game of the day, scoring in the top of the first. Kloss singled to shortstop and went first to third on a single to left center from Kronenberger. Gaskins drove her in with a sacrifice fly to right to put Notre Dame up 1-0.
The Big Green responded with a solo homer in its half of the first to tie the game at one.
After a scoreless second, Notre Dame drove in three in the top of the third. With two outs, Gaskins hit a solo homer to regain the lead. Orozco drew a walk before Tidd drove a ball over the left field fence for a two-run homer to extend the lead to 4-1.
The Irish struck for a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. A single from Winchell turned the lineup over and Hanks connected for a double to put runners in scoring position. Kloss drove a run in with a ground ball and Orozco drove in another with a single to left field to extend the lead to 6-1.
Dartmouth scratched home a solo run in the fourth. A two-base error and a single put runners in scoring position for a sacrifice fly to cut the Irish lead to 6-2 after four innings.
The Big Green brought it within two in the fifth. With two outs, a single and a walk put two on for the cleanup hitter who doubled to the fence in right to score two and cut the lead to 6-4.
The Irish pushed one more home in the top of the seventh as Kloss connected for a sacrifice fly.
Kastor made quick work of the Big Green in the seventh, sitting the opposition down in order with a couple of strikeouts.
Up Next
The Irish will open Atlantic Coast Conference action next weekend as they travel to Durham, N.C. for a three-game series against the #14/15 Duke Blue Devils.
NOTRE DAME WBB
NOTRE DAME DOWNS LOUISVILLE, WINS ACC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the first time since 2019, Notre Dame is your 2023 ACC regular season champion.
On Sunday, the 10th-ranked Irish (24-4, 15-3) topped Louisville (21-10, 12-6) on the road, 68-65. It was the first time they have won at KFC Yum! Center since 2016.
In earning the victory, Notre Dame sits alone atop the ACC standings at the conclusion of the regular season and will be the conference’s No. 1 seed at this week’s 2023 Ally ACC Tournament.
This was Notre Dame’s second time seeing the Cardinals this season, and it was also the second time they had to play from behind. The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair. Neither team had a lead greater than 4 points, and the largest run was 5-0. Notre Dame had the edge, 15-14.
Louisville dominated the second quarter, taking a 9-point lead into the locker room. Sonia Citron paced the team with 10 points and made a pair of shots from deep. The Cardinals had a 9-point lead after two quarters. At the 2:35 mark, star guard Olivia Miles went down with a knee injury after diving for a loose ball. She did not return and will be evaluated this week.
“I feel like our team did a great job responding when Liv went down,” said Niele Ivey, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach.
Notre Dame played a solid third quarter, shooting 60 percent from the floor. The Irish cut Louisville’s lead to just a triple for the final frame. Notre Dame tied and took the lead in the late fourth quarter, and a couple of free throws from Cassandre Prosper sealed the deal.
“Super proud of the group for winning on the road in a defensive, physical game,” Ivey added. “It’s a testament to where this program is trending and to this team. Every person who has been a part of this team had a part in this win.”
Citron built upon her excellent first half, finishing with a season-high 27 points. That is also the most points any player has scored for Notre Dame this year. Citron was 7-13 from the floor and hit three triples.
“My coaches prepared me for when Liv needs a break, so I was ready when she went down,” Citron said. “I think our team did a great job of looking at it like ‘Get a stop and score. That’s it.’ We had been in that position before, and we knew what we had to do.”
Maddy Westbeld added 9 points to her total, making her career mark 999. Freshman KK Bransford had another double-digit performance, posting 14 points in front of numerous friends and family. Bransford is from nearby Cincinnati.
Notre Dame has a break until Friday, when the Irish will begin the postseason by playing the winner of Thursday’s game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds. The full bracket will be released Sunday evening. That contest will tip off from Greensboro at 2 p.m. ET and will be televised on the ACC Network.
NOTRE DAME HOCKEY
IRISH SECURE HOME ICE WITH OVERTIME WIN
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 20/19 University of Notre Dame hockey team defeated No. 4/4 Michigan, 2-1, Saturday night in overtime to clinch the fourth-seed in the Big Ten Tournament and home ice for the first round. The two teams battled hard in the regular season finale, with Ryan Bischel turning aside 48 shots to secure the overtime thriller. Drew Bavaro scored both goals for the Irish in the 2-1 victory, earning player of the game honors from his teammates.
The officials whistled their fifth interference call of the weekend as the Irish headed to the penalty kill early in the first period. The visitors successfully killed off the penalty just under 10 minutes into the contest before both sides were called for crosschecking coincidentals shortly after.
A series of crosschecking calls ensued with the Irish and Wolverines each getting a second powerplay opportunity but neither side could capitalize as it returned to five-on-five hockey.
Michigan’s Adam Fantilli hit an unsuspecting Irish defenseman in their end and was served a five minute major and removed from the game. The Irish had 48 seconds on the powerplay to end the period, nearly capitalizing as the horn sounded, but the two teams skated to the first intermission in a 0-0 stalemate.
The remaining Michigan major was negated early in the second stanza when the Irish were called for interference at 2:30 of the period.
With shots even partway through the second period, both teams continued to search for the opening goal but Bischel and Michigan’s netminder stood tall on either end, casting aside all 11 shots faced a piece.
The two netminders continued to impress through the middle frame as the Irish and Wolverines went to their respective locker rooms still scoreless at the second intermission.
Michigan was whistled early in the third period and the Irish controlled possession through the entirety of the penalty. With five seconds left on the man-advantage, Drew Bavaro buried a shot from the point to break the stalemate.
After turning aside 31 shots on the night, one beat Bischel with 10:01 to play to knot things up 1-1.
The Irish had three shots shortly after trickle just wide of the net as Landon Slaggert, Chayse Primeau and Chase Blackmun each had a chance at the net. After the Wolverines cleared the zone Tyler Carpenter created an odd-man rush back into the offensive end but his shot ricocheted off the post as play continued with the scoreboard flashing 1-1.
Despite near chances in the final seconds of regulation, the Irish were unable to break the tie game and a third-straight ND game was set to be determined in extra time.
Notre Dame dominated the overtime session, not allowing the Wolverines a single shot on goal before Bavaro buried his own rebound to improve his team to 15-14-5 on the season.
GOALS
Drew Bavaro’s shot from the point was his third point of the weekend series and came at 3:35 of the third to give ND the 1-0 lead. With five seconds left on the man-advantage, Grant Silianoff fed a pass across the blueline to Bavaro at the point. His one-timer beat Portillo in the Michigan net for the first goal of the night. Trevor Janicke also tallied an assist on the play, setting up Silianoff along the boards.
Bavaro rounded out his record weekend with the Irish, netting the game-winning goal just 1:30 into the overtime frame. In the Irish end, Hunter Strand found the blueliner racing up ice and into the offensive zone. The junior fired a shot off before gathering his own rebound and attempting a second shot. The third time was the charm for Bavaro as his second shot bounced off the pads of Portillo and back onto Bavaro’s stick who lifted the puck into the open net for the game-winning tally.
KEY STATS
Ryan Bischel recorded 26 saves in the third period alone to lift his team to the overtime victory. The senior netminder finished the night with 48 saves in 61:30 minutes played.
Drew Bavaro’s two-goal night ties his career high with the Irish, having previously recorded a multi-goal night at Wisconsin in early January.
With seven shots on goal, including three in the overtime period, Bavaro led the team in the category. The two-way blueliner also led the team in blocked shots, jumping in front of four pucks in Saturday night’s win.
With four points on the weekend, Bavaro led the team and now boasts 18 points on the season off six goals and 12 assists.
The Irish completed the weekend with four points behind shootout and overtime victories, extending their undefeated regular season record inside Yost Ice Arena to nine games, 8-0-1.
UP NEXT
The Irish will return to Compton Family Ice Arena March 3-5, having secured home ice in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament with their overtime winner Saturday night. With four points on the weekend at Michigan, the Irish secured the fourth seed in the conference playoffs and will host Michigan State in a best-of-three series next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday if necessary.
Puck drop for Friday is set for 7 p.m. before a 4:30 p.m. start the following night. If necessary, Sunday’s contest will get underway at 6 p.m.
All ND vs. MSU games next weekend will be broadcast on FS2.
INDIANA STATE TRACK
STAGGS, NORTON WIN GOLD ON OPENING DAY OF MVC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
CHICAGO – William Staggs broke the Indiana State school record in the pole vault Sunday, headlining the opening day for the Sycamores at the MVC Indoor Championships. The Sycamores currently sit in first place on the men’s side with 44 points and are in second on the women’s side with 40 points.
Staggs cleared 5.41m (17-09.25), breaking Tony Mescall’s record that had stood since 1996 in the process. He was not the only winner on the opening day for the Trees, though. Brett Norton put down a career-best mark of 20.55m (67-05.25) to win the weight throw, and was one of four Sycamores to score points in the event.
Among the other notable performances on the first day at Gately Park were JaVaughn Moore breaking his own 60m record for a second time this season, along with Claire Pittman (long jump) and Selene Weaver (pole vault) picking up all-conference honors.
MVC Champions
William Staggs – pole vault (5.41m/17-09.00, school record)
Brett Norton – weight throw (20.55m/67-07.25, fourth in program history)
All-Conference
Selene Weaver – pole vault (second, 3.95m/12-11.50)
Claire Pittman – long jump (third, 5.77m/18-11.25)
Scoring for the Sycamores
Cael Light, Quincy Armstrong, Jocqael Thorpe, Ethan Breen – distance medley relay (fourth, 10:10.26)
Landis Brandon – pole vault (fourth, 3.95m/12-11.50)
Noah Bolt – weight throw (fourth, 19.63m/64-05.00)
Eva Grace Quinlan – pentathlon (fourth, 3375)
Daniel O’Laughlin – pole vault (fifth, 4.60m/15-01.00)
Mitch Conard – long jump (fifth, 7.07m/23-02.50)
Brittney Walker – long jump (fifth, 5.71m/18-08.75)
Frankie Young III – long jump (sixth, 7.03m/23-00.75)
Niesha Anderson – weight throw (sixth, 18.56m/60-10.75)
Erica Barker – 5000m (seventh, 17:01.48)
Cassidy Bagby, Iyanla Hunter, Maria Biskopstoe, Sara Skaff – distance medley relay (seventh, 12:14.12)
Ryann Porter – long jump (seventh, 5.58m/18-03.75)
Ryan Golliher – weight throw (seventh, 18.83m/61-09.50)
Kamille Gaskin-Griffith – pentathlon (seventh, 3235)
Brooklyn Giertz – pole vault (eighth, 3.85m/12-07.50)
Faith Frye – long jump (eighth, 5.57m/18-03.25)
Elias Foor – weight throw (eighth, 18.77m/61-07.00)
Sprints/Hurdles
On a day consisting of only prelims for the sprinters and hurdlers, Indiana State made sure its presence was still felt. The Sycamore men qualified 10 sprinters for Monday finals, putting through multiple qualifiers in every event. The Sycamores also sent three women to finals.
JaVaughn Moore had the headline performance from the group, breaking his own school record in the 60m by running a time of 6.61 in the prelims. Moore also had the top 200m prelims time of 21.14. Joining Moore in the 60m finals will be Noah Malone (6.80), Terrance O’Bannon (6.81) and Isiah Thomas (6.88). Malone also qualified for the 200m finals with a time of 21.60.
Indiana State also had a pair advance in the 400m finals, with Tahj Johnson finishing third in the prelims at 47.76 and Cameron Stevens earning the final qualifying spot with a time of 48.95.
