“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
HOMESTEAD.COM
ANDERSON 55 FORT WAYNE WAYNE 52
KNOX 72 ELWOOD 47
MEDORA 51 ATTICA 47
MOORESVILLE CHRISTIAN 64 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (DYER) 52
ST. MARY’S (MO.) 91 EVANSVILLE REITZ 82 OT
INDIANA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL STATE FINALS
1A
BORDEN 49 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 40
2A
SOUTH KNOX 55 RENSSELEAR CENTRAL 33
3A
NORWELL 53 GREENSBURG 44
4A
LAWRENCE NORTH 65 WARSAW 59
INDIANA BOYS SWIMMING STATE FINALS
FINAL RESULTS: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2024-25%20B%20Sw%20State%20Saturday%20Results.pdf
TEAM SCORES: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2024-25%20B%20Sw%20State%20Team%20Scores.pdf
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD
TOP 25
#16 MARYLAND 68 PENN STATE 64
#13 CLEMSON 71 VIRGINIA 58
#1 AUBURN 94 #17 KENTUCKY 78
#10 TEXAS TECH 78 KANSAS 73
#7 ST. JOHN’S 71 SETON HALL 61
#24 MISSISSIPPI STATE 81 LSU 69
#5 TENNESSEE 79 #6 ALABAMA 76
#4 HOUSTON 73 CINCINNATI 64
#19 LOUISVILLE 79 PITTSBURGH 68
VANDERBILT 97 #14 MISSOURI 93 OT
#2 DUKE 100 FLORIDA STATE 65
#21 MARQUETTE 76 GEORGETOWN 61
#3 FLORIDA 89 #12 TEXAS A&M 70
#9 IOWA STATE 84 #22 ARIZONA 67
#23 ST. MARY 74 OREGON STATE 64
#25 BYU 77 WEST VIRGINIA 56
ELSEWHERE:
INDIANA 78 WASHINGTON 62
VILLANOVA 80 BUTLER 70
BOWLING GREEN 61 BALL STATE 52
MINNESOTA 67 NEBRASKA 65
IU INDY 91 WRIGHT STATE 84
CLEVELAND STATE 68 PURDUE FT. WAYNE 67
TENNESSEE STATE 74 SOUTHERN INDIANA 69
OREGON 82 USC 61
WAKE FOREST 74 NOTRE DAME 71
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD
#18 WEST VIRGINIA 85 CINCINNATI 69
#23 MICHIGAN STATE 73 MINNESOTA 58
#4 USC 80 #2 UCLA 67
NBA SCOREBOARD
WASHINGTON 113 CHARLOTTE 100
DETROIT 115 BROOKLYN 94
SAN ANTONIO 130 MEMPHIS 128
SACRAMENTO 113 HOUSTON 103
MILWAUKEE 132 DALLAS 117
PHILADELPHIA 126 GOLDEN STATE 119
NHL SCOREBOARD
TAMPA BAY 3 WASHINGTON 1
NY ISLANDERS 7 NASHVILLE 4
BOSTON 3 PITTSBURGH 2
FLORIDA 3 CALGARY 0
COLUMBUS 5 DETROIT 3
EDMONTON 3 CAROLINA 1
PHILADELPHIA 2 WINNIPEG 1
ST. LOUIS 4 LOS ANGELES 1
NEW JERSEY 3 UTAH 1
CHICAGO 6 ANAHEIM 3
SEATTLE 6 VANCOUVER 3
MLB SPRING TRAINING
ST. LOUIS 3 WASHINGTON 2
NY METS 10 TAMPA BAY 1
DETROIT 1 PHILADELPHIA 0
TORONTO 1 ATLANTA 1
PITTSBURGH 5 BALTIMORE 2
BOSTON 8 MINNESOTA 4
NY YANKEES 9 HOUSTON 3
LA DODGERS 6 SAN FRANCISCO 5
CHICAGO CUBS 7 CLEVELAND 4
CINCINNATI 7 SAN DIEGO 3
LA ANGELS 5 LAS VEGAS 0
ARIZONA 8 COLORADO 4
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 18 SEATTLE 9
MILWAUKEE 9 TEXAS 4
WASHINGTON 7 MIAMI 0
CHICAGO CUBS 11 KANSAS CITY 1
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
CHARLOTTE 2 ATLANTA 0
SALT LAKE 2 SEATTLE 0
PHILADELPHIA 4 CINCINNATI 1
ORLANDO CITY 4 TORONTO 2
NY RED BULLS 2 NASHVILLE 0
COLUMBUS 1 NEW ENGLAND 0
MINNESOTA 1 MONTRÉAL 0
SAN JOSE 2 KANSAS CITY 1
CHICAGO 2 DC UNITED 2
COLORADO 3 DALLAS 3
PORTLAND 1 AUSTIN 0
LOS ANGELES 1 NEW YORK CITY 0
SAN DIEGO 0 ST. LOUIS 0
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
NOTRE DAME 2 BELMONT 1
STETSON 8 INDIANA 4
PURDUE 13 AKRON 3
AKRON 10 PURDUE 9
PURDUE FT. WAYNE 9 SE MISSOURI 5
SE MISSOURI 6 PURDUE FT. WAYNE 5
BALL STATE 6 NORTH FLORIDA 2
BOWLING GREEN 4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 1
MISSOURI 6 EVANSVILLE 2
EAST CAROLINA 13 INDIANA STATE 1
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCOREBOARD
SOUTHERN INDIANA 8 ST. BONAVENTURE 3
ARIZONA 7 NOTRE DAME 1
CLEMSON 11 INDIANA 5
INDIANA 8 EAST CAROLINA 2
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 8 PURDUE FT. WAYNE 0
BUTLER 8 ALBANY 2
BUTLER 3 ALBANY 1
PURDUE 11 PURDUE FT. WAYNE 1
EVANSVILLE 4 WESTERN KENTUCKY 4
STONY BROOK 6 IU INDY 1
GARDNER WEBB 2 IU INDY 1
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4 BALL STATE 3
BALL STATE 10 ILLINOIS STATE 1
INDIANA STATE 9 DELAWARE STATE 1
LINDENWOOD 2 VALPO 1
COLLEGE MEN’S LAX SCORES
#2 MARYLAND 11 #1 NOTRE DAME 10
COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES
#3 MICHIGAN STATE 5 NOTRE DAME 2
NATIONAL NEWS RELEASES
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 5 TENNESSEE STUNS NO. 6 ALABAMA
Tennessee’s Jahmai Mashack drained a long 3-pointer at the buzzer as the No. 5 Volunteers rallied past the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide 79-76 in a Southeastern Conference battle on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn.
Vying with Alabama for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Volunteers (24-5, 11-5) trailed 76-72 with 36 seconds remaining, but Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier was fouled as he made a layup, and when he missed the free throw, Mashack was fouled on the rebound. Tennessee tied it on Mashack’s two free throws with 30.3 seconds left.
After forcing a five-second violation under the Alabama basket with 3.8 seconds left, Mashack, who totaled 11 points, six rebounds and three steals, got the ball, took four dribbles and sank a shot from halfway between the 3-point arc and midcourt for the winner.
Lanier and Jordan Gainey had 18 points apiece as Tennessee won its fourth straight game against the Crimson Tide (23-6, 12-4) and fourth overall. Mark Sears scored a game-high 24, and Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway had 13 and 11, respectively, as Alabama lost for the third time in five outings.
No. 1 Auburn 94, No. 17 Kentucky 78
Miles Kelly made a career-best nine 3-pointers and scored a season-high 30 points as the Tigers put away the Wildcats for their first win in Lexington, Ky., in 37 years.
Chad Baker-Mazara matched his season high of 22 points and had three steals in the Southeastern Conference matchup. Tahaad Pettiford scored 21 points as the Tigers (27-2, 15-1 SEC) clinched at least a share of the regular-season title.
Koby Brea scored 21 points and Andrew Carr added a season-best 20 for the Wildcats (19-10, 8-8), who are 5-7 over their past dozen games. The Wildcats dropped to 14-3 at home this season.
No. 2 Duke 100, Florida State 65
The Blue Devils withstood a first-half injury to star freshman Cooper Flagg in a blowout of the Seminoles in Durham, N.C.
Isaiah Evans poured in 19 points and Flagg, despite missing most of the first half with a cut on his face, ended up with 16 points for Duke (26-3, 17-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which holds a one-game lead over Clemson and Louisville in the league standings.
Jamir Watkins had 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and reserve Jerry Deng posted 12 points for Florida State (16-13, 7-11), which lost its third straight game.
No. 3 Florida 89, No. 12 Texas A&M 70
Will Richard scored a game-high 25 points and canned six of Florida’s 14 3-pointers as the Gators bounced back from an upset loss, beating the Aggies in the Southeastern Conference matchup in Gainesville, Fla.
Thomas Haugh added 17 points for Florida (25-4, 12-4 SEC), which tied Alabama for second place in the conference going into the regular season’s final week.
Zhuric Phelps scored 16 points and Pharrel Payne added 14 for the Aggies (20-9, 9-7), who have lost four straight games. Texas A&M converted just 39 percent of its field goal attempts.
No. 4 Houston 73, Cincinnati 64
L.J. Cryer scored 20 points to lead a balanced attack as the Cougars topped the visiting Bearcats to capture their second straight Big 12 outright regular-season title. Houston is the first team to win two titles in its first two years in a major conference since Idaho did it in 1921-23 in the Pacific Coast Conference, which became the Pac-12.
Terrance Arceneaux contributed 10 points off the bench for the Cougars (25-4, 17-1), who beat the Bearcats for the 12th straight time and captured their 21st win in their last 22 games.
Day Day Thomas scored 19 points for the Bearcats (17-12, 7-11) despite foul trouble limiting him to 19 minutes. Jizzle James collected 18 points and five assists for Cincinnati, which had averaged 76.4 points in winning five of its previous seven games.
No. 7 St. John’s 71, Seton Hall 61
RJ Luis Jr scored 21 points as the Red Storm survived several shaky stretches before clinching their first outright Big East regular-season title since 1985 with a victory over the Pirates in New York.
The Red Storm (26-4, 17-2) improved to 32-5 in their past 37 games since coach Rick Pitino ranted about his team’s lack of athleticism following a 68-62 loss to Seton Hall on Feb. 18, 2024. Zuby Ejiofor added 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Former Red Storm guard Dylan Addae-Wusu scored 18 points and Isaiah Coleman added 15 for the Pirates (7-22, 2-16), who missed 9 of 11 from 3-point range and 12 of 21 free throws.
No. 9 Iowa State 84, No. 22 Arizona 67
Milan Momcilovic scored 17 points and made 4 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc, and the Cyclones posted a win over the Wildcats in a Big 12 Conference matchup in Ames, Iowa.
Tamin Lipsey finished with 15 points and eight assists for Iowa State (22-7, 12-6), which snapped a two-game skid. Curtis Jones and Nate Heise scored 12 points apiece.
Jaden Bradley scored 18 points to lead Arizona (19-10, 13-5). KJ Lewis scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Caleb Love finished with 10 points, missing 13 of 15 shots from the field.
No. 10 Texas Tech 78, Kansas 73
JT Toppin scored 21 points to lead the Red Raiders to a win over the Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kan.
Toppin made 9 of 15 attempts from the field before fouling out with 1:47 remaining. The 6-foot-9 forward scored 18 points in a first-half burst that helped Texas Tech take an 11-point halftime lead. Christian Anderson finished with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range for Texas Tech, which is just 2-20 all time at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
KJ Adams Jr. led Kansas (19-10, 10-8) with 21 points on 10-for-12 shooting. Hunter Dickinson added 18 points. Kansas connected on 29 of 60 attempts (48.3 percent) from the field but finished just 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from 3-point range.
No. 13 Clemson 71, Virginia 58
Ian Schieffelin collected 21 points and 13 rebounds to propel the Tigers to a come-from-behind victory over the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, Va.
Viktor Lakhin produced 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Tigers (24-5, 16-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) came from 10 points down in the second half to win their sixth straight game. Jaeden Zackery contributed 12 points and hit the lone 3-pointer for Clemson, which made 47.3 percent of its shots overall — including 1 of 10 from beyond the arc.
Isaac McKneely scored 16 points and Andrew Rohde added 12 to go along with five assists for Virginia (14-15, 7-11). Dai Dai Ames provided 12 points as the Cavaliers made 42.3 percent of their shots overall and 8 of 19 (42.1 percent) from distance.
Vanderbilt 97, No. 14 Missouri 93 (OT)
Chris Manon amassed 23 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Edwards added 17 points — 15 after halftime — as the Commodores came from behind to beat the Tigers in the Southeastern Conference clash in Nashville.
The Tigers led by nine at halftime but Vanderbilt (20-9, 8-8 SEC) rallied to tie the game and then went ahead 71-69 when Jaylen Carey hit a layup with 3:56 to play. A.J. Hoggard had 21 points and Tyler Nickel had 12 for Vanderbilt, which has won three straight games, all against ranked teams.
Missouri’s Caleb Grill led all scorers with 28 points while Mark Mitchell added 20 and Tamar Bates and Anthony Robinson II hit for 16 each. The Tigers (21-8, 10-6) have dropped two of their past three.
No. 16 Maryland 68, Penn State 64
Derik Queen scored 23 points to highlight the Terrapins’ win over the Nittany Lions in University Park, Pa.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 19 points and Selton Miguel notched 17 for the Terrapins (22-7, 12-6 Big Ten), who rebounded nicely from Wednesday’s crushing, last-second loss to Michigan State. Maryland has won nine of its last 11 games. Julian Reese shot just 2-of-10 for four points for Maryland, but he contributed 15 rebounds, six steals and three blocks.
The Nittany Lions (15-15, 5-14) have lost two straight following a brief two-game winning streak. Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 18 points, while D’Marco Dunn chipped in 14 for Penn State.
No. 19 Louisville 79, Pittsburgh 68
The Cardinals needed a career game from Chucky Hepburn to get a home victory over the Panthers, and Hepburn delivered in style.
Louisville (23-6, 16-2 ACC) remained in the conference title race due to a couple of explosive Hepburn-led runs. Pittsburgh (16-13, 7-11) lost an excellent opportunity to post a resume-boosting win in the opening game of March.
Hepburn finished with a career-high 37 points, shooting 9-for-11 overall, including 6-for-6 from 3-point range, and sinking 13 of 17 free throws. Terrence Edwards Jr. added 23 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinals. Pitt was led by an all-around game from Jaland Lowe, who tallied 16 points, 10 boards and five assists. Zack Austin added 15 points.
No. 21 Marquette 76, Georgetown 61
David Joplin scored 17 points with nine rebounds, Kam Jones added 13 points with a career-high 13 assists, and the Golden Eagles ended a three-game road losing streak by knocking off the Hoyas in Washington, D.C.
Ben Gold added 15 points as Marquette (22-7, 13-5 Big East) won for the fourth time in its past five games and moved into a tie for second place in the conference standings with Creighton.
Micah Peavy scored 15 points and Curtis Williams Jr. added 14 as Georgetown (16-13, 7-11) lost its third consecutive game, while seeing a three-game home winning streak come to an end. Jordan Burks had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
No. 23 Saint Mary’s 74, Oregon State 64
Augustas Marciulionis recorded 25 points and seven assists to lead the Gaels past the Beavers in West Coast Conference play at Moraga, Calif.
Fellow seniors Luke Barrett (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Mitchell Saxen (12 points, 11 rebounds) made key contributions as the Gaels (27-4, 17-1 WCC) closed out the regular season with their seventh consecutive victory.
Saint Mary’s is the No. 1 overall seed for the upcoming WCC tournament. Oregon State will be the No. 5 seed. Parsa Fallah scored 14 points for the Beavers (20-11, 10-8), who lost their second straight game.
No. 24 Mississippi State 81, LSU 69
Josh Hubbard scored 30 points and the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half to defeat the Tigers in Southeastern Conference play in Starkville, Miss.
Riley Kugel added 12 points and Mississippi State (20-9, 8-8 in the SEC) outscored LSU (14-15, 3-13) 46-32 in the second half. Cam Carter scored 23 points and Daimion Collins added 10 to lead LSU.
Hubbard made a 3-pointer and two free throws to give the Bulldogs a 55-50 lead with just over 13 minutes left in the game. They went ahead by 13 with 6:27 left, but the Tigers crept within eight points with five minutes left. Mississippi State’s Cameron Matthews made a steal and fed Kugel for a dunk that pushed the lead back to nine with 2:41 left.
No. 25 BYU 77, West Virginia 56
Fousseyni Traore scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench and the Cougars exploded in the second half to rout the Mountaineers in the Big 12 Conference game in Provo, Utah.
Egor Demin added 15 points for BYU (21-8, 12-6 Big 12), which tied No. 9 Iowa State for fourth in the conference with two games left. The Cougars, who have won six straight games by an average of 14.5 points, also got 13 points from Richie Saunders.
Javon Small scored 15 points for the Mountaineers (17-12, 8-10), who have alternated wins and losses over the last five games to remain squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. West Virginia made just 33.3 percent of its field goals, including 8 of 27 (29.6 percent) from the 3-point line.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 23 MICHIGAN STATE OVERCOMES MINNESOTA
Grace VanSlooten had 15 points and eight rebounds as No. 23 Michigan State pulled away from Minnesota in the fourth quarter of a 73-58 win on Saturday afternoon in East Lansing, Mich.
Julia Ayrault notched 13 points and nine boards for Michigan State (21-8, 11-7 Big Ten), Ines Sotelo added 13 points, Jaddan Simmons had 11 and Nyla Hampton chipped in 10 as five Spartans scored in double figures.
Grace Grocholski scored a game-high 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting with four steals for Minnesota (20-10, 8-10) and Tory McKinney added 17 points for the Golden Gophers.
The game was closer than the final score suggested, with the two teams separated by just one point after each of the first three quarters. Michigan State drained 9 of 23 (39.1 percent) 3-pointers, while Minnesota was held to just 3-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc.
No. 18 West Virginia 85, Cincinnati 69
JJ Quinerly scored 31 points and Jordan Harrison had 21 as the visiting Mountaineers handed the Bearcats their third straight loss.
West Virginia (23-6, 13-5 Big 12) led by as much as 22 points and led 44-30 at halftime. Quinerly, the team’s leading scorer (20.5 points per game), added seven rebounds and seven assists, while Jordan Thomas chipped in 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Jilian Hayes had 20 points and eight rebounds for Cincinnati (15-13, 7-11), which also received 15 points from Tineya Hylton. They were the only Bearcats to score in double figures.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: QUENTIN GRIMES SCORES 44, SIXERS TOP WARRIORS TO SNAP LOSING SKID
Quentin Grimes scored a career-high 44 points on 18-of-24 shooting as the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 126-119 home victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Guerschon Yabusele made five 3-pointers en route to 18 points for Philadelphia, which played its first game since announcing that Joel Embiid (knee) would miss the remainder of the season.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 20 points for the Sixers and Paul George scored 17, while Tyrese Maxey dished out 11 assists while shooting 2-of-14 for five points.
Stephen Curry recorded 29 points and 13 assists to pace the Warriors, who had won their previous five games. Golden State played without Jimmy Butler (back) for the first time since acquiring him in a trade with the Miami Heat last month.
Spurs 130, Grizzlies 128
De’Aaron Fox capped a back-and-forth affair with a tiebreaking 20-footer with 2.6 seconds remaining, allowing visiting San Antonio to complete a victory over Memphis.
Fox finished with 20 points, as did Devin Vassell, and Stephon Castle had a team-high 24 off the bench for the Spurs, who won for just the second time in six games since Victor Wembanyama was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had a game-high 42 points and Santi Aldama posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists for the Grizzlies, who lost a second straight nail-biter and dropped fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
Kings 113, Rockets 103
DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine combined for 41 points as visiting Sacramento rode a balanced offensive attack to a victory over Houston.
Six Kings players scored in double figures as the team completed a sweep of the three-game season series. The Kings overcame the early loss of center Domantas Sabonis to a left hamstring injury by shooting 50.6 percent from the field. Jonas Valanciunas replaced Sabonis and produced 15 points, 14 rebounds and four steals.
Alperen Sengun collected 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Rockets, while Jalen Green added 24 points. Guard Fred VanVleet returned after missing 11 games due to an ankle injury, and he tallied three points on 1-for-8 shooting in 35 minutes. The Rockets committed 16 turnovers.
Pistons 115, Nets 94
Jalen Duren powered for 18 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six blocks and host Detroit won for the ninth time in 10 games, downing Brooklyn.
Detroit bounced back from a 15-point loss to Denver on Friday as Tobias Harris had 18 points and nine rebounds and Malik Beasley also scored 18. Cade Cunningham tossed in 15 points with nine assists and Ausar Thompson added 13 points.
Tyrese Martin led the Nets with 23 points off the bench. Jalen Wilson had 14 points and Cameron Johnson added 13.
Wizards 113, Hornets 100
Khris Middleton and Bilal Coulibaly scored 17 points apiece as Washington Wizards won for just the second time in nine games and swept the four-game season series from host Charlotte.
Eight players scored in double figures for Washington, with Richaun Holmes notching 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Corey Kispert had 13 points and Marcus Smart added 12.
Mark Williams had a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets. LaMelo Ball returned from another missed game and finished with 20 points. Miles Bridges had 18 points and a team-high seven assists for Charlotte, which lost its sixth consecutive game.
Bucks 132, Mavericks 117
Giannis Antetokounmpo led six Milwaukee scorers in double-figure scoring with 29 points in a win at Dallas.
Antetokounmpo flirted with a triple-double, complementing his team-scoring high with nine rebounds and nine assists. Damian Lillard finished with 28 points, six rebounds and six assists. Gary Trent Jr. scored 20 off the bench, and starter Brook Lopez added 13 points.
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 31 points for the Mavericks, who remained thin in the frontcourt with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford all sidelined. Moses Brown, playing in the last game of his 10-day contract, nearly posted his second double-double in as many contests, going for 18 points and nine rebounds. He shot 8 of 9 from the floor.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: JACKETS SCORE LATE, BEAT WINGS IN STADIUM SERIES
Justin Danforth scored the go-ahead goal with 2:17 left and Elvis Merzlikins made 43 saves to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 in the Stadium Series on Saturday night at chilly Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
Denton Mateychuk, Dmitri Voronkov, Mathieu Olivier and Adam Fantilli also scored, Zach Werenski and Boone Jenner each had two assists and Danforth added an assist for Columbus, which leapfrogged Detroit into the Eastern Conference’s top wild-card spot with its fourth straight win.
Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists for Detroit. Cam Talbot finished with 16 saves for the Red Wings.
Danforth drove past defenseman Simon Edvinsson at the blue line and then put in a rebound of his own shot for the game-winner. Fantilli then sealed the win with an empty-netter with 1:08 to go.
Flyers 2, Jets 1 (SO)
Ivan Fedotov made 29 stops and turned aside all three shots he faced in the shootout as Philadelphia outlasted host Winnipeg.
Jamie Drysdale, assisted by Noah Cates and Nick Seeler, provided the only offense for the Flyers in regulation. Philadelphia has won four of its last five (4-0-1) and are four points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Mark Scheifele scored the only goal for the Jets, with Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor picking up helpers. Connor Hellebuyck made 31 stops for Winnipeg, which is 0-1-1 since a franchise-record 11-game winning streak but remain atop the NHL standings.
Kraken 6, Canucks 3
Eeli Tolvanen scored twice and Brandon Montour had a goal and an assist as Seattle defeated visiting Vancouver to boost its flagging playoff hopes.
Andre Burakovsky, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Matty Beniers also scored and Shane Wright and Vince Dunn added two assists apiece for the Kraken, who snapped a two-game skid and pulled within nine points of Vancouver in the chase for the Western Conference’s second and final wild-card berth. Goaltender Joey Daccord made 28 saves.
