*******************THE SCOREBOARD*******************
********************INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD*************************
| DALEVILLE | 76 | SOUTHERN WELLS | 50 | |
| EAST CENTRAL | 56 | SOUTH DEARBORN | 46 | OT |
| EASTBROOK | 53 | ALEXANDRIA | 44 | |
| ILLIANA CHRISTIAN | 65 | HAMMOND NOLL | 57 | 2OT |
| LEO | 45 | FORT WAYNE SNIDER | 38 | |
| OLDENBURG ACADEMY | 55 | TRI | 53 | |
| PIKE | 70 | AVON | 63 | |
| RANDOLPH SOUTHERN | 54 | SETON CATHOLIC | 50 | |
| SMITH ACADEMY | 48 | ANDERSON PREP ACADEMY | 40 | |
| SOUTHPORT | 59 | BEECH GROVE | 57 | |
| PORTER COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT | ||||
| WESTVILLE | 65 | SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) | 48 | |
| HEBRON | 52 | WASHINGTON TWP. | 37 |
*******************INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD***********************
| ALEXANDRIA | 54 | MISSISSINEWA | 38 | |
| ANDREAN | 51 | BENTON CENTRAL | 50 | |
| CASCADE | 66 | DANVILLE | 61 | |
| COLUMBUS NORTH | 57 | SILVER CREEK | 51 | |
| EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL | 75 | HAMMOND MORTON | 53 | |
| EVANSVILLE NORTH | 47 | WASHINGTON | 32 | |
| FRANKLIN COUNTY | 61 | PERRY MERIDIAN | 51 | |
| HAGERSTOWN | 42 | CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL | 23 | |
| HERITAGE | 43 | NEW HAVEN | 35 | |
| HOMESTEAD | 62 | WARSAW | 54 | |
| INDIANA DEAF | 63 | IRVINGTON PREP ACADEMY | 28 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI | 56 | INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD | 43 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA | 56 | INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS | 41 | |
| MARQUETTE CATHOLIC | 67 | BOWMAN ACADEMY | 34 | |
| MCCUTCHEON | 39 | GUERIN CATHOLIC | 25 | |
| MONROVIA | 53 | SOUTH PUTNAM | 42 | |
| NOBLESVILLE | 68 | HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) | 57 | |
| NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) | 61 | RIVERTON PARKE | 28 | |
| NORTH KNOX | 65 | SULLIVAN | 34 | |
| PENN | 48 | ELKHART | 37 | |
| PORTAGE | 53 | GARY WEST | 11 | |
| PROVIDENCE | 58 | ROCK CREEK ACADEMY | 48 | |
| ROCHESTER | 28 | CULVER ACADEMY | 25 | OT |
| SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON | 70 | FORT WAYNE NORTHROP | 42 | |
| TRI-CENTRAL | 65 | ELWOOD | 6 | |
| TRI-VILLAGE (OHIO) | 60 | BLACKFORD | 42 | |
| WABASH | 46 | LEWIS CASS | 45 | |
| WAPAHANI | 39 | MONROE CENTRAL | 33 | |
| WESTFIELD | 35 | HAMILTON HEIGHTS | 28 | |
| WHEELER | 23 | GRIFFITH | 19 | |
| WHITELAND | 58 | SHELBYVILLE | 55 | |
| WOODLAN | 47 | FREMONT | 27 |
**************************INDIANA WRESTLING SCORES*********************
https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/
*******************TOP 25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL****************
DEPAUL 73 #8 XAVIER 72
#10 VIRGINIA 78 VIRGINIA TECH 68
WEST VIRGINIA 74 #14 TCU 65
SETON HALL 67 #15 UCONN 66
#16 AUBURN 67 LSU 49
#20 MARQUETTE 83 #22 PROVIDENCE 75
MISSOURI 79 #25 ARKANSAS 76
ELSEWHERE:
BRADLEY 78 INDIANA STATE 67
NEBRASKA 63 OHIO STATE 60
NORTHWESTERN AT IOWA POSTPONED
PITTSBURGH 75 LOUISVILLE 54
ST. LOUIS 76 LOYALA CHICAGO 59
CINCINNATI 85 S. FLORIDA 69
TEMPLE 73 E. CAROLINA 58
TEXAS A&M 54 FLORIDA 52
MISSOURI STATE 65 DRAKE 62 OT
NORTHERN IOWA 65 ILLINOIS STATE 63
SMU 79 TULSA 76 OT
OREGON 87 CALIFORNIA 58
OKLAHOMA STATE 72 OKLAHOMA 56
SAN DIEGO STATE 82 COLORADO STATE 76 OT
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230118
************TOP 25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL***********
#6 INDIANA 83 #21 ILLINOIS 72
#10 IOWA 84 MICHIGAN STATE 81 OT
#15 OKLAHOMA 93 TCU 66
#18 IOWA STATE 69 OKLAHOMA STATE 64
TEXAS TECH 68 #25 TEXAS 64
ELSEWHERE:
NEBRASKA 71 PURDUE 64
PROVIDENCE 74 BUTLER 66
BALL STATE 81 BUFFALO 59
BOWLING GREEN 88 TOLEDO 76
AKRON 80 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 65
WESTERN MICHIGAN 68 OHIO 57
MIAMI OHIO 74 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 69
MINNESOTA 75 PENN STATE 67
DUQUESNE 68 ST. LOUIS 63
EAST CAROLINA 61 CINCINNATI 53
RHODE ISLAND 75 RICHMOND 49
OAKLAND 81 DETROIT 66
ST. JOHN 66 MARQUETTE 61
WICHITA STATE 73 SMU 65
SOUTH FLORIDA 58 HOUSTON 56
BAYLOR 69 KANSAS STATE 48
KANSAS 77 WEST VIRGINIA 58
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230118
***********NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE************
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21
AFC: 4:30 PM (ET) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (NBC, PEACOCK, UNIVERSO)….PREVIEW: http://radiotroy.com/nfl-playoff-preview-jacksonville-jaguars-10-8-afc-south-no-4-seed-kansas-city-chiefs-14-3-afc-west-no-1-seed/
NFC: 8:15 PM (ET) NEW YORK GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (FOX, FOX DEPORTES) …..PREVIEW: http://radiotroy.com/nfl-playoff-preview-new-york-giants-10-7-1-nfc-east-no-6-seed-philadelphia-eagles-14-3-nfc-east-no-1-seed/
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22
AFC: 3:00 PM (ET) CINCINNATI BENGALS AT BUFFALO BILLS (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)…PREVIEW: http://radiotroy.com/nfl-playoff-preview-cincinnati-bengals-13-4-afc-north-no-3-seed-buffalo-bills-14-3-afc-east-no-2-seed/
NFC: 6:30 PM (ET) DALLAS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (FOX, FOX DEPORTES)…PREVIEW: http://radiotroy.com/nfl-playoff-preview-dallas-cowboys-13-5-nfc-east-no-5-seed-san-francisco-49ers-14-4-nfc-west-no-2-seed/
THE AFC AND NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES, PRESENTED BY INTUIT TURBOTAX, WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 29:
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29
NFC: 3:00 PM (ET) NFC CHAMPIONSHIP (FOX, FOX DEPORTES)
AFC: 6:30 PM (ET) AFC CHAMPIONSHIP (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)
***************************NBA*******************************
OKLAHOMA CITY 126 INDIANA 106
ATLANTA 130 DALLAS 122
WASHINGTON 116 NEW YORK 105
MIAMI 124 NEW ORLEANS 98
CHARLOTTE 122 HOUSTON 117
MEMPHIS 115 CLEVELAND 114
UTAH 126 LA CLIPPERS 103
DENVER 122 MINNESOTA 118
SACRAMENTO 116 LA LAKERS 111
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP
**************************NHL*******************************
OTTAWA 5 PITTSBURGH 4
BOSTON 4 NY ISLANDERS 1
COLORADO 4 CALGARY 1
TAMPA BAY 5 VANCOUVER 2
SAN JOSE 5 DALLAS 3
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP
***********************TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES************************
*************************NFL NEWS************************************
NFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: WHAT TO LOOK FOR – DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
DOMINANT DEBUTS: Three of the eight starting quarterbacks in the Divisional Playoffs, presented by Intuit TurboTax, made their postseason debuts last week in historic fashion.
New York Giants quarterback DANIEL JONES became the first player in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards (301), two touchdown passes (two) and 70 rushing yards (78) in a playoff game in New York’s victory at Minnesota. Jacksonville quarterback TREVOR LAWRENCE passed for 288 yards and four touchdowns in the Jaguars’ 27-point comeback victory over the Chargers and became the sixth quarterback ever with at least four touchdown passes in his first-career playoff start. In San Francisco’s victory over Seattle, BROCK PURDY became the first rookie quarterback ever with four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in a playoff game and had the most passing yards (332) by a player making his first career playoff start since 1937.
Lawrence and Purdy can join SCOTT BRUNNER as the only players ever with at least three touchdown passes in each of their first two career playoff games.
Additionally, Jones and Purdy can join MARC BULGER, Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN FOUTS, MATT HASSELBECK and MATTHEW STAFFORD as the only players ever with at least 300 passing yards in each of their first two playoff games.
Purdy, who was selected with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, is aiming to become the fifth rookie quarterback in NFL history to start and win a Divisional Round playoff game. He can also join MARK SANCHEZ (six touchdown passes in 2009 postseason) as the only rookie quarterbacks ever with four-or-more postseason touchdown passes.
The rookie quarterbacks to start and win a Divisional Round playoff game in NFL history:
| QUARTERBACK | TEAM | GAME | FINAL SCORE |
| Mark Sanchez | N.Y. Jets | 2009 AFC Divisional at San Diego Chargers | NYJ 17, SD 14 |
| Joe Flacco | Baltimore | 2008 AFC Divisional at Tennessee | BAL 13, TEN 10 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Pittsburgh | 2004 AFC Divisional vs. N.Y. Jets | PIT 20, NYJ 17 |
| Shaun King | Tampa Bay | 1999 NFC Divisional vs. Washington | TB 14, WAS 13 |
— DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS —
CHIEFS KINGDOM: The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS will be making their 2022 postseason debut this week after winning their seventh-consecutive AFC West division title and earning a first-round bye as the AFC’s No.1 seed.