The 60m hurdles will have multiple Sycamores in both the men’s and women’s finals. On the men’s side, Quincy Armstong ran a career-best 8.09, while Daryl Black clocked a time of 8.30 to qualify. Ryann Porter (8.48) and Riley Tuerff (8.76) ran career-best times on the women’s side to qualify for finals, and the duo will also be joined by Zoe Sullivan (8.49).
Collette Wolfe tied her season-best of 7.65 in the 60m prelims, while Nyla Jones (25.36, 200m) and Iyanla Hunter (56.91, 400m) rounded out Indiana State’s competitors in the women’s sprints events.
Distance
Indiana State put points on the board on both the men’s and women’s side in the distance medley relay, with the men’s quartet of Cael Light, Armstrong, Jocqael Thorpe and Ethan Breen placing fourth in 10:10.26, and the women’s team of Cassidy Bagby, Hunter, Maria Biskopstoe and Sara Skaff finishing seventh in 12:14.12. Breen was also one of two Sycamores to qualify for the finals in the mile (4:11.80), along with Jackson Krieg (4:11.73).
Indiana State also qualified a pair of runners for the 800m finals, with Wyatt Wyman (1:51.68) and Napoleon Hernandez (1:52.52) both advancing through prelims. Jocqael Thorpe ran a career-best 1:53.09 and came less than one-tenth of a second from reaching the finals. In the women’s 800m, Biskopstoe ran a time of 2:17.82 to place ninth.
The Sycamores got a pair of points in the 5000m from Erica Barker, who placed seventh with a time of 17:01.48. Logan Pietrzak was the lone entry for the Trees in the men’s 5000m, placing 12th with a time of 14:48.61.
Jumps/Pole Vault
William Staggs stole the show for the Sycamore jumps and pole vault group with a double PR and school record performance in the pole vault. Staggs cleared 5.41m (17-09.00) to break the program record which had stood since 1996. In addition to Staggs, Daniel O’Laughlin earned a fifth-place finish after clearing 4.60m (15-01.00).
The Trees also had a trio of women score in the pole vault, with Selene Weaver clearing 3.95m (12-11.50) to earn runner-up honors. Landis Brandon also cleared 3.95m (12-11.50) and placed fourth, while Brooklyn Giertz cleared 3.85m (12-07.50) to finish eighth.
Indiana State had four women score in the long jump, with Claire Pittman earning all-conference honors after a mark of 5.77m (18-11.25) saw her finish third. Brittney Walker (5.71m/18-08.75) placed fifth for the Trees, with Porter (5.58m/18-03.75) and Faith Frye (5.57m/18-03.25) finishing in seventh and eighth, respectively. The Sycamores also had a pair of scorers in the men’s long jump, with Mitch Conard (7.07m/23-02.50) finishing in fifth and Frankie Young III (7.03m/23-00.75) placing sixth.
Throws
Brett Norton led the charge for a Sycamore throws group that scored 18 points on the men’s side and three on the women’s side on the opening day. Norton’s mark of 20.55m (67-05.25) earned him the top spot, while Noah Bolt finished fourth with a top mark of 19.63m (64-05.00). Also scoring in the event for the Trees were Ryan Golliher, who placed seventh with a top throw of 18.83m (61-09.50), and Elias Foor, who finished in eighth with a top throw of 18.77m (61-07.00).
Indiana State also picked up points in the women’s weight throw, with Niesha Anderson finishing sixth with a top mark of 18.56m (60-10.75). Josie Hapack placed ninth with a top mark of 17.4m (57-02.75).
Multis
Indiana State had a pair of scorers in the pentathlon. Eva Grace Quinlan used a strong mark in the high jump (1.66m/5-05.25) on her way to a fourth-place finish with 3375 points. Kamille Gaskin-Griffith placed seventh with 3235 points, in part due to a strong showing in the 60m hurdles (8.83). Chloe Rolen finished ninth with 3130 points, with her best event being the 800m (2:34.54).
Team Scores
MEN
1. Indiana State – 44
2. Northern Iowa – 36
3. Bradley – 31
4. Drake – 30
5. Illinois State – 27
6. Southern Illinois – 12
7. Belmont – 7
8. Valparaiso – 5
9. UIC – 3
WOMEN
1. Murray State – 44
2. Indiana State – 40
3. Illinois State – 38
4. Belmont – 31
5. Bradley – 28
6. Southern Illinois – 22
7. Northern Iowa 15
8. Drake – 7
9. Missouri State – 6
10. UIC – 3
Up Next
The 2023 MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships conclude Monday, with the Sycamores’ first events kicking off at 11:30 a.m.
INDIANA STATE MBB
SYCAMORES EARN NO. 5 SEED, WILL FACE NO. 12 EVANSVILLE IN MVC TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State Sycamores closed out the regular season with a 13-7 mark in league play to earn the No. 5 seed entering the 2023 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, which takes place March 2-5 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
The Sycamores will face No. 12 Evansville in the first round of the tournament Thursday, March 2 at 3:30 p.m. The winner of that game will face fourth-seeded Belmont Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET
For the first time in MVC history, five teams will enter Arch Madness with 20+ wins as Drake (24), Bradley (23), Southern Illinois (22), Belmont (21), and Indiana State (20) each hold 20-win campaigns prior to the tournament. The previous league record for 20-win teams entering Arch Madness had been three.
Also, for the first time in league history, the league includes 12 teams, and all 12 will head to St. Louis this week. The league champion will earn the MVC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Sycamores finished last season in ninth place at 4-14 in league play and saw a first-round exit in the tournament. They were picked to finish seventh ahead of this season in the Valley’s preseason poll, and went on to finish fifth, four spots up from last year’s finish and two spots up from their preseason ranking.
Indiana State is 27-39 all-time in the MVC Tournament including 3-3 against Evansville. After leading the Sycamores to their first 20-win season since 2013-14 in just his second year at the helm, head coach Josh Schertz will be looking for his first win in the MVC Tournament.
2023 STATE FARM MVC TOURNAMENT
Enterprise Center • St. Louis, Missouri
THURSDAY, MARCH 2
1 pm — GAME 1 (#8 UNI vs. #9 Illinois State)
3:30 pm — GAME 2 (#5 Indiana State vs. #12 Evansville)
7 pm — GAME 3 (#7 Murray State vs. #10 Valparaiso)
9:30 pm — GAME 4 (#6 Missouri State vs. #11 UIC)
FRIDAY, MARCH 3
1 pm — GAME 5 (#1 Bradley vs. Game 1 winner)
3:30 pm — GAME 6 (#4 Belmont vs. Game 2 winner)
7 pm — GAME 7 (#2 Drake vs. Game 3 winner)
9:30 pm — GAME 8 (#3 Southern Illinois vs. Game 4 winner)
SATURDAY, MARCH 4
3:30 pm — GAME 9 (Game 5 & 6 winners)
6 pm — GAME 10 (Game 7 & 8 winners)
SUNDAY, MARCH 5
2 pm — MVC Championship Game
SYCAMORES CAN’T OVERCOME EARLY DEFICIT, FALL TO MISSOURI STATE ON SENIOR DAY
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State got down early and could not completely get out of the hole on senior day Sunday afternoon as the Sycamores fell 66-62 to Missouri State in the final game of the regular season. Indiana State trailed by as much as 14 in the first half and outscored the Bears in the second half, cutting the deficit to one point in the final 23 seconds, but could not fully overcome the deficit.
The Sycamores conclude the regular season with a 20-11 overall mark and 13-7 Valley record, a nine-win improvement from last season. This marks ISU’s first 20-win season since 2013-14 and just the eighth time overall since joining the Valley in 1976-77. The Sycamores also notched 13 Valley wins for the first time since 1999-20 when Indiana State won the Valley with a 14-4 league record.
A trio of seniors scored in double figures led by Cooper Neese with 14 points, followed by Cade McKnight and Courvoisier McCauley with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Julian Larry had a season-high four steals alongside a tied team-high three assists, and McCauley led the Sycamores on the boards with seven rebounds.
The Bears scored the first 20 of their 66 total points in the first six and a half minutes of the first half, which quickly put the Sycamores down 20-11 in the game. Indiana State trailed by a game-high 14 points at 5:07 in the opening period but outscored the Bears 8-3 in the last 4:54 of the frame to trail by just nine points at 34-25 going into the halftime break. The Sycamores started the game off 5-of-15 from the field and did not make a 3-pointer in the first half, shooting 0-of-9 beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.
Missouri State went back up by 12 at 17:41 in the second, but Indiana State sparked some momentum with a nearly minute-long possession. The Sycamores pulled down two straight offensive boards and then drew a foul before McKnight fed Larry for a layup to end that possession and cut the deficit back down to eight points at 40-32 with 15:59 to go.
Zach Hobbs finally hit Indiana State’s first triple of the day at 13:55 when Cameron Henry snagged the rebound on a Missouri State airball and fed it all the way down to Hobbs who was waiting all alone for a corner three. Larry swiped his fourth pass of the day to set McKnight up for a layup that trimmed ISU’s deficit to four points at 42-38 with 13:18 left, and Neese later drilled a shot from the logo to make it 54-49 at 6:37, which made him the first Sycamore to hit double figures on the scoresheet.
Indiana State trailed 63-57 with a minute to go when Neese hit a stepback jumper and then pulled down the rebound on a missed Missouri State free throw with 36 seconds to go. McCauley nailed a triple to make it a one-point game at 63-62 with 23 seconds on the clock, but that is as close as the Sycamores would come to erasing their deficit. Missouri State hit three free throws in the final 17 seconds to secure the win.
Inside the Numbers
Indiana State shot 0-of-9 from three in the first half and 3-of-9 in the second to finish with a tied season-low 16.7 percent beyond the arc in the game.
Missouri State scored 20 of its 66 points in the first six and a half minutes before the Indiana State defense stepped up and allowed just 46 points across the last 33 and a half minutes in the game.
The Bears outshot the Sycamores in the game 42.6 percent to 40.0 percent from the field, and Missouri State was 7-of-24 from three.
The Sycamores were outrebounded 37-31 in the game including 11-7 on the offensive boards.
News & Notes
Sunday is the first time this season the Sycamores have not made a 3-pointer in the first half, and they finished with a season-low three triples in the game which ties the season-low of 16.7 percent at Murray State when ISU shot 5-of-30 in an 82-73 loss to the Racers.
Indiana State’s 25 points in the first half mark a season low for points in the first half of a game for the Sycamores this year.
Today’s loss marks Indiana State’s first and only time getting swept in a season series this year. Both losses to Missouri State have come by a combined six total points.
There have been just two games this season in which the Sycamores did not hold a lead at any point, and both of those games have been against Missouri State.
Julian Larry’s season-high four steals in the game mark a Valley career high for him.
Cooper Neese closed the regular season with three straight double-figure scoring games and has made at least one 3-pointer in nine of his last 10 games.
Courvoisier McCauley posted double figures in his eighth straight game and has scored in double figures in all but three games this season, making at least one 3-pointer in all 31 games.
Up Next
The Sycamores head to St. Louis for Arch Madness March 2-5 at the Enterprise Center. Indiana State locked in the fifth seed and will face 12th-seeded Evansville in the first round of the tournament Thursday, March 2 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The winner of that game will face fourth-seeded Belmont Friday, March 3 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES FALL TO NORTHEASTERN IN EXTRA INNINGS TO CLOSE OUT SNOWBIRD BASEBALL CLASSIC
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Northeastern’s Danny Crossen connected on the game-winning RBI triple in the top of the 11th inning as Indiana State fell in the series finale in the Sycamores’ final game at the Snowbird Baseball Classic, 8-7.