Pius Suter, Filip Chytil and Dakota Joshua scored for the Canucks, who lost their second straight. Kevin Lankinen stopped 18 of 23 shots.
Lightning 3, Capitals 1
Brandon Hagel reached the 30-goal plateau by scoring in his fourth straight game, and Tampa Bay extended the Eastern Conference’s longest winning streak to eight with a win over host Washington.
In a matchup between the NHL’s two highest-scoring clubs in goals per game, Hagel potted one into an empty net as the Lightning moved to 9-0-1 in their past 10 games. Mitchell Chaffee had a power-play tally and Gage Goncalves also hit the net. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 21 shots to go to 9-0-1 in his past 10 starts.
Washington’s Alex Ovechkin notched his 31st tally late in the match, and goalie Logan Thompson made 16 saves in the team’s third straight regulation loss. Ovechkin has 884 goals, 10 shy of tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
Oilers 3, Hurricanes 1
Calvin Pickard helped Edmonton end its five-game losing streak by making a season-high 35 saves in a victory over Carolina in Raleigh, N.C.
Adam Henrique, Corey Perry and Evan Bouchard scored for the Oilers. Leon Draisaitl saw his seven-game goal-scoring streak end, but his two assists extended his points streak to 11 games. Connor McDavid, Brett Kulak and Mattias Janmark also had assists.
Sebastian Aho scored a power-play goal for Carolina. Mikko Rantanen and Shayne Gostisbehere both assisted, with the helper being Gostisbehere’s 400th career point. Frederik Andersen stopped 28 shots for the Hurricanes, who lost for the third time in their last four games.
Panthers 3, Flames 0
Overshadowed throughout most of the game by the spectacular efforts of counterpart Dan Vladar, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky earned his third shutout of the season as Florida defeated Calgary in Sunrise, Fla.
Vladar’s 39 saves were 16 more than the 23 from Bobrovsky. Jonah Gadjovich, Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich scored for the Panthers, who were missing star forward Matthew Tkachuk (lower-body injury) for the fourth straight game.
Sam Bennett added two assists for Florida, which outshot Calgary 16-6 in the first period and 19-6 in the second before cruising in the third. Flames forward Ryan Lomberg, who helped the Panthers win the 2024 Stanley Cup, was honored with a video tribute early in Saturday’s game.
Bruins 3, Penguins 2
David Pastrnak extended his NHL-leading point streak to 17 games with a goal and an assist, and Boston held off host Pittsburgh.
Pastrnak scored Boston’s opening goal and assisted on a Mason Lohrei power-play tally that extended the lead to 2-0 after one period. Charlie Coyle’s empty-net goal in the final minute of the third stood as the decider. The Penguins attempted a late-game rally with a man advantage for the final 1:34 following a Cole Koepke double-minor penalty.
Joonas Korpisalo made 31 saves for Boston, which broke a five-game losing streak (0-3-2) and won for just the second time in its last 12 road games (2-8-2). Anthony Beauvillier and Rickard Rakell scored goals and Alex Nedeljkovic made 23 stops for the Penguins, who have lost five of their last six.
Blues 4, Kings 1
Dylan Holloway scored a goal and earned an assist as St. Louis defeated visiting Los Angeles.
Colton Parayko, Pavel Buchnevich and Zack Bolduc also scored for the Blues, who extended their season-best winning streak to four games. Jordan Binnington made 25 saves to run his point streak to six games (5-0-1).
Kevin Fiala scored and David Rittich made 30 saves for the Kings, who lost their third straight game.
Devils 3, Utah Hockey Club 1
Timo Meier scored the eventual game-winner as visiting New Jersey defeated the Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City.
Nico Hischier and Curtis Lazar also scored and Nico Daws made 24 saves for his third win of the season for the Devils, who avoided a second consecutive loss and improved to 6-5-0 over its last 11. With the victory, New Jersey moved into a tie with the Carolina Hurricanes for the second seed in the Metropolitan Division.
Mikhail Sergachev scored and Karel Vejmelka stopped 26 shots for Utah, which saw its three-game win streak snapped. The Utah Hockey Club is 6-4-2 over its last 12 games.
Canadiens 4, Sabres 2
Cole Caufield scored his 29th goal of the season and visiting Montreal beat Buffalo.
Josh Anderson, Alex Newhook and Jake Evans also scored for the Canadiens, who have won four straight. Lane Hutson and Christian Dvorak each had two assists, and Jakub Dobes made 23 saves.
Alex Tuch scored in his third straight game for the Sabres, who have lost their last two. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves.
Senators 5, Sharks 3
Ottawa scored four goals in the third period to rally past visiting San Jose.
Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist and Shane Pinto, Brady Tkachuk, David Perron and Michael Amadio also scored for the Senators, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Ridly Greig had two assists and Linus Ullmark made 34 saves.
Will Smith had a goal and an assist and Tyler Toffoli and defenseman Timothy Liljegren scored for the Sharks, who lost their eighth straight (0-5-3). Macklin Celebrini had two assists and Vitek Vanecek stopped 27 shots.
Islanders 7, Predators 4
Brock Nelson scored twice in the second period and collected an assist during a three-goal opening period as New York started quickly and earned a victory over Nashville in Elmont, N.Y.
Ilya Sorokin was credited with a goalie goal into an empty net with 12 seconds left and made 24 saves as the Islanders improved to 8-2-0 in their past 10 home games. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Casey Cizikas and Bo Horvat also scored for New York, which is five points out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.
Cole Smith scored twice in the third while Colton Sissons and Marc Del Gaizo tallied for the Predators, who lost for the third time in four games. Nashville goalie Juuse Saros allowed six goals on 36 shots.
Blackhawks 6, Ducks 3
Ryan Donato scored two goals and had an assist and Teuvo Teravainen added a goal and two assists as visiting Chicago snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory over Anaheim.
Lukas Reichel had a goal and an assist, Alec Martinez had two assists and Wyatt Kaiser and Pat Maroon also scored for Chicago, which won for just the seventh time in 31 games (7-20-4) on the road this season. Arvid Soderblom finished with 28 saves.
Leo Carlsson scored two goals, Frank Vatrano had two assists and Jackson LaCombe also scored for Anaheim. John Gibson, back after missing three games with an upper-body injury, stopped 18 of 24 shots for the Ducks.
GOLF NEWS
JAKE KNAPP TAKES ONE-SHOT LEAD INTO FINAL ROUND AT COGNIZANT
Jake Knapp birdied the final hole to shoot 3-under-par 68 and hold a one-shot lead through the third round of the Cognizant Classic on Saturday at PGA National Resort’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Knapp, who opened the tournament with a 59, is at 16 under for the tournament.
He’s aiming for his second PGA Tour victory. He’s up one shot on Michael Kim, who also birdied the final hole for 67.
Kim rolled in a birdie putt of slightly more than 3 feet to close the round.
Knapp had a birdie and two bogeys across the first seven holes. He played the backside at 4 under, capped by a short final putt.
Russell Henley and Ben Griffin had matching 66s and Doug Ghim notched 68 as the trio is tied for third place at 14 under.
Rickie Fowler (68) and Taylor Montgomery (68) share sixth place at 13 under.
Montgomery held a one-shot lead when he finished the 14th hole. His tee shot on No. 15 ended up in the water and he was three strokes off the lead when he completed the hole with a quadruple-bogey 7.
Montgomery had six birdies on the front side, including four straight (Nos. 6-9).
The leaderboard is a rarity with only two non-U.S. golfers among the top 13. Austria’s Sepp Straka (67) and France’s Matthieu Pavon are in a six-way tie for eighth place.
INDIANA NEWS RELEASES
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE FINALS
1A
IHSAA.ORG RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS – In their first trip to the girls basketball state finals in school history, the Borden Braves mounted the largest successful comeback in IHSAA history to defeat the Lafayette Central Catholic Knights, 49-40, on Saturday morning at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Borden’s run to the state championship also included its first regional and semi-state championships, with the program’s last sectional championship coming in 2015. It is the third state championship title in school history, following softball in 2016 and boys basketball in 2013.
“When I took over, the cupboard was pretty bare. We were pretty bad,” Borden head coach Matt Vick said. “Just to see us [win the championship] – yes, it’s my program, but it’s our program. Our assistant coaches have put in a lot of work, the girls have put in a lot of work, so it’s nice to see it pay off.”
After Borden jumped out to a 4-0 lead on a pair of Ava Wheeler layups – the second coming courtesy of a turnover and pair of offensive rebounds – Lafayette Central Catholic went on a 9-0 run between the first two periods to bury the Braves, 25-12.
The 13-point deficit marks the largest deficit overcome to win in the state championship game in the 50-year history of the state tournament, with the previous high set at 11 points in Class 4A by Columbus North in 2015 and in 2A by Shenandoah in 2005. The previous high in 1A was nine by Fort Wayne Canterbury in 2009 and Lafayette Central Catholic in 2006.
“I called some kids out [in the timeout],” Vick said. “I thought our body language was really bad, and I just told them we’ve got to fix it… I said, ‘You know, right now it looks like we’re going to lose the game. So, you can either sit on the bench and watch us lose, or you can get out there and do something different.’”
With 6:06 left in the half, Borden held Lafayette Central Catholic’s offense scoreless as it went on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to one point entering halftime. That momentum continued through the first half of the third period, and the run extended to a game-long 23-0 until the Knights broke through at the 4:25 mark in the quarter.
“We switched it up,” Vick said. “We knew they were athletic, and usually in our 1-3-1 we trap up near half court. We decided [to] back it off a little bit… and just kind of made them shoot. The four losses, I think every one of those teams played some type of zone and [Lafayette Central Catholic] kind of struggled with it.”
Lafayette Central Catholic shot 3-18 from three-point range with just 15 points in the second half. Grace Bordenet finished the game with 11 points – the Knights lone player in double digits – and was 5-fo-8 from the free-throw line.
“It’s tough to win basketball games when you shoot 13-for-40 from the field… not going to win you a whole lot of games,” Lafayette Central Catholic head coach Craig DeVault said. “They make more shots, that’s just what it comes down to. I think they were 8-for-18 from three, and that was our defensive plan to let them shoot threes. They hit them today, and that’s what beat us.”
Borden took advantage of the defensive holes around the three-point line, led by Riley Rarick and AJ Mallard. The team’s 8-for-18 from beyond the arc was highlighted by Rarick and Mallard’s three apiece, with five three-pointers coming in the 23-0 run.
Rarick led the team with 16 points, followed by Wheeler’s 13. Mallard, who fouled out toward the end of the fourth quarter, followed with nine points.
“We’re definitely playing with a lot more confidence,” Rarick said. “This postseason has been good. [During the] regular season I wasn’t shooting that well, but since the postseason I’ve been shooting better. It’s a lot more confidence.”
Borden’s lone senior, Reagan Loy, subbed into the game in the final minute to close out her final year on the team. Borden returns five juniors to its 2025-26 squad, all of whom are big playmakers on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
The Braves’ goals are represented on a photo of back-to-back state championship banners tacked up on the team’s whiteboard. Now, they look toward next season to make that goal a reality.
“I told the girls, we have a really good chance that this could be us the next two years,” Vick said. “We were talking about that in the locker room. I was like, ‘Well, part one is complete. You know how sweet it would be to [get] part two.”
2A
IHSAA.ORG RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS – The bottom two-thirds of the east interior of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, blanketed in red and blue, risked a sort of collective hoarseness early Saturday afternoon.
South Knox’s Spartans were in the house, and, so, it seemed, was everyone who had ever attended the school, cheered on one or more of its sports teams at some point or had once known someone who had done either.
Such audible levels were impossible to ignore as coach Hollie Eaves’ squad cruised to a 55-33 victory over Rensselaer Central in the Class 2A championship game.
“I’m just super proud of how they played,” Eaves said of her team after watching it apply the finishing touches to a 28-2 season. “We didn’t have the best offensive game. We were having a hard time catching the ball, but defensively, these girls locked in. They bought into each other, and they really dug their toes in defensively. It’s not something we’ve been known for all year, but for them to step up defensively and just lock the other team down was great.”
The win allowed South Knox to join its county’s title-winning clubs in hoops, which started over a century ago when the Vincennes High School boys won it all in 1923 (and later in 1981 as Vincennes Lincoln). Most recently, Vincennes Rivet captured the girls 1A crown in 2011.
And, now, the Spartans girls.
Led by the double-double outputs of sophomore guard Kendal Hill and her older sister, senior forward, Bren Hill, South Knox simply offered up too many scoring options. Kendal Hill finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Bren Hill tacked on 14 points and 12 boards.
Another soph, guard Grace Detweiler, tallied 12 points.
The Spartans never trailed, breaking free from a 5-5 tie late in the opening quarter on the strength of Kendal Hill’s 3-pointer at the 2:26 mark, one from Bren Hill 36 seconds later and the younger Hill’s midrange jumper that gave her team a 13-6 advantage after one.
Rensselaer Central (26-3) crept to within 15-11 early in the second stanza on senior forward Carly Drone’s triple from the right wing and junior forward Kamri Rowland’s rebound bucket.
It was at this point that South Knox, guilty of five turnovers before the first television timeout at 3:47 of the first period, settled down and shifted its offense into another gear.
Detweiler lit the fuse to what would become an 11-2 run to close the second when she splashed a 3-pointer from the left wing with 3:47 on the clock. Kendal Hill then scored in close, and Detweiler followed with a layup.
Rensselaer Central senior guard Taylor Van Meter slowed the Spartans’ momentum for an instant with a layup. However, Bren Hill connected on a baseline jumper and junior guard Ella Bobe took a long rebound the distance for a layup at 1.8 seconds.
Rensselaer Central twice closed to within a dozen points in the third quarter, but could get no closer.
Neither team fared well from the floor, as the Bombers made good on only 13 of 52 field goal attempts (.250) – including 3 of 19 misery from behind the 3-point arc. South Knox fared better, going 18 of 44 overall (.409) and 6 of 17 from deep.
The Spartans inflicted serious damage on the glass, outrebounding Rensselaer Central, 44-23, which is where Eaves’ squad most atoned for its 19 turnovers (six coming over the first eight minutes).
“I told them to breath,” said Eaves, referring her words inside her team’s huddle during the initial TV timeout. “I told them to catch the ball, and then take a deep breath for a minute. Their defense is tough, too. They were in your jersey every time you caught it. We just needed to breathe and slow down a little bit.”
Like South Knox, the Rensselaer Central program had never advanced past the regional round prior to this season.
“It wasn’t what we had planned for, obviously,” said Bombers’ coach Wes Radtke. “I thought it was a heck of a game . . . I know the score may not show it, but I’m very proud of my girls and very proud of the fact they never gave up. Tonight was just one of those nights where the ball just didn’t go in the hoop. That’s a good team we just faced. I thought we did some good things early on. I thought we adjusted and did some different things that put us in the right spot, but, again, the ball just didn’t go in the hole for us.”
Rowland scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead Rensselaer Central in both categories. Sophomore guard Courtney Mathew finished with eight points and five boards, and Drone and senior guard Van Meter had seven and six points, respectively.
3A
IHSAA.ORG NEWS RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS – Eric Thornton signed on as the head coach at Norwell the season Indiana introduced a four-tiered postseason format.
Long enough for him to have witnessed the various highs and lows of February. Long enough to never take any shred of the journey such as the one the Knights completed Saturday night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse for granted.
Norwell’s third State Finals appearance proved the charm, as its 53-44 defeat of Greensburg in the Class 3A state championship game means the larger of the two Indiana-shaped trophies made the trip back to Wells County for the first time.
Motivated, in part, by last season’s 63-60 loss to Gibson Southern on this same stage, the Knights implemented their airtight 1-3-1 zone defense, riding it all the way to the mountaintop.
“It’s hard to put into words,” said Thornton, who took over the Knights’ program prior to the 1997-1998 campaign. “We have a complete program, and that’s what I think about. Obviously, our players did a great job. I’m so proud of them tonight.”
Few persons outside of the Norwell school district would have predicted this sort of conclusion prior to the start of the season. Seven of the eight players from the runner-up squad of a year ago graduated, leaving multifaceted 5-11 junior guard Vanessa Rosswurm and a whole lot of question marks.
And yet, the Knights continued to improve, and, yes, believe.
Norwell’s final loss of the season, a 47-44 defeat at Bellmont in January, refocused players and coaches alike. They banded together to win their final 11 games.
“It feels amazing. I couldn’t do it with a better group of girls,” said Rosswurm, who finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals while utilizing her wingspan at the top of the aforementioned zone.
“We really left it all on the court and just played as hard as we could. It’s all amazing, especially after last year when we lost.”
Thornton, who emphasizes the value of a good 12-2 scoring run (two per game, if possible), saw the Knights break free from a 30-30 deadlock with 3:42 remaining in the third quarter – the game’s ninth and final tie – with a 14-3 burst to take control.
The 11-point cushion would, in time, be trimmed to six on a pair of occasions in the final stanza at 47-41 and 48-42 – the latter with 1:08 remaining. Norwell put the outcome on ice by making five of six free throws in the final 56.3 seconds.
Norwell’s last three charities were from junior guard Addie Norris, who would finish with 16 points and seven boards. Junior guard Macie Saalfrank added 13 points for the Knights (23-6).
Greensburg, which took the court with a spotless 27-0 mark, converted only 19 of 61 field goal attempts (.311) and turned the ball over 19 times. The team’s 44 points was a season-low, eclipsing the 50-point total the Pirates put forth in their regional win over Washington.
Senior forward Leah West, who’ll be playing next season at Belmont University, led Greensburg with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Sophomore guard Claire Larrison finished with 13 points, and senior guard Mylie Wilkison nine.
The opening half concluded in a 24-24 tie, which proved fitting in that the first two periods alone served up 13 different occasions in which the teams were separated by two points or less.
Norwell did hold a pair of seven-point cushions midway through the second – 20-13 and 22-15 – before the Pirates responded with a 9-0 scoring flurry that put them back on top.
Guard Mary Harmon started things with a 3-pointer, which eventually gave way to a trio of buckets in close courtesy of Aly Powers, Wilkison and West. A pair of Rosswurm free throws with 34.2 seconds remaining before halftime made for the sixth and final tie of the half.
Afterward, Pirates’ coach Jason Simpson, whose 2018 squad also secured a 3A runner-up trophy, couldn’t praise his players, coaches and community enough.
“The thing you’ll never question about this group, they fought until the very end,” said Simpson. “What was so impressive was even when things weren’t going our way, you still heard them coaching each other up. You still heard them encouraging each other and not hanging their head. All of those things that we preach.
“But all credit goes to Norwell. They just happened to be the better team tonight, but I couldn’t be prouder of our kids, and what they’ve done all season. It’s nothing but pride as I sit up here and know that I have the honor of being the coach of these girls.”
INDIANA PACERS
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS BULLS
After a quick road trip to Miami, the Pacers (33-25) return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday to tip off a two-game homestand against their Central Division rivals, the Chicago Bulls (24-36).
The Pacers lost 125-120 on Friday night in Miami despite a sensational shooting performance. Indiana went 21-for-39 (53.8 percent) from 3-point range, with All-Star forward Pascal Siakam setting a new career high for 3-pointers made in a game, going 8-for-11 from beyond the arc on his way to 36 points.
But the Heat were just as efficient on the other end, shooting 57.1 percent from the field and going 17-for-32 (53.1 percent) from 3-point range. Davion Mitchell’s three with 43.8 seconds left broke a 120-120 tie and a Pacers turnover on the other end sealed the outcome.
The Pacers will try to bounce back in the friendly confines of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where they went 3-1 on their four-game homestand coming out of the All-Star break. Indiana is 2-0 on the season against the Bulls, winning in Chicago on Dec. 6 and then again on Jan. 8 in Indianapolis.
The Bulls have finished between sixth and 11th in the East for five straight seasons and find themselves in that same range this year, entering Sunday’s game in 10th place (which would be the final spot in the Play-In Tournament).
The Bulls have had a different look in recent weeks. Chicago elected to trade leading scorer Zach LaVine to Sacramento in a three-team deal ahead of the All-Star break. Star big man Nikola Vucevic has missed the last three games with a calf injury.
Chicago is trying to give more minutes to younger players like rookie forward Matas Buzelis, who the Bulls drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Buzelis is coming off his best professional month, averaging 12.8 points on 50 percent shooting over 11 games in February.
After losing six straight games, the Bulls have bounced back to win two of their last three, including a 125-115 overtime win over Toronto on Friday, where eight players reached double figures in a balanced performance.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Bulls: G – Josh Giddey, G -Lonzo Ball, F – Coby White, F – Matas Buzelis, C – Zach Collins
Injury Report
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson – out (torn right Achilles tendon), Bennedict Mathurin – out (left wrist sprain)
Bulls: TBA
Last Meeting
Jan. 8, 2025: The Pacers cruised to a 129-113 win over the Bulls at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Blue & Gold only trailed for a total of 31 seconds (all in the first quarter) and led by as many as 34 points on their way to victory.
Pascal Siakam led five Pacers in double figures with 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting (3-of-7 from 3-point range), while also tallying six rebounds and three assists.
Thomas Bryant, starting for the first time as a Pacer with Myles Turner sidelined due to illness, added a season-high 22 points and eight rebounds.
“He was great,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Bryant’s performance. “22 and eight, played efficient, played smart. He seemed to always be at the right place at the right time, had a couple of important putbacks at key moments of the game. And he brings a real positive energy just as a person out there, too, along with being a heck of a player.”
The Pacers matched a season high with 76 points in the paint in the victory.
Tyrese Haliburton recorded a double-double in the win, tallying 16 points and 13 assists. Andrew Nembhard stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals, second-year forward Jarace Walker chipped in 12 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, and reserve forward Obi Toppin finished with 12 points and five boards.
Zach LaVine scored 22 of his team-high 31 points in the second half for Chicago and went 12-for-20 from the field on the night. Coby White added 19 points and five rebounds, while Bulls big man Jalen Smith tallied 13 points and seven boards off the bench against his former team.
Noteworthy
The Pacers and Bulls will meet once more in the regular season after Sunday, squaring off on March 10 in Chicago.
Jalen Smith signed with Chicago last summer after spending 2.5 seasons in Indiana from 2022-24. Smith appeared in 151 games and started 49 for the Pacers, averaging 10.2 points and 6 rebounds per game.
Myles Turner collected his 3,333rd defensive rebound on Friday, moving past George McGinnis and into sixth place in franchise history. He needs 10 defensive rebounds to pass Herb Williams (3,342 career defensive rebounds) for fifth place.
T.J. McConnell needs three rebounds to reach 2,000 career boards.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
INDY FUEL
FUEL HOPE TO WIN WEEKEND WITH SUNDAY MATCHUP VS IOWA
INDIANAPOLIS- The Fuel will finish their weekend with a Sunday matchup against the Iowa Heartlanders, who they shut out last night in a record setting evening.
LAST TIME OUT
The last time these two teams met was last night when the Fuel shut out the Heartlanders in front of a sold out crowd of 6,611 fans. The 4-0 win marked the ninth shutout this season, setting a franchise record for most shutouts by the team in one year. Additionally, it was the first season that five separate goalies recorded a shutout. Cam Gray earned the win in his first victory since returning to the ice. Nathan Burke netted his sixth game winning goal and third in a row with the opening goal last night as well.
IMPORTANT POINTS
While the Toledo Walleye sit atop the Central division standings with 76 points and Iowa and Fort Wayne trade the second and third place spots in the division almost daily, the race for the fourth place and final playoff spot is heating up. The bottom four teams in the division all sit within five points of each other, with the Fuel reclaiming fourth place last night after a win and a Bloomington loss. Any ground the Fuel can cover in the standings this weekend will be imperative for the playoff push.