With a win against Jacksonville on Saturday (4:30 PM ET, NBC/Peacock/Telemundo), Kansas City will become the third team in NFL history to appear in five consecutive Championship Games, joining the New England Patriots, who advanced to eight straight AFC Championships from 2011-18, and the Oakland Raiders, who advanced to five consecutive AFC Championships from 1973-77.
Head coach ANDY REID has led Kansas City to each of the past four AFC Championship Games, after leading Philadelphia to five NFC Championship Games earlier in his career. With a win on Saturday, he will become the third head coach in NFL history to appear in 10 Conference Championships, joining BILL BELICHICK (13) and Pro Football Hall of Famer TOM LANDRY (10).
Reid has 19 career postseason wins and can tie Landry (20) for the second-most in NFL history. Only Belichick (31) has more.
The head coaches with the most career postseason wins in NFL history:
| HEAD COACH | TEAM(S) | POSTSEASON WINS |
| Bill Belichick | Cleveland, New England | 31 |
| Tom LandryHOF | Dallas | 20 |
| Andy Reid | Philadelphia, Kansas City | 19 |
| Don ShulaHOF | Baltimore Colts, Miami | 19 |
| Joe GibbsHOF | Washington | 17 |
In three playoff games last year, quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES totaled at least 275 passing yards and three touchdown passes in each contest. With three touchdown passes on Saturday, he will join MATT RYAN as the only players in NFL history with at least three touchdown passes in four consecutive playoff games. Buffalo’s JOSH ALLEN also has a chance to accomplish the feat this week.
Mahomes has recorded at least three touchdown passes in seven of his 11 career playoff games, fourth-most in NFL postseason history. With three touchdown passes on Saturday, he will tie AARON RODGERS (eight games) for the third-most postseason games ever with at least three touchdown passes.
The players with the most postseason games with at least three touchdown passes in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | GAMES |
| Tom Brady | New England, Tampa Bay | 13 |
| Joe MontanaHOF | San Francisco, Kansas City | 9 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay | 8 |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 7 |
Mahomes’ top target in his career has been tight end TRAVIS KELCE, as they have connected on 11 postseason touchdowns over the past five years. With another touchdown between the pair, they will tie the Pro Football Hall of Fame tandem of JOE MONTANA and JERRY RICE (12 touchdowns) for the second-most postseason touchdowns between a quarterback-receiver pairing in NFL history. Only TOM BRADY and ROB GRONKOWSKI (15) have more.
The quarterback-receiver pairings with the most postseason touchdowns in NFL history:
| QUARTERBACK | RECEIVER | TOUCHDOWNS |
| Tom Brady | Rob Gronkowski | 15 |
| Joe MontanaHOF | Jerry RiceHOF | 12 |
| Patrick Mahomes | Travis Kelce | 11 |
Kelce enters the 2022 postseason with at least 95 receiving yards in each of his past six playoff games, the longest such streak in NFL postseason history. In 15 career playoff games, he has totaled 106 receptions for 1,291 yards and 12 touchdowns.
With 99 receiving yards on Saturday, Kelce will surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer MICHAEL IRVIN (1,315) and ROB GRONKOWSKI (1,389)for the third-most receiving yards in NFL postseason history.
With 100 receiving yards on Saturday, Kelce will tie Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (eight games) for the most postseason games with at least 100 receiving yards in NFL history.
The players with the most postseason receiving yards in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | RECEIVING YARDS |
| Jerry RiceHOF | San Francisco, Oakland Raiders | 2,245 |
| Julian Edelman | New England | 1,442 |
| Rob Gronkowski | New England, Tampa Bay | 1,389 |
| Michael IrvinHOF | Dallas | 1,315 |
| Travis Kelce | Kansas City | 1,291 |
With a touchdown reception, Kelce will surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN STALLWORTH (12 touchdown receptions) for the third-most postseason touchdown receptions in NFL history.
The players with the most postseason touchdown receptions in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS |
| Jerry RiceHOF | San Francisco, Oakland Raiders | 22 |
| Rob Gronkowski | New England, Tampa Bay | 15 |
| Travis Kelce | Kansas City | 12 |
| John StallworthHOF | Pittsburgh | 12 |
— DIVISONAL PLAYOFFS —
DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACKS: The NEW YORK GIANTS and PHILADELPHIA EAGLES will meet for the third time this season on Saturday night (8:15 PM ET, FOX/FOX Deportes). Eagles quarterback JALEN HURTS ranked fourth among quarterbacks with 760 rushing yards in 2022, while the Giants’ DANIEL JONES ranked fifth with 708.
Saturday’s meeting will mark the first playoff matchup in NFL history in which both starting quarterbacks each had at least 600 rushing yards in the regular season and the fifth with each having at least 500 rushing yards.
The postseason games featuring two starting quarterbacks each with at least 500 rushing yards in the regular season in NFL history:
| ROUND | GAME | QUARTERBACKS (RUSHING YARDS) | RESULT |
| 2022 NFC Divisional | N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia | Daniel Jones (708) & Jalen Hurts (760) | ??? |
| 2015 NFC Divisional | Seattle at Carolina | Russell Wilson (553) & Cam Newton (636) | CAR 31, SEA 24 |
| 2014 NFC Divisional | Carolina at Seattle | Cam Newton (539) & Russell Wilson (849) | SEA 31, CAR 17 |
| 2013 NFC Champ. | San Francisco at Seattle | Colin Kaepernick (524) & Russell Wilson (539) | SEA 23, SF 17 |
| 2013 NFC Divisional | San Francisco at Carolina | Colin Kaepernick (524) & Cam Newton (585) | SF 23, CAR 10 |
Philadelphia’s defense led the NFL with 70 sacks this season, tied for the third-most by a team in the regular season in NFL history. With three sacks on Saturday night, the Eagles will surpass the 1985 New York Giants (72 sacks) and 1983 Los Angeles Raiders (72) for thefourth-most sacks by a team in a single season, including playoffs, in league history.
The teams with the most sacks in a season in NFL history, including playoffs:
| TEAM | SEASON | SACKS |
| Chicago Bears | 1984 | 82 |
| Chicago Bears | 1985 | 80 |
| Oakland Raiders | 1967 | 74 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 1983 | 72 |
| New York Giants | 1985 | 72 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2022 | 70 |
— DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS —
CINCINNATI STARS: The CINCINNATI BENGALS are aiming for their second-consecutive AFC Championship Game appearance and fourth overall in franchise history.
Last year, quarterback JOE BURROW – who was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft – became the third quarterback selected in the first round to start a Super Bowl within his first two seasons in NFL history.
With a win at Buffalo on Sunday (3:00 PM ET, CBS/Paramount+), Burrow, age 26, will become the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall to win five playoff games prior to his 27th birthday. He can also join RUSSELL WILSON and BEN ROETHLISBERGER as the only quarterbacks ever to win five playoff games within their first three seasons.
Wide receiver JA’MARR CHASE led the team with nine receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown in Cincinnati’s victory over Baltimore last week, marking his fifth-consecutive playoff game with at least five receptions.
With five catches on Sunday, Chase will become the fourth player in NFL history with at least five receptions in each of his first six career playoff games, joining LARRY FITZGERALD, DEANDRE HOPKINS and WES WELKER.
Chase has 452 career postseason receiving yards and with 12 receiving yards on Sunday, will surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (463) for the second-most postseason receiving yards ever by a player in his first two seasons. Only CHARLIE BROWN (643) has more.
The players with the most postseason receiving yards in their first two career seasons in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | RECEIVING YARDS | |
| Charlie Brown | Washington | 643 | |
| Randy MossHOF | Minnesota | 463 | |
| Ja’Marr Chase | Cincinnati | 452* | |
| *In second season | |||
— DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS —
TOP BILLING: The BUFFALO BILLS are aiming for their second AFC Championship Game appearance in the past three years and can improve on their 13-1 home playoff record since 1970 when they host Cincinnati on Sunday (3:00 PM ET, CBS/Paramount+).
Last week, quarterback JOSH ALLEN passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns in their win over Miami, his third-straight playoff game with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes. If he accomplishes the feat again on Sunday, he will become the first player ever with at least three touchdown passes and 300 passing yards in four consecutive playoff games.
In seven career playoff games, Allen has totaled 17 touchdown passes. With three touchdown passes on Sunday, he can become the first player in NFL history to reach 20 postseason touchdown passes in eight-or-fewer playoff games.
The players to reach 20 touchdown passes in the fewest postseason games in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | GAMES TO REACH 20 TD PASSES |
| Drew Brees | San Diego Chargers, New Orleans | 9 |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 9 |
| Dan MarinoHOF | Miami | 9 |
| Josh Allen | Buffalo | 7* |
| *Has 17 career postseason touchdown passes |
Over his past two playoff games, wide receiver GABE DAVIS has totaled 314 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions, with over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in each game. He can become the fourth player in NFL history with at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in three-or-more consecutive postseason games.
The players with at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in the most consecutive postseason games in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | CONSECUTIVE GAMES |
| Larry Fitzgerald | Arizona | 4 (Jan. 3, 2009 – Feb. 1, 2009) |
| Randy MossHOF | Minnesota | 3 (Jan. 9, 2000 – Jan. 6, 2001) |
| Jerry RiceHOF | San Francisco | 3 (Jan. 8, 1989 – Jan. 6, 1990) |
| Gabe Davis | Buffalo | 2* (Jan. 23, 2022 – Jan. 15, 2023) |
| *Active streak |
Tight end DAWSON KNOX also recorded a touchdown reception last week, marking his fifth-consecutive game with a touchdown reception, going back to Week 14 of the regular season. He can become the third tight end in NFL history with a touchdown reception in six consecutive games within a single season, including playoffs, joining ROB GRONKOWSKI (2011 and 2014) and TRAVIS KELCE (2020 and 2021).
— DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS —
POSTSEASON HEAVYWEIGHTS MEET: When the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS host the DALLAS COWBOYS on Sunday night (6:30 PM ET, FOX/FOX Deportes), two of the most successful postseason teams in league history will meet.
Dallas has 36 postseason wins and with a victory on Sunday would tie the New England Patriots (37 postseason wins) for the most in NFL history. San Francisco has 35 postseason wins and with a victory, would tie Dallas, Green Bay and Pittsburgh for the second-most all-time.