Indiana State (2-5) took the 7-6 lead in the bottom of the eighth following Alex Marx’s first home run as a Sycamore, while Randal Diaz connected on the go-ahead RBI triple scoring Seth Gergely to put ISU ahead late. The Huskies (5-1) responded with Spenser Smith’s solo home run in the top of the ninth to tie the game up and send it into extra innings.
After Crossen’s RBI triple scored Alex Lane in the top of the 11th, the Sycamores had their chance to tie the game up in the bottom half of the frame. Gergely and Diaz led off ISU’s final at-bats with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with none out. Northeastern reliever Patrick Harrington (1-0) was able to keep the Sycamores off the board getting a strikeout and the game-ending double play to close out the Huskies’ win.
Diaz and Hernandez both posted their first three-hit games of the 2023 campaign to lead the Sycamore batters in the contest. Marx added two hits including his first home run in the ISU Blue & White, while he and Adam Pottinger both drove in two RBI in the loss.
Connor Fenlong went a season-best 6.0 innings in his first start of the season. The redshirt senior surrendered six hits and six runs while striking out five in the no-decision. Jared Spencer (0-1) took the loss after going the final 1.1 innings in relief, while Brayden Lybarger (1.0 IP, 1 K), and Brennyn Cutts (2.2 IP, 4 K) also saw time on the mound in the game.
Mike Sirota, Crossen, and Spenser Smith all homered to lead the Huskies’ offense on the day, while Alex Lane and Crossen both posted multi-hit contests. Crossen added a team-high four RBI in the win.
Matt Downing earned the start in leading six Northeastern pitchers on the mound on Sunday. Downing went the first 2.0 innings, while Jake Gigliotti, Brett Dunham, Nick Davis, and Griffin Young all saw time on the mound before turning the ball over to Harrington. Harrington went the final 3.0 innings allowing two hits while striking out five in taking the win.
How They Scored
Indiana State took the early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third as Jorge Pereira (RBI double), Adam Pottinger (RBI sacrifice fly), and Alex Marx (RBI single) all drove in runs in the frame.
Harrison Feinberg cut into the Sycamore lead in the top of the fourth as his RBI single scored Alex Lane to make it a 3-1 game. The Northeastern rally was cut short as Adam Pottinger threw out Jimmy Sullivan at the plate to limit the Huskies.
Pottinger put the Sycamores ahead 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out RBI single to right center scoring Luis Hernandez.
The Huskies took their first lead of the game in the top of the fifth inning as Mike Sirota connected on a two-run home run, while Danny Crossen added a three-run shot in the inning to put Northeastern ahead 6-4.
The Sycamores battled back in the bottom of the seventh as Hernandez cut the NU lead down to 6-5 with a one-out RBI single scoring Randal Diaz.
Alex Marx tied the game up in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run, while Randal Diaz added an RBI triple to give Indiana State the 7-6 lead heading into the ninth.
Northeastern tied the game up in the top of the ninth inning as Spenser Smith connected on a leadoff solo home run to knot the game at 7-7.
Danny Crossen put the Huskies back in the lead in the top of the 11th with the game-winning RBI triple scoring Alex Lane to provide the final margin.
News & Notes
Alex Marx became the fifth Sycamore to homer in the 2023 season as the freshman connected on the game-tying blast in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Sycamores have hit at least one home run in each of the last five games dating back to February 21 against Florida Gulf Coast.
A season-high five Indiana State hitters were plunked on Sunday including Randal Diaz getting hit by two pitches in the contest.
Luis Hernandez and Adam Pottinger both recorded their first stolen bases of the season improving the Sycamores to a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts.
Randal Diaz connected on his team-leading second triple of the 2023 season in the bottom of the eighth inning.
All nine Sycamore starters in the lineup reached base in the game on Sunday.
Up Next
Indiana State continues their season opening road trip next weekend as the Sycamores travel to Lexington, Ky. to take on the University of Kentucky on March 3-5 at Kentucky Proud Park. All three games will be carried live on the SEC Network Plus.
INDIANA STATE SB
SACKETT STRIKES OUT CAREER-HIGH NINE AS SYCAMORES FALL IN WEEKEND FINALE
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Indiana State softball dropped their weekend finale, 6-2, against Southeastern Louisiana to close out their weekend at the Easton Bama Bash hosted by the University of Alabama at Rhoads Stadium.
The Sycamores drop to 5-5 on the season.
The Action
The Sycamores jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the opening frame. Olivia Patton led off the inning with a single and came around to score on a Danielle Henning RBI triple. Henning later scored on a throwing error to put ISU up 2-0.
Southeastern would tie the game up in the top of the second, plating a pair of runs off of Sycamore starter Lexi Benko. Lauren Sackett would replace her, striking out three straight Lion hitters to strand two runners in scoring position and keep the game tied at two.
Sackett continued to carve up the Southeastern lineup, racking up five strikeouts in the third and fourth innings. KK Ladner, who entered for the Lions in the first inning was also strong in the circle, keeping the game tied 2-2 entering the fifth inning.
In the top half of the fifth, SLU loaded the bases with no outs and would put two runs across, taking a 4-2 lead. Annie Tokarek threw out a runner at third to retire the side.
With two runners on for the Lions in the sixth, Lauren Sackett recorded her career-best ninth strikeout of the game to send the Trees to the plate. The Sycamores would go down 1-2-3 in the frame as the game remained 4-2.
After a leadoff walk for SLU in the seventh, Cassi Newbanks replaced Sackett who went five innings and struck out nine, allowing three runs. The Lions added two more runs in the frame to go up 6-2. In the bottom half of the seventh, the Sycamores went 1-2-3 to give Southeastern the 6-2 victory.
Olivia Patton went 2-3, extending her hitting streak to seven games. Along with Danielle Henning’s first inning triple and Patton’s hits, Isabella Henning had a double and Kaylee Barrett added a single to round out the offense for ISU.
Up Next
Indiana State will be back in action next weekend at the Colonel Classic hosted by Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WBB
MASTODON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO HOST #HLWBB CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON TUESDAY VS. DETROIT MERCY
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team will host a Barbasol Horizon League Championship first round game on Tuesday (Feb. 28) at 7 p.m. in the Gates Sports Center against Detroit Mercy.
General admission tickets are on sale for two dollars online here. They will be five dollars at the ticket office on the day of the game. Students from all 11 Horizon League institutions can attend the game for free with a valid student ID.
The Mastodons earned the No. 6 seed after a 9-11 Horizon League campaign in Maria Marchesano’s second season as head coach. It’s the best league finish for the program since the 2013-14 season.
Tuesday will be the first women’s basketball league tournament game to be hosted in the Gates Sports Center since the Mastodons moved Division I in 2001 and the first postseason game since 2011.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE TRACK
4X400 RELAY AMONG MULTIPLE PODIUM FINISHES ON SUNDAY
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s track and field team wrapped up the 2023 Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships with a strong day at the Lutheran Health Fieldhouse on Sunday (Feb. 26).
Brooke Neal had a pair of podium finishes on her home track. She took third in the mile, running the event in 5:04.18. Then she picked up sixth in the 3000 meters (10:13.81).
The Mastodons’ 4×400 team of Sophia Buck, Jesseca Hudson-Turpin, Dylan Kirkwood and Katie Clark finished on the podium with a third-place time (3:54.33).
It was a busy day for Hudson-Turpin. In the 60 hurdles, Hudson-Turpin took third with a time of 8.47, breaking her own school record. Jordan Yanders was sixth (8.92) and Dylan Kirkwood (8.90) earned seventh in the same event. Hudson-Turpin was also eighth in the 200 meters (25.68).
Jai Reed picked up fifth in the 60 meters (7.67).
In the 400 meters, Clark earned a spot on the podium with a fifth-place performance (57.44).
Louiza Kruiswijk picked up points in the triple jump with a fifth-place finish (11.75 meters).
A pair of ‘Dons made their way to the podium in the shot put. Ali Sparks took sixth (13.24 meters) and Abbigail Garwood was eighth (12.95 meters).
The ‘Dons took fourth with a team score of 77, matching last year’s spot in the standings but increasing last season’s point total of 59.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
MASTODONS FALL TO WILDCATS ON SUNDAY
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Purdue Fort Wayne baseball team fell to Bethune-Cookman on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 26) 10-0.
The Mastodons were even with the Wildcats until the third inning, which saw the home team plate a pair. They extended their lead in the fourth with four more runs.
Ben Higgins, Caileb Johnson and Cade Nelis each had a hit in Sunday’s contest. Johnson and Nelis both had hits in the fourth, putting a runner in scoring position.
Mac Ayres threw for 3.2 innings and struck out five batters, but he took his first loss of the season. Colin Bauer threw the eighth for the ‘Dons, throwing a hit-less inning.
Bethune-Cookman’s Daniel Gaviria got the win, going the full nine innings in his first game of record this season.
Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 1-7 while Bethune-Cookman improves to 6-2. The ‘Dons will head to Winston-Salem, North Carolina next weekend to play Ball State, Wake Forest and Cornell.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
HORD HOME RUN, PITCHING POWER ACES PAST EAGLES, 5-3
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville junior catcher Brendan Hord hit a go-head home run in the bottom of the seventh inning on Sunday, and UE’s pitchers combined to allow just two base hits to power the Purple Aces to a 5-3 victory over the visiting Eastern Michigan Eagles at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
“This was a great series win against a good Eastern Michigan team,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “Our pitching was outstanding today, only giving up two hits, as Donovan Schultz gave us a quality start. I thought that Shane Harris did a great job of bridging the gap to John MacCauley, and MacCauley was able to shut it down for the win. Our offense had a couple of big at-bats as well to get those runs late. Overall, it was a good win all the way around.”
Evansville jumped to an early 3-0 lead with single runs in each of the first three innings. Senior third baseman Brent Widder delivered a two-out RBI triple to the gap in right-center field to start the scoring in the first inning. Junior second baseman Kip Fougerousse had a two-out RBI single in the second inning, and Hord had a two-out RBI single in the third inning to produce the three-run cushion.
Schultz was untouchable through the first four innings on the mound, allowing just a single base runner on a hit-by-pitch in the first inning. The only inning he ran into trouble was the fifth inning, when Eastern Michigan was able to tie the game at 3-3 on a two-run home run by left fielder Blake McRae and a solo home run by second baseman Corey Taylor four pitches apart. Schultz would finish by allowing just the three runs on two hits over six innings of work while striking out six.
The score would remain tied at 3-3 until the seventh, when Hord would blast a two-out home run deep to left field off the protective netting for the Lloyd Expressway to give UE a 4-3 lead. Evansville would then add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a one-out RBI single by fifth-year outfielder Eric Roberts to produce the final margin of victory, 5-3.
Relievers Shane Harris (1-1) and John MacCauley (save) combined to toss three scoreless, hitless innings of relief out of the UE bullpen. Harris struck out the side in the seventh inning, and worked around a two-out walk in the eighth inning, while MacCauley worked a perfect ninth inning to record UE’s first save of the season.
Hord went 2-for-3 with a run scored an two RBI for UE, while fifth-year teammates Danny Borgstrom and Chase Hug also had two-hit afternoons. McRae and Taylor were the only Eagles to record hits.
With the victory, Evansville wins the weekend series and improves to 2-5 on the season. The Purple Aces have now won 13 of a possible 17 weekend series at German American Bank Field since the Braun Stadium renovation in 2020. Eastern Michigan, meanwhile, falls to 2-4 on the year with the loss. Evansville will hit the road on Wednesday for a mid-week game at preseason Ohio Valley Conference favorite Southeast Missouri State (2-6) in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. First-pitch is set for 3 p.m.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SB
EAGLES DROP SUNDAY GAMES TO CONCLUDE PLAY AT THE BULLDOG CLASSIC
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – University of Southern Indiana Softball finished the weekend at the Samford University Bulldog Classic with a 5-2 loss against Samford and a 4-1 loss against North Alabama.