INDIANA SWIMMING
NO. 2 INDIANA CAPTURES FOURTH CONSECUTIVE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP
MINNEAPOLIS – No. 2-ranked Indiana won its fourth consecutive Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship on Saturday (March 1) inside the Jane K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
IU’s 448-point margin is the largest in Big Ten history. Over the four-day meet, the Hoosiers won 11 Big Ten Championships, earned 26 medals, set Big Ten records in the 200 medley relay (1:21.39), 400 freestyle relay (2:45.62) and 200-yard backstroke (Owen McDonald – 1:37.15) and broke championship records in the 400 medley relay (2:59.87), 200-yard IM (Owen McDonald – 1:39.89) and 100-yard breaststroke (Finn Brooks – 49.94).
With his two meet records and individual titles in the 200 IM, 100 back and 200 back, junior Owen McDonald was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships.
Indiana’s seniors celebrated a fourth title in four years – IU’s longest streak since winning 20 straight from 1961-80. That group includes Luke Barr, Finn Brooks, Jackson Carlile, Mason Carlton, Quinn Henninger, Josh Matheny, Rafael Miroslaw, Lucas Piunti and Carson Tyler.
The men’s program has totaled 31 Big Ten Championships, including seven of the last nine and eighth during IU head swimming coach Ray Looze’s tenure. IU athletes have combined for 406 Big Ten Championships, including 263 swimming titles, 83 relay championships and 60 diving titles.
“What a fantastic way to finish this Big Ten Championships,” Ray Looze said. “I am super proud of everything this team accomplished in this conference, and now, most importantly, we move on to the NCAA Championships!”
“I’m so happy for the team and all our seniors,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Four Big Ten team titles in the four years they have been here. This was another step towards our goals for the season.
“It was a great outing for the team all week. They know how great this week was, and they also know that we have room to improve everywhere. The next three weeks will help make us even sharper for the NCAA Championships.”
TEAM SCORES
1. Indiana – 1,597
2. Michigan – 1,148
3. Ohio State – 1,100
4. USC – 878
5. Minnesota – 794.5
6. Wisconsin – 735
7. Northwestern – 711
8. Purdue – 597
9. Penn State – 512.5
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships: Owen McDonald, Indiana
Big Ten Diver of the Championships: Jordan Rzepka, Purdue
First-Team All-Big Ten
Luke Barr, Indiana
Brian Benzing, Indiana
Finn Brooks, Indiana
Quinn Henninger, Indiana
Tomer Frankel, Indiana
Matt King, Indiana
Mikkel Lee, Indiana
Josh Matheny, Indiana
Owen McDonald, Indiana
Zalán Sárkány, Indiana
Dylan Smiley, Indiana
Colin Geer, Michigan
Tyler Ray, Michigan
Bence Szabados, Michigan
Jack Wilkening, Michigan
Tristan Jankovics, Ohio State
Matthew Klinge, Ohio State
Tomas Navikonis, Ohio State
Jordan Rzepka, Purdue
Krzystof Chmielewski, USC
Benjamin Dillard, USC
Luke Maurer, USC
Oliver Sogaard-Andersen, USC
Mortiz Wesemann, USC
Second-Team All-Big Ten
Miroslav Knedla, Indiana
Carson Tyler, Indiana
Jassen Yep, Indiana
Gal Groumi, Michigan
Ozan Kalafat, Michigan
Eduardo Moraes, Michigan
Jacob Johnson, Minnesota
YuTong Wang, Minnesota
Daniel Baltes, Ohio State
Mason Edmund, Ohio State
Cornelius Jahn, Ohio State
Tristan Jankovics, Ohio State
Mario McDonald, Ohio State
Alex Metzler, Ohio State
Jordi Vilchez, Ohio State
Mortiz Wesemann, USC
Christopher Morris, Wisconsin
Cooper Scharff, Wisconsin
Taiko Torepe-Ormsby, Wisconsin
Ben Wiegand, Wisconsin
Big Ten All-Freshman Team
Miroslav Knedla, Indiana
Joshua Sollenberger, Indiana
Jon Joentvedt, Michigan
William Savarese, Michigan
Lorne Wigginton, Michigan
Jacob Johnson, Minnesota
Jozsef Polyak, Minnesota
Joshua Staples, Northwestern
Cornelius Jahn, Ohio State
Matthew Klinge, Ohio State
Jordi Vilchez, Ohio State
Kaden Springfield, Purdue
Zach Welsh, Purdue
Tyler Wills, Purdue
Junhao Chan, USC
Diggory Dillingham, USC
Oliver Sogaard-Andersen, USC
Samuel Lorenz, Wisconsin
RESULTS
1,650 FREESTYLE
1. Zalán Sárkány – 14:38.01 (Big Ten Champion, NCAA B Cut)
200 BACKSTROKE
1. Owen McDonald – 1:37.15 (Big Ten Record, Big Ten Championship Record, Program Record, NCAA A Cut)
2. Miroslav Knedla – 1:39.26 (Big Ten Silver, Career Best, NCAA B Cut)
18. Gavin Wight – 1:43.91 (NCAA B Cut)
100 FREESTYLE
2. Matt King – 41.73 (Big Ten Silver, NCAA B Cut)
3. Dylan Smiley – 41.85 (Big Ten Bronze, Career Best, NCAA B Cut)
7. Mikkel Lee – 42.37 (Career Best, NCAA B Cut)
9. Luke Barr – 42.51 (Career Best, NCAA B Cut)
10. Rafael Miroslaw – 42.70 (NCAA B Cut)
200 BREASTSTROKE
1. Josh Matheny – 1:49.83 (Big Ten Champion, Program Record, Career Best, NCAA A Cut)
2. Jassen Yep – 1:49.93 (Big Ten Silver, Career Best, NCAA A Cut)
3. Toby Barnett – 1:51.73 (Big Ten Bronze, Career Best, NCAA B Cut)
4. Caspar Corbeau – 1:52.22 (NCAA B Cut)
14. Brian Benzing – 1:55.42 (NCAA B Cut)
200 BUTTERFLY
4. Tomer Frankel – 1:40.94 (NCAA B Cut)
PLATFORM
2. Carson Tyler – 430.85 (Big Ten Silver, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
4. Quinn Henninger – 413.05 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
5. Maxwell Weinrich – 403.05 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
22. Joshua Sollenberger – 243.65 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
UP NEXT
The Indiana men will prepare for the 2025 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, slated for March 26-29 in Federal Way, Washington.
INDIANA TRACK
INDIANA TRACK AND FIELD FINISH FINAL DAY OF BIG TEN INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana track and field finished the final day of the Big Ten Indoor Championships at the Fall Creek Pavillion on Saturday (March 1) with multiple finishes on the podium and several personal bests.
The Hoosiers finished the weekend with 11 podium placements, including three medal winners.
“Our men’s team took advantage of several opportunities to score in a very competitive 17-team field.” said head coach Ed Beathea. “That will provide some confidence for the team as we start to transition to outdoors.
“Our women’s team didn’t have as many scoring opportunities as I would have wanted, but for a young team we learned a lot about ourselves. The atmosphere at the meet held in Indianapolis was electric. Lots of fun.”
Garrett Messer started the day with the men’s heptathlon and built on his strong performances from Friday. Messer finished fifth overall, including personal best marks in the 60 meter (7.07), long jump (6.73m/22-1), and the pole vault (4.25m/13-11.25).
On the track, the 600 meter finalists continued to show out, finishing in the top five for men’s and women’s. CJ Martin (1:16.96) finished fifth on the men’s side, while Veronica Hargrave (1:29.07) earned second place on the women’s side.
Trelee Banks-Rose continued the success for Indiana, as he placed fourth in the men’s 200-meter race.
Martin Segurola set a new personal best (8:00.65) to place eighth in the men’s 3000 meter.
In the relays, the men’s and women’s 4×400 quartets made the podium to finish out the weekend. The men’s group of John Colquitt, CJ Martin, Novo Onovwerosuoke, and Daquan Tate took fifth place, while the women’s team of Jania Hodges, Morgan Snow, Katelyn Henselmeier, and Kristina Vincic placed seventh (3:38.60) overall.
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA EARNS 78-62 VICTORY OVER WASHINGTON
SEATTLE — Malik Reneau was back.
Was he ever.
Indiana’s junior forward delivered 22 points and six rebounds in 25 off-the-bench minutes to pace the Hoosiers to a 78-62 victory at Washington. Their third-straight win, and fourth in five games, evened their Big Ten record at 9-9 with two games left. They are 18-11 overall and clinched a berth in the upcoming conference tourney in Indianapolis.
Reneau, who missed Wednesday night’s Penn State victory because of illness, made 10-of-13 shots.
“We needed that,” associate head coach Kenya Hunter told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during the post-game radio show, “but it was a total team effort.”
Forward Luke Goode made five 3-pointers to finish with 18 points. Guard Myles Rice and swingman Mackenzie Mgbako had 10 points each. Guard Trey Galloway added eight points and seven assists.
Goode’s strong recent play, Hunter told Fischer, is why the Hoosiers have thrived with using only one big man (Reneau or center Oumar Ballo) during this hot streak.
“He’s played very well on both ends,” Hunter told Fischer. “Tonight, he made shots.”
Hunter also emphasized the contribution of guard Anthony Leal, who didn’t score, but totaled four assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
“His defense has been solid for us,” Hunter told Fischer. “He doesn’t put up the numbers in the stat sheet, but he did a great job of passing and moving the ball. I want to give him a lot of credit.”
Guard Kanaan Carlyle added four rebounds, two points, one assist, one steal, and one block in 17 minutes off the bench.
“Hopefully, he continues to gain confidence,” Hunter told Fischer. “If we have that off the bench, we feel good about winning.”
IU led for 37 minutes in one of its most complete performances. It had 16 assists and nine turnovers, made nine of 23 3-point attempts and held the Huskies (13-16, 4-14) to 36 percent shooting.
“We’ve been talking with the guys about playing a complete 40-minute game,” Hunter told Fischer. “In both halves, we came out with a sense of urgency. They were able to finish the game. Good job.”
The Hoosiers held Washington leading scorer Great Osobor to four points on 0-for-5 shooting.
“He’s a big part of their offense,” Hunter told Fischer. “We wanted to make sure we were aggressive with our double teams. Our guys did a good job of being disruptive.”
Mgbako’s 3-pointer a minute into the game suggested IU’s three-point sharp-shooting from the Penn State victory had traveled west. Galloway’s four points and a Ballo basket boosted the Hoosiers to a 9-5 lead.
IU forced four Washington turnovers in less than five minutes. Goode added a 3-pointer. Ballo dunked. Reneau had a free throw to complete a 12-0 run for a 15-5 lead.
Rice drove for a layup and then hit a 3-pointer as the Hoosiers surged to a 24-9 lead at the 9:32 mark. A second Rice 3-pointer helped give IU a 32-16 lead.
Washington came back with an 8-0 run. Reneau ended it with a layup, then a dunk. Goode hit a 3-pointer. Reneau tipped in a Galloway miss as IU took a 44-30 halftime lead. Reneau had 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting.
The Hoosiers had a 24-5 edge in points off the bench, a 22-12 advantage in points in the paint, and a 21-12 rebounding edge.
Washington opened the second half with a 7-0 run. Mgbako responded with a pair of free throws. A Ballo three-point play, and a Galloway basket pushed IU ahead 51-47. Nine straight Goode points, then four straight from Reneau, gave the Hoosiers a 64-44 lead with eight minutes left, and they cruised from there.
Their six-day road trip ends with Tuesday night’s game at Oregon (21-8, 10-8.).
“It starts with having a good game plan,” Hunter told Fischer. “We’ll start that tonight.”
INDIANA BASEBALL
SATURDAY SETBACK AT STETSON
DELAND, Fla. – The Indiana Baseball team (5-6) ran into a tough matchup against veteran southpaw Jonathan Gonzalez on Saturday (March 1) afternoon at Melching Field. The Stetson starter went seven innings while allowing just two runs as the Hatters picked up an 8-4 win over the Hoosiers.
Freshman outfielder Hogan Denny had his first career multi-hit day in the defeat. That effort featured the first home run of his career, a solo blast in the fifth inning. Junior outfielder Devin Taylor hit his fourth home run of the week and third of the weekend, a two-run opposite field shot to chip away at the lead in the eighth inning.
Besides Taylor and Denny, the rest of IU’s lineup had just two hits. Redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson extended his hitting streak to eight games. It’s the longest active streak on the team after freshman first baseman Jake Hanley was held hitless for the first time in his career.
Graduate student right-handed pitcher Cole Gilley (L, 1-1) struggled with command for the first time this season. IU was forced to go to the bullpen early after just three innings from Gilley. Lefty relievers Anthony Gubitosi and Ryan Kraft each allowed two runs over two innings of work. Junior right-hander Will Eldridge threw a scoreless eighth inning.
For the first time since February 16th (vs. Oregon State), the Hoosiers were held under 10 hits as a team. It was the first time allowed more than six earned runs (seven) in a game since February 17th (13 – vs. UNLV). IU will close its weekend out against Mount St. Mary’s tomorrow morning (March 2) at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Scoring Recap
Bottom Second
Stetson struck first in the second inning. Jordan Taylor singled through the six hole and was eventually brought home to score by Foster Apple.
Stetson 1, Indiana 0
Bottom Third
IU starting pitcher Cole Gilley worked himself into trouble in the third. After loading the bases, he included a ground ball that resulted in a RBI fielder’s choice. The Hatters got one more as Lorenzo Meola came around to score on a fielder’s choice.
Stetson 3, Indiana 0
Top Fourth
IU got its first run of the afternoon in the fourth. Korbyn Dickerson doubled to lead off the inning. He was eventually brought around to score on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Cerny.
Stetson 3, Indiana 1
Bottom Fourth
Salvador Alvarez got his first RBI of the day on a groundout to the second baseman. Apple scored on a wild pitch before Landon Morgan singled in a third run of the frame.
Stetson 6, Indiana 1
Top Fifth
The Hoosiers got one back with a solo home run from Hogan Denny.
Stetson 6, Indiana 2
Bottom Sixth
Landon Russell stuck the bat out on a two-strike breaking ball and got a get-me-over base hit to fall into left field, scoring a pair of Stetson runners.
Stetson 8, Indiana 2
Top Eighth
Devin Taylor hit an opposite field two-run home run to cut into the lead.
Stetson 8, Indiana 4
Top Hoosier Performers
#12 Denny, Hogan
2-3, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI
#5 Taylor, Devin
1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI
Inside the Box Score
• The Hoosiers compiled just five hits on the afternoon.
• Hogan Denny had the lone multi-hit contest for IU.
• IU’s pitching staff gave up eight walks and had just five strikeouts.
Notes to Know
• Junior outfielder Devin Taylor passed Kyle Schwarber (2012-14) on the all-time home run list at IU with the 41st blast of his career. He now sits alone in seventh place, trailing former teammate Carter Mathison (2022-24) in the program record books. He’s seven away from breaking IU’s all-time home run record.
• Senior left-handed pitcher Ryan Kraft made the 65th appearance on the mound in his IU career. He ties former teammate Ty Bothwell (2020-24) for 17th on the all-time IU list. Just eight players in program history have reached the 70-appearance threshold in their time with the Hoosiers.
• Freshman outfielder Hogan Denny became the first IU freshman to hit a home run this season. The fifth-inning blast was the first of his career. He’s the seventh different player to homer for the Hoosiers on the campaign. He also recorded the first multi-hit game of his young IU career.
Up Next
IU will look to close the weekend out on a high note in tomorrow (March 2) morning’s game against Mount St. Mary’s. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m. ET and can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA SPLITS SATURDAY GAMES AT TIGER INVITATIONAL
CLEMSON, S.C. ––– Indiana had a 1-1 day at the Tiger Invitational on Saturday at McWhorter Stadium.
The Hoosiers opened with an 8-2 win over East Carolina in the early game and then fell in the afternoon to Clemson, 11-5.
Indiana’s season record now stands at 12-4 with a 12-0 mark in neutral site competition.
GAME 1: INDIANA 8, CLEMSON 2
GAME 2: CLEMSON 11, INDIANA 5
KEY MOMENTS
• Indiana opened the East Carolina game with a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against East Carolina.
• In the fourth inning, East Carolina got on the board with a home run to make it 4-1 before Indiana responded with a sac fly and RBI single from Alex Cooper and Taylor Minnick, respectively.
• Minnick put the exclamation point on the win with a solo home run to center field in the sixth inning.
• In the second game of the day, Clemson loaded the bases and scored one run on a sacrifice fly. The Hoosiers quickly evened the score in the top of the second frame with an RBI single up the middle from Sydni Burko.
• With the help of a home run off the left field pole, Clemson took the lead back 4-1 in the bottom of the second.
• The Hoosiers and Tigers traded blows in the third and fourth inning with Clemson pulling ahead 9-3 on three RBI singles and an RBI double.
• Kinsey Mitchell drew the Hoosiers closer in the top of the seventh inning on a solo home run.
NOTABLES
• Taylor Minnick became the program’s all-time leader in RBI with 154.
• Indiana outhit East Carolina, 10-5.
• After getting her first career hit, Sydni Burko has been on a tear this weekend, hitting .400 at the dish with two doubles and seven RBI.
• Mitchell’s home run was the first of her collegiate career.
• The Hoosiers are 12-0 in neutral site games.
UP NEXT
Indiana will finish play in the Tiger Invitational tomorrow with another game against Clemson. The Hoosiers and Tigers will play at 12:30 p.m. at McWhorter Stadium.
PURDUE SOFTBALL
PURDUE BLASTS FOUR HOMERS, SPLITS DAY TWO
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Purdue blasted four home runs while splitting day two of the Coach B Classic in Carbondale. The Boilers defeated Purdue Fort Wayne (2-8) 11-1, and fell to Southern Illinois (3-13) 5-4 in eight innings.
Freshman Maura Condon’s first-career hit was a walk-off grand slam to earn the Boilers the victory in game one; the Boilermakers hit three home runs in the game. Julia Gossett matched her career-high ten strikeouts against the Mastodons, and also hit a solo homer in the loss to SIU.
BOILER BITS (vs. Purdue Fort Wayne)
Offensive Highlights:
Maura Condon: 1-for-2, HR (grand slam), 4 RBI, R
Delaney Reefe: 3-for-3, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R
Jordyn Ramos: 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI
Khloe Banks: 3-for-4, R
Pitching Breakdown:
Julia Gossett (W, 3-3): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 10 K, 17 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Boilermakers blasted three home runs, including a walk-off grand slam from Maura Condon, to take the 11-1 victory over PFW.
In the top of the first, Julia Gossett picked up her first two strikeouts of the day, but the Boilers went down in order after a single from Khloe Banks. In the second inning, Purdue plated two runs on four hits. Jordyn Ramos led off the inning with a solo home run to right-center, which was followed by a double from Delaney Reefe and an RBI double from Kylie Franks.
After back-to-back strikeouts in the top of the third for Gossett, the Boilers added three more runs in the bottom of the inning. Kyndall Bailey led off the inning with a single up the middle, and Gossett helped her cause with a double to left, advancing Bailey to third. A sacrifice fly from Ramos scored Bailey, which was followed by a two-run home run from Reefe, her first as a Boilermaker.
After a scoreless fourth, Gossett struck out the side in the fifth, after surrendering the only run of the game. The final batter of the inning struck out swinging, which tied Gossett’s career-high of ten strikeouts.
In the bottom of the fifth, Reefe singled to right field, followed by a double to right by Meeks. Kylie Franks then brought both home on a two-run single to left center. Banks earned her third hit of the day on a single up the middle, and Moriah Polar loaded the bases after reaching on an error. Freshman Maura Condon made headlines with her first collegiate-hit, a walk-off grand slam that earned Purdue the early victory in five innings.
BOILER BITS (vs. Southern Illinois)
Offensive Highlights:
Moriah Polar: 3-for-4, R
Khloe Banks: 2-for-4, R
Julia Gossett: 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, R
Delaney Reefe: 1-for-4, 2B
Pitching Breakdown:
Madi Elish: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 K, 22 BF
Julia Gossett (L, 3-4): 1.0 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 7 BF
Kendall Klochack: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 5 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Boilermakers started the top of the first strong, capitalizing on a walk and an error from the Salukis. On a perfectly executed first and third, the Boilermakers plated the first run, as Kyndall Bailey stole second, allowing Moriah Polar to take home. On the next play, Julia Gossett plated two runs, with the fourth home run of the day for the Boilermakers.
The Salukis had hits in both of the first and the second innings, but Madi Elish and the Purdue defense worked out of the jam to keep SIU scoreless through two.
In the third, the Salukis earned two hits, and plated a run on a single, but Moriah Polar stopped the damage on a perfect throw from left field to Delaney Reefe behind the plate.
The Boilers earned back the run in the top of the fifth, beginning with back-to-back bunts from Banks and Polar. Kyndall Bailey moved the runners on a ground ball, before Gossett brought in the fourth run on a sacrifice fly.
Southern Illinois evened the score in the sixth after a sacrifice fly, taking both teams to the seventh with a score of 4-4.
After a scoreless seventh on both sides, the game headed into extra innings, placing a runner on second for the international tie breaker. Gossett headed to second for the Boilers, but was thrown out on a play at the plate. Ramos and Meeks flied out and grounded out, respectively, and the Boilers headed to the bottom of the inning.
The Salukis took advantage of an errant throw on a sac-bunt, and scored the walk-off run.
UP NEXT
Purdue will take on Purdue Fort Wayne at 12:00 p.m. ET on Mar. 2, and Southern Illinois to follow at 2:30 p.m. ET to finish out the Coach B Classic.
For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball).
PURDUE BASEBALL
10-RUN INNING, 3 STRAIGHT HOMERS HIGHLIGHT DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT
HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. – Purdue Baseball used a 10-run seventh inning to break open a tie score in a game 1 win and connected for three consecutive home runs as part of furious rally in the nightcap, but ultimately saw its season-opening 10-game win streak come to an end in extra innings Saturday vs. Akron.
The Boilermakers (10-1) won the first game 13-3 in seven innings. The Zips (4-6) took the nightcap 10-9 in 11 innings.
Logan Sutter enjoyed another big Saturday at Ting Stadium, finishing the day with three extra-base hits and eight RBI. He brought the 10-run rule into play with a two-out, three-run double in game 1. In his next at-bat in the first inning of the nightcap, he connected for a 430-foot home run to center field – a game-tying three-run blast. Sutter posted a five-RBI game for the second Saturday in a row. With 22 RBI for the season, he’s the fastest Boilermaker ever to reach the 20-RBI mark by date on the calendar.
With Purdue trailing 9-6 in the sixth inning of the nightcap, Aaron Manias, Sergio DeCello and Brandon Rogers teamed for the three consecutive solo home runs. All were no-doubters that each traveled over 400 feet with exit velocities off the bat of at least 105 mph. Manias and Rogers both connected for their first home runs as Boilermakers – with Manias’ blast also being his first hit.
DeCello also went deep in the fourth inning of game 1, becoming the first Purdue hitter to homer in both games of a doubleheader since Cam Thompson in March 2022.
The Boilermakers hit three home runs in an inning in the 2024 home finale, a frame that featured one of the four pairs of back-to-back homers while setting the single-season team record with 75 total round trippers. Purdue has had three homers in an inning on at least two other occasions (2017 and 2021) since the start of the 2005 campaign. But none of those instances featured three in a row like Saturday.