The franchises with the most postseason victories in NFL history:
| TEAM | WINS | SUPER BOWL TITLES |
| New England | 37 | 6 |
| Dallas | 36 | 5 |
| Green Bay | 36 | 4 |
| Pittsburgh | 36 | 6 |
| San Francisco | 35 | 5 |
Last week in their win at Tampa Bay, Dallas quarterback DAK PRESCOTT recorded 305 passing yards and five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing). It marked his fourth-consecutive postseason game with a rushing touchdown, the longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history.
It also marked his fourth-career playoff game with both a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown, tied for the third-most such games ever. With a touchdown pass and rushing touchdown on Sunday, Prescott will tie TOM BRADY (five games) for the second-most such playoff games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG (seven) has more.
The players with the most postseason games with both a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | GAMES | |
| Steve YoungHOF | San Francisco | 7 | |
| Tom Brady | New England, Tampa Bay | 5 | |
| John ElwayHOF | Denver | 4 | |
| Donovan McNabb | Philadelphia | 4 | |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 4* | |
| Dak Prescott | Dallas | 4* | |
| *Active in 2022 postseason | |||
In last week’s victory over Seattle, San Francisco running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY totaled 136 scrimmage yards (119 rushing, 17 receiving) and a touchdown reception, marking his second-consecutive postseason game with at least 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown.
If he accomplishes the feat again on Sunday, McCaffrey will become the fourth player ever with at least 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in each of his first three career playoff games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer TERRELL DAVIS, LARRY FITZGERALD and ARIAN FOSTER. He can also join RICKY WATTERS as the only running backs ever with a touchdown reception in three consecutive postseason games.
PURDY, LAWRENCE, JONES HAVE MEMORABLE NFL PLAYOFF DEBUTS
A trio of NFL playoff quarterback newcomers provided some memorable playoff moments.
Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence and Daniel Jones all won in their first career starts in the postseason with performances for the history books. This marked the first time since the 2017 season that three QBs won in their first playoff starts in the same postseason.
Purdy started the weekend for San Francisco by throwing for 332 yards and three touchdowns and running for another score in a 41-23 victory over Seattle on Saturday.
Purdy became the first rookie quarterback to account for four touchdowns in a playoff game as he became the first rookie QB to win a playoff start since Russell Wilson in 2012.
Picked 262nd in the draft as “Mr. Irrelevant,” Purdy was the lowest-drafted rookie quarterback to win a playoff start, going 110 spots after T.J. Yates, who won for Houston in 2011.
The only rookie QBs to throw for more yards in a playoff game than Purdy are Wilson, who threw for 385 yards against Atlanta in his second playoff start in 2012, and Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh, who had 335 in his first playoff start against Chicago in 1937.
Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, followed it up with a roller-coaster performance against the Chargers.
Lawrence followed up four first-half interceptions with four TD passes to lead the Jaguars to the third-biggest comeback in playoff history when they rallied from 27-0 down to beat the Chargers 31-30 on Saturday night.
The only bigger playoff comebacks came when Buffalo rallied from 35-3 down to beat Houston 41-38 in overtime on Jan. 3, 1993, and when Indianapolis came back from a 38-10 deficit to beat Kansas City 45-44 on Jan. 4, 2014.
The comeback was the third by the Jaguars from at least 16 points down in their last 10 games, after doing it once in the first 455 games as a franchise. Jacksonville had been 1-125 when trailing by at least 16 points before this recent run that started with a 27-20 win over Las Vegas in Week 9 after getting down 17-0.
Lawrence joined Ben Roethlisberger (2020 season against Cleveland) as the only QBs with at least four TD passes and four interceptions in the same game.
Jones took until his fourth season to make it to the postseason but made the wait worthwhile when he threw for 301 yards and rushed for 78 yards in a 31-24 win over Minnesota.
Jones joined Steve Young and Lamar Jackson as the only QBs to throw for at least 300 yards and rush for at least 70 yards in a playoff game. But Jones is the first to do it in a win and the first to do it with at least two TD passes.
DOMINANT DIVISION
The wins by the Cowboys and Giants, gave the NFC East three teams in the divisional round with first-place Philadelphia having gotten a bye.
This marked just the third time three teams in one division advanced this far in the postseason with it last happening in 1997 when NFC Central teams Minnesota, Green Bay and Tampa Bay did.
The other team it happened also was in the NFC in 1992 when the Cowboys, Eagles and Washington all made it to the divisional round.
SEVENTH SEEDS
Since the NFL expanded the playoffs to seven teams per conference in 2020, none of the extra teams to get in have won a game.
Seattle lost 41-23 to San Francisco in the NFC on Saturday and Miami fell 34-31 against Buffalo, dropping the combined record of the seventh seeds to 0-6.
The average margin of victory from those games has been 12.2 points per game with only two decided by less than 12 points, including Buffalo’s 27-24 win over Indianapolis two years ago.
JUST FOR KICKS
Dallas kicker Brett Maher had a game to forget.
Maher missed his first four extra point tries in the win over Tampa Bay — twice as many missed extra points than any kicker had ever had in a playoff game.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no kicker had ever missed four extra points in a game since they first began tracked for kickers in 1932.
Only one other kicker in the last 29 seasons had even missed three extra points in any game with Matt Gay doing it for Tampa Bay against Atlanta in 2019.
Maher made his last try but Tampa Bay went for 2-point conversions after both TDs, leading to one made extra point on seven touchdowns. This is the third time in the last 50 years that a game had at least seven TDs and one or fewer made extra points.
Philadelphia and Detroit had one missed extra point and seven 2-point conversion attempts in an Eagles 34-20 win in 2013; and Indianapolis and Baltimore combined for one made extra point following seven TDs in the Ravens 31-25 overtime win in 2021.
RETURN TO SENDER
The Bengals win over the Ravens turned on one of the most improbable plays in playoff history.
Tyler Huntley lost a fumble trying to stretch the ball over the goal line in the fourth quarter of a tied game and Sam Hubbard picked it up and ran 98 yards for the game-winning touchdown for Cincinnati.
The play was the longest fumble return score in postseason history and tied for the fourth longest defensive touchdown ever in the playoffs. According to the NFL NextGen stats model, the play increased the Bengals win probability from 45.8% to 87.6%.
The only longer defensive TDs in postseason history were Taron Johnson’s 101-yard interception return for Buffalo against Baltimore on Jan. 16, 2021; George Teague’s 101-yard pick-6 for Green Bay against Detroit on Jan. 8 1994; and James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for Pittsburgh against Arizona in the Super Bowl following the 2008 season.
MAHOMES AIMS TO LEAD CHIEFS TO 5TH STRAIGHT AFC TITLE GAME
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ask any coach or player around the NFL and they are bound to tell you that the speed of the game picks up when the playoffs arrive. There is no longer time to think on the field; decisions more often are made by in-the-moment instincts rather than carefully crafted game plans.
Perhaps that is why Patrick Mahomes thrives in the postseason.
Whether it be his preponderance of no-look passes, crazy side-arm slings or the myriad other ways that the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback sparks creativity on the field, there is arguably no better player in the NFL when it comes to playing sandlot football. His ability to make something out of nothing leaves teammates and foes alike shaking their heads.
“My family or friends are like, ‘Oh my God, how’s Patrick Mahomes?’ And I’m like, ’He’s just a special individual,” said Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, whose career has been rejuvenated during his first season playing with him.
“It’s just like playing ‘Madden’ back when you had Michael Vick, who can just run all over the field and then launch it 80 yards down the field,” Smith-Schuster explained. “It’s kind of like that but for more it’s ILR — in real life.”
What has become known simply as Mahomes Magic around Kansas City tends to shine brightest this time of year, and the results are downright incredible: He has never failed to reach the AFC championship game in four years as a starter, twice going to the Super Bowl and once winning its MVP award while ending the franchise’s 50-year title drought.
He will try to improve to 5-0 in the divisional round on Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I think all the guys understood that whenever they signed with this team that we want to win the Super Bowl. And if we don’t, we feel like it’s not where we should be,” Mahomes said. “But you can’t look ahead. We have a great team that we’re playing this week, that’s playing great football, so how can we practice today so that we’re better by the end of the week? And I think you have to have that mindset — and I think the guys do — and I think we’re in a good spot.”
Rarely are the Chiefs, winners of the last seven AFC West titles, in a bad spot with Mahomes on the field. In all, he is 8-3 in the postseason. He is averaging 307 yards passing per game, a number driven up by a 404-yard effort in last year’s wild-card win over the Steelers. And he has thrown 28 touchdown passes against seven interceptions while adding five TD runs, including one in last year’s divisional-round win over the Bills.
That night at Arrowhead Stadium may have best encapsulated Mahomes in the playoffs.
The Chiefs trailed 29-26 with less than 2 minutes left when he threw since-departed Tyreek Hill a 64-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead. And when the Bills raced the other way and scored with 13 seconds to go, Mahomes answered with two long completions to Hill and Travis Kelce to set up Harrison Butker’s tying field goal as time expired.
In overtime, Mahomes completed all six of his passes, with the last the winning TD toss to Kelce in a 42-36 victory.
“Pat’s a very competitive person,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said, “and on top of that, obviously, he’s a great football player. He’s going to do whatever he can to make sure that he can help us be successful.”
That means tirelessly working on his craft, and the results are evident: Mahomes shattered his own franchise record with 5,250 yards passing this season, to go with a league-leading 41 touchdown passes and four touchdown runs.
“With me being there with him for his rookie year to where he’s at now, it’s so far advanced,” said quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy, who spent time as the head coach of the Bears before returning to Kansas City this season.
“Sometimes the hardest thing for some quarterbacks to do is to call a play. For him, that’s like second nature. It’s simple,” Nagy said. “It wasn’t like that as a rookie. Sometimes we take that for granted because we have some unique formations, motion shifts, plays, etc. Well, that’s just the beginning of the play. You’ve got to get up and do everything else at the line of scrimmage then, oh, by the way, you’ve got to make a play.”
Mahomes has been making them for years. And making them look easy.
Most of the time.
The last time he stepped on the field in the playoffs, against the Bengals in last year’s AFC championship, he produced perhaps the worst performance of his career. Mahomes still threw for 275 and three touchdowns, but he also threw a pair of interceptions, and they gave Cincinnati a chance to rally from a 21-3 deficit for a 27-24 overtime victory.