The Screaming Eagles (3-5) had a tough day in the circle, giving up a total of 17 hits between the two games. However, USI kept each contest close by limiting crooked numbers on the scoreboard, as North Alabama (9-1) had the only crooked number of the day with only two runs in the bottom of the second innings in the afternoon game.
In the first game against Samford (5-9), Southern Indiana struck first with a walk, back-to-back singles, and a Samford error that allowed junior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) to score. Samford went on to score a run in the next five home innings, including a home run in the fourth. USI got one back in the top of the sixth to make it a two-run game at the time, but that was all USI could manage to get across to score from then on.
Offensively, USI’s senior designated player and pitcher Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) had a solid game at the plate, going 3-for-3. Goodin also pitched three innings of relief behind sophomore starting pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana), who also pitched three innings but was dealt the loss. Her record moved to 2-3.
Samford’s freshman pitcher Lainey Baker went four innings, allowing one unearned in the win, and freshman pitcher Chloe Poss tossed the last three innings for a save, giving up one unearned run.
In the second game against North Alabama, the Screaming Eagles scored the game’s first tally in the top of the first inning on an RBI groundout by sophomore outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) that allowed junior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) to score.
The Lions answered with a run in the bottom of the first and two in the bottom of the second, including one on a solo home run. North Alabama tacked on one more in the fourth on a sac fly.
At the plate, Bedrick and Goodin each had a hit for the Screaming Eagles. Goodin also started the game for USI, surrendering three runs in two innings, and was charged with her second loss of the season. Freshman pitcher Kylie Eads (Indianapolis, Indiana) pitched an inning, and sophomore pitcher Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) pitched three scoreless innings of relief.
For North Alabama, freshman pitcher Hannah Price picked up the win after going the full seven innings, allowing one run off two hits with five strikeouts.
USI Softball returns to action starting Saturday with eight games across five days, March 4-8, at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Florida. USI will face Holy Cross and Yale University next Saturday, as well as Central Michigan University and Bethune-Cookman University next Sunday. Monday will be an off day before USI gets back on the field next Tuesday against Central Michigan and Creighton University. The Screaming Eagles will conclude their stint at The Spring Games next Wednesday with a pair of games against Long Island University.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
EAGLES SLAY THE KNIGHTS, 18-5
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball rolled through Bellarmine University, 18-5, Sunday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles, who take their second series of the season, watch their record go to 5-3, while Bellarmine goes to 4-2.
USI controlled the game from the start, scoring in five of the first six innings. The Eagles posted a run in the first, five in the second, two in the fourth, five in the fifth, and three in the sixth before finishing out the victory with two in the eighth to build an insurmountable 18-2 lead. Bellarmine rallied with three in the ninth for the 18-5 final.
The USI offensive attack was led by senior leftfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana), who was three-for-four with five runs scored and two RBIs. Junior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) was the USI RBI-leader with five on a pair of hits and two sacrifice flies.
In addition to Kahre and Ebest, sophomore shortstop Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela), senior catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana), and freshman second baseman Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) drove in two runs each.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jefferson, Indiana) was dominate through his five innings of work to get his first win of the season. Seebold (1-0) allowed one run on three hits, while striking out four.
For the game, USI’s five pitchers allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five.
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Eagles hit the road next week to play a three-game set at Washington State University March 3-5 in Pullman, Washington. The thee-game set will be the first meetings between the two programs all-time.
Washington State, currently, is 5-1, playing the University of California San Diego later today and the University of Nevada Las Vega Monday in San Diego before hosting USI for its 2023 home opener.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SWIMMING
EAGLES FINISH INAUGURAL SEASON IN RECORD SETTING WAY
MINNEAPOLIS, Min. – The University of Southern Indiana Men’s Swimming & Diving Team finished off their inaugural season with an eighth-place finish at the Summit League Championships. The Screaming Eagles finished the championships with an incredible 18 school records set. USI set records in 17 swim events with 12 being individual and five coming from relay events and set one diving record.
Individual:
Freshmen Carson Faley (Dixon, Illinois) led the way for the Eagles as he went on to set three school records during the event. Faley would set records in the 200 and 500-Yard Freestyles as well as the 200-Yard Butterfly. USI had three swimmers set two records each. Freshmen Creed Loy (Knoxville, Tennessee) and Caleb Davis (Spring, Texas) along with sophomore Payton Buse (Lynnville, Indiana) each had two record setting races each. Loy set records in the 400-Yard IM and the 1650-Yard Freestyle. Davis was dominate in the 100 and 200-Yard Breastroke races. Buse had record setting performances in the 50 and 100-Yard Freestyles.
Three more Eagles set an individual record. Freshmen Liam Murray (Indianapolis, Indiana), Connor Harden (Centennial, Colorado), and Colten Agdeppa (Redding, California) each set a new record in one event. Murray in the 200-Yard Backstroke, Harden in the 200-Yard IM, and Agdeppa in the 100-Yard Butterfly.
Relay Events:
The Eagles saw a new record set in all five of the relay events over the tournament, in both medley relays and all three freestyle relays. The 200-Yard Medley Relay team saw the likes of Buse and Davis along with freshmen Gabriel Groves (New Carlisle, Indiana) and Gregory Benson (Plainfield, Illinois). The grouping of Agdeppa, Buse, Davis, and Groves set records in both the 400-Yard Medley Relay and the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay. Agdeppa, Buse, Davis were joined by Faley to set the record in the 400-Yard Freestyle. Faley and Harden teamed up with freshmen Caleb Beaven (Newburgh, Indiana) and Jack Hannon (Lowell, Indiana) to take the record in the 800-Yard Freestyle.
Diving:
Junior Donnevun Banks (Evansville, Indiana) set a new school record in the three-meter dive, scoring a 245.70 and earning a 10th place finish. Banks would also earn a 13th place finish in the one-meter while freshman Lane Pollock (Boonville, Indiana) would take 13th in the three-meter and 14th in the one-meter.
Other Top Men’s Finals Results:
1-Meter Diving: 211.90 pts (13th) – Banks
3-Meter Diving: 245.70 pts * (10th) – Banks
200-Yard Medley Relay: 1:33.34* (8th) – Groves, Davis, Benson, Buse
800-Yard Freestyle Relay: 6:59.71* (8th) – Faley, Hannon, Beaven, Harden
500-Yard Freestyle: 4:35.43* (18th) – Faley
50-Yard Freestyle: 21.05 (19th) – Buse
200-Yard Freestyle Relay: 1:23.62* (6th) – Groves, Davis, Agdeppa, Buse
100-Yard Butterfly: 50.61 (20th) – Agdeppa
200-Yard Freestyle: 1:41.04* (17th) – Faley
100-Yard Breaststroke: 57.38 (19th) – Davis
100-Yard Backstroke: 53.17 (22nd) – Groves
400-Yard Medley Relay: 3:25.90* (8th) – Groves, Davis, Agdeppa, Buse
100-Yard IM: 56.99 (23rd) – Freshman Colin Lee (Lakeland, Tennessee)
200-Yard Backstroke: 2:00.55 (20th) – Murray
100-Yard Freestyle: 47.05 (24th) – Buse
200-Yard Breaststroke: 2:11.84 (21st) – Davis
200-Yard Butterfly: 1:56.17* (14th) – Faley
1650-Yard Freestyle: 17:03.24* (20th) – Loy
400-Yard Freestyle Relay: 3:07.87* (8th) – Agdeppa, Faley, Davis, Buse
Team Standings
Men
University of Denver – 902 pts
Lindenwood University – 798.5
University of South Dakota – 546
South Dakota State University – 495
University of Nebraska Omaha – 345
University of St. Thomas – 242
Eastern Illinois University – 171.5
Southern Indiana – 137
*Denotes School Record
VALPO TRACK
THREE PROGRAM RECORDS HIGHLIGHT DAY 1 OF MVC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Valparaiso University track & field teams shattered three program records on the first day of the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, cohosted by the Beacons alongside UIC at Gately Complex in Chicago on Sunday. Rhena Kiger (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point) outdid the program record in the women’s indoor pentathlon, while Ignacio Veloz Bonilla (San Juan, P.R. / American Military Academy) bettered his program mark in the men’s 800 and Evan Walda (Fort Wayne, Ind. / South Side) set a new standard in men’s 5000.
How It Happened
Kiger accrued a pentathlon score of 2,577, besting the previous program mark of 2,516 that was set by Shannon Lahey in 2020.
Veloz Bonilla continued his record-setting indoor season by stopping the clock in 1:51.70 in the men’s 800. He qualified for the 800 finals by finishing fourth in the prelims. The time outdid his own mark of 1:52.67 from earlier this season. Prior to this year, Alexander Bruno owned the program mark with his 2020 time of 1:52.93.
Walda garnered a top-10 finish in the men’s 5000 with his time of 14:38.04. He outdid teammate Simeon Ehm’s program record of 14:38.70 that was set on Feb. 3 of this season at the Meyo Invitational.
Valpo scored points in the men’s pole vault thanks to Tristan Malatlian (Pfafftown, N.C. / Reagan), who earned five points with a vault of 4.75 meters, placing fourth.
The Beacons boasted a pair of top-5 times in the program record book in the women’s 5000 as Grace Aurand (Highland, Ind. / Highland) led the way with a personal record of 17:33.56 to place 15th. That time is the fourth best in program history and the best by a Beacon since Jessica Richardson (17:33.29) in 2013.
Aurand was followed closely by Joely Overstreet (Genoa, Ill. / Genoa-Kingston), who finished the 5000 in 17:42.47, a PR of her own. She also cracked the program’s all-time top 5, sitting in fifth.
In the women’s 200, Kai Dilosa (Merrillville, Ind. / Lake Central) finished with a PR of 26.88. Marion Isaac (Evergreen Park, Ill. / Evergreen Park) also set a PR at 28.39. In the men’s 200, Lukas Sepulveda (Camano Island, Wash. / Stanwood) stopped the clock in 22.67.
In the women’s mile, Maranda Donahue (Delton, Mich. / Delton-Kellogg) placed 14th with a time of 5:05.61.
Up Next
The Beacons will close out the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships at Gately Complex in Chicago on Monday. The event will feature a live broadcast on ESPN+.
VALPO BASEBALL
BEACONS SECURE SWEEP OF SKYHAWKS WITH 17-RUN OUTBURST
The Valparaiso University baseball team polished off a road series sweep of UT Martin on Sunday afternoon in Martin, Tenn., notching the team’s most convincing victory yet in a 17-4 shellacking of the Skyhawks. Valpo posted crooked numbers in five different innings including five in the seventh and four in the eighth to invoke the 10-run rule in the series finale.
How It Happened
The tone was set in the top of the first, when Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) launched a two-run homer to get the scoring going.
UT Martin did get one run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double to make it 2-1.
Spencer Warfield (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite) started the third by blasting a solo shot to left, and later in the inning two runs scored on a fielder’s choice bouncer by Jake Skrine (Longmont, Colo. / Mead [Indiana]), one of which was unearned due to a throwing error. That made the score 5-1.
The Skyhawks got two back in the bottom of the third, halving the deficit to two at 5-3. Valpo went to the bullpen in the fourth with Jacob Rosenkranz (Lincolnshire, Ill. / Stevenson) taking over for Ryan Mintz (Lombard, Ill. / Willowbrook). UT Martin moved a step closer in that frame, making it 5-4 on a two-out, RBI double.