SATURDAY’S LEADERS
• Logan Sutter: 5-for-9, 2 2B, HR, 8 RBI, BB, 2 R
• Brandon Rogers: 3-for-6, Hr, RBI, BB, HBP, 4 R
• Brandon Anderson: 2-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 4 R, Sac
• Avery Moore: 3-for-6, 2B, RBI, BB, HBP, R
• Albert Choi: 3-for-9, 2 BB, 4 R, 2 SB
• Sergio DeCello: 2-for-6, 2 HR, 2 RBI, BB, HBP, 3 R
• Gavin Beuter: Win, 2 2/3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
• Avery Cook: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Logan Sutter – 13-game on-base (since May 21, 2024)
• Albert Choi – 11-game on-base, 7-game hit
• Ty Gill – 11-game on-base
• Brandon Anderson – 10-game on-base, 9-game hit, 9-game run scored
• Avery Moore – 8-game on-base
The 11-inning game also featured Akron’s Jack Poist hitting for the cycle, completing the feat with a go-ahead home run to lead off the top of the 11th. Purdue had left the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and stranded the winning run at second base in the 10th as well. The Boilermakers left 12 runners on base, their most in a loss since a walk-off defeat at Ohio State during the final weekend of March last season.
Purdue sent 13 men to the plate in the seventh inning of game 1, posting a double-figure run total in a single inning for sixth time since April 2022. Two of those eruptions have come against Akron in Holly Springs after the Boilers enjoyed a 13-run frame in the March 2023 series.
Brandon Anderson delivered an RBI double in both games to extend his hit streak to nine consecutive games. He has joined Albert Choi, Ty Gill and Logan Sutter as Boilermakers to reach base safely in every game in which they’ve played so far this season. Akron had gone up 8-4 when Anderson delivered a two-out, two-run double to the opposite field in the sixth inning. It helped ignite the comeback and the trio of home runs allowed Purdue to pull even the following frame.
After entering the day having surrendered just one run over their last 29 innings and no first-inning runs all season, the Boilers gave up a combined five runs in the first inning alone. Purdue had not trailed after the completion of a full inning (top and bottom halves) since Opening Day.
Gavin Beuter was the Boilermakers’ most effective pitcher of the day, retiring seven of the eight batters he faced over 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory in the game 1. Avery Cook gave Purdue six big outs with the game tied late in the nightcap, but he threw 43 pitches over the two hitless frames and the Boilers went back to the bullpen after the game was extended into extra innings.
Sunday’s series finale is slated for a 1 p.m. ET first pitch.
PURDUE WRESTLING
BIG TEN EARNS 87 BIDS FOR NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee released the pre-allocation spots for the 2025 NCAA Championships on Thursday.
The Big Ten Conference — the premier league for collegiate wrestling — earned 87 of 287 automatic qualifying bids, the most of any conference.
The allocations are split among the 10 weight classes and represent how many Big Ten placewinners at each weight will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, hosted in Philadelphia this year from March 20-22.
Below are the Big Ten’s numbers of automatic qualifiers at each weight.
| Weight | No. of Auto-Bids |
| 125 lbs | 9 |
| 133 lbs | 10 |
| 141 lbs | 7 |
| 149 lbs | 8 |
| 157 lbs | 8 |
| 165 lbs | 9 |
| 174 lbs | 8 |
| 184 lbs | 8 |
| 197 lbs | 10 |
| 285 lbs | 10 |
Wrestlers who finish outside of the above spots at the Big Ten Championships next week (March 8-9) in Evanston, Illinois, will still have an opportunity to qualify for the national tournament with at-large bids.
Each qualifying tournament was awarded pre-allocations to the national tournament based on regular season performance by conference wrestlers through February 23.
Below is the full breakdown of conference allocations for this season.
| Conference | 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285 | Total |
| ACC | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 38 |
| Big 12 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 61 |
| Big Ten | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 87 |
| EIWC | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 22 |
| MAC | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 23 |
| Pac-12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 17 |
| SoCon | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| Pre-Allocations | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 287 |
| At-Large | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 43 |
The pre-allocations were determined by using a sliding scale of the three standards, win percentage, coaches’ rank and RPI ranking; while never going below the base of .700 winning percentage, top 30 coaches’ ranking and top 30 RPI ranking until reaching the maximum of 29 wrestlers per weight class.
For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each conference is awarded a minimum of one automatic qualification per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA championship spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at conference tournaments based solely on place-finish.
After all the conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in person to select the remaining 43 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 11, while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. on March 12. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers.
NOTRE DAME HOCKEY
IRISH FALL IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The home season has ended for the Notre Dame hockey program as the Irish fall to No. 3/3 Michigan State Saturday evening, 5-2.
The Spartans got on the board early in Saturday’s finale after a series of sprawling saves by Nicholas Kempf. The opening goal came at 2:25 of the opening period when a shot from the far circle went high, glove side, beating Kempf in net..
Nearly halfway through the first frame, Cole Knuble raced through the neutral zone before having his stick knocked from his hands and the Spartans were sent to the box for interference and Notre Dame saw its first powerplay opportunity of the night.
A scrum in front of Trey Augustine in the MSU net sent a skater from both sides to the box for roughing after the whistle. Neither team was able to convert during the open ice and play returned to full strength.
MSU nearly took a two-goal lead with under two minutes to play in the first period but a sliding save from Kempf in the crease kept it a 1-0 game.
The score would hold through the remainder of the period as the Irish looked to bounce back from the early Spartan goal in the second period.
It took the Irish just 32 seconds to even the score in the second period after Grant Silianoff tucked a shot under the pads of Augustine for the 1-1 score.
The Spartans got one back at 4:23 of the second period to reclaim their lead before extending their lead at 6:15 off a deflection in front of the net that beat the glove of Kempf.
A late penalty against the Irish as time wound down on the second saw them kill off 12 seconds before the end of the frame as they trailed 3-1 heading into the final period of regulation.
The score stayed stagnant through the midway point of the third period before Ryan Helliwell drew a tripping penalty deep in the defensive zone and the Irish had another shot on the powerplay.
It took the Irish just 13 seconds to convert on the man-advantage as Justin Janicke buried a one-timer from the slot to pull within one of the Spartans at 9:11 of the third period.
Shortly after the Irish goal, Notre Dame was sent to the box for a slash and were tasked with two minutes on the kill. The Spartans would convert on the man-advantage to regain the two-goal lead with 9:04 to play in regulation.
The Irish opted for the extra attacker late in the contest looking to overcome the two-goal deficit but MSU would capitalize on the open net across the ice for the 5-2 final.
GOALS
Carter Slaggert fed a pass along the boards to Hunter Strand who centered a pass to Grant Silianoff on the doorstep. After his first whack on goal was denied, the graduate forward tucked the puck under the pads of Trey Augustine to make it a 1-1 contest less than one minute into the second stanza.
The Irish powerplay unit continued its success streak with a goal from Justin Janicke just 13 seconds into the man-advantage halfway through the third period. After Danny Nelson won the face-off in the offensive end, it was Cole Knuble, Blake Biondi and Janicke who set up the tic-tac-toe scoring sequence.
KEY STATS
With his third period goal Saturday, Justin Janicke extended his goal-streak to five games while he also rides a six-game point streak (5-4-9).
With an assist on the final Irish goal of the night, Cole Knuble extended his point streak to five games and boasts 37 on the season now behind 11 goals and 26 assists.
With 45 saves in the contest, Nicholas Kempf registered a career-best between the pipes for the Irish.
As the final horn sounded on the regular season finale congratulatory messages played on the video board as current and former players offered messages to Catalina Family Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson in his final game behind the Irish bench inside Compton Family Ice Arena.
UP NEXT
The Irish will travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota next week to take on the Golden Gophers in a best of three Big Ten Quarterfinals. In their last meeting, Blake Biondi net the overtime game-winner in his home state to give the Irish the weekend split.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
THIRD-RANKED IRISH HOST NO. 25 LOUISVILLE TO WRAP UP REGULAR SEASON
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 3 Notre Dame (24-4, 15-2) and No. 25 Louisville (20-8, 13-4) will face off in Purcell Pavilion on Sunday to close out the 2024-25 ACC regular season, and the game is presented by Verizon.
For the Irish, a chance at the ACC regular season title and a No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament is on the line. Notre Dame would need a win and an NC State loss to clinch the title outright, while a win with an NC State victory would give them a share of the title and the No. 2 seed at next week’s ACC Tournament.
While Notre Dame has dropped its last two games, guard Sonia Citron is heating up. Over the last six contests, the senior is averaging 19.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals while shooting 62.7 percent from the floor. She led Notre Dame with 21 points against No. 24 Florida State on Thursday, and she had a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send last Sunday’s contest at No. 11 NC State to overtime.
On the other bench will be familiar foe Louisville, who fell to the Irish at their place on Feb. 2, 89-71.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, and Notre Dame had a 39-38 lead going into the half. After an 18-point first half, Hannah Hidalgo exploded in the second half and finished with what remains a season-high 34 points, and she scored or assisted on 27 of the 29 points from points 30-59. LiatuKing had a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double, including a 4-4 showing from the floor in the final frame.
Big picture, Citron seemingly has Louisville’s number, averaging 14.5 points per game against them over her career (nine games). She has twice posted games with at least 20 points and knocked down at least five buckets from the floor in five of those games.
Sunday’s game tips off at noon on ESPN. Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli will be on the call, and ESPN’s pregame show College GameDay will be live from Purcell Pavilion starting at 11 a.m.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL
IRISH BUZZER-BEATER RIMS OUT IN 71-74 LOSS AT WAKE FOREST
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team built a seven-point lead at Wake Forest on Saturday with 7:46 remaining. However, the Demon Deacons (20-9, 12-6) chipped away at the foul line, where they went a perfect 19-19 today, to claim a three-point lead with 12 seconds left. The Fighting Irish (12-17, 6-12) got off three three-point attempts before the final buzzer but couldn’t get it to go, falling 71-74.
Markus Burton was once again a walking bucket, totaling 29 points on 9-16 shooting, plus 9-10 from the free-throw line. He has now totaled 59 points over two games this week. Burton also dished out a team-high four assists today.
Tae Davis was next with 15 points, seven boards and three assists. Kebba Njie recorded his fourth game of the season in double figures with 10 points on 5-8 shooting from the floor.
Nikita Konstantynovskyi grabbed a team high nine boards, making his second start of the season. Freshman Cole Certa came off the bench and drained two triples to finish with eight points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
At the 11:19 media timeout, Notre Dame had jumped out to a 13-6 lead as their taller starting lineup flustered Wake Forest, forcing them to a 3-14 shooting start.
At just under eight minutes, Tae Davis drove, spun and scored forcing a Wake Forest timeout with the Irish now up 20-10. Davis was 3-5 from the field at this point with nine points.
Soon after the timeout, the Demon Deacons defense frustrated the Irish. In fact, Notre Dame coughed it up six times over the next five minutes, allowing Wake to fire off a 13-2 scoring run to claim their first lead of the game at 22-23.
Notre Dame needed a basket badly to stymie the momentum and they turned to the Markus Burton. The sophomore drained a three then next possession drove the lane for the layup. Soon after, Cole Certa drained a corner three, allowing the Irish to storm into halftime with a 30-25 advantage.
The story of the first half was turnovers. Notre Dame committed 12 compared to five from Wake Forest. Points off turnovers were 0 to 14 in Wake’s favor as a result. However, the Irish were dominating the glass up 21-14. At the midway point, ND was 11-24 from the field plus 4-10 from deep while Wake Forest was 11-33 overall and 1-9 from three.
Fast forward to 10:19 remaining and the Irish just capped a hot 6-6 shooting stretch to claim a 51-42 lead. Burton, Sundra, Njie and Roper II all contributed during this span.
The Irish kept attacking the basket and extended the perfected shooting stretch to 8-8 from the field as some tough takes from Burton kept ND ahead 58-53 at the 7:20 media. Burton had just surpassed 20 points at this juncture.
Wake Forest got back into the game by wracking up ND fouls and converting at the line. Then a 7-1 scoring flurry gave the lead back to the Demon Deacons, 61-62, with 4:03 to play.
The Irish only had one made field goal from the seven minute mark on – a Njie layup at 1:20. However, they were able to get to the free throw line to keep it a one-possession game. Notre Dame ultimately finished 18-26 from the stripe.
With just under a minute remaining and the Demon Deacons up one, Cameron Hildreth put up a deep three but was fouled on the play. He knocked down all three to give Wake its biggest lead of the game up four.
Konieczny and Burton knocked down three combined free throws on separate possessions to cut it back to one. ND then sent Wake to the line where they remained perfect, as Hunter Sallis connected on both.
Out of the timeout, Certa had a good look at the top of the arc, and both Burton and Davis put up desperation threes but luck wasn’t on the Irish’s side as they fell 71-74.
Notre Dame finished 24-50 (.480) from the floor and 5-18 from three compared to Wake Forest’s 26-59 (.441) and 3-13 from deep.
UP NEXT
The final week of the regular season awaits and the Irish get to end it at home with two games. Up first, Dorm Night on Wednesday, March 5, at 9 p.m. ET, when Notre Dame hosts Stanford. Then it’s Senior Day on Saturday, March 8, at 4 p.m. ET when Cal rolls into Purcell Pavilion.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S LAX
#1 IRISH SUFFER FIRST DEFEAT AGAINST #2 MARYLAND, 11-10
ATLANTA – The No. 1 Fighting Irish dropped a hardfought 11-10 decision to No. 2 Maryland in a battle of the nation’s top two teams at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday. The loss is the first of the season for Notre Dame.
The Irish got major contributions from senior FOGO Will Lynch, who won 16-of-22 faceoffs and added a season-high 12 ground balls.
Notre Dame’s attacking duo of Chris Kavanagh and Jake Taylor did much of the heavy lifting in the game, as Kavanagh finished with a game-high four goals while Taylor added three along with an assist. Jordan Faison recorded two goals and Max Busenkell tallied a goal and two assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish jumped out to an early two-goal advantage, scoring twice in the first three minutes of play, as Taylor and Kavanagh both found the back of the net. The Terrapins answered with two of the final three goals of the first frame to trim the Notre Dame lead to 3-2 through 15 minutes of action.
Maryland then scored the first two goals of the second quarter to take its first lead of the day at 4-3 before the Irish responded with the final two goals courtesy of Taylor and Busenkell to take a 5-4 lead into the break.
The Terrapins came out hot in the third quarter with three unanswered scores to go back up on top at 7-5 with four minutes left in the period. Taylor then completed his hat trick with his third to get the Irish back within one at 7-6 but Maryland once again answered a minute later to send the game into the fourth quarter with an 8-6 lead.
The Irish tried to claw their way back into the game, as Kavanagh scored three times over the first nine minutes of the fourth but the Terrapins added two over that stretch to make the game 10-9.
The Terrapins then capitalized in transition off a Notre Dame turnover while the Irish were on the EMO and scored a short-handed goal with 5:22 left in regulation to take an 11-9 lead.
Notre Dame refused to go away, as Faison scored his second goal of the afternoon to make it a one goal game with 90 seconds remaining. The Irish won the ensuing faceoff and had a golden opportunity in the final seconds of play, as Kavanagh worked his way to the crease but was turned away by the Maryland goalie, as the Terrapins held onto the win.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame returns to Arlotta Stadium for another ranked matchup against a Big Ten team, taking on No. 16/17 Ohio State at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 8. Admission to the game is free and it will air on ACCN.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
NOTRE DAME FALLS TO NO. 10 ARIZONA
FULLERTON, Calif. – The Notre Dame Softball team fell to the 10th-ranked Arizona Wildcats Saturday afternoon on the third day of the Judi Garman Classic at Cal State Fullerton. The Irish are now 10-10 on the season.
Paige Cowley hit her second home run of the season for the lone Irish run on the day. She was the designated player in the lineup and also reached base via a hit by pitch.
Addison Amaral recorded two hits and now has a team-high 20. Brianne Weiss pitched 4.2 innings in relief, striking out four. The freshman struck out 10 over her two appearances this weekend.
How it happened
Mickey Winchell lined a single into left field in the top of the first inning for Notre Dame’s first hit. Her .395 average leads the team this season. Amaral singled after her, while Cowley got hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. But a swinging strikeout got Arizona out of the jam.
The Wildcats struck first off Irish starter Shannon Becker with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead after one. Arizona would put four more on the board in the second inning. Weiss relieved Becker with one out in the second and got out of the inning after a pop up and fly out.
The Wildcats tacked on another run in the bottom of the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-0.
Cowley hit her home run in the top of the sixth inning to cut the lead to five. She is hitting .375 on the season and has worked into an expanded role during her junior year.
Arizona would get one last run in the bottom of the sixth. The final score was 7-1 Wildcats.
Notre Dame opens up conference play next weekend, taking on the Louisville Cardinals in Kentucky from March 7-9.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH BATTERY THE DIFFERENCE IN WIN OVER BRUINS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jackson Dennies had a strong outing on the mound while Davis Johnson had a career day at the dish as the Notre Dame baseball team prevailed in a 2-1 final at Belmont University on Saturday.
A double play stopped an Irish chance in the top of the first inning after Bino Watters reached on a single to left field. Davis Johnson, meanwhile, cut down a Belmont runner trying to steal to record the first out of the bottom of the first. Jackson Dennies retired the next two batters with a groundout and a strikeout to end the bottom half of the opening inning.
Carson Tinney led off the second with a single through the left side, but another double play by the Bruins broke things up for the Notre Dame bats. Estevan Moreno came all the way back from being down 0-2 in the count to draw a two-out walk before a ground out moved things on to the bottom of the second. Belmont got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the frame with a triple and a sacrifice fly for the 1-0 advantage.
The Irish left a runner on base in the third, but Jackson Dennies and the defense locked down on the Bruins to retire the side in order with a pop up and a pair of strikeouts. Notre Dame forced Belmont into stranding a runner on base in the bottom of the fourth as the score still stood at 1-0 in favor of the Bruins.
The Irish broke through in the next half inning. Davis Johnson got things going in the top of the fifth with a one-out single. Nick DeMarco ran the count full before drawing a walk to put a pair on base. DM Jefferson drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases for the Irish. Two batters later, Bino Watters worked his at-bat to a full count before earning a walk to drive in Johnson.
Belmont had a one-out double in the bottom of the fifth. Dennies induced an infield pop up before slamming the door shut with a three-pitch strikeout to send the game to the sixth. Dennies continued to deal as the team captain struck out the next three batters to sit down the side.
Davis Johnson took little time to give the Irish the lead as the sophomore catcher belted the first home run of his career – a solo shot to right field – for the 2-1 lead. Nick DeMarco was hit by a pitch, and DM Jefferson used a sacrifice bunt to put DeMarco into scoring position. Two batters later, the Irish had runners at the corners after Bino Watters drew a walk after DeMarco had stolen third. The Bruins’ defense cut the scoring to just one for the Irish, however, as a play between third and home led to the third out of the inning.
Dennies recorded the first out of the seventh with yet another strikeout. Justin Mayes Jr. came on in relief two batters later and got the second out of the inning with a fielder’s choice in the infield. With the bases loaded two batters later, Mayes Jr. induced an infield groundout to end the chance and the inning to preserve the 2-1 lead for the Irish.
Tobey McDonough had his number called in the bottom of the eighth and sat down the side after allowing a two-out single as Notre Dame carried the 2-1 advantage into the ninth. McDonough induced a line drive out to Estevan Moreno before getting a strikeout looking for the second out of the inning. Nick DeMarco then snagged a line drive for the final out of the game in the 2-1 final.
Jackson Dennies went a career-best 6.1 innings on the mound and matched his career-high mark of eight strikeouts while earning the win. Justin Mayes Jr. closed out the final two outs of the seventh and forced Belmont into stranding the bases loaded. Tobey McDonough earned his third save of the season after going 2.0 while allowing just one hit and striking out a pair.
Davis Johnson posted career-highs of hits and runs scored while also blasting the first home run of his Irish career on a 3-for-4 effort at the dish. The sophomore drove in a run and scored both runs in the victory. Bino Watters had a hit, two walks, and an RBI, and Carson Tinney added a hit for the Irish.
Notre Dame (7-1) closes out the three-game series against Belmont on Sunday at E.S. Rose Park at 1:00 p.m. ET.
BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL
DIXON’S 34 LEAD VILLANOVA OVER BUTLER, 80-70
Thirty-four points from the nation’s leading scorer Eric Dixon led Villanova to an 80-70 win over Butler Saturday afternoon at Finneran Pavilion in Philadelphia.
Dixon made 14 of his 21 attempts from the field.
With the win, Villanova improves to 18-12 overall and 11-8 in BIG EAST play. Butler falls to 13-16 (6-12).
KEY STRETCH:
A 15-3 Villanova run turned a one-point advantage into a 68-55 lead with 7:50 remaining. The Bulldogs made only one of nine attempts from the field during that stretch.
OF NOTE:
Villanova’s largest lead came at 43-28 with 2:10 remaining in the first half. Butler closed the first half on a 7-0 run and opened the second half by scoring 10 of the first 12 points to turn a 43-35 halftime deficit into a 45-45 tie.
Dixon did not score any of Villanova’s first 19 points of the game, but scored 16 of the team’s final 24 points of the first half.
Jahmyl Telfort and Finley Bizjack led the Bulldogs with 16 points apiece.
Butler committed only five turnovers — just one more than the team’s season-low — but only forced six turnovers by the Wildcats.
Villanova shot 51 percent from the field, including a 12-for-28 performance from three-point range. The Wildcats entered the game third in the nation in three-point shooting at 40.2 percent.
Butler shot 40 percent from the field, but did go 10-for-28 from behind the arc.
Villanova held a slim 36-33 rebounding advantage. Wooga Poplar led the Wildcats with nine rebounds.
Pierre Brooks II scored 14 points for Butler. Patrick McCaffery hit a trio of three-pointers for his nine points.
All but two of Villanova’s 80 points came from their starting line-up.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs celebrate Senior Night Wednesday as Xavier visits Hinkle Fieldhouse for the final home game of the season. Tickets still remain for the 7 p.m. tip, which will also air on CBS Sports Network. Fans can also listen to Butler Basketball Live as Mark Minner and Nick Gardner bring fans the action.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL SWEEPS DOUBLEHEADER WITH UALBANY
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – The Butler softball team won a pair of games against UAlbany on day two of the Make-It-Happen Games in Florida. The Bulldogs (11-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) used a seven-run fifth inning to break a 1-1 tie in game one and then held on for an 8-2 victory. In game two, the Great Danes (0-9, 0-0 America East) tied the game at one in the fourth inning but gave up two runs to the Dawgs in the fifth, giving Butler the doubleheader sweep.
Game 3: Butler 8, UAlbany 2 (7 innings)
In the top of the third inning, with runners on first and second, Makena Alexander hit a double to right field that sent Hailey Conger across the plate. UAlbany answered with a run of its own in the bottom half. The 1-1 tie held through the fourth.
Butler broke things open in the fifth, scoring seven runs keyed by three singles and a double from Olivia Moxley. Four walks and an error contributed to the Dawgs barrage. The Great Danes got one run back in the bottom half, but that ended the scoring.
Rylyn Dyer (4-1) started in the circle for Butler and picked up the complete-game victory. In 7.0 innings she allowed two runs on five hits and three walks.
Game 4: Butler 3, UAlbany 1 (7 innings)
After two scoreless innings, Butler got on the board in the third. Cate Lehner reached on an error, stole second, and was knocked home by a Hailey Conger single.
UAlbany answered in the fourth with a run-scoring single. The game was tied, 1-1, through four.
In the fifth, with Sydney Carter on third and Leigh Vande Hei on second, Ella White singled to right and sent them both home, giving the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.
Kayla Noerr (3.1-IP, R, 2H, 4BB, K) started in the circle for Butler. She was replaced by Gwen Baker (4-1) in the fourth inning with the score tied, 1-1. Baker finished the game and earned the win. In 3.2 innings, she held the Great Danes scoreless, allowing only four hits while striking out two with no walks.