It’s a loss that has fueled Mahomes through the offseason, the regular season and right into this year’s postseason.
“You build up for this all season,” he said. “The regular season, you take it week by week, but you want to be here in the playoffs, and you know you’re going to be playing the best football teams in the league, and that’s what you want to do as a competitor. And so I’m excited to go up against a great football team at Arrowhead Stadium. That’s always a good time.”
DAMAR HAMLIN AT BILLS FACILITY ALMOST DAILY AS HE RECOVERS
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — As Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin continues his road to recovery, he has begun spending more time at the team’s facility.
Coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday that Hamlin was there “almost daily,” visiting on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It’s limited, just overall,” McDermott said of what Hamlin has been doing. “But he comes in and really just started really today or yesterday and just trying to get back to a little bit of a routine and just get himself acclimated again and taking it one step, one baby step at a time here.”
He has not been participating in team meetings but is “kind of get himself dipping his toe back in here and you know, getting on the road to just getting back to himself,” McDermott said.
Hamlin was not in attendance at the team’s win over the Miami Dolphins to start the playoffs, but he was watching remotely. The 24-year-old first visited the team Saturday at its walk-through before the game, with his parents, Mario and Nina, and his brother, Damir.
“That was special for the whole team, because everybody just ran up and just bombarded each other trying to get to see him and hug him,” cornerback Kaiir Elam said Sunday. “And I think that was very special, and it lifted a lot of spirits as well.”
Hamlin suffered a medical emergency during the first quarter of the Bills’ Week 17 game in Cincinnati leading the game to be postponed and ultimately cancelled. He spent almost a week at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center recovering from suffering cardiac arrest before flying to Buffalo to spend about two days at Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute. He was discharged last Wednesday.
While the team is preparing to host the Bengals in the divisional round after experiencing a variety of emotions over the last couple of weeks, McDermott feels that with Hamlin continuing to progress, the team is in a solid place.
“Well, I think the guys are in a good spot,” McDermott said. “Damar’s in the building now, almost starting daily, and so that’s, that’s good news. And as he continues to improve, I think those are, you know, that certainly helps. So that’s gonna be — I mean, that experience — we’ll carry that with us and there’s a challenge to that, but there’s also a lot of good that came from that. And I think right now we need to focus on the positives and the positives that came out of that, as opposed to the other piece of it right now.”
COWBOYS SIGN KICKER TO PRACTICE SQUAD AFTER MAHER MELTDOWN
FRISCO, Texas (AP) The Dallas Cowboys signed kicker Tristan Vizcaino to the practice squad Wednesday, adding an option in case Brett Maher’s wild-card meltdown lingers into practice this week.
Maher missed his first four extra points in the 31-14 victory over Tampa Bay, an NFL first in the regular season or playoffs. He made the fifth to end a streak of five consecutive botched PATs going back to the regular-season finale against Washington.
Owner/general manager Jerry Jones, coach Mike McCarthy and special teams coach John Fassel backed Maher during the week, saying they expected him to kick Sunday night in the divisional game at San Francisco.
Jones was less definitive on his radio show Tuesday. He said the club would see how the week went. The move to Vizcaino could be made if Maher’s struggles continue in practice.
The only full practice of the week is Thursday, but Fassel said there would be no adjustment in Maher’s routine. Fassel said Maher kicks on Thursday and Friday during a normal week.
Vizcaino, who spent part of the 2020 offseason with Dallas, made both field goals and all three extra points in Week 10 with Arizona. The 26-year-old was with New England after that but didn’t attempt any kicks.
In 2021, Vizcaino was just 10 of 15 on extra points with the Los Angeles Chargers before he was demoted in October. He spent the rest of the season on the LA practice squad.
Maher was in the top 10 in field goal percentage during the regular season after making 29 of 32 (91%). He was 50 of 53 on PATs before the playoffs.
BRONCOS’ HAVE SIX DOWN, TWO TO GO IN HEAD COACH INTERVIEWS
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) The Denver Broncos have two more interviews lined up for their vacant head coaching position: defensive coordinators DeMeco Ryans of the 49ers and Dan Quinn of the Cowboys.
Team owner Greg Penner and general manager George Paton will meet with Ryans on Thursday and Quinn on Friday.
Quinn was also a candidate a year ago when the Broncos hired Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired after his team showed a disturbing lack of discipline in a 51-14 loss to the Rams on Christmas Day.
The Broncos are searching for their sixth head coach since their last trip to the playoffs following the 2015 season.
They interviewed Sean Payton, who is still under contract with the Saints, and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday.
Payton, who worked as a studio analyst this season, won the NFC South seven times with the Saints and the Super Bowl in the 2009 season, amassing a 152-89 record. He stepped down after Drew Brees retired following the 2020 season.
Payton has two years remaining on his contract and thus would have to be traded. The Saints, who have granted the Broncos, Cardinals and Texans permission to speak with him, are requiring significant draft pick compensation.
The Saints don’t have a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft after a trade with the Eagles that gave New Orleans two first-rounders last year.
The Broncos began their interviews last week, speaking with their own defensive coordinator, Ejiro Evero, former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, former Stanford head coach David Shaw and Jim Harbaugh, who decided to stay at the University of Michigan.
Jerry Rosburg took over as interim head coach following Hackett’s dismissal on Dec. 26 and went 1-1. The Broncos, who averaged a paltry 15.5 points per game under Hackett, averaged 27.5 points against the Chiefs and Chargers, both of whom made the playoffs.
With Rosburg in charge, Russell Wilson looked more like the nine-time Pro Bowler he was with the Seahawks in a 27-24 loss at Kansas City and a 31-28 win over the Chargers, giving the team a glimmer of hope that his poor performance in 2022 was more about a bad fit than a slippage of his skills.
The Broncos started out slowly last season following what came to be known around Denver as “Camp Cupcake” in which Hackett eliminated 7-on-7 drills, a staple of training camps for generations, and hardly had his team do any live hitting or full-speed drills in the interest of safety and preventing injuries.
That approach backfired as the Broncos ended up with a league-high 22 players on injured reserve, including Garett Bolles, Javonte Williams and Tim Patrick on an offense that lacked many playmakers by season’s end.
The new head coach will inherit one of the NFL’s top defenses to go with that fixer-upper on offense.
Bolles, who is rehabbing from ankle surgery, said he and fellow veterans Justin Simmons and Brandon McManus, “have seen a lot of turnover and a lot of change,” and he wants to new head coach to know that “we have a lot of great fighters on this team,” one that is “hungry to win.”
AP SOURCES: PANTHERS INTERVIEW EVERO FOR HEAD COACHING JOB
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The Carolina Panthers interviewed Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for their head coaching position on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team does not release details of its coaching search.
Evero spent last season as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator. When Nathaniel Hackett was fired as Denver’s head coach, Evero had been pegged as the interim head coach but instead decided to remain as coordinator.
Among those who’ve already interviewed for the job in Carolina are former Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, former Colts coach Frank Reich, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and interim Panthers head coach Steve Wilks.
The candidates the Panthers have received permission to interview but have not yet talked to include former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo have withdrawn their name from consideration.
In addition, the Panthers previously received permission to speak with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, but an interview has not been set due to logistical reasons.
By interviewing Evero and Caldwell, the Panthers have fulfilled the required Rooney Rule obligations that require NFL teams to interview two minority candidates from outside of the organization.
************************COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS************************
MARYLAND’S TAULIA TAGOVAILOA SAYS HE’LL BE BACK NEXT SEASON
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) Taulia Tagovailoa announced Wednesday he is returning to Maryland to play next season.
Tagovailoa, who holds a slew of school passing records, will try to help the Terrapins continue their recent rise under coach Michael Locksley. Maryland has won bowl games each of the past two seasons after finishing below .500 in the previous six.
“My goal when coming to Maryland was to help Coach Locksley turn this program around,” Tagovailoa said. “After winning back-to-back bowl games, I believe we have things going in the right direction. But we’re not done yet. I’m not done yet.”
The Terps went 8-5 this past season and were competitive against both Michigan and Ohio State. Tagovailoa, the brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, has stabilized the QB position at Maryland. He holds the program’s career records for yards passing, completions, completion percentage, touchdowns passing and total offense.
He also holds single-season records for yards passing, completions, completion percentage and touchdowns passing.
Maryland also returns standout running back Roman Hemby and tight end Corey Dyches, although wide receiver Rakim Jarrett decided to enter the NFL draft.
FORMER LSU QB WALKER HOWARD ANNOUNCES TRANSFER TO OLE MISS
Freshman quarterback Walker Howard announced on Wednesday that he is transferring to Ole Miss.
Howard was the No. 42-ranked prospect in the 2022 class and signed with LSU. He spent one season with the Tigers and entered the transfer portal Jan. 13. He was the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the class and was committed to LSU before Brian Kelly was hired as coach.
Kelly was trying to recruit Howard at Notre Dame and then convinced the Lafayette, Louisiana, recruit to sign with LSU.
Howard participated in just two games this past season behind Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels and backup Garrett Nussmeier. He’s one of 20 LSU players to enter the portal since Dec. 5, and gives Ole Miss a new option at quarterback.
Rebels coach Lane Kiffin brought in USC transfer Jaxson Dart before the 2022 season. Dart threw for 2,974 yards, had 20 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions this past season. The staff saw backup Luke Altmyer enter the portal and transfer to Illinois.
With no high school quarterback committed in the 2022 or 2023 class, and Altmyer leaving, it was imperative to add another quarterback to the roster. Howard gives the staff depth, but also someone who can push Dart for playing time to help improve the position going forward.
****************************NBA NEWS******************************
CHRIS FORD, CHAMP AS PLAYER, COACH WITH CELTICS, DIES AT 74
Chris Ford, a member of the Boston Celtics 1981 championship team, a longtime NBA coach and the player credited with scoring the league’s first 3-point basket, has died, his family announced in a statement. He was 74.
The family revealed the death through the Celtics on Wednesday. No official cause was given, but the statement said Ford passed away on Tuesday. The Press of Atlantic City reported he died in Philadelphia having suffered a heart attack earlier in the month.