After Nolan Tucker (Cedar Lake, Ind. / Hanover Central) rolled a single through the right side to begin the fifth, Schmack followed with his second home run of the day, a two-run job to up the lead to 7-4. Tucker singled to drive in a run in the sixth, making it 8-4. Meanwhile, the Skyhawks went down quietly against Rosenkranz in the fifth and sixth innings.
Valpo’s fourth home run of the day was a two-run shot by Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) in the seventh to make it 10-4, then Kaleb Hannahs (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo) added a run-scoring double and Tucker turned a lengthy at-bat into a single that scored a pair, breaking it wide open at 13-4.
Christian Hack (Oak Forest, Ill. / Tinley Park) came on to pitch with two on and one away in the seventh and notched the final two outs without yielding a run.
The Valpo eighth started modestly with two outs and nobody on base. The Beacons eventually scored on a wild pitch, a two-run single by Hannahs and a run-scoring single by Tucker.
Hack posted another zero in the bottom of the eighth, and the game reached an early end due to the 10-run rule.
Inside the Game
The 17 runs marked Valpo’s highest total since also scoring 17 on May 1, 2021 at Illinois State.
The Beacons notched 17 hits for the second time in the series. Prior to this series, they had not recorded 17 or more hits in a game since 18 in the aforementioned May 1, 2021 game against the Redbirds. They had not notched 17 or more hits in a road game since May 8, 2018 at Western Michigan.
The Valpo offense totaled 46 hits in the three-game series, batting .383 with 32 runs scored and seven home runs.
The Beacons have already launched 13 home runs this season through just six games. Last year, Valpo had only 15 home runs in the 20 Missouri Valley Conference contests. The Beacons did not hit their 13th home run of 2022 until the 19th game of the season on March 29.
Maka (.571) and Tucker (.533) both hit over .500 in the series. Tucker had two home runs in the series, while Schmack belted three.
This marked Valpo’s first series sweep of three or more games since May 10-12, 2019 vs. Southern Illinois at Emory G. Bauer Field. This was the team’s first sweep of a road series of three or more games since March 18-20, 2016 at Northern Kentucky.
Tucker went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and reached base six times thanks to also drawing two walks. Schmack and Warfield also drove in four runs apiece.
Maka and Hannahs each had three-hit outputs.
Schmack boasted Valpo’s first multi-homer game since Maka hit three on May 13 of last season vs. Bradley. This was Schmack’s second career multi-homer game with the first coming on April 16 of last season at Illinois State.
Schmack now has 13 career home runs, while Maka hit his sixth career and first of the season. Warfield’s home run was the first of his collegiate career.
Rosenkranz was awarded the win, his first collegiate victory. He allowed one run on two hits while walking two and striking out three in 3 1/3 innings. Hack did not yield a run while permitting just one hit in his 1 2/3 frames.
The 13-run margin of victory was Valpo’s largest since beating Milwaukee 23-5 on April 11, 2018.
This marked the first time Valpo had four or more home runs in a game since launching five on May 1, 2021 vs. Illinois State.
Up Next
Valpo (4-2) will begin the team’s spring trip on Friday at Arkansas Little Rock. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will begin at 3 p.m.
VALPO BASKETBALL
MURRAY STATE EDGES VALPO IN OT TO CLOSE REGULAR SEASON
The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team had Murray State on the ropes, but the host Racers found a way to improve to 26-2 at home over the last two seasons by pulling out a 77-76 overtime win at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky. Ben Krikke (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada / Jasper Place) poured in a game-high 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting for a short-handed Valpo squad that played without starter Quinton Green due to an injury.
How It Happened
Murray State scored the first basket of the game on a 3-pointer, but Valpo scored the next nine and grabbed a lead that the Beacons would maintain for much of the first half.
The Racers had the lead down to three, but Valpo built the edge back up to nine at 20-11 on a Krikke basket at the 11:42 mark that forced a Murray State timeout.
Valpo got a stop coming out of the timeout, then Nick Edwards (Atlanta, Ga. / Grayson [Glenville State]) swished in a 3 to open the lead to 12 with 11 minutes to play in the first half.
The Racers sliced the gap to seven, but it again reached double figures with a Maximus Nelson (Appleton, Wis. / Appleton North) 3 at the 8:12 mark to make it 28-18. Ibra Bayu (Flevoland, The Netherlands / Perkiomen) then got in on the 3-point act with an open triple at the 6:19 mark to put Valpo up 31-22.
Following the Bayu 3, Murray State rattled off seven straight points to slim the lead to two. The Racers took their first lead since 3-2 at 33-32 after a made basket with 2:34 left in the half. That was the score going into the locker room.
Murray State built up their lead to as many as six early in the second half, but Valpo scored six straight points to tie the game at 44 on a basket by Bayu at 13:58.
Murray State led by five with 9:56 to play, but then the Racers went cold, going on a long drought without a made field goal. During that time, the Beacons ran off an 8-0 run to grab the lead 57-54 with 6:43 to go. Krikke made an off-balance fade-away jumper with the shot clock winding down to increase the Valpo lead back to three with 4:14 to go.
After a slow first half, Kobe King (La Crosse, Wis. / La Cross [Wisconsin]) turned it on after the break. He made several big shots late, including baskets with 3:10 and 1:44 remaining, both of which increased the Valpo lead to five.
A second-chance opportunity in the final minute saw Edwards finish at the basket to up the lead back to three. With seven seconds to go in regulation, JaCobi Wood hit a second-chance, game-tying 3 after a scramble for the rebound created the open look.
Murray State scored the first five points of overtime, forcing a Matt Lottich timeout. The Racer lead fluctuated between three and five before the hosts made a turnover to open the door for the Brown & Gold. Krikke was quickly fouled away from the ball and made the front end before missing the second, making it 74-72 with 21 seconds left.
Murray State made both free throws, but then Edwards notched a quick basket and Murray State made a critical turnover caused by solid Valpo defense in the back court. After a long review, the call on the court stood with Valpo keeping possession, down just two with 17 seconds left in OT.
Edwards missed the initial shot, but a tip-in by Bayu tied the game at 76 in the waning seconds. Then, Murray State raced down court and with 0.5 seconds left, a foul was whistled on Krikke. The Racers made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second to win 77-76.
Inside the Game
Krikke stayed on a roll, scoring 17 points or more for the 10th straight game, reaching double figures for the 19th straight game and finishing in double figures in all 20 Missouri Valley Conference contests this season. He accrued 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting against the Racers.
Green, who had started each of the first 30 games this season, was sidelined due to concussion protocol. His return is questionable for Thursday’s MVC Tournament opener. Connor Barrett (Chicago, Ill. / Loyola Academy) made his 15th career start and his first since November 2021 at Stanford.
King had just two first half points on 1-of-7 shooting before going 6-of-8 for 14 points in the second half. He added two more in overtime to finish with 18 points. King scored in double figures in all 31 regular-season games for the Beacons.
Edwards scored 16 points, his highest scoring output in league play this year and highest in any game since scoring 20 on Dec. 21 vs. Stonehill.
Edwards also gave out five assists on Sunday, climbing over Bryce Drew’s 1997-98 season (155) for eighth on Valpo’s single-season assist list. Edwards has 157 helpers this year.
Nelson led Valpo on the glass, grabbing seven caroms. He paced Valpo in rebounds for the third time this season.
Valpo went 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from 3 for the game after going 1-of-9 in the second half and overtime. Despite the 3-point struggles, the Beacons shot 51.7 percent from the field in the second half and 62.5 percent from the field in OT.
Murray State attempted 20 free throws to Valpo’s six.
Valpo slipped to 0-7 this season in MVC games that are decided by fewer than five points or in overtime. Nearly half of the team’s 15 MVC losses came in the aforementioned close calls.
Krikke surpassed 600 points for the season on Sunday, lifting his season total to 608. He became just the eighth player in program history with 600 points in a single season. He also surpassed Tracy Gipson (1992-93; 595) for eighth on Valpo’s single-season scoring list.
With his 11 made field goals in Kentucky, Krikke moved into a tie with Anthony Allison’s 1995-96 season (240) for fourth in program history in made field goals in a season. He passed Dan Oppland (2005-06; 231) and John Wolfenberg (1972-73; 230) on Sunday.
Both matchups between Valpo and Murray State this season went to overtime. This happened last year between Valpo and Illinois State, and prior to that Valpo had not played multiple overtime games in a season against the same opponent since 1992-93 (UIC).
This is the first time in program history that Valpo had two overtime losses to the same opponent in the same season.
This marked Valpo’s fourth straight loss in overtime games and the team’s fifth OT game of the season. The Beacons have played 11 OT affairs in the last two seasons.
Up Next
Valpo (11-20, 5-15 MVC) will rematch Murray State on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the opening round of the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis. The game will be broadcast on the MVC TV Network with links to live coverage available on ValpoAthletics.com.
INDIANAPOLIS WRESTLING
EITELJORGE WINS THIRD REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, SEVEN WRESTLERS QUALIFY FOR NATIONALS
EDMOND, Okla. – The NCAA Super Regional 4 in complete and the No. 8-ranked UIndy wrestling squad is walking away with seven of their ten wrestlers advancing to the national tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jack Eiteljorge is the highlight of the Hounds trip to Edmond, Okla., with Eiteljorge becoming just the second Greyhound in program history to win three regional titles.*
Alongside Eiteljorge, Breyden Bailey (133), Ray Rioux (141), Logan Bailey (157), Owen Butler (174), Derek Blubaugh (197) and Cale Gray (285) will all be heading to Cedar Rapids. The seven qualifiers, matches the mark set last season and the program record set in 2007. The Hounds finished second at the regional as a team, scoring 131 points, finishing as runner-up to the champions Central Oklahoma.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Eiteljorge started his day out receiving a bye in the first round. Well rested, he entered his quarterfinal bout with the aggression he has come to be known for, pinning William Jewell’s Jaxson McIntryre in 4:09, sending him to the semis.
The semis posted no sweat to the No. 5-ranked Eiteljorge, with him winning via injury forfeit in just over a minute and a half. That set Eiteljorge up for a showdown with a familiar foe in the finals, No. 8 Ty Lucas of Central Oklahoma. A massive period three takedown by Eiteljorge with only 22 seconds on the clock was the decider for the Indianapolis-native.
No. 1-ranked Blubaugh found himself also with a bye, taking on the quarterfinal with fresh legs. He used those fresh legs well, winning via fall at 4:56 in quarterfinals. He followed that up well with a major decision over Chase Stegall of Maryville, leading to a rematch of last year’s NCAA tournament regional and national final, against Dalton Abney of UCO. Unlike the last time these two met at NWCA Nationals, Abney found victory via a 2-0 decision, landing Blubaugh in second at this years Super Regional.
The Bailey Brothers, Rioux, Butler and Gray all finished third in their weight classes, marking the third time in program history the Hounds are sending seven to nationals. Breyden Bailey picked up a win in the first round before falling in the quarterfinals. He battled back however, winning three matches in a row via decision to send him to his second nationals as a Hound.
The young Bailey, Logan, fell in the first round 3-1, and just like his elder brother, battled and battled, picking up two more falls, both nearly under thirty seconds. The two falls moves him to 14 on the year, putting him in prime position for the most dominant wrestler award. He went onto avenge his loss in the first round, beating GLVC-foe Jaylon Otero in the consolation semis to send him to the third-place match, where he faced Donovan Whitted, who handed Bailey one of his four losses on the season. Bailey once again found revenge in this years regionals, winning via a 13-7 decision to make his third trip to NCAA Nationals. Bailey became the 22nd Greyhound to be a three-time NCAA National Qualifier with the win, Eiteljorge being the 21st earlier in the day.