Bulldog Bits
Butler hit six doubles on the day, with two coming from Olivia Moxley and two coming from Makena Alexander. Hailey Conger and Ella White each had one.
White’s two RBI in game two give her 16 this season and 120 for her career.
Cate Lehner’s stolen base gives her 53 in her career and ties for the No. 3 spot on Butler’s All-Time list.
Rylyn Dyer produced her second complete-game victory this season and the fourth of her career. She has four total wins this season and ten in her career.
Up Next
Butler remains in Madeira Beach for the final day at the Make-It-Happen Games. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play Binghamton and Bellarmine.
IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL
ZILINSKAS, WALKER LEAD JAGUARS TO SENIOR DAY WIN OVER WRIGHT STATE
INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis men’s basketball team closed out its regular season with a 91-84 home win over Wright State on Saturday (Mar. 1) in a preview of an opening round Horizon League Tournament game, slated for Tuesday (Mar. 4). The team’s lone two seniors – graduate transfers Paul Zilinskas and Jarvis Walker – combined to score 56 points in the Senior Day win.
“We were determined to win for Jarvis and Paul, plain and simple. Those two have been tremendous players and tremendous leaders for our program, so we wanted to see to it that they went out with a win on Senior Day,” head coach Paul Corsaro said. “We played well and we finished. We finished off the game and made plays down the stretch to get the win.”
The Jaguars (10-21, 6-14 HL) used a 12-0 run to take a 70-63 lead on Keenan Garner’s layup with 7:11 to play. Sean Craig hit the go-ahead three at 66-63 as part of the run to ignite the Corteva Coliseum crowd and force a Wright State (14-17, 8-12 HL) timeout. The timeout didn’t quell the momentum as the Jaguars continued to score, staving off any Wright State response.
The Raiders got within 82-80 with 2:35 to play after Brandon Noel and Alex Huibregtse hit back-to-back threes, but Walker earned a trip to the foul line and made both attempts. After Noel got free for a dunk, Zilinskas scored on a drive to make it a two possession game with 1:27 left. The Jaguars came up with a critical defensive stop when Huibregtse missed a pair of three-point attempts before Craig cleaned the glass. On the ensuing offensive trip, the Jaguars drained the shot clock before Walker connected on a contested three from the top of the key with 22 seconds to play.
Zilinskas scored 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including hitting 4-of-8 from three and all five of his free throw attempts. Walker closed with 25 points, making 8-of-16 shots, and five assists. Craig joined them in double-digits with 17 points and seven rebounds and Garner had nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Jaguars won the glass by a definitive 38-29 margin and converted 11 Wright State turnovers into 20 points at the other end. The already thin IU Indy bench got five points from Ron Rutland III and two steals and two rebounds from Caleb Hannah.
Noel led WSU with 23 points and Huibregtse scored 19 points, including five threes. Michael Imariagbe turned in a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Wright State offense was incredibly efficient, delivering 25 assists on 34 field goals and finishing the game at 53.1 percent overall and 12-of-31 (38.7 percent) from three.
However, the Jags finished at 49.3 percent and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, leading to 23 second chance points. Eight of Garner’s 13 rebounds came off the offensive glass and Craig grabbed three offensive boards.
The same two teams will meet in the opening round of the #HLMBB Tournament on Tuesday night (Mar. 4) inside the Nutter Center at 8:00 p.m.
IU INDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL EARNS SENIOR DAY VICTORY OVER DETROIT MERCY, 74-67
INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indy Jaguars closed out the regular season in style, celebrating Senior Day with a 74-67 victory over Detroit Mercy on Saturday afternoon inside Corteva Coliseum. The win secured IU Indy the No. 7 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, setting up a first-round home match up against No. 10 Oakland on Tuesday, March 4, at 7:00 PM.
Before tip, the Jaguars honored their senior class, Camron Blank, Katie Davidson, Faith Stinson, and Logan Lewis.
After a tightly contested first half, IU Indy (9-20, 8-12 HL) took control in the third quarter, which proved to be the difference in the game. The Jaguars opened the period with a 13-6 run to build an eight-point lead at 42-34. They continued to apply pressure, outscoring the Titans 24-12 in the frame to take a strong 53-40 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Detroit Mercy made things interesting down the stretch, opening the fourth quarter on a 10-4 run to cut IU Indy’s lead to single digits at 59-50. However, the Jaguars responded with a clutch three-pointer from Davidson to push their lead back to double figures at 62-50 with 6:14 left to play. The Titans continued to battle, closing the gap to just five points with 23 seconds remaining, but IU Indy was able to seal the game from the free-throw line despite being outscored 27-21 in the final quarter.
Davidson led the Jaguars with a dominant 30-point performance, adding seven rebounds and converting key free throws in the closing moments. Nevaeh Foster provided 16 points, while Stinson contributed nine points and three rebounds. IU Indy shot 46 percent from the field and was efficient from the free-throw line, knocking down 22 of 27 attempts. Defensively, they held Detroit Mercy to just 12 percent shooting from beyond the arc (2-of-17) and forced 17 turnovers.
With the victory, the Jaguars now turn their attention to the Horizon League Tournament, where they will host Oakland in a must-win opening-round showdown on Tuesday, March 4. The Golden Grizzlies and Jags are set for a 7:00 PM tip.
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL HOLDS OFF LINDENWOOD IN 3-1 VICTORY
MUNCIE, Ind. – No. 11 Ball State men’s volleyball took down the visiting Lindenwood Lions Saturday night in a 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 19-25, 28-26) victory.
The Cardinals (12-5, 5-2 MIVA) hit .351 from the floor in comparison to the Lions (4-9, 1-6 MIVA) .288 percentage.
Rajé Alleyne was a major playmaker for the Cardinals, adding 25 kills at a .467 clip, eight digs, two blocks and an ace. Wil Basilio and Braydon Savitski-Lynde helped the offensive efforts, recording 10 kills at .400 and eight kills at .538, respectively.
Ball State took control in the first two sets, finishing comfortably at 25-18 in the first and 25-20 in the second. However, Lindenwood adjusted and switched the momentum in the third. The frame started closely, with the two teams battling point for point through 6-5 in Ball State’s advantage. Lindenwood hit three consecutive kills to build a small lead over the Cardinals and they did not let up until the final point of the frame. The Lions were able to take a six point lead at 16-10 with the help of two aces from Carter Stenmark. The Cardinals got back within two at 16-18 but were never able to overcome the Lions’ offense. Lindenwood closed the set at 25-19 on a four-point run, forcing a fourth set.
Set four started in Lindenwood’s favor as the Lions maintained the lead through 9-7. A kill from Basilio and an ace from Patrick Rogers tied things up at 9-9 and put the Cardinals right back in the set. It was back and forth through 12-12 until two kills from the Lions put them ahead 14-12. As Lindenwood continued to pull away slightly to a 17-14 lead, Ball State subbed in setter, Peter Zurawski, for his first appearance of the season. Zurawski added eight assists and a major block solo to help the Cardinals come back and win the match in a 28-26 fourth set.
Next week, the Cardinals will hit the road on Tuesday (Mar. 4) for a match against Quincy before returning to Worthen Arena to host No. 7 Loyola on Friday (Mar. 7).
BALL STATE BASEBALL
HARTLAUB GETS WIN AND CARDINALS STRIKE LATE TO FLY PAST OSPREYS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ball State bats were stymied for five innings, but the Cardinals struck for six runs late to upend North Florida, 6-2, and hand Jacob Hartlaub his second win of the season.
Hartlaub (2-1), making his third start, limited the Ospreys to just one run while scattering seven hits over six complete innings. The senior from Milwaukee struck out five UNF batters and left with the lead after Ball State tied the game 1-1 in the sixth, after Korbin Griffin added a pinch-hit, three-run blast to right field in the top of the seventh.
Blake Bevis added an insurance home run to left center in the eighth inning, and Gavin Bailus scored another in the ninth after singling, stealing second and third bases, then scoring on a hit by Dylan Grego.
“Our boys played a solid game,” said veteran coach Rich Maloney, in his 20th season at the Ball State helm. “We got excellent pitching, solid defense and a big pinch hit.”
While the Cardinals bats came alive in the final innings – scoring runs in each of the final four frames – it was pitching support that ensured the win. Zac Leduc relieved Hartlaub in the seventh and allowed a homer and triple by consecutive batters, but Garrett Harker stopped the bleeding to end the seventh, and he earned his fourth save by allowing just one hit over the final 2.1 innings.
Offensively, Ball State got contributions throughout the lineup, though only Grego produced more than one hit. Eight different Cardinals got hits in the game, and all six runs were scored by different Cardinals. Griffin, with his second homer of the season, was the only Ball State player with multiple RBI.
Ball State (6-4) plays at North Florida again Sunday at 1 p.m., before heading to Tallahassee for two games against Florida A&M.
BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS 61-52 AT BOWLING GREEN
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Ball State men’s basketball team got a spark from freshman TJ Burch midway through the second half, but it wasn’t enough as Bowling Green won 61-52 on Saturday afternoon at the Stroh Center.
The Cardinals (14-15, 7-9 Mid-American Conference) led by as many as seven points after a 7-0 scoring run gave them a 14-7 lead at the 11:43 mark of the first half, but the Falcons (13-16, 7-9 MAC) fought back to take a 25-24 lead into the break.
Bowling Green scored 15 of the first 21 points of the second half to gain a 40-30 edge before Burch came in and made a 3-pointer from the right corner and a pair of assists to Ben Hendriks and one on a triple by Mickey Pearson Jr., to cut the deficit to 45-43 with 8:46 to play. The hosts scored the next six points and would lead by at least six for the rest of the way.
Pearson Jr., tallied 15 points, four rebounds and two assists for the Cardinals, while Payton Sparks chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Juanse Gorosito added eight points, two rebounds and two assists, while Hendriks (six points, four rebounds) and Burch (five points, three rebounds, three assists) each contributed multiple field goals.
The hosts avoided getting swept in the season series after Ball State beat Bowling Green 91-69 back on Jan. 11 at Worthen Arena. The Falcons got a game-high 26 points from guard Javontae Campbell and won the rebounding battle 38-36 while committing two fewer turnovers (10-8) in the game.
Ball State went 33.9 percent (20-59) from the field including 26.1 percent (6-23) from distance and 85.7 percent (6-7) at the foul line. Bowling Green shot 41.1 percent (23-56) on field goals, 26.3 percent (5-19) on 3-pointers and 83.3 percent (10-12) on free throws.
The Cardinals are back home at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night to host Central Michigan for the season finale. There will be a pregame ceremony to honor the team’s seniors.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CLINCHES SHARE OF MAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – For the first time since the 2002-03 season, Ball State head coach Brady Sallee and the Cardinals have clinched a share of the 2025 Mid-American Conference regular season title with Ball State’s 55-45E win at Western Michigan Saturday afternoon in University Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals’ improved their overall record to 22-7 and 14-2 in MAC play. The Broncos fall to 11-16 overall and 7-9 in league action.
For the game, Alex Richard led all scorers with 29 points as the senior went 13-of-18 (.722) from the field. The only other player to reach double-digit scoring was Ally Becki with 10. Defensively, Marie Kiefer came through with 13 rebounds.
As a team, Ball State out-rebounded Western Michigan 45-30 while outpacing the Broncos 32-20 in the paint.
It comes to no surprise that as the regular season comes to an end the games continue to be closer. Today’s game started off at a snail’s pace scoring wise which saw Ball State take a slight four-point (8-4) edge over Western Michigan to end the first quarter of play.
The Cardinals’ offense got warmer in the second frame as Becki and Richard did most of the scoring allowing Ball State to go up by eight (18-10) with just under two minutes to play. Ball State’s defense continued to give WMU fits and BSU was winning the board game which opened more opportunities to score. Kiefer’s old school 3-point play ended the first half increasing BSU’s cushion to 13-points over Western Michigan at intermission.
After the break, Western Michigan opened the third stanza with a 7-3 run to make it (26-17) ball game at the 6:03 mark. Ball State answered basket-for-basket to keep a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter of play. As the Cardinals continued to dominate the paint, BSU was able to finish the third period up 40-28.
The fight to win continued in the final 10 minutes of action with Elise Stuck and Richard making their layups which allowed the Cardinals to keep a comfortable lead (48-37) halfway through the fourth period. The Broncos continued to play close to the Cardinals to come within eight (50-42) with 3:08 on the clock. Luckily, Richard tallied back-to-back layups putting BSU back up by 13 (55-42). Those plays ultimately stopped the Broncos from making any kind of a comeback the remainder of the contest.
The Ball State women’s basketball team returns to Worthen Arena next week for its final two regular season home games of the year. The Cardinals will host the Buffalo Bulls Wednesday at 6:30 pm ET before hosting their annual senior day on Saturday versus Ohio at 1 pm ET.
INDIANA STATE SWIMMING
INDIANA STATE TOPS THE FIELD TO CLAIM PROGRAM’S FIRST MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIP
WAUKEE, Iowa – Indiana State swimming and diving claimed the first Missouri Valley Conference Championship title in program history on Saturday night as the Sycamores rode the momentum over the final day to top the field at the Waukee CSD Natatorium.
The Sycamores (1440.5) held off challenges from Southern Illinois (1331) and Missouri State (1034) over the four-day event by utilizing conference titles from Claire Parsons (1650 Free), Jecza Lopez (3M Diving), and the 400-yard Freestyle Relay on their way to pulling away from the Salukis over the final events in claiming the program’s first conference title since Indiana State swimming and diving’s inception in 2016.
Overall, the Sycamores claimed six event championships with Parsons (200 Free & 1650 Free) and Lopez (1M Diving & 3M Diving) winning multiple events. Alexandria Cotter (400 IM) and the Sycamores’ 400-yard Freestyle Relay added to Indiana State’s titles over the four days in Iowa.
Indiana State’s final day was highlighted by three athletes qualifying for the A-Finals in the 200-yard Breaststroke, while a program-record five athletes advanced to the A-Finals in the 200-yard Fly.
Head Coach Josh Christensen was voted the MVC Swimming Coach of the Year, while Diving Coach Teresa Hall was named co-Diving Coach of the Year. Jecza Lopez was named the MVC Diver of the Year.
Saturday Evening Finals
Claire Parsons set the tone early with a dominant win in the 1650-yard Freestyle as Indiana State claimed three titles over Saturday evening’s final races at the Waukee CSD Natatorium. Parsons topped the field by over eight seconds on her way in posting a 16:39.68 to claim her second individual title of the week. Maria Saldana Riebeling finished second overall in 16:47.69, while Erin Cummins (16:58.37) and Haley Halsall (17:03.01) also placed inside the top eight. Rose Parsons rounded out the group with a time of 17:18.34.
Sahara Visscher paced Indiana State in the 200-yard Backstroke as the freshman went 2:00.75 to place fifth overall in the field. Ella Moustgaard finished sixth in the B-Final in 2:04.03, while Trista Bullock was eighth in 2:04.50. Kalli Agapios placed seventh in the C-Finals in 2:06.41.
Chloe Farro narrowly missed out on her second sprint podium finish of the week as the senior set a new Indiana State record going 49.69 in the 100-yard Freestyle to place fourth overall in the A-Final. Kaleigh Kelley was second in the B-Finals in 50.46, while Alexa Szadorski finished sixth in 50.85.
Dorotea Bukvic posted a season-best 2:14.38 in the 200-yard Breast A-Finals on her way to finishing third in the field in 2:14.38. Ali Pearson was fifth in the field in 2:15.54, while Alexandria Cotter placed seventh in 2:17.36.
Gemma Dilks (2:00.67) and Haley Halsall (2:02.37) finished second and third respectively in the 200-yard Fly to lead five Sycamores in the A-Finals. Sophia Diaz was fourth in 2:03.48, while Raine Boles (2:05.22) and Raz Harel (2:05.63) finished sixth and eighth overall in the field.
Jecza Lopez made it 2-for-2 in diving championships as the sophomore was the only diver in the 3M Springboard field to eclipse the 300-point mark. Lopez posted a 309.70 over her six dives on her way to claiming Indiana State’s first title in the 3M Springboard.
Top Indiana State Finishers in Evening Finals
1650-yard Free: Champion – Claire Parsons (16:39.68)
200-yard Back: 5th – Sahara Visscher (2:00.75)
100-yard Free: 4th – Chloe Farro (49.69, school record)
200-yard Breast: 3rd – Dorotea Bukvic (2:14.38)
200-yard Fly: 2nd – Gemma Dilks (2:00.67)
3M Diving Finals: Champion – Jecza Lopez (309.70)
400-yard Freestyle Relay: Champion – Chloe Farro, Kaleigh Kelly, Sahara Visscher, Alexa Szadorski (3:18.99, school record)
Saturday Morning Prelims
Indiana State placed 10 athletes in the A-Finals in the morning’s events and 15 athletes in the evening’s field overall following the early session on the final day of the Missouri Valley Conference Swimming and Diving Championships.
Sahara Visscher paced the Sycamores in the 200-yard Backstroke as the freshman finished eighth overall in the field with a time of 2:02.64 to advance to the A-Finals in the event. Trista Bullock and Ella Moustgaard both finished inside the top 16 to advance to the B-Finals, while Kalli Agapios will take on the field in the C-Final. Olivia Diruzza (2:04.29) and Kate Reeves (2:04.83) also took on the field in the morning’s prelims.
Chloe Farro advanced to another A-Final as the senior placed inside the top eight in the 100-yard Freestyle prelims with a time of 49.92. Alexa Szadorski and Kaleigh Kelley both advanced to the B-Finals. Peyton Heagy (52.06), Allie Barasch (53.20), and Ash Saple (53.71) all took on the preliminary field.
All three Sycamores who competed in the 200-yard Breaststroke advanced to the A-Finals. Dorotea Bukvic, Ali Pearson, and Alexandria Cotter all finished inside the top eight marking the only school in the conference to place at least three athletes in the event final on Saturday evening.
Following Indiana State’s performance in the 200-yard Breaststroke, the Sycamores put five in the 200-yard Fly A-Finals setting a program record for most athletes advancing to an A-Final in program history. Gemma Dilks, Sophia Diaz, Haley Halsall, Raz Harel, and Raine Boles all finished inside the top six in the field.
Top Indiana State Finishers in Morning Prelims
200-yard Back: A-Final – Sahara Visscher (2:02.64); B-Final – Trista Bullock (2:02.89), Ella Moustgaard (2:03.41); C-Final – Kalli Agapios (2:03.66);
100-yard Free: A-Final – Chloe Farro (49.92); B-Final – Alexa Szadorski (50.37), Kaleigh Kelley (50.59);
200-yard Breast: A-Final – Dorotea Bukvic (2:14.73), Ali Pearson (2:16.27), Alexandria Cotter (2:16.91)
200-yard Fly: A-Final – Gemma Dilks (2:00.52), Sophia Diaz (2:01.35), Haley Halsall (2:02.81), Raz Harel (2:03.96), Raine Boles (2:04.34)
Up Next
Indiana State swimming heads to the CSCAA NIC Meet over March 13-15 in Ocala, Fla. Jecza Lopez will head to the NCAA Diving Zone C in Columbus, Ohio over March 13-15.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
TURNOVERS, FREE THROWS LOOM LARGE FOR TREES IN LOSS TO EVANSVILLE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Mia Simpson tallied a career-high 19 points Saturday night, but Evansville scored 20-plus points in each of the first three quarters on its way to a 79-68 win over Indiana State inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Simpson added six rebounds and six assists, and was joined in double-figures by Keslyn Secrist with 10. Savannah White finished two points shy of a double-double with eight points and 10 boards.
Indiana State scored the first six points of the game to force an Evansville timeout just over a minute in, but the Sycamores’ momentum subsided after that. Foul trouble plagued the Trees in the first half, and Evansville took advantage to build a double-digit lead by the midway point of the second quarter. Indiana State came out firing in the third quarter with a 14-4 run to retake the lead, but a late five-point swing for the home side to close the third proved costly. The Sycamores pulled within a pair early in the fourth, but couldn’t string together a combination of stops on defense and baskets on offense at the opportune time in another loss.
First Half
Fastbreak layups from Secrist and Simpson had the Sycamores firing early on, as Indiana State built a six-point lead within the first 90 seconds. Deja Jones tacked on a layup to keep the Sycamores in front early, but Indiana State’s momentum was short lived. Queen Ruffin gave the Sycamores a spark off the bench with five quick points in the middle stages of the first, including a corner three, but Evansville closed the quarter on an 8-2 run to go in front 20-17 after the first.
Ruffin added another basket early in the second, but foul trouble and depth began to haunt the Trees in the frame. Davina Smith and Simpson hit layups, the former coming on the fast break, but the Purple Aces extended their lead to double-digits by the midway point of the period. Five late points from Simpson gave the Sycamores life, and Semie Brar connected on a three-ball inside the final minute, but Indiana State trailed 41-32 at the break.
Second Half
Indiana State struggled early in the third with just one basket in the first three minutes, but the Sycamores came to life after that. A three from Bella Finnegan, along with two layups from White, cut the deficit down to 48-44, and Simpson tied the score moments later with a pair of free throws and a layup. Finnegan gave Indiana State its first lead since the first quarter with a three from the wing late, and Secrist kept the momentum going with a layup, but a pair of late treys for Evansville proved costly. The home side finished the third quarter on an 8-2 run, which saw Indiana State down 61-55 heading to the fourth.
Back-to-back layups from Simpson to start the fourth whittled the Sycamore deficit down to a pair, 61-59, but that was as close as the Blue and White got down the stretch. Jones and Secrist converted from the charity stripe in the early stages of the fourth, with the latter also adding a layup to keep it a two-possession game, but the Trees went cold in crunch time. Indiana State made just one basket, a layup from Jones, in the last six minutes of action as Evansville closed out a 79-68 win.
News and Notes
Indiana State finished plus-10 in rebound margin (50-40) and pulled down 17 offensive rebounds against Evansville. The 50 rebounds were the Sycamores’ most since the earlier meeting between the two teams Jan. 12 in Terre Haute.
Free throws and turnovers proved to be a major factor in defeat for Indiana State, as the Sycamores turned it over 22 times and shot just 57.1 percent (16-for-28) from the charity stripe.
Indiana State’s 28 fastbreak points in Saturday’s game were its most this season and the most in a game for the Sycamores since the 2021-22 season opener against Stephens College (Mo.).
All five starters for Indiana State had at least five points and five rebounds.
Indiana State limited Evansville to a 26.7 percent mark from 3-point range (7-for-26), but five of the Purple Aces’ seven treys came in the second half, including three late in the third to keep the home side ahead for good.
Saturday’s result snapped a three-game win streak for Indiana State against Evansville.
Up Next
Indiana State begins its final weekend homestand Thursday at 7 p.m. against Belmont.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
INDIANA STATE SWEEPS SATURDAY SLATE, ADVANCES TO TENNESSEE INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Knoxville, Tenn. – Indiana State Softball delivered a pair of impressive victories on Saturday at the Tennessee Invitational, defeating Delaware State 9-1 in six innings before shutting out UT Martin 4-0 behind a no-hitter from Hailey Griffin. With the two wins, the Sycamores secured a spot in Sunday’s championship game against tournament host Tennessee.
Game 1: Indiana State 9, Delaware State 1 (6 Innings)
Indiana State opened the day with a 9-1 win over Delaware State, powered by a balanced offensive attack and strong performances in the circle.
Abby Widmar led the way offensively, going 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs, including a key two-run double. Madison Poulson added two hits and two runs scored, while Sophie Esposito contributed a 2-for-4 effort with an RBI. Hannah Welch had a productive day with a hit, an RBI, and three runs scored, and Whitley Wischmeier chipped in two hits and an RBI of her own.