“Chris was beloved by his family, friends, and teammates. He had a great love for his family, the city of Boston, the fans, and the entire Celtics family,” the family statement said. “He always showed humility and respect for all those that were fortunate enough to be a part of his life.”
Ford was voted the team’s MVP in his first season with Boston. He retired following the 1981-82 season and was an assistant coach for the Celtics for seven seasons from 1983 to 1990, helping coach former teammates Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to two titles in 1984 and 1986 while serving under coach K.C. Jones.
He is one of four former Celtics to have won championships as both a player and coach, joining Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn and Jones.
“As a player and coach, Chris Ford’s career spanned over a decade of Celtics basketball, and he made his mark every step of the way,” the Celtics said in a statement. “‘Doc,’ as he was affectionately known by his teammates, was a fundamentally versatile all-around guard. … The Boston Celtics sends their deepest sympathies to the Ford family and their many friends.”
Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Ford was drafted out of Villanova by the Detroit Pistons in 1972. He spent six seasons there before being traded to the Celtics. He averaged a career-high 15.6 points and 4.7 assists per game his first season in Boston in 1978-79. He opened the following season on Oct. 12, 1979, by sinking the first 3-point shot in NBA history in the first quarter of Boston’s win over the Houston Rockets.
Ford succeeded Jimmy Rodgers as Celtics coach and led the team for five seasons from 1990-91 through 1994-95.
He compiled a 222-188 record with four playoff appearances as Boston’s head coach, but his teams never advanced beyond the conference finals.
Ford also had a pair of two-year head coaching stints with the Milwaukee Bucks (1996-98) and Los Angeles Clippers (1998-2000). He began the 2003-04 season as an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers and coached the final 30 games that season after Randy Ayers was fired.
YOUNG, HAWKS BEAT DONCIC, MAVS 130-122 FOR 4TH STRAIGHT WIN
DALLAS (AP) Trae Young’s latest matchup against Luka Doncic was his first with Dejounte Murray.
Atlanta’s backcourt mates kept their winning streak alive against the MVP candidate.
Murray scored 30 points, Young had 18 points and 12 assists and the Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-122 on Wednesday night.
John Collins added 19 points as Atlanta won a season-best fourth consecutive game to get back over .500 at 23-22.
Doncic scored 30 points but had just three in the fourth quarter and fell to 4-3 in head-to-head meetings with Young. They were traded for each other as top-five picks on draft night in 2018, Doncic going third overall and Young fifth.
Murray and Collins combined to go 7 of 11 from 3-point range as the Hawks shot 57% from deep and 50% overall.
Dallas was down one when Murray, acquired in the offseason for multiple first-round draft picks, hit a 3 for a 124-120 lead just inside the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Young pushed the lead to six with 41 seconds left on a high-arching floater.
“These are the things we were looking for or have been looking for with (Murray) and Trae,” coach Nate McMillan said. “Trae did a good job … understanding that (Murray) had a hot hand, was feeling it and was in a rhythm and we tried to milk that.”
Dallas shot 52% overall and 38% from long range with 16 3s but couldn’t get stops while allowing at least 130 points for the third consecutive game.
“It’s a shootaround,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “In this league, you do that, no matter if you have Luka or Kareem or LeBron, you’re going to lose.
“Until we put in a better effort into defense and understanding what we have to do, then we’re going to score 120 but we’re going to give 130, 140. One night we might give up 150.”
Christian Wood had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks, who were coming off a 1-4 trip and have lost six of eight since a seven-game winning streak that was their longest since the franchise’s lone championship season of 2010-11.
Murray put Atlanta ahead for good with a jumper to start a 7-0 that broke a 110-110 in the fourth quarter.
Dallas took its first lead at 75-73 in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Doncic that started an 11-0 run. Murray answered by scoring the next eight points to get the Hawks back within two.
MORE CAPELA
Atlanta’s Clint Capela had 16 points and six rebounds in his second game back after missing 13 of the previous 14 games with a right calf strain. McMillan said Capela was still on a minutes restriction off the bench. He played 23, two more than in his return and was on the floor with the game on the line late.
TWO MAVERICKS RETURN
Dorian Finney-Smith started for Dallas after missing 14 games with a right adductor strain, and Josh Green was back from a 20-game absence due to a right elbow sprain. Finney-Smith had nine points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes. Green scored nine points in 20 minutes.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Eight of the nine Atlanta players scored in double figures. After Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 12 and De’Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okongwu finished with 11 apiece. AJ Griffin scored 10. … The Hawks were last over .500 on Dec. 27.
Mavericks: Spencer Dinwiddie scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. … Reggie Bullock scored 18 on 4-of-7 shooting from 3.
MOVING TIME
McMillan said the initial goal he set for the team in a chart he showed the players recently was to finish in the top six in the Eastern Conference, which would avoid the play-in tournament.
The Hawks won two play-in games last season to get the eighth seed. They lost to top-seeded Miami in five games in the first round after going to the East finals in 2020-21.
“We need to start winning some games because we’re in the second half of the season and this thing normally goes pretty fast,” McMillan, whose team entered the game seeded ninth, said before the game.
UP NEXT
Hawks: The Knicks visit Friday, with New York trying to win a fifth consecutive game in Atlanta.
Mavericks: Miami at home Friday. The Heat have won nine of the past 11 in Dallas.
KUZMA, WIZARDS BEAT KNICKS 116-105 IN BEAL’S RETURN
NEW YORK (AP) Bradley Beal made his first shot to give Washington a lead it never gave up.
With their leading scorer back, the Wizards finally got their starting lineup together again and couldn’t have asked for a better reunion.
“We get to see what we’re like as a whole,” Beal said, “and if we continue to compete like that we’ll be pretty good.”
Kyle Kuzma scored 27 points, Beal had 18 in his return from a five-game absence and the Wizards never trailed in a 116-105 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists against his former team, helping the Wizards get off a fast start and play from ahead all night. Kuzma, who scored a season-high 40 points in a loss to the Knicks last Friday, had 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Kuzma didn’t need to score as much this time thanks to the return of Beal, Washington’s leading scorer who shot 7 for 11 after being sidelined by a strained left hamstring. The Wizards went 1-4 without him and had dropped two in a row.
Beal made his first shot to send Washington to a 7-0 lead that quickly grew to 14-3 and later 19-5. Porzingis hit two 3-pointers and scored eight points in the early flurry.
“It was a good sign those guys could kind of put it together,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “It seemed like the chemistry hasn’t changed at all in Brad’s absence.”
Jalen Brunson scored 32 points and RJ Barrett 21 had for the Knicks, who have lost two straight home games to teams behind them in the standings this week after a stretch of seven wins in eight games.
“They had guys coming back into the lineup tonight, so they were amped up to play and they played great,” Barrett said.
Immanuel Quickley added 18 points and Julius Randle had 14 points and 15 rebounds, but he shot 6 for 17 and most of his makes came with the game out of reach.
Starting center Mitchell Robinson played just nine minutes before leaving with a sprained right thumb.
“You miss who he is obviously, but that’s part of it,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But overall we didn’t play well.”
It was 43-28 in the second quarter after eight straight points from Deni Avdija before the Knicks trimmed it to 56-48 at halftime.
The Knicks got it down to 95-88 on Quickley’s 3-pointer with 9:04 remaining, but Washington answered with 10 in a row, with Kuzma scoring four straight before Beal’s basket made it 105-88 as the Wizards matched their biggest lead.
Brunson scored 16 points in the third quarter, but the rest of the Knicks shot 5 for 15 as Washington nudged its lead up to 88-78.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Beal played 29 minutes. Unseld said before the game the Wizards would be careful not to tax their leading scorer too much right away, given his previous hamstring problems this season. … Avdija scored 14 points.
Knicks: Thibodeau didn’t disagree with the NBA’s determination that Barrett wasn’t fouled on his tying dunk with 0.6 seconds left in regulation of the Knicks’ loss to Toronto on Monday. The league, in its Last 2 Minutes report, said Scottie Barnes made contact with Barrett’s non-shooting arm, but not enough to affect the shot. Thibodeau said it’s a play where a foul is called perhaps half the time.
DONATION DAY
Kuzma announced Wednesday on ABC’s “GMA3” that he was donating $1 million to the YMCA in his home of Flint, Michigan.
The Knicks and JPMorgan Chase said they were making a second $100,000 donation to the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School in New York. The school, named after the Hall of Famer who played for the Knicks and Washington organizations, is the first public high school with an academic curriculum designed around basketball.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host Orlando on Saturday.
Knicks: At Atlanta on Friday.
BAM ADEBAYO SCORES 26 POINTS, HEAT BEAT PELICANS 124-98
NEW ORLEANS (AP) Bam Adebayo scored 26 points and the Miami Heat led comfortably from the first quarter on in a 124-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
“We played great basketball for the entire game,” said Adebayo, who made 11 of 15 shots in about 30 minutes on the court.
“We’re always trying to get each other going and you love to have teammates like that,” Adebayo added. “I’m just getting to my spots. Guys want me to be assertive, want me to be aggressive.”
Jimmy Butler added 18 points and Gabe Vincent hit four 3-pointers as part of a 16-point night for the Heat. They never trailed and led for all but the first two minutes en route to their fourth victory in five games.
The Heat outscored New Orleans 64-48 in the paint and outrebounded the Pelicans 43-37, and that dominance inside had a lot to do with Adebayo’s play, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
“We ultimately want to get Bam involved as much as possible. We can’t get the ball to him enough,” Spoelstra said. “He’s great at getting all the way to the rim and he was doing that tonight.”
CJ McCollum scored 21 points for Pelicans. They’ve lost seven of 10 while playing much of that stretch without star power forward Zion Williamson.
Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which briefly trimmed a 19-point halftime deficit to 12 in the third quarter before Miami pulled away again.
“We didn’t show up with a level of urgency that it takes to play against good teams,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Tonight we didn’t have it. Normally, we do, but tonight, we didn’t.
“This is the time of the season where it’s sort of the dog days,” Green added. “You’ve got to do all the little things to get yourselves prepared to play.”
Miami guard Kyle Lowry returned from left knee soreness that had sidelined him four games. He played 22 minutes and finished with seven points, eight rebounds and four assists.
“It was good to get back,” Lowry said. “I feel pretty good right now and hopefully that won’t reoccur.”