Rioux makes his first trip to nationals after going 3-1 in this year’s regional. On his way to the third place match, Rioux ousted two Quincy Hawks, the second coming in the finals, where he won via tech fall, his second fall of the contest, the first coming in the consolation semis.
Butler, entering as one of the lower seeded Greyhounds, proved the seeding committee wrong, taking third for his first NCAA Nationals qualification. After a first round bye, Butler grabbed a 7-0 decision win before falling via pin in the semi’s to No. 5-ranked Anthony Des Vinge of Central Oklahoma. Butler bounced back with a 8-6 in the consolation semis before ousting Drury’s Ethan Smith in the 3rd-place match.
Gray was the final qualifier for the Hounds, winning via major decision in the quarterfinals after getting a first round bye. He then went up against UCO’s monster in No. 1 Shawn Streck who sent Gray packing to the consolation bracket. He, much like his fellow Hounds, found major success the consolations, picking up a 8-1 decision and a fall in the finals match against Drury’s Thomas Massaengale to punch his ticket to Cedar Rapids.
UP NEXT
The NCAA DII Championships, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is on deck next for the seven Greyhounds, with wrestling starting on March 10 and ending on March 11.
INDIANAPOLIS TRACK
WOMEN FINISH SECOND, MEN THIRD AT GLVC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy indoor track & field teams wrapped up action at the 2023 GLVC Indoor Championships on Sunday afternoon in the Athletics and Recreation Center on campus with a pair of top-three team finishes. Individually, Ellie Lengerich was named as the GLVC Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year for her stellar weekend in the ARC.
The women collected second place with 122.50 points, falling behind Lewis who ended with 195 points. For the men, the team notched third place with 106 points and trailed Missouri S&T (champion, 158 points) and Lewis (runner-up, 140 points).
In a combined total between the men’s and women’s programs, the Hounds brought home eight gold medals and three broken school records on the weekend.
SUNDAY
In a heavily favored UIndy field, Sabrina Robison, Brittney Clark, and Mackenzie VanBibber took the runway in the women’s pole vault. VanBibber collected fourth in the event (3.28 meters) while it came down to Robison and Clark battling for the top spot. Both athletes cleared 4.04 meters, so the bar was raised to 4.10 meters which saw Robison go over on her second attempt. Despite Clark bowing out at the height, the 4.04 meter mark she ended on easily gave her a provisional mark. As for Robison, she broke the previous school record set by Clark herself (4.05 meters) in her gold medal afternoon.
On the track, the duo of Ailliyah Reese and Lindsey Wormuth geared up for the finals in the 60 meter hurdles. Reese claimed victory with her 8.78 finishing time while Wormuth was close behind in second at 8.98. Both athletes reached new indoor personal records in the race while Reese collected a provo with her finish.
Other notable finishes for the women on day two saw the duo of Zoe Pentecost (provo at 13.76 meters) and Emily Bonser (12.43 meters) go second and fifth, respectively, in the shot put. Ellie Lengerich tied for fourth in the high jump (1.55 meters) and then proceeded to tally fifth in the 800 meter (2:20.11). Hallie Montgomery earned fourth and a new indoor PR in the 200 meter dash at 25.29.
Over on the men’s side, a handful of Hounds made their way to the track for the 800 meters. Leading the pack was Tom Saint-Juvin, who corralled the gold medal after finishing with a time of 1:55.36. Close behind in third, Abdelouakil Mustapha crossed in a time of 1:56.18.
Other notable finishes for the men on day two saw Ndubisi Eze claim second in the high jump (2.01 meters) while Keeton Adams also ended as the runner-up in the shot put (provo at 17.33). Lucas Liard landed in fourth in the 3000 meter (8:35.05).
SATURDAY
Lengerich led things off for the women’s team at the ARC and produced a dominating effort in the pentathlon. The St. Leon, Ind., native won five out of the six associated events and ended with an overall score of 3,691. Not only was this easily a provisional mark, this ended up breaking her previous school record of 3,642 she set back on Jan. 27 of this year.
Much like she’s done all season, Zoe Pentecost stepped up in the weight throw and launched a winning mark of 19.32 meters. This also easily earned her a provo and placed her ahead of the field by almost three meters.
The other top finish for the women came from Melissa Spencer in the 5000 meters. Spencer crossed the finish line with a time of 17:32.62 and edged out the competitor in second place by just .04 seconds.
Other notable marks for the women saw Lengerich leap her way to second and a new personal record in the long jump (5.62 meters) while the women’s DMR team ended in fourth at 12:38.94.
Moving over to the men’s side, Arnold continued his dominate season in the pole vault and won the event after collecting a new school record of 5.02 meters. Along with earning a provo, this mark beats his previous school record he set back on Feb. 4 of this season of 5.00 meters.
The other top finish for the men came in the 5000 meters where Lucas Liard stepped up and produced a winning time of 14:44.53.
Other top-five finishes on day one of action for the men saw Keeton Adams grab fourth and a new PR in the weight throw (17.86 meters) while Alexandre Rio earned fifth in the 5000 meters (15:06.32).
INDIANAPOLIS BASEBALL
BASEBALL COMPLETES SWEEP OF GRAND VALLEY, MOVES TO 6-0 ON SEASON
INDIANAPOLIS – It is back to back sweeps for the University of Indianapolis baseball team, taking all three games of a homestand against Grand Valley State. The wins move the Hounds to 6-0 on the season.
Logan Peterson picked up his second win of the season, going seven innings while only giving up two earned runs on five hits. Brandon DeWitt was the driving force of the Hounds lineup, going 4-5 with his first dinger of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Peterson did not start out hot in the first, hitting the first batter he saw and walking the second. The Lakers took full advantage of the poor start, scoring a run off a Peterson error and another off of a double play, making it 2-0 after the first half of the first frame. DeWitt answered back immediately, pulling a ball over the right field fence to make it 1-0. Caleb Vaugh’s bullet of a hit to the shortstop was too much to handle, netting him a single a little bit later. A Vaughn steal and Denton Shepler single made it a brand new ballgame after the first.
The Lakers grabbed the lead once more in the top of the third, scoring off of a Jake Rydquist Single. Some tricky baserunning in the top of the fourth as well grabbed a run for the Lakers, making it 4-2. Nick Lukac, the hero of the Saturday doubleheader, stayed hot, crushing a ball into left center, sending Shepler home.
The lefty stroke of the Hounds continued to provide power, with Shepler leading off the bottom of the sixth with a mammoth shot over the right field wall to tie it at 4-4. Later, poor pitch control by the Lakers resulted in a run being score and the Hounds regaining the lead.
The final runs of the contest came via a long home run by Jared Bujdos, his second of the season, scoring Brady Ware in the process and finding the final score of 7-4. Frankie Klemm was lights out in the eighth in relief, with Ware coming in for the save.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Hounds only struck out six times in the contest
– Three different Hounds stole a bag, with DeWitt, Vaughn and Easton Good helping elevate the Hounds baserunning numbers.
– Across the Grand Valley series, Lukac hit .636 with a 1.727 OPS in his three starts at third.
UP NEXT
The Hounds have the incoming weekend off, not playing again until March. 7 where they host the Purdue Northwest Pride, with the first pitch of the first game coming at 1 p.m. and the second game set to start at 4 p.m.
MARIAN MTENNIS
MARIAN ROLLS PAST IU EAST
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian men’s tennis team took down IU East Sunday afternoon 6-1 to win their second straight match of the spring season. Marian’s record on the season is 8-5 with the win.
Marian got out early with the lead after Ashwin Bhat and Jones McNamar defeated Matthew Nel and Kyle Hollingsworth 6-1 at the No. 2 spot. At No. 1 doubles, Andrew Ilett and Jacob Wittenbaum fell 6-4 to Franciisco Faundez and Sebastian Torrealba. However, the Knights got the doubles point as IU East had to forfeit the No. 3 spot due to a short number of players.
Holding the lead going into singles action, Shadi Al Tori got the Knights started by picking up the 6-1, 6-0 win over Clay Conner at No. 5 singles. At the No. 1 spot, Mark Griffin took down Faundez 6-3, 6-4, followed by Dmitrii Voshchenkov picking up the 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 victory over Nel. The Red Wolves saw their only victory in singles at the No. 2 spot, with Ilett losing in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) to Torrealba. McNamar finished off Hollingsworth 7-5, 6-1 at No. 4 singles, while Wittenbaum won by forfeit at No. 6 singles.
Marian will return to the courts March 6 against Missouri Valley College to kick off their spring break trip.
MARIAN WTENNIS
KNIGHTS KNOCK DOWN IU EAST
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s tennis team picked up another victory Sunday afternoon over IU East 5-2 inside the Healthplex. The Knights move to 11-4 with the win.
Emma Chrome and Tea Vrkic got Marian going as they picked up the first win of the day at No. 3 doubles with the 6-1 victory over Mackenzie Cook and Alyssa Hollingsworth. The Knights clinched the doubles point after Isadora Muller and Dana Savarino defeated Linda Marino and Laura Billing 6-3 at the No. 2 spot. At No. 1 doubles, Katharina Bopst and Betija Dusele were locked 5-5 with Eva Caballero and Amonette Theron, but their match went unfinished.
In singles, Marian claimed the victory in four of the six matches. Chrome picked up the first victory as she took down Theron 6-3, 6-0 at the No. 3 spot, before IU East picked up two straight wins with Bopst falling 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6) at No. 2 singes, followed by Dusele dropping 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8). With the score tied at 2-2, the Knights took the lead after Muller defeated Billing 6-1, 6-0 to get Marian back on track. Joelle Leihbacher clinched the match for Marian, winning 6-0, 6-0 at the No. 6 spot over Hollingsworth, before Savarino won 6-3, 6-3 against Cook at No. 5 singles.
Marian will return to the courts March 6 against Missouri Valley College to kick off their spring break trip.
MARIAN BASEBALL
LATE OFFENSIVE SURGE SEALS MARIAN WIN OVER CONCORDIA
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian baseball team bounced back into the win column on Sunday afternoon, closing their series against Concordia with a 12-6 victory. Marian scored runs in bunches Sunday with four coming in the first, while getting five insurance runs in the eighth to move back to .500 on the year.
The Knights got off to a slamming start in the first inning, getting a hot start from Damien Wallace as he coasted through the opening frame after allowing a lead-off single. Looking to jump early, Trey Heidlage barreled a single to wake the bats, while Dawson Estep singled and Jackson Hogg worked a walk. The scoring started on an RBI single from Bryce Davenport, while Dion Wintjes plated a run with an RBI fielder’s choice. The Knights completed their scoring on a two-RBI single from Rylan Huntley, ending the first with a 4-0 lead.
Wallace cruised after his first inning, retiring the side in order in both the second and third innings. Wallace continued to cruise picking up his 10th and 11th consecutive outs in the fourth, but ran into his first sign of trouble allowing a pair of two-out singles. Concordia would get on the board taking advantage of a dropped fly ball in the outfield to score their first run, but the Marian ace got out of the frame with a groundout on the right side.
Marian held the Cardinals scoreless in the fifth, and got a run back in the home half as Huntley smacked a hit into right field, scoring JJ Rivera as the Knights executed a hit-and-run. Wallace grooved on the hill as he ended the sixth with a strikeout to strand a two-out double, and in the seventh the right-hander scattered a pair of base hits to end his day a six-run cushion.