The Sycamores struck first in the opening frame when Poulson led off with a double and later stole home to give Indiana State an early lead.
Indiana State’s defense held strong in the third inning, escaping a bases-loaded jam to hold the 1-0 advantage.
Indiana State plated two runs in the fourth, capitalizing on a Delaware State error and timely hits from Whitley Wischmeier and Morgan Goodrich.
In the fifth, Abby Widmar delivered a clutch two-run double, extending the lead to 5-0.
The Sycamores sealed the win with a four-run sixth inning, highlighted by run-scoring hits from Esposito, Welch, and Widmar.
The Hornets managed to score one run in the bottom of the inning, but it wasn’t enough to extend the contest, as the Sycamores closed out the 9-1 victory in six innings.
Cassi Newbanks (2-2) earned the win, working 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while striking out three. Lauren Sackett came on in relief, pitching the final 2.0 innings and recording one strikeout.
Game 2: Indiana State 4, UT Martin 0
In Game 2, Hailey Griffin tossed the 13th no-hitter of her collegiate career to lead Indiana State to a 4-0 shutout win over UT Martin. Griffin was dominant in the circle, striking out 10 in the complete-game effort.
Indiana State’s offense set the tone early, building a 3-0 lead in the opening inning.
Morgan Goodrich and Abby Widmar started things off with consecutive hits, followed by Sophie Esposito connecting on a two-run triple to right. Esposito then came home on a UT Martin throwing error, giving the Sycamores an early three-run advantage.
Hannah Welch added insurance in the third inning, launching her first career home run, a solo shot to left field, extending the lead to 4-0.
The Sycamores strong all-around performance secured their second victory of the day and punched their ticket to Sunday’s championship game against Tennessee.
Up Next: Indiana State will face host Tennessee in the championship game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live on SEC ESPN+.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES FALL TO ECU ON SATURDAY EVENING
GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina used a sixth-run fourth inning to jump ahead of the Sycamores in the LeClair Classic, leading to a 13-1 victory over Indiana State in seven innings.
Holding a 2-0 lead heading into the fourth inning, East Carolina scored six runs in the inning to lead 8-0.
Two innings later in the top of the sixth, Indiana State’s Eli Gipson doubled to right center to start the inning. Carson Beck moved Gipson to third for Carlos Pena to single to right field scoring Gipson to put the Sycamores on the board. ECU still held an 8-1 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, ECU’s Austin Irby ended the game early with a walk off three-run homerun, leading to the Pirates’ 13-1 victory.
Gipson finished 2-for-3 on the day with a double and the Sycamores’ lone run. Pena and Thomas Emrich each recorded a hit.
Grant Parson (1-2) pitched 3.1 innings with three strikeouts, five walks, and four earned runs, taking the loss. Jacob Spencer, Aaron Moss, and Breyllin Suriel all pitched in relief.
ECU’s Sean Jenkins earned the pitching win, going six innings with six strikeouts, no walks, four hits, and one earned run.
How They Scored
East Carolina took an early lead in the bottom of the second inning when Barron Walker grounded out to first base, bringing home Austin Irby to make it 1-0.
The Pirates extended their lead in the bottom of the third as the Sycamores caught a sacrifice flyout to right field, allowing Dixon Williams to cross home plate and give ECU a 2-0 advantage.
ECU’s offense exploded in the fourth inning, with Irby, Colby Wallace, and Williams all recording RBIs. John Collins capped off the scoring with a home run, pushing the Pirates’ lead to 8-0.
Indiana State got on the board in the top of the sixth when Carlos Pena lined an RBI single, bringing home Eli Gibson and cutting the deficit to 8-1.
The Pirates responded in the bottom of the sixth as Roger Vergara hit a double to right field, bringing home Irby. Walker followed with an RBI single to second base, scoring Braden Burress home and extending the lead to 10-2.
East Carolina sealed the game in the bottom of the seventh when Irby smashed a walk-off three-run homer, securing the 13-1 victory.
News & Notes
Eli Gipson recorded his second multi-hit game of the season and hit his first extra-base hit.
Up Next
Indiana Stat turns around to face Kent State tomorrow morning, March 2, at 11 a.m. ET. There will be no broadcast, but live stats will be available.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
BASEBALL SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER AT SEMO
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Purdue Fort Wayne baseball team recorded 26 total hits in a split of a doubleheader at SEMO on Saturday (March 1).
Game One – Mastodons 9, SEMO 5
Purdue Fort Wayne recorded 14 hits in the game one win. Augusto Schroeder had three hits with Jackson Micheels and Camden Karczewski each having two. Micheels drove in two runs, as did Schroeder.
The Mastodons never trailed in the game, leading 6-0 after four and a half innings. Rex Stills (1-1) got the win for the ‘Dons, allowing one run in 4.0 innings. Trent Murphy gave up just two hits and one run in 3.1 innings. Sean Kasper threw 1.2 of scoreless ball to get the save.
Brian Strange (2-1) got the loss for SEMO.
Game Two – SEMO 6, Mastodons 5
Micheels hit a two-run home run in the eighth to give the Mastodons a 4-3 lead. It came after Justin Osterhouse used a double to knock in Nick Hockemeyer who started the inning with a double. SEMO, however, responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Down 6-4, entering the ninth, it became a 6-5 game after Grant Sawa hit a solo shot with one out. He also had a double in the game. Hockemeyer walked and Karczewski earned his third hit of the day with a single to put two on. But a flyout an strikeout ended the game.
The Mastodons had 12 hits in the game with all nine starters recording a knock.
Zane Danielson had a strong outing, going 6.0 innings and allowing one earned run on five hits. He got a no decision.
Carson Caudill got the loss. He is 0-1. Alex Hayes (1-0) got the win for SEMO. Cade Perkins picked up the save.
The two clubs will play the fourth and final game of the series on Sunday (March 2).
SEMO is now 5-5. The Mastodons are 1-9.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL EARNS SPLIT ON SATURDAY
OWLING GREEN, Ky. – After falling in Saturday’s Hilltopper Spring Fling opener, the University of Evansville softball team rallied to earn a 9-6 win over Tennessee Tech in the nightcap.
Game 1 – Western Kentucky 5, UE 4 – Box Score
Saturday’s opener was a back-and-forth contest. Following a scoreless three frames, it was Evansville getting on the board first in the top half of the fourth. Jess Willsey and Taylor Howe hit back-to-back doubles to score the first run of the game. It did not take long for the Hilltoppers to respond as they plated three runs in the bottom of the frame.
Eliza Piggott cut into the deficit in the fifth. Following a walk by Jenna Donohoo, Piggott launched a 2-run home run to tie the game. Kynadee Warner gave the Purple Aces a 4-3 lead in the top of the sixth with an RBI double that scored Niki Bode.
WKU countered with the tying run in the bottom of the inning before UE looked for a rally in the top of the seventh. Keghan Pye reached on a single while Willsey reached on a walk, but the Hilltoppers escaped without allowing the go-ahead run. Western Kentucky rallied in the bottom of the seventh as a leadoff double was followed by an error that scored the winning run.
Kate Ridgway put forth another solid effort in the circle. In six innings, she allowed five runs, none of which were earned. She fanned four batters. Seven players accounted for UE’s seven hits in the contest.
Game 2 – UE 9, Tennessee Tech 6 – Box Score
Evansville led throughout most of the contest before Tennessee Tech rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. A 3-run seventh was the different as the Aces hung on for the 9-6 win.
Jess Willsey got UE started with a 2-run home run in the top of the first. Brooke Voss, who reached on a 1-out single, also scored on the play. The Aces doubled their lead in the second. Kynadee Warner led off with a walk and scored on a single by Eliza Piggott. Voss added a sacrifice fly to make it a 4-0 game.
Tennessee Tech cut into the UE lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs to get within one. It remained a 4-3 game until the top half of the fourth when the Aces added two more runs on Piggott’s 2-run single. Warner and Jenna Donohoo scored on the hit. After scoring a single run in the bottom of the frame, the Golden Eagles rallied to tie the game with two runs in the sixth.
Utilizing a 2-out rally, the Aces scored three runs to retake the lead in the 7th. Morgan Adams had an RBI single before Callie Meinel had a 2-run single to right field to give her team some insurance. Elle Jarrett took care of business in the bottom of the inning to pick up the win. She threw the final three innings with two unearned runs scoring. Gracie Hollingsworth made the start, going four innings while allowing four runs, two being earned. The offense posted nine runs on ten hits with Donohoo and Piggott posting two apiece. Piggott led the team with three RBI.
Sunday’s weekend finale against Kentucky is set to begin at 10 a.m.
EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ACES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL EARNS DOUBLE-FIGURE WIN OVER IN-STATE RIVAL INDIANA STATE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team had a strong start to its three-game homestand with a 79-68 win over the Indiana State Sycamores.
Four Purple Aces ended the night in double figures and all, but two players recorded an assist in the victory on Saturday night. UE shared the ball well resulting in seven of the eight players in the lineup making a basket. Sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig (Sauk City, Wis. / Sauk Prairie HS) led Evansville with her fourth straight double-double, coming one point shy of her career-high in scoring with 28 points.
“Tonight was a great win,” said Head Coach Robyn Scherr after the game. “I’m really proud of the team. We’ve been pretty banged up and shorthanded and tonight was no exception. I loved the way we fought hard through some fatigue being a little bit short handed and came up with a really big team win.”
Indiana State took a six-point lead to start Saturday night forcing an early Aces timeout. UE responded out of the timeout getting the game back within a possession. The Sycamores got back to a six-point lead shortly after. But Evansville took control of the action on the floor with an eight-point run to take its first lead of the game. Indiana State answered by retaking the lead until the final two minutes of the quarter. The Aces led by three going into the second quarter after freshman guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS) made a late layup.
UE extended its lead early in the second quarter on an 8-2 run in the first three minutes. The game’s pace slowed down after as the teams traded shots until the Sycamores had a four-point run. Evansville was able to respond with a run of its own as freshman guard Avery Kelley (Evansville, Ind. / Memorial HS) made back-to-back jumpers. The final two minutes of the first half returned to being back and forth as the Aces took a nine-point lead into the locker room.
It was another quick start for UE in the third as Hartwig made a three to extend Evansville’s lead to 11 points. But the three would be the Aces last made basket over the next minute and a half. Indiana State was able to tie the game up for the first time since the first quarter with 3:55 on the clock thanks to an 11-2 run. The lead was traded five times over the next two minutes. It was UE who ended the back-and-forth with two threes and a trip to the line in the final minute and a half of the third.
With only a six-point lead to begin the fourth quarter, Evansville struggled to keep the lead as the Sycamores opened the final frame on a four-point run. It remained a one-possession game over two minutes into the fourth. The Aces were able to pull away midway through the quarter with small bursts of scoring. UE put the game completely out of reach in the final four minutes with seven points to Indiana State’s three. The final statement on Evansville’s win was a made and-1 from Hartwig with 1:48 on the clock to put the Aces lead into double figures.
While Hartwig led UE with 28 points, Runner, Kelley, and freshman guard Logan Luebbers Palmer (Union, Ky. / Randall K. Cooper HS) all had double-digit nights with 14, 13, and 10 points respectively. Hartwig also had her best night under the glass in MVC action with 15 boards. Runner led the team in assists and steals with seven dishes, just one shy of her career-high, and three takeaways.
Evansville returns to action next week as they welcome two of the top teams in the Valley. The Aces begin their final week of regular season action with the Murray State Racers on Thursday, March 6. Tip-off from Meeks Family Fieldhouse with the Racers is set for 6 p.m.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
USI SPLITS SATURDAY SLATE AT WINTHROP TOURNAMENT
ROCK HILL, S.C. – University of Southern Indiana Softball split its two games at the Winthrop University Coach Cooke Memorial Tournament on Saturday, falling 4-1 to the University of South Carolina Upstate before capturing an 8-3 win over St. Bonaventure University.
Southern Indiana (3-10) began the morning against USC Upstate (17-2). The Spartans got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning with a small-ball approach, scoring two runs on three singles and two stolen bases.
While USI got a few baserunners on in the early innings, the Eagles could not quite get momentum building toward a scoring threat. Meanwhile, freshman pitcher Kylie Witthaus settled in following the two-run second by the Spartans.
After Southern Indiana could not capitalize with runners at second and third in the top of the fifth inning, USC Upstate took advantage with two more runs toward a 4-0 lead off of three more singles in the frame and ending the start for Witthaus.
USI looked to rally in the seventh inning, getting the first batters to reach base and over to second and third with one out. An RBI groundout by sophomore outfielder Kate Satkoski got one runner home, but that was all USI could get.
Freshman first baseman Lilly Brown had two of USI’s three hits against the Spartans. Witthaus (0-5) was dealt the loss after giving up four runs in 4.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts.
USC Upstate tallied its four runs on seven hits. Sophomore pitcher Sierra Maness (7-1) recorded the win in a complete-game effort.
In the second game against St. Bonaventure (3-4), Southern Indiana found itself with some first-inning production after some tough breaks already this season in the first inning. Sophomore infielder Sydney Long doubled in USI’s first run after a leadoff single. Senior pitcher Josie Newman later scored Long with an RBI single to put USI ahead 2-0.
The Screaming Eagles tacked on two more runs in the second inning and had its biggest inning with three runs in the third inning. USI got an RBI single by junior outfielder Caroline Stapleton before Long ripped a two-RBI triple down the line to increase USI’s lead to 7-0. All three runs in the third came with two outs.
The Bonnies tried to chip away at the Eagles’ advantage. St. Bonaventure scored twice in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run triple of their own. The two sides traded a run in the sixth, as Southern Indiana closed out the win.
USI posted eight runs on 12 hits. Stapleton accounted for three hits and three runs with an RBI from the leadoff the spot. Long went 4-4 with three RBIs. Brown had another two-hit game with a pair of runs.
Newman (3-4) also recorded the pitching win, going the full seven innings with 10 strikeouts and three runs allowed.
St. Bonaventure registered its three runs on nine hits. The Bonnies used three pitchers in the game with starting freshman pitcher Nolah Moyer (1-2) getting the loss after surrendering four runs – three earned – in an inning and a third.
Southern Indiana wraps up its weekend at the Winthrop Coach Cooke Memorial Tournament on Sunday at 9 a.m. against Youngstown State University. After splitting Friday’s games and Saturday’s games, USI seeks a victory on Sunday to go over .500 for the tournament. The Spin 95.7 FM will have radio coverage of Sunday’s game. Additional coverage links can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
USI LOSES TO BOWLING GREEN, 4-1
CARBONDALE, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball loaded the bases in the ninth inning but fell short, 4-1, against Bowling Green State University Saturday afternoon at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. USI ends the day 6-4 overall in 2025, while Bowling Green State University goes to 5-4.
The Falcons scored scored one in the first and two in the third to build a 3-0 lead. USI got on the scoreboard in the eighth when junior second baseman/rightfielder Patrick McLellan singled in the Eagles’ lone run of the game to cut the deficit to 3-1.
After Bowling Green matched USI’s run in the bottom of the eighth to lead, 4-1, the Eagles tried to rally in the ninth. USI loaded the bases with two outs, but could push the runners across the plate.
On the mound, junior right-hander Blake Kimball started and took the loss for USI. Kimball (2-1) allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits and one walk, while striking out four in six innings of work.
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI concludes the weekend with a game versus Southern Illinois University Sunday at a new start time of 3:30 p.m. SIU went to 6-3 overall after defeating BGSU, 4-1, in the first game of the day in Carbondale.
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
EAGLES RALLY, FALL SHORT IN SEASON FINALE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball rallied in the final minutes, but fell short, 74-69, at Tennessee State University Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee. The Screaming Eagles finish the 2024-25 campaign 10-20 overall and 5-15 in the OVC, while the Tigers go to 16-15, 12-8 OVC.
The Eagles struggled to get the offense in the first 10 minutes of the game, falling behind, 15-7, and suffering through a four-minute scoreless drought. USI would get in gear and began to close the gap to 23-20 with a 13-8 dash, led by four points each by junior guard Ryan Hall and junior center Alex Horiuk.
TSU responded with a quick 5-0 spurt to get the lead back to eight points, 28-20. USI closed the gap to six, 34-28, but TSU got the final five points of the half to lead at halftime, 39-28. Hall reached double-digits at the end of the first 20 minutes with 10 points to lead the Eagles.
In the second half, the Tigers quickly pushed the 11-point halftime lead to 17, 45-28, with a trio of baskets. The separation would increase 19 points, 57-38, when USI exploded on a 13-0 run to close the gap to 57-52 with 8:35 left.
The Eagles would hit four-of-six from the field and held the Tigers without a point for nearly five minutes. TSU responded by pushing its lead back to 12 points, 64-52, with 6:12 to play, but USI would surrender.
The Eagles closed the gap to six points, 70-64, with 54.2 after junior guard Jayland Randall hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Randall also would get the Eagles to within four, 70-66, with a pair of free throws with 24.5 seconds to play.
USI continued the attack and got the margin down to one on a three-pointer by junior guard Jack Campion, 70-69. TSU hit a pair of free throws to extend its lead to 72-69, giving the Eagles a chance to tie, but graduate forward Jack Mielke missed a three from the top of the key with four seconds left.
The Tigers would hit two more free throws to seal the game, 74-69.
Individually, USI had three players in double-digits for the contest. Randall led the way with 18 points, while sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi and Hall followed with 13 points each. Olowoniyi also grabbed a team-high and career-high 15 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
Next Up For USI:
The 2025-26 USI Men’s Basketball Schedule Coming Soon.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
EAGLES STRUGGLE AGAINST TIGERS, BECOME NO. 5 SEED FOR OVC TOURNAMENT
NASHVILLE – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball struggled to find its shooting rhythm on Saturday in a 73-64 road loss against Tennessee State University to conclude the Ohio Valley Conference regular season.
As a result of Saturday’s game, Southern Indiana (20-11, 12-8 OVC) will be the no. 5 seed in this week’s upcoming OVC Championship Tournament despite being tied with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, who also lost on Saturday, in the conference standings. Little Rock owned the tiebreaker for the no. 4 seed and a first-round bye over USI after winning both regular-season meetings against the Screaming Eagles.
Saturday’s game started tight with each side looking to find an early groove. At the 3:58 mark, Tennessee State (10-20, 6-14 OVC) grabbed a two-possession difference, 13-8, with its second made three of the game. The triple sparked an 8-0 run by the Tigers. Meanwhile, USI was still searching for its rhythm offensively, going 0-7 from deep in the first quarter. Tennessee State led 18-10 after the first 10 minutes.
Tennessee State’s lead grew to 14, 24-10, after two quick made threes to begin the second quarter. USI answered when senior guard Vanessa Shafford scored her third basket of the game. Following a two-minute dry spell, sophomore guard Triniti Ralston knocked down back-to-back shots, and graduate forward Meredith Raley converted a three-point play to get USI back within 10, 29-19, in the middle of the second quarter. Southern Indiana continued to chip away, taking advantage of opportunities at the free-throw line late in the first half to pull within three, 33-30, going into halftime.
Southern Indiana scored five straight out of the intermission, including a three-pointer by junior guard Ali Saunders, to take the lead, but Tennessee State responded with seven straight points to go up 40-35. After another stretch without a made field goal in the middle of the third quarter, the Tigers went on an 11-0 run to surge ahead 55-40 while USI continued to try and find consistency shooting the ball. Raley helped cut into the deficit in the last minute with a three and a layup, as the Tigers led 57-45 going to the fourth quarter.
After a couple of early shots went down for both sides to start the fourth period, Saunders drained a triple with 7:18 on the clock to get Southern Indiana back within single digits, 61-52. Once again, Tennessee State had an answer with the game turning into a defensive struggle down the stretch. The Tigers’ advantage remained around 13 with USI seeking to organize one big run. Inside the last 90 seconds, Saunders and Ralston canned a pair of three-pointers, but Tennessee State cashed in at the free-throw line late as time ran out.
Southern Indiana wound up shooting just over 37 percent (26-69) in the game and 28 percent (7-25) from beyond the arc. USI was 5-10 at the foul line and edged Tennessee State on the glass, 43-42. Saunders led all scorers with 18 points and hauled in six rebounds. Raley tallied 14 points with five boards.
Tennessee State shot above 40 percent (24-59) overall and 32 percent (9-28) from long range. The Tigers shot nearly 70 percent (16-23) at the charity stripe. Junior guard Aaniya Webb led three Tigers in double figures with 17 points.
With Tennessee State sweeping its games this week against Morehead State University and USI, the Tigers claimed the final spot in the OVC tournament as the no. 8 seed. Therefore, the Screaming Eagles and Tigers will have a rematch on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. to open the conference tournament in the five versus eight matchup. The winner will get to face Little Rock in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Wednesday’s game at Ford Center in downtown Evansville between Tennessee State and Southern Indiana can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM and WREF 97.7 FM. Ticket information can be found online at usiscreamingeagles.com and ovcsports.com.
VALPO SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL DROPS PAIR OF GAMES SATURDAY
The Valpo softball team dropped a pair of games on its second day of action from the Lindenwood Invitational in St. Charles, Mo. Saturday, falling in walk-off fashion to the host Lions, 2-1, before seeing its comeback effort come up short in an 11-7 setback versus Western Illinois.
How It Happened – Lindenwood
Valpo grabbed the lead in the top of the first, as Lexi Szostak (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) delivered a one-out single and eventually came around to score on a Lindenwood error.
The one run was more than enough for much of the game for Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West), as the sophomore tossed 4.2 hitless innings to start the game. Back-to-back base hits with two outs in the fifth tied the game at 1-1, however.
Valpo got the potential go-ahead run to third with one out in the top of the sixth, as Mack Gallagher (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East [MSU Moorhead]) led off the frame with a walk and pinch-runner Kyndal Shively (Bloomington, Ill./University) moved up to second on a sacrifice before stealing third. But a pop-out and a strikeout kept it a tied game.
Lindenwood loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh in search of the walk-off win. The Beacons got an out at the plate on an infield grounder to move within one out of extra innings, but a two-out RBI single closed out the game in the Lions’ favor.
How It Happened – Western Illinois
Valpo opened the scoring in its second game of the day in the bottom of the second inning. Sophia Leitzen (Orfordville, Wis./Brodhead) led off the inning with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly from Lana Tellez (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills).
WIU took the lead for good in the top of the third with three runs. The Leathernecks added five in the fourth and two in the fifth to move the game to potential run-rule territory.
Trailing by nine entering the bottom of the fifth, the Beacons battled back. Gallagher drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk before two more scored on a WIU error.
Leitzen followed with an RBI single, and two batters later, Tellez delivered a two-run single to make it a 10-7 game. The Beacons had a chance to cut further into the lead with two runners in scoring position and only one out, but were unable to get any closer.
The Leathernecks added an unearned run in the top of the sixth to cap the scoring.
Inside the Games
Gallagher and Madison Vrastil (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) each reached base twice in the opener, both tallying one base hit and walking once.
The Beacons had three stolen bases against the Lions, with Vrastil, Szostak and Shively each swiping a bag.
McDermott took a no-decision in a strong start against Lindenwood, giving up just two hits and one run while striking out six. Erin Metz (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) was charged with the loss.
Leitzen and Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) each had two hits in the nightcap against WIU, with Leitzen walking once as well and scoring two runs.
Kaia Garnica (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) reached base three times as well against the Leathernecks, picking up a base hit and walking twice.
After entering the game with just one career RBI, Tellez drove in three runs in the nightcap.
Lopez took the loss in the circle against WIU, pitching four total innings.
Next Up
Valpo (6-6) closes out the Lindenwood Invitational on Sunday with another matchup against Western Illinois. First pitch is scheduled for noon.
VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BEACONS DROP ROAD FINALE SATURDAY
The Valpo women’s basketball team was within four points of host Illinois State at halftime Saturday afternoon in Normal, Ill., but the Redbirds pulled away in the second half for a 90-68 victory. Nevaeh Jackson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) paced the Beacons with 21 points, while Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) broke Valpo’s career games played record when she took the court Saturday.
How It Happened
Valpo scored on two of its first three possessions of the game for a quick 4-0 lead before the Redbirds went on a 17-2 run over five and a half minutes to go ahead by double figures, 17-6.
Jackson went on a 7-0 run all on her own, finishing inside on back-to-back trips and later hitting a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to four points at 17-13 with 1:24 to play in the period.
Illinois State led 21-15 at the end of the opening quarter.
The Beacons scored the first five points of the second period to move within one point, but were unable to pull back in front as Illinois State scored the next five.
The Redbirds’ advantage hovered right on either side of the five-point mark for the remainder of the first half, and Valpo trailed 39-35 at intermission.
Valpo answered an Illinois State basket with a Maci Rhoades (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek [Radford]) 3-pointer to open the third quarter, making it a one-possession game at 41-38. But Illinois State hit 3-pointers on three straight trips to quickly go up 50-38, forcing a Valpo timeout with 7:14 to play in the period.
The Beacons were unable to cut the deficit back to single digits, as the Redbirds led 65-46 at the end of the third period on their way to the win.
Inside the Game
Earnest became Valpo’s career games played leader, surpassing Caitlin Morrison as she donned the Brown and Gold for the 142nd time Saturday.
Jackson paced Valpo for the second straight game, finishing with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting — including four 3-pointers — to surpass the 20-point mark in consecutive games for the first time in her collegiate career.
Jackson also notched four assists and four steals, the latter tying her season best in the category.
With her four triples, Jackson owns 67 3-pointers this season, cracking the program’s top-10 for most 3s in a single season.
Earnest finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists, the last mark matching her career best.
With her seven boards Saturday, Earnest has 860 career rebounds, leaving her just 10 away from Tamra Braun’s career record.
Earnest has scored 493 points this season, sixth-most in a single season in program history and just one point shy of her total from last year.
Layla Gold (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) added nine points, while Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) and Kayla Preston (Omaha, Neb./Millard North) scored eight and seven, respectively.
Valpo tallied 17 assists, one off its season best, on 26 made baskets. 10 of the Beacons’ baskets were triples, the seventh time this season they have hit 10 or more 3-pointers.
The Beacons also committed just 10 turnovers Saturday, the program’s lowest total since committing just eight miscues against Bradley Jan. 29, 2023. Valpo was a +7 in the turnover margin department Saturday.
Illinois State hurt the Beacons on the offensive end, knocking down 13 3-pointers — tied for the most in a game this season by a Valpo opponent. The Redbirds hit at a 54.7% clip overall from the field.
Next Up
Valpo (12-17, 8-10) returns home to the ARC for its final two games of the regular season, starting Thursday evening against Drake at 6 p.m.
UINDY WRESTLING
GREYHOUNDS PUNCH SIX TICKETS TO NATIONALS
WARRENSBURG, MO – The UIndy men’s wrestling team sent ten wrestlers to this year’s NCAA Super Regional IV, and came away with six wrestlers earning qualifying spots at this year’s DII national championship, and fourth place team finish.
2024 reigning national champion Derek Blubaugh, GLVC second team members Brayden Lowery (141) and Cale Gray (285), GLVC third team honorees Jackson Hoover (149) and Nathan Conley (157) and redshirt-sophomore Nathan Smith (125) all clinched spots as 2025 national qualifiers for the Hounds.
On the day the Greyhounds finished in fourth place as a team, besting their fifth place finish from the 2024 Super Regionals IV. The Hounds collected 109.5 team points, only finishing behind No. 5 Central Oklahoma, No. 7 McKendree and No. 21 Central Missouri.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Brayden Lowery (141) and Jackson Hoover (149) were the only Hounds today to both qualify for nationals and win their weight class. Both guys went a perfect 4-0 on the day, and racked up three upset victories on the day.
In 141, Lowery picked up two major decision victories in his first two bouts of the day, after receiving a first round bye, taking down Central Missouri’s Jack Lage and Quincy’s Sabian Russell by a combined 23-1 score. He then got a rematch against McKendree’s No. 3-ranked Ronan Schuelke, who he faced in this year’s GLVC Championships, and came away with a third period pin victory, which punched his ticket to this year’s nationals.
Hoover, a 2024 national qualifier, had a similar path to Lowery in having a perfect 4-0 day, but his wins were much closer in contest. After a first round bye, he took down GLVC foe JP Homfeld via a 5-1 decision, before backing it up with a win via tiebreaker over No. 7 Joey Semerad of McKendree, 3-2. He was then left with a chance to best his third place finish at the 2024 Super Regionals, which he did by upsetting Central Oklahoma’s Dylan Brown in an 8-4 decision.
Smith, bested his 2024 sixth place finish at regionals, with a third place finish in the 125 weight class. He cruised past Drury’s Bryson Humphries 12-0, but then fell to eventual 2nd place finisher Studd Morris from Central Oklahoma via decision. After falling in the semifinals, he captured two GLVC wins over McKendree’s Jason Strope and Maryville’s Sam Shafer to seal his spot at nationals.
In 157, Conley went 4-1 on the day, continuing the trend of upsets for UIndy. His fall victory in the consolation third place match over Ouachita Baptist’s No. 12-ranked Jaylon Otero punched his ticket to nationals. In his other three matches, he earned two wins in close decisions against Quincy’s Hunter Vernon and McKendree’s James Hoskinson, and fell to 157 champion Gabe Johnson of Central Oklahoma.
Blubaugh’s quest for a second consecutive national title continued today, after going 3-1, and punching his fourth straight appearance as a national qualifier. In his first two matches of the day he dominated by a combined 34-1 score in two tech fall wins over Quincy’s Maxim Ryner and Ouachita Baptist’s Parker Henry. He then faced a rematch of the 2025 GLVC Championship against No. 3-ranked Logan Kvien. Blubaugh fell in a closely fought 6-3 decision, and will look for a third chance to take down Kvien at this year’s national championships.
Gray was the final Greyhound for UIndy to earn their place in this year’s nationals. It was smooth sailing for Gray in two of his first three matches, winning via major decision in both by a combined 24-3 over Newman’s Caleb Wunsch and Ouachita Baptist’s Brayden Seago.
His one loss on the day came against No. 2-ranked Ryan Herman of Maryville. These two have faced off one time before this year, with Gray coming out on top. These two are destined for a rematch in this year’s nationals as both qualified after wins by both in the third and championship matches in 285. Gray’s win in the third place match came against Central Oklahoma’s Judson Rowland.
Along with the six national qualifiers; Shane Bates (165), Trey Sizemore (174) and Aidan Petersen (184) all earned sixth place finishes after finished with three wins on the day. All three were forced to medically forfeit in their respective weight classes in the fifth place matches.
Jadon Gyan, in 133, wrapped up a strong first season with the UIndy program after falling to No. 7-ranked James Anderson from Ouachita Baptist, and McKendree’s Anthony Bernardo.
UP NEXT
The six Hounds who advanced to this year’s NCAA DII Championships will have two weeks to rest before things get underway at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, IN on March 14.
UINDY MEN’S BASKETBALL
GREYHOUNDS END SEASON AT QUINCY
QUINCY, Ill. – The UIndy men’s basketball team concluded its 2024-25 season on Saturday afternoon with an 89-77 loss at Quincy. The Greyhounds finish with a 15-13 overall record, including wins over NCAA tournament hopefuls Hillsdale, Kentucky Wesleyan, and Lewis.
Senior Brody Whitaker finished with a game-high 28 points on a season-best 11 field goals. It marks the seventh time this season the Greenfield, Ind., native scored at least 20 and his first time since Jan. 30.
INS & OUTS
The Hounds and Hawks came out firing, each shooting better than 51.5 percent in the first 20 minutes. UIndy closed the half on a 16-9 run, with Tucker Tornatta joining Whitaker with six points apiece during the stretch.
Quincy kept its momentum alive after the break, going 15 for 27 from the floor and 12 for 17 from the charity stripe in the second half. A pair of free throws from Dashawn Jackson just 33 seconds into the period put the Greyhounds ahead 51-45 before the Hawks forged an 18-5 run to lead 10 minutes until the final horn.
Jackson got the Greyhounds back within seven at the 9:53 mark, but the Hawks led by at least eight the rest of the way.
INSIDE THE BOX
– Jackson finished with 17 points, upping his team-high season average to 15.9 per game. It is the most by a Greyhound since the 2021-22 season and second-best mark in the last decade.
– Tornatta caps an impressive freshman campaign with 12 points and seven boards, leading the team with 163 rebounds (5.8 per game).
– Zac Szul concludes his two-year Greyhound career with five points, five rebounds, and four steals. He and Dylan Ingram graduate after contributing to a program that went 38-21 over the past two winters.
MORE NOTES
UIndy just missed out on its 18th straight GLVC Championship Tournament, finishing the regular season in ninth place behind McKendree and Rockhurst … the Hounds now lead the all-time series, 27-15 … the Greyhounds finish the season averaging 9.8 turnovers per game, their best single-season mark since at least the 1997-98 campaign.
UINDY BASEBALL
GREYHOUNDS FALL SHORT AGAINST GRAND VALLEY
NEW PALESTINE, Ind. – The No. 5 UIndy baseball team dropped its second game of the weekend against Grand Valley State, 4-1, on Saturday. This is the fourth consecutive loss for the Hounds after starting the season 5-0.
Both starting pitchers had strong six-plus-inning starts today, UIndy’s Dawson Gabe pitching 6 2/3 innings, and Grand Valley State’s Jayden Dentler throwing seven. But even with the long starts, there were only five combined punch-outs in this contest.
Saturday’s game was moved to New Palestine High School in New Palestine, Ind., due to poor field conditions at Greyhound Park.
INS & OUTS
This game was the complete opposite of yesterday’s contest, with 38 combined ground outs and fly outs, which caused quick innings, ending this one in just under two-and-a-half hours.
The Lakers got on the board first in the top of the second inning, pushing across a run on a double play to take 1-0 lead. Nick Lukac answered in the bottom half with a single through the right side gap to square the game at one apiece.
Grand Valley State scored the next two runs of the game off of solo home runs to right center in the third and fifth frames from Ryan Dykstra and Zach Warren to push the Lakers lead out to 3-1.
Dentler gave the Lakers help on the defensive side, holding the Greyhounds to just three hits in the remainder of his seven innings pitched.
The Hounds looked to launch a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, Ian Kennedy’s leadoff double and Luke Smock’s walk had runners on first and third with one out for UIndy. But Allan Thornington notched his second save of the season for the Lakers after forcing Lukac to ground into a double play to seal the 4-1 win for Grand Valley State.
UP NEXT
UIndy will look to split the weekend series against Grand Valley State when the two teams face off in a doubleheader on Sunday, March 2, with the first pitch set for noon.
UINDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S HOOPS CLOSES SEASON AT QUINCY
QUINCY, Ill. – The UIndy women’s basketball wrapped up its 2024-25 campaign on Saturday with a 79-69 loss at Quincy at Pepsi Arena. The Greyhounds finish the season with an 8-20 record, including six wins in GLVC play.
Four finished in double digits, with Elana Wells scoring a team-high 18 points. Patricia Chikamba recorded 15 points and eight rebounds, while Amyrah Sapenter drilled four 3-pointers and added two more steals.
INS & OUTS
Wells scored 18 points in 29 minutes off the bench, an even split between halves in the scoring column. UIndy built momentum just before halftime with back-to-back triples from Chikamba and Sapenter before Kylah Lawson cut the deficit to single digits early in the third quarter.
The Hounds ended the game on another quick 6-0 burst, with Autumn Rucker capping the run with a pair of free throws.
INSIDE THE BOX
– Lawson finished with a season-high 12 points and three steals against the Hawks.
– Five players dished out at least two assists, including Halie Gilbert and Jaelynne Murray.
– Sapenter’s two steals ups her team lead in the category to 57; the senior tallied a theft in all but six games this season.
MORE NOTES
UIndy now leads the all-time series, 32-25 … the Greyhounds finished sixth in scoring defense among all GLVC programs this season … Wells finishes her four-year career with 1,052 points, good for 23rd in program history, as well as 15th with 103 made 3-pointers … Chikamba surpassed 400 career rebounds and now has 406 through three seasons as a Greyhound.
MARIAN MEN’S TRACK
MARIAN BRINGS HOME FIRST-EVER NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BEHIND WALK-OFF RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For the first time in program history, the Marian men’s track and field has captured the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championship, as the Knights scored a team-record 57 points on the final day to walk-off as NAIA National Champions. Marian ended the championship with a program-record 74 points, ending their first national title with back-to-back relay wins.
The Knights opened the day with the mile race, as Charles Leedke looked to earn an All-American nod. In the race, Leedke battled through a tight pack of five runners throughout the race, holding in the top-eight throughout the four-plus minute event. Leedke would settle into a seventh place finish, missing out on sixth place by less than 0.2 seconds as his time of 4:11.21 held the seventh position.
Marian scored big in the 600m, as the Knights trio of Eric Materna, Richard Dube, and Olivier Lifrange took the track. Lifrange ran in the first of the two heats, winning comfortably as he recorded a lifetime best 1:17.76 in the section. Materna and Dube ran in the second section, with Materna blazing around the track in a 1:17.86 time, finishing second in the heat. Richard Dube finished fifth in the heat with a personal best time of 1:18.72, finishing on the heels of Materna. Materna slotted into third in the final group, while Dube placed fifth overall. Lifrange would stand as the national runner-up in the 600m, as he and his teammates combined to score 18 team points for the Knights overall score.
Brenden Endres competed in the pole vault, as the Knight finished 16th overall, matching his seed entering the week. Endres cleared the first bar at 4.60m on try one, and at 4.65m Endres passed on his second crack at the bar. Attempting 4.70m, Endres was unsuccessful in his three tries, settling into 16th place overall.
Competing in finals in their respective events were Jeremiah Brown and Tristan Trevino, as they closed down Marian’s individual action on the track in the 60m and the 800m. Brown finished seventh in the 60m as he battled leg tightness, grinding out a time of 6.81 to score two points to the team total. Trevino clocked a 1:50.48, matching the school record set by current-distance and cross country coach Presley Martin, with his time good to place fourth overall in the 800m. Trevino added five points to Marian’s total with his effort.
Christian Rios looked to add to his mantle as he competed in the shot put, but came up short as the weight throw champion missed out on the finals, placing 11th overall in the event. Rios hit on throws of 16.20m and 16.21m, but was unable to reach finals, falling seven centimeters short of the championship round.
Marian’s first of two relay races on the day was the distance medley relay, as the Knights entered the event confident with the lineup of Owen Pittman, Eli Givens, Mason Piatt, and Tristan Trevino. Entering the penultimate event, the Knights held the national championship lead of four points over the University of the Cumberlands, with both schools entered in the final race. Marian got off to a rapid start in the DMR, as Pittman, Givens, and Piatt held a lead for the majority of the opening 2400 meters. Tristan Trevino battled as he got the baton, going neck and neck to the finish line as he raced against the University of the Cumberlands and Spring Arbor. Entering the final turn of the race, Trevino came down the straightaway with a full head of speed, bolting to the side of the Patriots anchor. Trevino edged out the his opponent by 0.01 seconds, shouldering across the line to give Marian their first-ever NAIA championship in the event.
The DMR win for Marian increased their lead on the Patriots to six points, setting up the chance to win the national championship with the 1600 meter relay. The Knights lineup for the 4x400m relay was the team of Olivier Lifrange, Richard Dube, Raif Miller, and Eric Materna, as the group looked to close out the championship. The Knights competed out of the second heat, going in knowing they had to beat the Patriots time of 3:10.81. The team got off to a quick start, taking the lead immediately in the race. Materna brought home the championship, busting to the line as he accomplished a Marian school record with their time of 3:09.83.
The win for the Knights secured a walk-off championship, as their first-ever win in the 4x400m relay captured the team championship, driving Marian’s team total to 74 points. The Knights secured their championship by 10 points over the University of the Cumberlands, who finished as the runner-up with 64 points.
After the conclusion of the national championship for Marian, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Katie Wise was named as the NAIA Indoor Coach of the Year.
The national championship for the Knights is the sixth NAIA Red Banner in school history, and is Marian’s first since their 2019 NAIA National Championship in volleyball. Marian has won two championships in women’s basketball and two championships in football in addition to their volleyball and newly minted NAIA Track and Field Championship.
MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MARIAN TAKES DOWN NO. 9 SAINT FRANCIS IN CLASSIC OVERTIME SHOWDOWN
Fort Wayne, Ind. – The Marian women’s basketball team took down No. 9 Saint Francis in a classic overtime showdown in the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals with a final score of 67-64. The Knights move to 24-6 on the season and will take on No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan in the Crossroads League Tournament Finals.
Olivia Faust knocked in a jumper first to open up the semifinal match up but the nine ranked Cougars fought back with a four basket run to take the 9-2 lead at the 7:09 mark in the first quarter. Faust was able to fight back after a two minute dry spell on both sides with a three-pointer to bring the margin down to four. Out of the media timeout Kenna Kirby was able to fire off a three-pointer but the Cougars continued to push with a layup and pair of free throws to extend their 13-8 lead. Kiley McNally fired off a pair of layups to bring the margin down to one but Saint Francis was able to end the quarter with a layup to bring the score 15-12.
The Cougars fired off a layup to open the second quarter but McNally was able to fire off a shot to keep the margin down to three. Saint Francis continued to fire off baskets with a pair of layups but Marian was able to knock down a pair of three-pointers from Taylor Double and Faust to bring the Cougars 21-20 lead down to one. The home team fired off another three-pointer to extend their lead as well as record a foul to draw the media timeout. Extending their lead Saint Francis came out of the media timeout with a layup and two pairs of free throws. Kirby was able to break the Knights dry spell with a three-pointer to end the quarter 30-23 with Saint Francis maintaining their lead.
Much like the second quarter the Cougars opened up the third with a pair of layups but Madisyn Bailey and Double were able to counter the blow with Bailey recording a layup and Double recording a three-pointer. The Cougars continued their push with a three-pointer but Abbey McNally was able to fire off a pair of layups to bring the score 37-32 in favor of the Cougars. The home team fired off a layup but Faust was able to fire off a jump shot to counter the blow. Saint Francis continued to drain three-pointers to extend their 42-34 lead and call the second media timeout. Out of the media timeout Kirby fired off another three-pointer and brought the margin back down to five. Saint Francis was able to fire off a layup and a free throw but Abbey countered the blow with a layup to end the quarter 45-39 in favor of Saint Francis.
The Cougars opened up the fourth quarter with a three-pointer but Faust and Abbey McNally were able to record a layup each to bring the difference down to five. Out of the first media timeout the Cougars fired off a three-pointer and a layup to extend the score 53-43. McNally and Bailey recorded back-to-back baskets to push at the Cougars lead. Saint Francis fired off a layup but Double was able to outscore the basket with a three-pointer followed by a jumper from Faust to bring the score 55-52 with 2:30 remaining in the quarter. Kirby fires off a three-pointer to tie it up 55-55 with 1:50 remaining in the game. The Cougars get called on a travel with .03 left to allow Marian to gain possession and push the game into overtime.
The Cougars opened up overtime benefiting off of a Knights foul to fire off a pair of free throws but Abbey McNally was able to counter with a pair of layups to take the Knights first lead of the game. Saint Francis fired off a three-pointer but McNally was able to take the 61-60 lead. The Cougars drained a pair of free throws but McNally fired off another layup to take the lead once more. With 43 seconds remaining Abbey McNally goes to the free throw line recording a free throw to extend the Knights 64-62 lead. Kirby went to the line and recorded a pair of free throws to extend Marian’s lead with 15 seconds remaining in the quarter. The Cougars fired off a pair of free throws but McNally was able to decrease the blow with a free throw to end the game 67-64.
Abbey McNally led the Knights earning her 19th double-double of the season with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Olivia Faust and Kenna Kirby each recorded 14 points in the game as well. Kirby recorded six rebounds while Taylor Double recorded five. Madisyn Bailey led the team in assists with four while Kirby and Double had three each.
The Knights will be back in action on Tuesday, March 4th as they travel up to Marion, Ind. to take on No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats starting at 7 p.m.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
March 2
1918 — Joe Malone is held scoreless in the Montreal Canadiens’ 5-3 season-ending loss to the Toronto Arenas, but finishes the first NHL season with a League-high 44 goals in 22 games. The 44 goals remains an NHL record that stands until 1944-45, when Maurice Richard scores 50 goals in 50 games.
1921 — Kentucky beats Georgia 20-19 in the Southern Intercollegiate men’s basketball championship game in Atlanta. The 14-team conference does not keep formal regular season standings. It’s college basketball’s first tournament.
1929 — The Chicago Black Hawks score a goal to snap their NHL record eight-game scoreless streak. Chicago scores twice to beat the Montreal Maroons 2-1.
1940 — Seabiscuit, ridden by Red Pollard, wins the Santa Anita Handicap in his final race. Beaten by a nose in both the 1937 and 1938 Santa Anita Handicaps, Seabiscuit beats Kayak II by 1 1-2 lengths to retire as the leading money-winning horse in the world.
1951 — In the first NBA All-Star Game, Ed Macauley of the Celtics scores 20 points to lead the East to a 111-94 victory at Boston Garden.
1951 — St. John’s Bob Zawoluk scores 65 points to lead the Redmen to a 105-61 rout of St. Peters. It’s the first time in its 43-year history that St. John’s scores over 100 points in a game.
1962 — Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA-record 100 points to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to a 169-147 triumph over the New York Knicks. Chamberlain scores 59 second-half points and 28 points from the free-throw line for records.
1966 — Chicago’s Bobby Hull becomes the first NHL player to have two 50-goal seasons when he scores a third-period goal in the Black Hawks’ 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
1969 — Boston’s Phil Esposito becomes the first NHL player to score 100 points in a season, scoring a goal in the Bruins’ 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
1991 — Chris Corchiani of North carolina State becomes first player in NCAA history to hand out 1,000 assists in a career. Corchiani, who has 12 assists in the game, gets the milestone with 1:16 left in the first half on a pass to Rodney Monroe. Wake Forest spoils the day with an 89-84 win.
1991 — Del Ballard Jr. throws the most famous gutter ball in PBA Tour history in the finals of the Fair Lanes Open. Ballard, needing seven pins on his last roll to beat Pete Weber, gets none as his ball falls into the gutter. Weber wins 213-207, claiming the $30,000 first prize, while Ballard takes $15,500.
2011 — Pittsburgh overcomes a slow start to clinch at least a share of the Big East regular-season championship with a 66-50 win over South Florida. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon sets an NCAA Division I record for most victories in the first eight seasons of a career with 214 — one more than Everett Case had at North Carolina State and Roy Williams had at Kansas in their first eight years.
2012 — Major League Baseball expands its playoff format to 10 teams, adding a second wild-card in each league. The decision establishes a one-game, wild-card round in each league between the teams with the best records who are not division winners.
2018 — Kristina Vogel of Germany wins a record-tying 11th women’s world cycling title when she takes the individual sprint at the track world championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Vogel ties Anna Meares’ record for most women’s world titles.
2019 – 37-year-old Swiss 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion Roger Federer beats Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to win his 100th ATP Tour title at the Dubai Championships.
2024 — LeBron James becomes first player in NBA history to score 40,000 regular-season points as his L.A. Lakers slip to a 124-114 defeat to Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles.
March 3
1920 — The Montreal Canadiens set an NHL record for most goals in a game with a 16-3 rout of the Quebec Bulldogs.