Spoelstra said Lowry could have played more but there was no need to push him with the game in hand.
“His minutes, particularly in the first half, were really good,” Spoelstra said, noting an early steal by Lowry and his generally physical presence on defense.
Miami led by 20 in the first quarter when Vincent’s 3 made it 30-10. The Pelicans responded with a 10-2 run and briefly got as close as 33-23 on Naji Marshall’s driving layup as he was fouled, but Miami didn’t let it get tighter in the opening half.
Vincent’s 3 as the horn sounded to end the first quarter started a 12-2 run and Miami rebuilt its lead to 23 when Max Strus’ 3 made it 54-21.
“Offensively, Kyle, Jimmy, Tyler, Bam were all incredibly assertive right from start of the game and that’s kind of mentality we have to have,” Spoelstra said.
Miami reached the most points scored against New Orleans in a first half this season when Tyler Herro’s finger roll made it 70-46.
Alvarado’s banked 3 in the final seconds of the half pulled New Orleans to 70-51.
TIP-INS
Heat: Strus finished with 16 points and 10 assists. … Herro scored 14 points. … Caleb Martin and Orlando Robinson each scored 10 points. … Have won five straight meetings, three of those in New Orleans. … Shot 59.2% in the first half (29 of 49), before finishing at 53.2% (50 of 94). … Went 12 of 35 from 3-point range.
Pelicans: Pelicans coach Willie Green chose to use his challenge in the second quarter when Alvarado was called for a defensive foul on a drive by Caleb Martin, whose elbow struck the Pelicans guard in the face. Officials ruled that the elbow as a “natural act” and the blocking foul on Alvarado stood. … Herb Jones sat out with a lower back bruise. … Williamson missed his eighth straight game with a strained right hamstring. … Brandon Ingram missed his 26th straight game with a left large toe contusion.
QUOTABLE
Spoelstra grinned as he stated that Strus’ 10 assists were likely “his most at any level.”
Strus said that sounded about right.
“Man, I’ve never passed the ball that much in my life,” he said.
UP NEXT
Heat: At Dallas on Friday night.
Pelicans: At Orlando on Friday night.
BALL INJURED AGAIN AS HORNETS GET 122-117 WIN OVER ROCKETS
HOUSTON (AP) Terry Rozier scored 26 points and the Charlotte Hornets held off the reeling Houston Rockets 122-117 to snap a five-game skid Wednesday night after LaMelo Ball injured his left ankle again.
The Hornets, who have the worst record in the Eastern Conference, got their first win since Jan. 6 over the hapless Rockets. Houston, which has the NBA’s worst record and hasn’t won since Dec. 26, has lost a season-high 12 straight.
The victory was coach Steve Clifford’s 208th with the team, making him the winningest coach in franchise history. Clifford, who coached Charlotte from 2013-18 before returning this season, passed Allan Bristow, who had 207 wins.
Jalen Green tied a career high with 41 points to lead the Rockets. He scored five points to power an 11-3 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Eric Gordon, that got Houston within 119-116 with 21 seconds left.
Mason Plumlee made one of two free throws after Houston intentionally fouled him. Green was fouled on the other end, and he also went 1 of 2 to leave Charlotte up 120-117.
Jalen McDaniels then hit two free throws to secure the victory.
Clifford raved about how his team stuck together after Ball’s injury early in the third quarter.
“It’s deflating, for sure,” he said. “But I was proud of the guys, the way they hung together and fought hard. Made a bunch of plays there in the fourth quarter.”
Ball sprained his left ankle, another blow to a Hornets team already missing Kelly Oubre Jr., who is out after hand surgery. Ball said after the game he didn’t think the injury was serious and he didn’t plan to have X-rays.
“I can walk and everything, so I’ll just take it day by day and see what it is,” he said.
Ball was injured when P.J. Washington landed on him after jumping for a rebound with about nine minutes left in the third quarter. Ball appeared to be in a lot of pain and didn’t put any weight on his left leg as he was helped to the locker room.
The team then ruled Ball out with a sprained left ankle.
It’s the third time this season Ball has injured the same ankle. The flashy guard missed part of the preseason and the first 13 games of the regular season after spraining it the first time.
He played just three games before spraining it again on Nov. 16 when he stepped on a fan’s foot late in a game against Indiana. That time he missed 11 games with the injury.
“I feel a little better,” Ball said. “It (doesn’t) feel like them other ones so I think I’ll be straight.”
Ball had 13 points and four assists before exiting.
Houston coach Stephen Silas was unhappy with the energy his team showed to start the second half.
“I actually thought the way that we started the third quarter right after halftime, I was disappointed with that,” he said. “The ball kind of stuck a little bit and we missed a few shots, put our heads down.”
The game was close for most of the night and the Rockets led by three early in the fourth. The Hornets then used a 14-3 run to take a 97-89 lead with eight minutes to go. Washington led the way during that stretch, scoring seven points including a dunk and a 3-pointer.
A layup by Green got the Rockets within six soon after that, but the Hornets scored the next six points to make it 105-93 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining. McDaniels capped that run with a one-handed dunk off an assist by Rozier after a turnover by Gordon.
TIP-INS
Hornets: Gordon Hayward missed an eighth consecutive game with a hamstring injury. . Plumlee had 17 points and nine rebounds. . Washington had 16 points.
Rockets: Houston rookie Jabari Smith Jr. sprained his right ankle in the third quarter and did not return. . Kevin Porter Jr. was out for the fourth game in a row with a bruised big toe. . Alperen Sengun had 24 points and 12 rebounds.
BIG EFFORT
Clifford was impressed with the performance of rookie Mark Williams, who tied a career high with 17 points off the bench. Williams was the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft.
“He’s very poised on the floor,” Clifford said. “He did a really good job.”
UP NEXT
Hornets: Continue a four-game trip Saturday night in Atlanta.
Rockets: Play at Minnesota on Saturday night in the first of two consecutive games against the Timberwolves.
GRIZZLIES TOP CAVS, TIE TEAM RECORD WITH 11TH WIN IN A ROW
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Desmond Bane scored 25 points, Ja Morant had 24 and the Memphis Grizzlies won their 11th straight game to match the franchise record, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-114 on Wednesday night.
Steven Adams tipped in the winner with 16 seconds left. Adams was in position to tip in a miss by Morant.
“(Adams) has been doing what he’s been doing all season . . . manning the boards,” Morant said. “He got us the win.”
Dillon Brooks preserved the victory by blocking Garland’s 3-point try at the buzzer.
“I just wanted to stay on (Garland),” Brooks said about the closing seconds. “He tried to side-step me and take a jump shot, but I got the block.”
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 24 points and 14 assists, Caris LeVert had 23, and Evan Mobley added 18 points and 15 rebounds. Cleveland played without scoring leader Donovan Mitchell because of a strained left groin.
“It was really fun out there,” Garland said. “The crowd was into it. We were into it. Everyone was competing at a high level. We just couldn’t get the result we wanted.”
Memphis (31-13) tied the franchise record set last season during roughly the same time of year (Dec. 26, 2021, to Jan. 13, 2022). The Grizzlies also scored 115 points or more points for the 11th straight game.
The Grizzlies led by seven at the half, but the Cavaliers remained close throughout the third quarter and grabbed the lead, at 91-89, in the closing seconds on a 3-pointer by Lamar Stevens.
In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies built a quick six-point lead after a 3-pointer from Bane, but the Cavs responded with a 9-0 run. It remained close throughout the game’s final seven minutes.
“We put ourselves in great position down the stretch,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “They just made one more play than we did.”
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Cleveland is 13-4 this season when Jarrett Allen has a double-double. He had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Grizzlies: Morant went to the locker room late in the first quarter after taking a blow to the back of the neck on a drive to the rim. He returned to the bench a few minutes later and re-entered the game in the second quarter.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Golden State on Friday night.
Grizzlies: At Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
LAURI MARKKANEN RETURNS TO HELP JAZZ ROUT CLIPPERS
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Lauri Markkanen had 34 points and 12 rebounds to help the Utah Jazz beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 126-103 on Wednesday night.
Markkanen returned after missing two games because of a bruised hip. He made six 3-pointers and had his 11th game with at least 30 points this season.
“I wanted to be aggressive and get going early. Just get in the rhythm of the game,” said Markkanen, whose national team coaches from Finland attended the game.
Markkanen made his mark close to the basket and around the perimeter, including a ferocious dunk over Ivica Zubac followed by a 3-pointer to give Utah a 78-62 lead in the third quarter.
“I’m noticing it’s pretty fun to dunk,” Markkanen joked. “It’s just a mindset going to the rim, no matter really who’s in front of you, either I’m going to get a dunk or get two free throws.”
The Jazz led wire-to-wire and by as many as 25 points over the weary Clippers, on the second game of a back-to-back set, without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Jazz (24-24) have won four of their last five games.
“Our team showed really good focus for four quarters. Winning all four quarters is really hard to do in an NBA game,” Utah coach Will Hardy said.
Mike Conley had 17 points and nine assists, Jordan Clarkson scored 16 points and Walker Kessler had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
“Early in the game, the ball was finding the open man. And that’s the way team ball should be played. It happened to be me a few of those times,” said Conley, who was just one point off his season high.
Norman Powell led Los Angeles with 30 points, and Zubac added 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Clippers (23-24) have dropped nine of their last 11 games.
“Offense ran through me tonight, so I just wanted to make the reads and the situations – whether it was to be aggressive for my shots or create for my teammates,” Powell said.
Leonard (right knee) and George (right hamstring) played Tuesday night in the Clippers’ 120-110 loss to Philadelphia, but both sat out the Utah game to recover.
John Wall is out with an abdominal strain and Los Angeles hoped to have Luke Kennard back (right calf) but will need to wait longer.
“There’s a lot of turnover with guys on minute restrictions, load management, and things like that. But just sticking together, staying in the fight, and trying to make the right reads and play the right way defensively (is important),” Powell said.
The Jazz made 19 of 32 3s and shot 52% overall and outscored the Clippers 50-34 in the paint.
“They were able to get what they wanted to in the pick-and-roll tonight and get into the paint and cause havoc,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We weren’t clean with our switches defensively and that hurt us.”