The lead grew to six runs for Marian in the home half of the sixth, with Hogg belting a sacrifice fly to center field, while Davenport hammered a double to the right field fence to score Heidlage, making it a 7-1 lead. The run support was needed, as Craig Nixon struggled for the second consecutive outing in his relief spot of Wallace. The Cardinals benefited from a hit batter, a single, and an error, before another hit batter and a walk thrown by Nixon brought in two runs. Taylor Soper came in to get out of the inning, which the senior was able to do but not before the Cardinals made the affair a one-run score.
Seeking insurance runs, the Knights attacked the Cardinals fourth pitcher of the game, opening the inning with a lead-off double from Heidlage. A single for Estep continued the hit parade, as Hogg, Davenport, and Wintjes followed with three consecutive RBI hits. Wintjes’ double plated two runs and grew the lead back to five runs, leaving Marian in front 11-6 as they forced the Cardinals to go further into the bullpen. A final double from Rivera would extend the lead back to six runs, as he added an RBI double to cap the five-run frame.
With the added runs to his ledger, Soper would strand a single and a walk, ending the game with runners on the corners as Marian completed the series with a 12-6 victory. The Knights hammered 15 base hits in the win, with Rivera doubling twice to lead the team on the day. Davenport also had three hits, as he and Wintjes each had three RBI.
Wallace earned the win on the mound, throwing seven strong innings while scattering six hits. Wallace struckout five in the win, and Soper picked up a six-out save over two innings of work.
Marian is set to begin Crossroads League play in their next series, splitting a four-game set with Goshen College. Marian is slated to host two games on March 2 with the Maple Leafs at MU Ballpark at 3:00 p.m.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
SPORTS EXTRA
NBA STANDINGS
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| W | L | PCT | CONF GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | LAST 10 | STREAK | |||
| 1 BOSTON | 44 | 17 | .721 | — | 24-7 | 20-10 | 9-1 | 27-12 | 8-2 | 3 W | ||
| 2 MILWAUKEE | 43 | 17 | .717 | 0.5 | 26-5 | 17-12 | 8-4 | 24-13 | 10-0 | 14 W | ||
| 3 PHILADELPHIA | 39 | 20 | .661 | 4.0 | 24-9 | 15-11 | 7-6 | 22-14 | 7-3 | 1 L | ||
| 4 CLEVELAND | 39 | 25 | .609 | 6.5 | 26-7 | 13-18 | 11-3 | 23-12 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 5 BROOKLYN | 34 | 26 | .567 | 9.5 | 18-11 | 16-15 | 6-7 | 24-15 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 6 NEW YORK | 35 | 27 | .565 | 9.5 | 17-15 | 18-12 | 5-8 | 24-16 | 8-2 | 5 W | ||
| 7 MIAMI | 32 | 29 | .525 | 12.0 | 19-10 | 13-19 | 7-4 | 15-19 | 4-6 | 4 L | ||
| 8 ATLANTA | 31 | 30 | .508 | 13.0 | 17-12 | 14-18 | 5-5 | 19-19 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 9 TORONTO | 30 | 32 | .484 | 14.5 | 19-13 | 11-19 | 4-9 | 18-20 | 7-3 | 1 L | ||
| 10 WASHINGTON | 28 | 32 | .467 | 15.5 | 14-13 | 14-19 | 6-3 | 15-19 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 11 CHICAGO | 28 | 33 | .459 | 16.0 | 18-13 | 10-20 | 5-7 | 22-20 | 4-6 | 2 W | ||
| 12 INDIANA | 27 | 35 | .435 | 17.5 | 18-15 | 9-20 | 4-5 | 19-18 | 3-7 | 1 W | ||
| 13 ORLANDO | 25 | 36 | .410 | 19.0 | 15-16 | 10-20 | 3-8 | 13-26 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 14 CHARLOTTE | 19 | 43 | .306 | 25.5 | 10-18 | 9-25 | 7-8 | 10-29 | 4-6 | 4 W | ||
| 15 DETROIT | 15 | 46 | .246 | 29.0 | 8-22 | 7-24 | 0-9 | 6-29 | 2-8 | 4 L | ||
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| W | L | PCT | CONF GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | LAST 10 | STREAK | |||
| 1 DENVER | 43 | 19 | .694 | — | 28-4 | 15-15 | 10-5 | 30-12 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 2 MEMPHIS | 36 | 23 | .610 | 5.5 | 25-5 | 11-18 | 6-2 | 18-16 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 3 SACRAMENTO | 35 | 25 | .583 | 7.0 | 18-12 | 17-13 | 6-6 | 23-13 | 6-4 | 3 W | ||
| 4 PHOENIX | 33 | 29 | .532 | 10.0 | 21-10 | 12-19 | 9-1 | 22-15 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 5 LA CLIPPERS | 33 | 30 | .524 | 10.5 | 15-14 | 18-16 | 6-5 | 19-18 | 5-5 | 2 L | ||
| 6 DALLAS | 32 | 30 | .516 | 11.0 | 20-11 | 12-19 | 8-2 | 24-17 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 7 GOLDEN STATE | 31 | 30 | .508 | 11.5 | 24-7 | 7-23 | 4-7 | 19-15 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 8 UTAH | 31 | 31 | .500 | 12.0 | 20-12 | 11-19 | 5-6 | 21-18 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 9 MINNESOTA | 31 | 32 | .492 | 12.5 | 20-14 | 11-18 | 8-7 | 22-20 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 10 NEW ORLEANS | 30 | 31 | .492 | 12.5 | 20-10 | 10-21 | 7-4 | 19-15 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 11 PORTLAND | 29 | 31 | .483 | 13.0 | 17-14 | 12-17 | 5-8 | 21-17 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 12 LA LAKERS | 29 | 32 | .475 | 13.5 | 15-14 | 14-18 | 3-9 | 16-20 | 6-4 | 3 W | ||
| 13 OKLAHOMA CITY | 28 | 32 | .467 | 14.0 | 17-13 | 11-19 | 5-7 | 15-20 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 14 SAN ANTONIO | 14 | 47 | .230 | 28.5 | 9-21 | 5-26 | 2-8 | 5-32 | 0-10 | 16 L | ||
| 15 HOUSTON | 13 | 47 | .217 | 29.0 | 8-20 | 5-27 | 1-8 | 7-33 | 1-9 | 9 L | ||
EIGHT TEAMS IN EACH CONFERENCE QUALIFY FOR THE PLAYOFFS.
X – CLINCHED PLAYOFF SPOT, Y – CLINCHED DIVISION, Z – CLINCHED CONFERENCE
NHL STANDINGS
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | ROW | GF | GA | HOME | ROAD | L10 | ||
| 1 BOSTON BRUINS | 58 | 45 | 8 | 5 | 95 | 43 | 219 | 124 | 24-2-3 | 21-6-2 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 CAROLINA HURRICANES | 58 | 39 | 11 | 8 | 86 | 36 | 198 | 151 | 21-7-2 | 18-4-6 | 8-2-0 | |
| 3 NEW JERSEY DEVILS | 59 | 39 | 15 | 5 | 83 | 38 | 208 | 157 | 18-11-2 | 21-4-3 | 7-2-1 | |
| 4 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | 60 | 37 | 15 | 8 | 82 | 37 | 207 | 158 | 23-6-4 | 14-9-4 | 7-3-0 | |
| 5 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING | 59 | 37 | 18 | 4 | 78 | 35 | 212 | 176 | 22-4-3 | 15-14-1 | 5-2-3 | |
| 6 NEW YORK RANGERS | 60 | 34 | 17 | 9 | 77 | 31 | 201 | 168 | 17-10-4 | 17-7-5 | 6-3-1 | |
| 7 NEW YORK ISLANDERS | 63 | 31 | 25 | 7 | 69 | 31 | 183 | 174 | 18-11-3 | 13-14-4 | 5-3-2 | |
| 8 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS | 59 | 29 | 21 | 9 | 67 | 28 | 192 | 190 | 16-9-4 | 13-12-5 | 5-5-0 | |
| 9 BUFFALO SABRES | 58 | 31 | 23 | 4 | 66 | 30 | 220 | 203 | 12-15-2 | 19-8-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 10 DETROIT RED WINGS | 58 | 28 | 22 | 8 | 64 | 26 | 179 | 184 | 15-12-3 | 13-10-5 | 7-3-0 | |
| 11 FLORIDA PANTHERS | 61 | 29 | 26 | 6 | 64 | 27 | 210 | 213 | 16-9-3 | 13-17-3 | 6-4-0 | |
| 12 WASHINGTON CAPITALS | 62 | 29 | 27 | 6 | 64 | 28 | 188 | 187 | 15-13-3 | 14-14-3 | 3-7-0 | |
| 13 OTTAWA SENATORS | 58 | 28 | 26 | 4 | 60 | 26 | 177 | 185 | 16-12-2 | 12-14-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 14 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS | 61 | 23 | 28 | 10 | 56 | 22 | 161 | 202 | 11-15-3 | 12-13-7 | 2-7-1 | |
| 15 MONTREAL CANADIENS | 59 | 25 | 30 | 4 | 54 | 21 | 163 | 214 | 14-15-1 | 11-15-3 | 5-5-0 | |
| 16 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS | 60 | 19 | 35 | 6 | 44 | 18 | 154 | 222 | 13-18-2 | 6-17-4 | 4-3-3 | |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | ROW | GF | GA | HOME | ROAD | L10 | ||
| 1 VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS | 59 | 35 | 18 | 6 | 76 | 32 | 192 | 166 | 18-13-1 | 17-5-5 | 6-1-3 | |
| 2 DALLAS STARS | 59 | 31 | 16 | 12 | 74 | 28 | 191 | 154 | 15-8-7 | 16-8-5 | 3-3-4 | |
| 3 LOS ANGELES KINGS | 61 | 33 | 20 | 8 | 74 | 28 | 205 | 206 | 17-9-2 | 16-11-6 | 5-3-2 | |
| 4 EDMONTON OILERS | 60 | 32 | 20 | 8 | 72 | 32 | 230 | 201 | 14-11-5 | 18-9-3 | 4-2-4 | |
| 5 MINNESOTA WILD | 60 | 33 | 21 | 6 | 72 | 27 | 175 | 166 | 20-10-2 | 13-11-4 | 6-2-2 | |
| 6 COLORADO AVALANCHE | 57 | 33 | 19 | 5 | 71 | 29 | 182 | 157 | 15-9-4 | 18-10-1 | 7-1-2 | |
| 7 WINNIPEG JETS | 60 | 35 | 24 | 1 | 71 | 34 | 182 | 159 | 20-10-0 | 15-14-1 | 4-6-0 | |
| 8 SEATTLE KRAKEN | 59 | 32 | 21 | 6 | 70 | 32 | 203 | 189 | 15-12-3 | 17-9-3 | 3-6-1 | |
| 9 CALGARY FLAMES | 60 | 27 | 21 | 12 | 66 | 26 | 190 | 187 | 15-11-2 | 12-10-10 | 3-4-3 | |
| 10 NASHVILLE PREDATORS | 57 | 29 | 22 | 6 | 64 | 26 | 169 | 171 | 16-10-3 | 13-12-3 | 6-4-0 | |
| 11 ST. LOUIS BLUES | 59 | 26 | 28 | 5 | 57 | 23 | 180 | 215 | 13-13-4 | 13-15-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 12 VANCOUVER CANUCKS | 59 | 23 | 31 | 5 | 51 | 20 | 199 | 236 | 11-16-1 | 12-15-4 | 3-5-2 | |
| 13 ARIZONA COYOTES | 59 | 20 | 30 | 9 | 49 | 17 | 160 | 211 | 13-10-2 | 7-20-7 | 4-2-4 | |
| 14 SAN JOSE SHARKS | 60 | 18 | 30 | 12 | 48 | 17 | 179 | 223 | 6-15-8 | 12-15-4 | 4-5-1 | |
| 15 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS | 58 | 21 | 32 | 5 | 47 | 19 | 147 | 209 | 12-16-3 | 9-16-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 16 ANAHEIM DUCKS | 60 | 19 | 34 | 7 | 45 | 16 | 152 | 250 | 9-16-1 | 10-18-6 | 3-5-2 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1912 THE YANKEES ANNOUNCE THEY WILL BEGIN WEARING PINSTRIPES ON THEIR UNIFORMS THIS YEAR, ABANDONING THE NEW LOOK AT THE END OF THE SEASON. AFTER JACOB RUPPERT BUYS THE TEAM, THE VERTICAL LINES WILL APPEAR PERMANENTLY, MAKING THEIR RETURN IN A 5-1 LOSS TO WASHINGTON DURING THE TEAM’S HOME OPENER IN 1915.