1951 — Temple’s Bill Mlkvy scores an NCAA-record 73 points in a 99-69 rout over Wilkes.
1966 — Buckpasser, ridden by Bill Shoemaker, wins the Flamingo Stakes by a nose. The colt is such a prohibitive favorite among the field of nine the race is declared a non-wagering contest. The race is known as “The Chicken Flamingo.”
1968 — Montreal’s Jean Beliveau becomes the second NHL player to score 1,000 career points with a goal in a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
1984 — Peter Ueberroth, president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, is elected commissioner of baseball by major league team owners.
1985 — Bill Shoemaker becomes the first jockey to win $100 million in career purses after riding Lord at War to victory at the Santa Anita Handicap in Arcadia, Calif.
1985 — Kevin McHale of the Boston Celtics scores a team-record 56 points, making 22 of 28 shots in a 138-129 home victory over Detroit.
1987 — Mike Tyson adds the WBA heavyweight crown to his WBC heavyweight crown with a unanimous 12-round decision over James “Bonecrusher” Smith in Las Vegas.
2000 — Edward Fryatt ties a PGA Tour record with eight consecutive birdies in the second round of the Doral-Ryder Open. Fuzzy Zoeller did it in the 1976 Quad Cities Open, and Bob Goalby in the 1961 St. Petersburg Open.
2001 — A bloodied John Ruiz becomes the first Hispanic heavyweight champion by knocking down Evander Holyfield in the 11th round and earning a unanimous decision for the WBA title.
2012 — Wladimir Klitschko stops France’s Jean-Marc Mormeck in the fourth round to retain the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles. Klitschko is credited with the 50th KO of his career as he improves to 57-3.
2012 — No. 2 Syracuse beats No. 19 Louisville 58-49 to tie the Big East record for victories. The Orange (30-1, 17-1) match Connecticut’s 17 conference wins in 1995-96 and finishes the regular season with 30 wins for the first time in Jim Boeheim’s 36 years as coach.
2014 — LeBron James scores a career-high 61 points, breaking Glen Rice’s franchise record, and the Miami Heat defeat the Charlotte Bobcats 124-107.
2017 — Kyrie Irving scores 43 points, LeBron James has 38 and the Cleveland Cavaliers set the NBA regular-season record with 25 3-pointers in holding off the Atlanta Hawks 135-130.
2018 — Deontay Wilder survives a pummeling from Luis Ortiz, then knocks out the challenger in the 10th round to retain his WBC heavyweight title.
2024 — Iowa’s Caitlin Clark becomes the NCAA Division I all-time career scoring leader, surpassing Pete Maravich’s career total of 3,667. Her 35 points in win over visiting Ohio State brings her total to 3,685 and counting
March 4
1960 — Phil Latrielle of Middlebury scores an NCAA-record 10 goals in a 13-2 victory over Colgate. Latrielle, a three time All-American, would score a record 250 goals in the 85 games of his collegiate ice hockey career.
1962 — Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors registers his fifth straight 50-point game with 58 against the New York Knicks and sets a season scoring record with 3,921 points.
1968 — Joe Frazier wins the vacant New York world heavyweight title with an 11th-round TKO of Buster Mathis at Madison Square Garden.
1981 — Guy LaFleur of the Montreal Canadiens scores his 1,000th point with a goal in a 9-3 rout over the Winnipeg Jets.
1990 — Hank Gathers, one of two Division I players to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding in the same season, dies after collapsing during Loyola Marymount’s West Coast Conference tournament game against Portland. He was 23.
2004 — Mianne Bagger makes sports history at the Women’s Australian Open as the first transsexual to play in a pro golf tournament.
2006 — Rafael Nadal ends top-ranked Roger Federer’s 56-match hardcourt winning streak with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory in the final of the Dubai Open.
2011 — Miikka Kiprusoff becomes the first goalie in 25 years to stop two penalty shots in a game and finishes with 37 saves, leading Calgary past Columbus 4-3.
2013 — Gonzaga, the small Northwest school that has delivered big NCAA tournament wins, is on top of The Associated Press’ Top 25 for the first time. Riding the best record in Division I at 29-2, the Bulldogs become the 57th school to be ranked No. 1 since the AP poll began in January 1949.
2013 — Brittney Griner scores a Big 12 single-game record 50 points in her final regular-season game at Baylor and leads the Bears to a 98-50 win over Kansas State.
2015 — Russell Westbrook becomes the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to have four consecutive triple-doubles and the first since Jordan that year to have back-to-back triple-doubles with at least 40 points. Westbrook sets career highs with 49 points and 16 rebounds, and adds 10 assists, helping the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Philadelphia 76ers 123-118 in overtime.
2017 — Marit Bjoergen wins world championship gold in the 30-kilometer classical race as Norway completes a sweep of women’s cross-country ski titles at the world championships in Lahti, Finland. Bjoergen takes her record 18th career gold medal and fourth of the championships. No country had won all women’s cross-country gold medals at a single world championships since Russia in 1997, when there were only five events, rather than the current six.
2017 — Austrian Marcel Hirscher stuns the world of Alpine skiing by locking up an unprecedented sixth straight overall World Cup He becomes the first male skier to win six overall titles. Hirscher’s 44th career win also secures him the giant slalom title.
2017 — Napheesa Collier scores 24 points and top-ranked UConn routed Tulsa 105-57 in the American Athletic Conference quarterfinals. The Huskies (30-0) extend their NCAA-record winning streak to 105 games and reach the 30-victory mark for the 12th consecutive season.
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March 5
1924 — Frank Carauna, of Buffalo, N.Y., becomes the first to bowl two straight perfect 300 games. Carauna throws five strikes to open his third game, giving him 29 straight strikes.
1931 — WGL radio broadcasts the first game of the American Basketball League championship series. The Brooklyn Visitations beat the Fort Wayne Hoosiers 14-10 in the first professional basketball game to be broadcast live on radio.
1960 — Carol Heiss wins the ladies title at the World Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver.
1965 — Ernest Terrell wins the world heavyweight title with a unanimous 15-round decision over Eddie Machen in Chicago.
1973 — New York Yankee pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich announce that they’ve swapped wives and children.
1981 — Scott Hamilton wins the men’s title at the World Figure Skating Championships held in Hartford, Conn.
1985 — Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders scores his 50th goal, becoming the first NHL player to score 50 goals in eight consecutive seasons.
2004 — Ottawa and Philadelphia combine for an NHL-record 419 penalty minutes, with the Flyers setting a single-team mark with 213. There are five consecutive brawls in the final two minutes, including one involving both goalies. The previous record for penalty minutes was 406 by the Minnesota North Stars and Boston Bruins in 1981. The Flyers beat the Senators 5-3.
2016 — Makai Mason scores 22 points to lead Yale to a 71-55 victory over Columbia, clinching the Bulldogs’ first NCAA Men’s Tournament bid since 1962. The Bulldogs shared the Ivy championship last year with Harvard, but lost the playoff game with the Crimson. The win ends the second longest NCAA drought of any team that has made the tournament previously.
2016 — Clemson beats Boston College 66-50, completing the Eagles’ winless regular season in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Eagles (7-24, 0-18) are the first men’s ACC team to go winless in their conference regular-season games since Maryland went 0-14 in 1986-87. Worse, BC’s football team went 0-8 in league play, making the school the first in ACC history to go winless in both sports in the same academic year.
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March 6
1920 — Mickey Roach of Toronto scores five goals to lead the St. Patrick’s to an 11-2 rout of the Quebec Bulldogs.
1964 — Boxing legend Cassius Clay joins the Nation of Islam and changes his name to ”Muhammad Ali″, calling his former title a “slave name”.
1976 — Dorothy Hamill wins the World Figure Skating Championships in Goteberg, Sweden.
1977 — Montclair State’s Carol Blazejowski scores 52 points against Queens College, setting a new collegiate scoring record (for men or women) in the current Madison Square Garden in New York.
1982 — The San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks combine for 337 points in the highest scoring game in NBA history, to that point. The Spurs win, 171-166, in three overtimes.
1983 — The 12-team United States Football League begins its first season with five games.
1984 — Dale Hawerchuck of the Winnipeg Jets sets the NHL record for most assists in one period, with five in the second period of a 7-3 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings.
1988 — Julie Krone becomes the winningest female jockey in history with her 1,205th career victory. Krone rides a filly named Squawter to victory in the ninth race at Aqueduct Racetrack.
1996 — Detroit’s Chris Osgood becomes the third goalie in NHL history to score a goal, firing the puck into an empty net with 11 seconds remaining in the Red Wings’ 4-2 victory over Hartford.
2000 — Shaquille O’Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers scores an NBA season-high 61 points and had 23 rebounds in a 123-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
2001 — George Mason beats North Carolina-Wilmington 35-33 in the second-lowest scoring game in the shot-clock era of NCAA basketball.
2010 — Devin Harris scores 31 points and the New Jersey Nets erased an early 16-point deficit to beat New York 113-93. The Knicks miss all 18 attempts in the most futile 3-point shooting night in league history.
2011 — Lindsey Vonn clinches her third discipline title in three days with a super-G victory to wrap up a memorable weekend of ski racing in Tarvisio, Italy. Vonn took the super-combined and downhill titles the previous two days.
2014 — The Los Angeles Clippers rout the rival Los Angeles Lakers 142-94. It’s the most lopsided victory ever for the Clippers’ franchise and the most one-sided loss in Lakers history.
2015 — Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is suspended for nine games, with the school punished for ignoring the “most fundamental core values of the NCAA” for academic, drug and other violations committed primarily by the men’s basketball program. The school is put on probation for five years and the basketball team is forced to vacate 108 wins in which ineligible players participated.
2015 — Shane Walsh scores the winning goal in the fifth overtime to lead UMass to a 4-3 victory over Notre Dame in the longest game in NCAA Division I ice hockey history.
2019 — LeBron James scores his 32,293rd point in the 2nd quarter of a Lakers’ 115-99 loss to Denver in LA to pass Michael Jordan into 4th place on the NBA all-time point scoring list.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
13 – 9 – 4 – 7 – 23 – 17 – 19 – 66 – 13
March 2, 1974 – National Association of Professional Baseball Players officially adopts the batter’s box; decide any player betting on his own team will be expelled; any player betting on any other team to forfeit his pay
March 2, 1918 – Joe Malone goes scoreless in Montreal Canadiens’ 5-3 season-ending loss to Toronto Arenas; finishes the first NHL season with 44 goals, a record that stands until 1944-45
March 2, 1929 – George Hainsworth becomes first NHL goaltender to record 20 shutouts in one season when the Montreal Canadiens beat the visiting Boston Bruins, 3-0; ends season with 22
March 2, 1962 – Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain, Number 13 scored 100 points in the Warriors’ 169-147 win over New York Knicks in Hershey, PA. The Big Man went 36-of-63 from field, 28-of-32 from free-throw line and set a record for the most ever points scored by an NBA player in a single game.
March 2, 1966 – Chicago Black Hawks right wing Number 9, Bobby Hull becomes the NHL’s first 2-time 50-goal scorer when he strikes in a 5-4 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Stadium
March 2, 1966 – Jean Béliveau, Number 4 scored his 380th career NHL goal when his Montreal team tied Toronto, 3-3. This goal moved him ahead of Ted Lindsay into the #3 spot all time, behind Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe and Maurice Richar.
March 2, 1969 – Boston center Phil Esposito, Number 7 became the first skater in NHL history to record 100 points in a season when on this day, he scored not one but two, 3rd-period goals in the Bruins’ 4-0 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
March 2, 1980 – Phoenix Suns point guard Mike Bratz, Number 23 had is NBA free throw streak end at 57 games with a miss in the Suns’ 123-115 home win over the LA Lakers.
March 2, 1986 – Edmonton’s right wing Jari Kurri, wearing Number 17 scored 2 goals, including the overtime wining lamp lighter, to lead the Oilers to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Kurri, put up 100 points for the 4th straight NHL season.
March 2, 1988 – The flaming basketball is adopted as NBA franchise Miami Heat’s official logo from over 13,000 entries; Mark Henderson submits the winning entry
March 2, 1991 – On a day when his father Bobby made history some 25 years earlier, St. Louis right wing Brett Hull, Number 19 becomes a 70-goal scorer for the 2nd straight season and has 3 assists to help the Blues earn a 4-4 tie in Philadelphia; finishes season with NHL career-best 86 goals
March 2, 1993 – Number 66 of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux undergoes his 22nd and final radiation treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, then joined the Penguins in Philadelphia and has a goal and assist in a 5-4 loss to the Flyers.
March 2, 1993 – Winnipeg Jets Number 13, right wing Teemu Selänne, from Finland, breaks NHL record for goals by a rookie with a hat-trick in a 7-4 loss to the visiting Quebec Nordiques. In the effort he passed Mike Bossy’s mark of 52
March 2, 1995 – Joe Mullen Number 7 of Pittsburgh, becomes second NHL player to appear in 300 NHL games with 3 different teams when he played for the Penguins in a 6-3 loss in Buffalo. His game count went something like this: 379 in Pittsburgh, St. Louis 301, and Calgary 345
FOOTBALL HISTORY
2004 – Indianapolis Colts signed quarterback Peyton Manning to a 7-year, $98 million deal with a $34.5 million signing bonus. To that date it was the largest package ever in the NFL. Manning rewarded the franchise by winning a Super Bowl Championship and losing another title game. He was eventually replaced after a neck injury but returned triumphantly in Denver to win a another Super Bowl game, He was in 14 Pro Bowls, 5 times was the NFL MVP and had numerous other awards and records held per the Pro Football Reference.
2012 – Bountygate – NFL establishes existence of a bounty program at the New Orleans Saints 2009-11. The Saints players had allegedly been given incentives to injure opposing players by Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams. Head Coach Sean Payton along with GM Mickey Loomis and Williams were all suspended for the 2012 season due the findings.
1946 – Bay City, Michigan – Wayne Meylan the Nebraska Corn Huskers standout linebacker was born.
1954 – Los Angeles, California – UCLA’s fine Quarterback John Sciarra arrived into the world. The FootballFoundation.org website says that John was a Consensus All-America selection in 1975. Sciarra was named as the Player of the Game in the 1976 Rose Bowl after leading the Bruins to an upset over No. 1 ranked, undefeated Ohio State. Sciarra holds the school record for rushing yards gained by a quarterback with 1,813. The National Football Foundation voters selected John Sciarra for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1927 Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in major league history when the Yankees announce he will earn $70,000 per season for the next three years. The ‘Sultan of Swat,’ who had asked for $100,000, meets Colonel Jacob Ruppert at the owner’s brewery in the Yorkville section of Manhattan to finalize the historic deal.
1966 Commissioner William Eckert, citing a rule prohibiting clubs from signing players during their collegiate season, voids the Braves’ contract with USC standout Tom Seaver, who had signed with Atlanta for a $50,000 bonus a week earlier. The Mets will be awarded the future Hall of Famer’s signing rights in a lottery that includes the Phillies and Indians, who also were willing to match the Braves’ terms.
1989 “When he punched Keith Hernandez in spring training last season, it was the only time that Darryl Strawberry hit the cutoff man.” – STEVE WULF, Sports Illustrated journalist. At a photo session, Mets’ outfielder Darryl Strawberry throws a punch at Keith Hernandez, the team’s no-nonsense All-Star first baseman. The spring training scuffle started over comments about salaries, resulting in Straw walking out of camp.
1992 The highest-paid player tag now belongs to Ryne Sandberg, when the All-Star infielder signs a four-year contract extension worth 7.1 million dollars per season. The future Hall of Famer will unexpectedly retire during the season in 1994, walking away from nearly $15.8 million from the record deal he inked today.
1995 “Cleveland got the better of the deals. They didn’t get anybody.” – DAVEY JOHNSON, Reds’ manager. The Indians send Mike Curtis, Barbaro Garbey, Lee Granger, and Dave Gray to the Reds for “future considerations.” The transaction, which helps Cincinnati add much-needed players to their roster, marks the first trade of replacement players during a baseball strike.
2001 Rusty Greer, now the Rangers’ new leadoff hitter due to the A-Rod deal, signs a $21.8 million, three-year contract extension with Texas. The .307 career-hitting outfielder could make $36 million with incentives and options.
2005 Wearing their regular-season home uniforms instead of the traditional batting-practice spring training jerseys, the Nationals, in their first game ever, beat the Mets in the exhibition opener at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Florida, 5-3. The Expos’ first and last games were against the Mets before leaving Montreal for their new home in Washington, D.C.
2005 In a Capitol Rotunda ceremony, with legislators from the House and Senate and baseball commissioner Bud Selig in attendance, President George W. Bush awards the nation’s highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, posthumously to Jackie Robinson’s widow. Rachel, the widow of the courageous ballplayer, accepts the award for her late husband, who died in 1972.
2005 With hundreds of Red Sox Nation citizens in attendance on the south lawn, President George W. Bush praises the team spirit and winning style of the 2004 World Champions during a White House ceremony. Fall Classic hero and Bush supporter Curt Schilling gives the former owner of the Texas Rangers a white baseball jersey emblazoned with the forty-third Chief Executive’s name and the number 43.
2007 Michael Young signs an $80 million, five-year contract extension offered by the Rangers. The deal, which keeps the three-time All-Star shortstop with Texas through the 2013 season, is the second-largest in franchise history, eclipsed only by the $252 million, 10-year deal Alex Rodriguez free-agent signing in December 2000.
2007 A chartered bus accident at Interstate 75 and Northside Drive in Atlanta kills five Bluffton University baseball players, the driver, and his wife. The players, Zach Arend, David Betts, Scott Harmon, Cody Holp, and Tyler Williams, were en route to Sarasota, Florida, to play a twin bill with Eastern Mennonite University before participating in the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers.
2012 In the first change to the MLB playoff structure since the introduction of wild-card teams in 1995, a new one-game, a wild-card game between the teams with the best records in each league, which are not division winners, will become the initial round of the postseason. The new postseason system, which would have allowed the Red Sox and the Braves to avoid their historical collapses last season, increases the reward of winning a division title but opens the door to the possibility of a third-place team winning the World Series.
2018 Playing in his first baseball game since 2011, when he was in the Colorado Rockies organization, Seahawks’ NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, pinch-hitting for right fielder Aaron Judge, strikes out on a 2-2 fastball thrown by Braves’ southpaw Max Fried. The Super Bowl-winning QB’s (Seahawks, 2014) appearance in the bottom of the fifth inning is a surprise as the Yankees had announced he would not play in a spring training game.
TV SPORTS SUNDAY
| MLB SPRING TRAINING | TIME ET | TV |
| NY Yankees vs Atlanta | 1:05pm | MLBN |
| Cincinnati vs Chi. Cubs | 3:05pm | MLBN |
| NBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics | 1:00pm | ABC ESPN+ |
| Portland Trail Blazers vs Cleveland Cavaliers | 3:30pm | NBATV Rip City FanDuel Sports OH |
| Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers | 5:00pm | CHSN FanDuel Sports IND |
| Toronto Raptors vs Orlando Magic | 6:00pm | FanDuel Sports FL Sportsnet |
| New York Knicks vs Miami Heat | 6:00pm | MSG FanDuel Sports Sun |
| Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs | 7:00pm | ESPN FanDuel Sports OKC FanDuel Sports SW |
| New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz | 8:00pm | KJZZ GCSN |
| Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns | 9:30pm | ESPN AFSN |
| Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers | 9:30pm | Spectrum FanDuel Sports SoCal |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Toronto Maple Leafs vs Pittsburgh Penguins | 1:00pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| Boston Bruins vs Minnesota Wild | 3:30pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| Calgary Flames vs Carolina Hurricanes | 5:00pm | ESPN+ Sportsnet FanDuel Sports South |
| St. Louis Blues vs Dallas Stars | 6:00pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| Nashville Predators vs New York Rangers | 7:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South MSG2 Sportsnet |
| New Jersey Devils vs Vegas Golden Knights | 8:00pm | ESPN+ MSGSN Scripps |
| MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Charlotte at East Carolina | 12:00pm | ESPN2/U |
| Florida Atlantic at South Florida | 12:00pm | ESPN2/U |
| Army West Point at Bucknell | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Kennesaw State at Liberty | 1:00pm | CBSSN |
| Iona at Canisius | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Illinois at Indiana State | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Wisconsin at Michigan State | 1:30pm | CBS |
| UNI at Bradley | 2:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Princeton at Cornell | 2:00pm | ESPNU |
| Murray State at Belmont | 3:00pm | CBSSN |
| Illinois at Michigan | 3:45pm | CBS |
| WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Louisville at Notre Dame | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| N.C. State at SMU | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| Georgia at Tennessee | 12:00pm | SECN |
| Michigan at Illinois | 1:30pm | BTN |
| Kentucky at South Carolina | 2:00pm | ESPN |
| Virginia Tech at Clemson | 2:00pm | ACCN |
| Marquette at UConn | 2:00pm | FS1 |
| Florida at Texas | 2:00pm | SECN |
| Kansas St. at Iowa State | 4:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Wisconsin at Iowa | 4:00pm | Peacock |
| Ohio State at Maryland | 4:30pm | FS1 |
| TCU at Baylor | 6:30pm | FS1 |
| Villanova at Creighton | 8:30pm | FS1 |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| IndyCar: Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | 12:00pm | FOX |
| NASCAR Cup: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix | 3:30pm | FOX |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| DP World Tour: SA Open | 4:30am | GOLF |
| PGA Tour: Cognizant Classic | 1:00pm | GOLF |
| PGA Tour: Cognizant Classic | 3:00pm | NBC |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Serie A: Monza vs Torino | 6:30am | CBSSN Paramount+ fuboTV |
| La Liga: Leganés vs Getafe | 8:00am | ESPN+ fuboTV |
| FA Cup: Newcastle United vs Brighton & Hove Albion | 8:45am | ESPN+ |
| EPL: Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest | 9:00am | USA Peacock fuboTV |
| Ligue 1: Nantes vs Lens | 9:00am | Fanatiz beIN Sports |
| Serie A: Bologna vs Cagliari | 9:00am | Paramount+ fuboTV |
| Bundesliga: Union Berlin vs Holstein Kiel | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| Scottish Premiership: Aberdeen vs Dundee United | 10:00am | Paramount+ fuboTV |
| La Liga: Barcelona vs Real Sociedad | 10:15am | ESPN+ fuboTV |
| Ligue 1: Angers SCO vs Toulouse | 11:15am | Fanatiz beIN Sports |
| Ligue 1: Auxerre vs Strasbourg | 11:15am | Fanatiz beIN Sports |
| Ligue 1: Montpellier vs Rennes | 11:15am | Fanatiz beIN Sports |
| FA Cup: Manchester United vs Fulham | 11:30am | ESPN+ |
| Bundesliga: Augsburg vs Freiburg | 11:30am | ESPN+ |
| Serie A: Roma vs Como | 12:00pm | Paramount+ fuboTV |
| La Liga: Mallorca vs Deportivo Alavés | 12:30pm | ESPN+ fuboTV |
| Bundesliga: Hoffenheim vs Stuttgart | 1:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Serie A: Milan vs Lazio | 2:45pm | Paramount+ fuboTV |
| Ligue 1: Olympique Marseille vs Nantes | 2:45pm | Fanatiz beIN Sports |
| La Liga: Osasuna vs Valencia | 3:00pm | ESPN+ fuboTV |
| MLS: Vancouver Whitecaps vs LA Galaxy | 5:00pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Liga MX: Querétaro vs Puebla | 5:00pm | VIX |
| Liga MX: Atlas vs Atlético San Luis | 7:00pm | VIX |
| MLS: Houston Dynamo vs Inter Miami | 7:00pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Liga MX: Monterrey vs Santos Laguna | 9:05pm | VIX |