TIP-INS
Clippers: Lue got a technical in the third quarter. . Powell went 5 for 6 from 3-point range in the first half. . L.A. had 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 26 second-chance points, but made only 22 of 58 2-pointers.
Jazz: Regular starter Kelly Olynyk (ankle) missed his fifth game. . The Jazz shot 65% from 3 through three quarters. . Utah shot 59.4% from 3, the team’s best percentage since 2018.
UP NEXT
Clippers: At San Antonio on Friday night.
Jazz: Host Brooklyn on Friday night.
MURRAY, JOKIC HELP NUGGETS RALLY PAST TIMBERWOLVES 122-118
DENVER (AP) Jamal Murray hit a go-ahead floater with 55.9 seconds remaining, Nikola Jokic broke Denver’s record for assists on the way to his 14th triple-double of the season, and the Nuggets rallied for a 122-118 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
Murray scored seven of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to help the Nuggets win their 15th straight at home.
Jokic finished with 31 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as he navigated foul trouble. The two-time reigning NBA MVP passed Alex English for the most assists in team history. Jokic has 3,686 career assists in 568 games – English recorded 3,679 over 837 games in a Denver uniform.
With the Nuggets trailing 118-115, Murray hit a 3-pointer with 2:05 remaining to tie the game and then a driving layup to give Denver a lead it didn’t relinquish.
Bruce Brown finished with 16 points for a Denver team playing the second game of a back-to-back. Nuggets coach Michael Malone remained in the NBA’s health and safety protocol for a second straight game. David Adelman filled in as acting head coach.
Jaden McDaniels led seven Minnesota players in double figures with 18 points.
It was an eventful first quarter for Jokic, who had a basket taken away on review (shot-clock violation) and an offensive foul rescinded courtesy of a challenge. He still had 13 points in the period and five assists, including a full-length pass to Brown for a dunk.
“He has a John Stockton kind of mind in a 7-foot body,” Adelman said.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: F Kyle Anderson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. … C Naz Reid had 17 points as he made his fifth start of the season with Rudy Gobert sidelined by a sore groin. … G Austin Rivers (bruised knee) was inactive.
Nuggets: F Jeff Green (broken hand) has started playing 1-on-1 and is “trending the right way,” Adelman said.
FAMILY CIRCLE
Nuggets veteran guard Ish Smith played for coach Rick Adelman when he was a rookie with Houston in 2010.
Now, he’s a reserve on the bench for Adelman’s son.
“Small world,” Smith cracked. “I always tell (David), `You’ll be a head coach soon.’ This is a great audition for him. Guys are playing hard.”
EASY GOING
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch appreciates the easygoing demeanor of Tim Connelly, the president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves. Connelly had a similar role with Denver – and helped build the team to where it is today – before leaving last spring.
“He’s always telling me to have fun, which is simple but hard to sometimes maintain,” Finch said. “He’s always really positive.”
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host Toronto on Thursday night.
Nuggets: Host Indiana on Friday night.
KINGS BEAT LAKERS 116-111 FOR 5TH STRAIGHT VICTORY
LOS ANGELES (AP) De’Aaron Fox scored 32 points and the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-111 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory.
Harrison Barnes added 20 points and Kevin Huerter had 18 to help the Kings (25-18) move into third place in the Western Conference.
LeBron James led Los Angeles with 32 points and Russell Westbrook added 19. The Lakers have lost four of five.
Kings center Domantas Sabonis missed the game due to illness. Coach Mike Brown said before the game it was a stomach issue that had been going around the team.
Richaun Harris started in place of Sabonis and had a season-high 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The game was tied at 108 with 1:10 remaining before the Kings scored four straight points to get some breathing room. Barnes made a layup while being fouled by Westbrook and then hit the free throw with 50 seconds remaining.
Kendrick Nunn’s 3-pointer got the Lakers to 112-111 with seven seconds left, but Holmes made a pair of free throws to push it back up to three.
Keegan Murray’s dunk gave the Kings a 88-74 lead with 2:33 remaining in the third quarter before the Lakers rallied. Los Angeles made a 25-10 run over the next six minutes to take the lead.
The Lakers made four 3-pointers during the run, including two straight by Westbrook.
TIP-INS
Kings: Murray tied a season high with 10 rebounds. … G Matthew Dellavedova also missed the game due to a stomach issue. … Fox has at least 20 points in a half eight times this season, including twice in the first half.
Lakers: James had seven of his nine assists in the fourth quarter. … Westbrook was called for a technical early in the second quarter after being called for traveling. … Los Angeles had a 14-point lead in the first half.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host Oklahoma City on Friday night.
Lakers: Host Memphis on Friday night.
****************************NHL NEWS********************************
CANADIENS’ NO. 1 OVERALL PICK JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY OUT 3 MONTHS
Montreal Canadiens rookie winger Juraj Slafkovsky, who went No. 1 in last summer’s NHL draft, will be out for three months, the team announced Wednesday.
The Canadiens said the imposing Slovakian winger suffered a lower-body injury that will not require surgery. He went down Sunday against the Rangers.
Slafkovsky had four goals and 10 points in 39 games before he was moved to injured reserve.
Montreal general manager Kent Hughes talked about Slafkovsky’s growth in media availability Wednesday.
“We believe his development will happen in stages,” he said. “It’s not, ‘hey, we’ve got 10 things [for you to do]; go figure them out.’ Because I think when you do that, [the player] is on the ice thinking and not reacting. And I think sometimes this year we’ve seen him think on the ice and other times we’ve seen him react.
“But we’re not worried about the production side of it. We’re really worried about seeing the areas that we want him to improve on. Do we see progress in those areas? Because we know, or we certainly believe, that long term, if he makes [certain] changes to his game, it’s going to allow him to adapt to the North American style and be the most successful player he can be. He’s going to be a different style hockey player than another guy.”
Slafkovsky is the second Canadiens rookie to suffer a long-term injury this season. Defenseman Kaiden Guhle suffered a lower-body injury in late December that, at the time of his diagnosis, was slated to keep him sidelined for eight weeks.
Montreal also announced that goaltender Jake Allen, forward Joel Armia and forward Jake Evans are also injured. Allen has an upper-body injury that will keep him out for a week. Armia has an upper-body injury that will keep him out until the All-Star break, and Evans has a lower-body injury that will keep him out for eight to 10 weeks.
The Canadiens now have five players — Brendan Gallagher, Armia, Evans, Guhle and Slafkovsky — on IR.
BRADY TKACHUK SCORES IN OT AS SENATORS BEAT PENGUINS 5-4
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Brady Tkachuk scored 25 seconds into overtime, and the Ottawa Senators beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 on Wednesday night.
Alex DeBrincat, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson and Shane Pinto also scored for Ottawa (20-21-3), which went 4 for 9 on the power play. Tkachuk also had three assists, and Cam Talbot stopped 16 shots.
Senators coach D.J. Smith said he thought the team’s power-play units “were a little quicker tonight.”
“I think of late we’ve been a little bit slow,” he said. “I think we were too deliberate and then when you score one early it just seems to go a little bit better and we’ve got good players.”
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh (22-15-7), and Sidney Crosby had three assists. Jason Zucker, Mark Friedman and Rickard Rakell also scored, and Casey DeSmith made 35 saves.
“It’s pretty tough to assess a game like that when half of the game is special teams,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “There was no flow to it, there was no 5-on-5. It was ridiculous.
“Let’s just say I question a fair amount of the calls.”
DeSmith praised the Senators for the challenges they presented in front of him.
“They’re a great net-front team, a lot of big bodies and they’re hungry,” he said. “They go to the front of the net.
“They did a good job with that. They got a lot of pucks tipped, deflections, stuff like that.”
Tied 3-3 in the third period, the Senators scored their fourth power-play goal at 10:58 when Pinto beat DeSmith with a wrist shot.
It was Pinto’s first goal in 15 games.
“It’s been a little bit for me so just to get the monkey off my back is nice, so I’m pretty happy,” he said.
Rakell replied with a power-play goal of his own at 12:33. It was his 16th of the season.
Friedman gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead when he beat Talbot with a long-range shot 3:07 into the second period. It was Friedman’s first goal of the season and No. 4 in 49 career NHL games.
Batherson then tied it again with his 14th at 9:19 of the second. Tkachuk set up the goal with a backhand pass in front for Batherson.
Malkin tied it at 2 when he jammed home a rebound from a Ty Smith point shot 15:23 into the opening frame.
Earlier in the period, Ottawa made the most of a double minor penalty against Jeff Carter, scoring twice. Stutzle skated around Crosby and scored his 20th of the season at 9:44. DeBrincat tied the game two minutes prior on a feed from Batherson.
WORTH NOTING
Josh Norris returned to Ottawa’s lineup after missing 38 games with a shoulder injury. It marked his first time back in the lineup since Oct. 22. … Senators forward Mathieu Joseph, who missed 17 games with a lower-body injury, was a healthy scratch. Joseph’s brother, Pierre-Olivier, plays for the Penguins and expected more than 50 friends and family to be in attendance.
UP NEXT
The Penguins host the Senators on Friday night.
MCAVOY, FORBORT SCORE IN 2ND, BRUINS BEAT ISLANDERS 4-1
NEW YORK (AP) Defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Derek Forbort scored in the second period, and the Boston Bruins beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Wednesday night.
Brad Marchand and Trent Frederic also scored for Boston, and Charlie Coyle had two assists. Linus Ullmark had 25 saves in his 100th career win, improving to 24-2-1 on the season.
“I couldn’t be more happy, its been overwhelming,” Ullmark said of reaching his milestone. “I have a lot of gratitude playing with the boys who work so hard every night.”
The Bruins (35-5-4) earned their third straight victory. The NHL’s only 30-win team improved to 7-1-0 in 2023.
Zach Parise scored and Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves for the Islanders, who lost for the sixth time in seven games (1-4-2). They completed a season-high five-game homestand at 1-2-2.
“If you look back at all five games, I feel we played better than what the results are,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said. “In these five games we’ve had plenty and ample opportunity. … We’re a little snake-bit right now.”
Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron briefly left the game after he was hit in the face by the puck on a slap shot from teammate David Pastrnak that deflected off the Islanders’ Cal Clutterbuck at 4:26 of the third period.
Marchand then extended the Bruins’ lead to 3-1 just 37 seconds later with a one-timer from the right faceoff dot off a pass from Pastrnak for his 15th.