1948 PIRATES LEGENDARY THIRD BASEMAN PIE TRAYNOR AND LEFT-HANDER HERB PENNOCK TO THE HALL OF FAME. THE PITTSBURGH INFIELDER SPENT HIS 17-YEAR CAREER IN THE STEEL CITY, COMPILING A .320 LIFETIME BATTING AVERAGE, WHILE THE ‘KNIGHT OF KENNETT SQUARE’ POSTED A .590 WIN-LOSS PERCENTAGE DURING HIS 22 SEASONS IN THE MAJORS, INCLUDING A 162-90 STINT FOR THE YANKEES FROM 1923-1933.
1984 SAN FRANCISCO TRADES PITCHER FRED BREINING AND OUTFIELDER MAX VENABLE TO THE EXPOS FOR FIRST BASEMAN AL OLIVER. THE GIANTS WILL TRADE THE VETERAN INFIELDER AND RENIE MARTIN TO THE PHILLIES FOR KELLY DOWNS AND GEORGE RILEY IN AUGUST.
1985 THE YANKEES SEND SECOND BASEMAN TOBY HARRAH TO TEXAS FOR OUTFIELDER BILLY SAMPLE AND A PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER (ERIC DERSIN). THE 36-YEAR-OLD VETERAN INFIELDER, AN ORIGINAL RANGER, WILL REPLACE BOBBY VALENTINE AS THE CLUB’S MANAGER, FINISHING THE 1992 SEASON WITH A 32-44 RECORD.
1988 THE ORIOLES TRADE THIRD BASEMAN RAY KNIGHT TO DETROIT FOR PITCHER MARK THURMOND. THE 1986 WORLD SERIES MVP, AFTER HE HITS ONLY .217, WILL RETIRE AT THE END OF THE SEASON, PLAYING PRIMARILY AS THE TIGERS’ FIRST BASEMAN AND DH.
1989 JOHN OLERUD, THE BLUE JAY’S PICK IN THE THIRD ROUND OF THE UPCOMING JUNE AMATEUR DRAFT, UNDERGOES BRAIN SURGERY TO REMOVE AN ANEURYSM. THE WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY LEFT-HANDED FIRST BASEMAN HAD COLLAPSED ON JANUARY 11 AFTER A WORKOUT.
1998 FROM CHICAGO’S HOLY NAME CATHEDRAL, WGN TV AIRS THE FUNERAL OF BELOVED BROADCASTER HARRY CARAY, WHO SPENT 53 YEARS BEHIND THE MIKE DOING PLAY-BY-PLAY FOR THE A’S, CARDINALS, WHITE SOX, AND CUBS. THE EULOGIES REFLECTED THE 83-YEAR-OLD ZEST FOR LIFE, WITH STORIES BRINGING JOY AND LAUGHTER FROM THE CROWD THAT INCLUDED BILLY WILLIAMS, MARK GRACE, RYNE SANDBERG, RICK SUTCLIFFE, MINNIE MINOSO, AND FORMER BEARS COACH MIKE DITKA.
2003 THE NEW VETERANS HALL OF FAME SELECTION COMMITTEE, CONSISTING MOSTLY OF HALL OF FAMERS, SELECTS NONE OF THE 41 PLAYERS, EXECUTIVES, AND UMPIRES UNDER CONSIDERATION. GIL HODGES IS 11 VOTES SHY OF 75 PERCENT NEEDED FOR INDUCTION, RECEIVING 50 VOTES OF 81 VOTES CAST (61.7%).
2006 IN SPRING TRAINING INTRA-SQUAD ACTION, KOBY CLEMENS GOES DEEP OFF A 43-YEAR-OLD NON-ROSTER PITCHER GIVEN SPECIAL PERMISSION TO TRAIN WITH THE ASTROS. IN HIS NEXT AT-BAT, THE 19-YEAR-OLD MINOR LEAGUER GETS BRUSHED BACK WITH AN INSIDE FASTBALL BY THE 300-GAME WINNER, HIS DAD, ROGER.
2006 EFFA MANLEY IS AMONG THE 17 SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL FIGURES FROM THE NEGRO LEAGUES ELECTED BY A SELECT COMMITTEE FOR INDUCTION INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME. THE FORMER NEWARK EAGLES EXECUTIVE, CALLED THE BOSS, WILL BECOME THE FIRST WOMAN ENSHRINED IN COOPERSTOWN.
2008 THE WHITE SOX WEAR NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY BASEBALL CAPS IN THEIR SPRING TRAINING OPENING GAME, HONORING THE VICTIMS OF A CAMPUS SHOOTING RAMPAGE EARLIER THIS MONTH. AFTER THE CONTEST, THE PLAYERS AUTOGRAPH THEIR HATS, WHICH WILL BE AUCTIONED OFF AT NIU TO BENEFIT A SCHOLARSHIP FUND IN MEMORY OF THE FIVE STUDENTS KILLED IN THE ATTACK.
SPORTS IN NUMBERS
33 – 14 – 7 – 44
FEBRUARY 27, 1874 – THE GAME OF BASEBALL MADE ITS WAY ACROSS THE POND AND WAS PLAYED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN GREAT BRITAIN A THE LORD’S CRICKET GROUND.
FEBRUARY 27, 1959 – OLLIE MATSON, NUMBER 33, A STAR RUNNING BACK IN THE NFL WAS PART OF THE LARGEST TRADES IN LEAGUE HISTORY WHEN THE LS ANGELES RAMS SENT THE CHICAGO CARDINALS 9 PLAYERS FOR HIS SERVICES. THERE IS MORE ON THIS TRACDE ON OUR PIGSKIN DISPATCH FEBRUARY 27 FOOTBALL HISTORY HEADLINES WITH A REPORT FROM CHICAGO CARDINALS HISTORIAN JOE ZIEMBA.
FEBRUARY 27, 1959 – BOSTON CELTICS GREAT NUMBER 14, BOB COUSY, SET AN NBA RECORD WHEN HE RECORDED 28 ASSISTS AS HE AND HIS CELTICS TEAMMATES SCORED 173 POINTS AGAINST MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS
FEBRUARY 27, 1960 – THE “FIRST MIRACLE ON ICE” OCCURRED. THE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC HOCKEY TEAM KNOCKED OFF THE USSR SQUAD 3-2 IN A HISTORIC RUN TO WIN THE GOLD MEDAL IN SQUAW VALLEY. THIS WAS THE FISRT MEN’S OLYMPIC GOLD THAT USA HOCKEY EVER WON. CANADA TOOK SILVER WHILE THE SOVIET’S WON THE BRONZE MEDAL. BILL CLEARY, NUMBER 7 FOR THE US SCORED 7 GOALS AND ADDED 7 ASSISTS IN THE 7 GAMES THE AMERICANS PLAYED IN. CLEARY BROTHERS WIN GOLD IN 1960
FEBRUARY 27, 1963 – THE NEW YORK YANKEES AND THEIR STAR SLUGGER MICKEY MANTLE, NUMBER 7 AGREED TO A CONTRACT THAT THE BASEBALL SUPER STAR SIGNED WORTH $100,000. PRETTY BIG CASH AT THAT TIME FOR A SPORTS STAR.
FEBRUARY 27, 1966 – RICHARD PETTY, NUMBER 43 RACES BACK FROM 2 LAPS DOWN TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500 AS RAIN SHORTENED THE EVENT TO 198 LAPS.
FEBRUARY 27, 1982 – DENVER NUGGETS STAR PLAYER DAN ISSEL, NUMBER 44 CONNECTS ON AN AMAZING 63RD CONSECUTIVE FREE THROW IN A STREAK OF GAMES IN THE NBA.
TV MONDAY
| NCAA BASKETBALL GAMES – MEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| NORTH CAROLINA AT FLORIDA STATE | 7:00PM | ESPN |
| NORFOLK STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL | 7:30PM | – |
| GRAMBLING STATE AT BETHUNE-COOKMAN | 7:30PM | – |
| SOUTHERN AT FLORIDA A&M | 7:30PM | – |
| IDAHO STATE AT NORTHERN COLORADO | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| WEBER STATE AT NORTHERN ARIZONA | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT JACKSON STATE | 8:30PM | – |
| BAYLOR AT OKLAHOMA STATE | 9:00PM | ESPN |
| WEST VIRGINIA AT IOWA STATE | 9:00PM | ESPN2 |
| NEVADA AT WYOMING | 9:00PM | CBSSN |
| TEXAS SOUTHERN AT ALCORN STATE | 9:00PM | – |
| MONTANA AT IDAHO | 9:00PM | ESPN+ |
| MONTANA STATE AT EASTERN WASHINGTON | 9:00PM | ESPN+ |
| SACRAMENTO STATE AT PORTLAND STATE | 10:00PM | ESPN+ |
| COLLEGE BASKETBALL – WOMEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| VILLANOVA AT SETON HALL | 7:00PM | FS1 |
| XAVIER AT UCONN | 7:00PM | CBSSN |
| DEPAUL AT MARQUETTE | 9:00PM | FS1 |
| MLB SPRING TRAINING | TIME ET | TV |
| NY METS VS ST. LOUIS | 1:00PM | ESPN |
| SEATTLE VS CHI. WHITE SOX | 3:05PM | MLBN |
| DETROIT VS NY YANKEES | 6:35PM | MLBN |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| DETROIT AT CHARLOTTE | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| MIAMI AT PHILADELPHIA | 7:00PM | NBATV BALLY SPORTS NBCS-PHI |
| BOSTON AT NEW YORK | 7:30PM | NBCS-BOS MSG |
| ORLANDO AT NEW ORLEANS | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| DETROIT AT OTTAWA | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS SPORTSNET |
| BOSTON AT EDMONTON | 8:30PM | NHLN SPORTSNET NESN |
| VANCOUVER AT DALLAS | 8:30PM | SPORTSNET BALLY SPORTS |
| VEGAS AT COLORADO | 9:00PM | ATTSN-RM ALT |
| CHICAGO AT ANAHEIM | 10:00PM | NBCS-CHI BALLY SPORTS |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| SERIE A: HELLAS VERONA VS FIORENTINA | 12:30PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| SERIE A: LAZIO VS SAMPDORIA | 2:45PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| LA LIGA: VILLARREAL VS GETAFE | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: BARRACAS CENTRAL VS GIMNASIA LA PLATA | 3:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: RACING CLUB VS LANÚS | 5:15PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: CENTRAL CÓRDOBA SDE VS ARGENTINOS JUNIORS | 7:30PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| LIGA MX: LEÓN VS MONTERREY | 10:05PM | TUDN |