“We’re resilient, we’re able to find another level,” Marchand said after Boston improved to 24-0-1 when taking a lead into the third period. “We have experience, the older guys know how to play.”
Parise hit a goalpost at 7:11, and Frederic sealed Boston’s win when he tapped in a loose puck in front with 4:22 left for his 10th of the season.
“It’s easy to say you can’t get discouraged, but frustration is for sure high,” Islanders forward Brock Nelson said. “You just (have) to keep going, keep shooting. … I’ve had looks where you’d like to have a different result.”
Trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes, the Bruins took the lead with two goals 4:12 apart midway through the second.
McAvoy tied it with a one-timer from the top of the left circle off a pass from Matt Grzelcyk for his third at 7:48.
“It was an important goal for us, got us back into it,” McAvoy said. “We were able to take over from there. … Linus has been exceptional all season, he gives us a chance to win every night.”
Boston then took the lead after Varlamov stopped Pavel Zacha’s initial shot from the point. However, as the puck trickled toward the goal line, Forbort skated in from the left side and poked it in before Varlamov could knock it away. It was his third.
Parise scored with 4:19 left in the first on a one-timer from the top of the left circle off a pass from Sebastian Aho. It was Parise’s 13th goal of the season.
STATS
Jean-Gabriel Pageau had an assist on Parise’s first-period goal, giving him five assists and eight points in his last 10 games. … The Islanders finished 0 for 6 on the power play and fell to 3 for 51 over their last 18 games.
HONORING NYSTROM
The Islanders gave out bobbleheads of Bob Nystrom, the bruising forward who spent 14 seasons with the franchise and was a member of the teams that won four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1980-83. Nystrom scored the winning goal in overtime of Game 6 of the 1980 Finals to give the Islanders their first title.
UP NEXT
Bruins: At the Rangers on Thursday night to complete a two-game trip to New York.
Islanders: At Buffalo on Thursday night
RANTANEN, LEHKONEN LEAD AVALANCHE PAST FLAMES 4-1
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen each scored two goals, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Calgary Flames 4-1 on Wednesday night.
Nathan MacKinnon, J.T. Compher and Devon Toews had two assists apiece as Colorado (23-17-3) earned its third consecutive win. MacKinnon has four goals and nine assists during a six-game point streak.
Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 34 stops to improve to 17-11-3.
“It feels really good,” said Georgiev, who made his first start in four games. “I got a little break from playing time, a little refresh for the mind. I would say the guys did such a good job.”
Tyler Toffoli scored for Calgary (21-16-9) in its second straight loss. Jacob Markstrom had 27 saves.
The Avalanche jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes.
“Good execution in the first period,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We were disciplined with the puck. We were making plays.
“Earned a couple power plays through hard work and took advantage of our chances.”
Following a defensive zone turnover for the Flames, Compher set up Rantanen for a one-timer that went inside a goalpost 6:17 into the game.
Another Calgary miscue led to a second goal for Colorado. An errant pass after winning an offensive zone faceoff resulted in a 2-on-1 rush in which MacKinnon set up Lehkonen at 11:01.
Less than two minutes later, Lehkonen netted his second of the night and fifth in his last three games. Rantanen’s point shot whistled wide of the Calgary net, but the rebound off the end boards popped out to the other side and Lehkonen buried it over Markstrom as he slid across.
“Right away, even though shots were pretty tight, they had all the chances and we were flat and slow,” Flames center Elias Lindholm said.
After a scoreless second period, the Flames stopped Georgiev’s shutout bid on a power play 2:27 into the third. Toffoli got his 16th of the season.
Rantanen put the game away with an empty-netter with 58 seconds left.
“That’s what we have to do more,” he said. “Just be ready to play right away from the start of the puck (drop) so if the opposing team is not on their toes we can take advantage and that’s what we did.”
MAKAR MISSING
Colorado played without reigning Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar, who was held out of the lineup against his hometown team due to an undisclosed injury. He is listed as day to day.
The 24-year-old Makar leads the NHL in average ice time (27:09).
“It’s obviously impossible to replace Cale, the best D in the world. I think we came together as a team,” Rantanen said.
THIRTY GOALS AGAIN
Rantanen’s opening goal was his 30th of the season, giving him three consecutive 30-plus goal seasons and four for his career. He’s also the fastest to reach 30-goal mark since the franchise relocated to Colorado (43 games). Joe Sakic had done it in 44 games in 1995-96.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: At Vancouver on Friday night.
Flames: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday.
STAMKOS GETS 500TH GOAL IN HAT TRICK, LIGHTNING BEAT CANUCKS
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Steven Stamkos scored his 500th NHL goal and then added two more for a hat trick, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.
Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov each had a goal and an assist in Tampa Bay’s fifth consecutive win. Alex Killorn had two assists and Brian Elliott stopped 37 shots.
Andrei Kuzmenko and Quinn Hughes each scored a power-play goal in the third period for Vancouver (18-23-3).
Canucks goaltender Spencer Martin allowed four goals on 10 shots before being pulled just past the midway mark of the first period. He was replaced by Collin Delia, who made 14 saves.
The Lightning (29-13-1) also beat the Canucks 5-4 in Tampa last week.
Vancouver has not won in regulation since a 4-2 victory over Colorado on Jan. 5. The Canucks are 2-8-0 in their last 10 games.
Stamkos sent his third goal of the night – and 21st of the season – into the empty net with 1:22 left.
Hughes cut the Lightning lead to 4-2 after Stamkos was called for tripping midway through the third period.
The defenseman muscled his way to the front of the net and forced a backhanded shot up and over Elliott for his fourth goal of the season at the 9:10 mark.
Tampa Bay grabbed control with four goals in the first period.
Stamkos, who turns 33 on Feb. 7, got his milestone goal at 4:40. Killorn sliced a pass across the low slot to Stamkos, and the Lightning captain tapped it in.
Tampa Bay’s bench emptied, with players mobbing Stamkos in the corner in celebration as the crowd cheered.
Kucherov scored his 18th goal of the season on a blistering one-timer from a faceoff circle at 8:28. Point’s backhanded shot at 13:18 made it 3-0. It was Point’s team-leading 26th of the season.
Stamkos put away his second goal of the night at 14:35, wrapping a wrist shot around Martin’s outstretched pad.
REMEMBERING GINO
Vancouver paid tribute to former Canuck Wayne “Gino” Odjick, who died Sunday at 52. Players wore jerseys with Odjick’s name and No. 29 on the back for warmups. Cheers of “Gino! Gino! Gino!” echoed throughout the rink several times and highlights of Odjick’s career played on the big screen throughout the game.
GONE STREAKING
Stamkos extended his point streak to six games. He has four goals and six assists in the stretch.
UP NEXT
Lightning: At Edmonton on Thursday night.
Canucks: Host Colorado on Friday night.
KARLSSON HAS 4 POINTS TO REACH 60, SHARKS RALLY PAST STARS
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Erik Karlsson had a goal and three assists to reach 60 points this season, and the San Jose Sharks rallied past the Dallas Stars 5-3 on Wednesday night.
San Jose stormed back from 3-0 down in the second period with goals from Steven Lorentz, Nick Bonino and Timo Meier. Logan Couture also scored for the Sharks, and James Reimer made 32 saves in his 200th career win.
“Honestly, I’d forgotten about it,” Reimer said. “I forgot about it for probably a week and a half or however long it was, and then someone reminded me, and then it’s kind of stuck in your head for a bit. … But honestly, I had lost a few in a row, and I was just more interested in getting the win to right the ship a bit. But it’s nice to get it.”
Jason Robertson got his 30th goal for Dallas. Ty Dellandrea and Radek Faksa also scored for the Stars, and Miro Heiskanen had two assists. Jake Oettinger stopped 22 shots.
“I don’t know if there’s any turning point. I think (our) power play had a little bit of trouble tonight,” Stars defenseman Colin Miller said. “They capitalized on theirs, so you know, just got to be sure for tomorrow.”
Karlsson scored the go-ahead goal at 10:41 of the third period as he took a pass from Bonino and beat Oettinger for his 15th of the season.
“When you get deep in the season, it’s easy to kind of look at the situation and just quit, and we have done anything but that. I’ve said this all along: I love coaching our group. It’s a great group to coach,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “They come to work every day. They bounce back after tough nights, which we’ve done. And I just can’t say enough about our group. I’m really happy for them.”
In the second period, the Sharks scored three times in 5:37 to tie it 3-all. The Stars had taken a 3-0 lead after goals from Faksa and Robertson earlier in the period.
“I think us on the road with a 3-0 lead, I mean, we’ve got to close that out,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “But that’s on us. It’s not about scoring another goal. It’s about, you know, not handing them any.”
Meier scored his 26th of the season on the power play after San Jose held the puck in the offensive zone for the entire man advantage.
“It’s going to be a while until we come back here, so it was good. We enjoy playing here,” Karlsson said. “I know our record hasn’t really shown that, but this is a great building to play in.”
Couture added an empty netter with 35 seconds left to ice it.
FASTEST TO 30
With 30 goals through 46 games this season, Robertson became the fastest Stars player to reach the mark since the club relocated to Dallas. The previous record was held by Mike Modano, who needed 48 games in 1993-94.
TRADING PLACES
The Sharks made a minor deal earlier in the day, acquiring forward Kyle Criscuolo from Detroit for forward Jasper Weatherby. Criscuolo has five goals and five assists in 27 games with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League. He has two career assists in 15 games of NHL experience for Buffalo and Detroit.
UP NEXT
Stars: Play the Kings in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Sharks: Face the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Saturday.
****************************MLB NEWS*******************************
SOURCES: NEW YORK METS, TOMMY PHAM AGREE TO 1-YEAR, $6M DEAL
Outfielder Tommy Pham and the New York Mets agreed on a one-year, $6 million contract Wednesday, sources told ESPN, continuing the team’s offseason bonanza and pushing the Mets’ record payroll past the $450 million mark.
Pham, 34, could serve as a right-handed complement to Daniel Vogelbach as designated hitter for the Mets. He also played 134 games in the outfield last year for Cincinnati and Boston, hitting .236/.312/.374 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs.
Pham’s most impactful hit in 2022 might have been with an open hand rather than a bat. In late May, while with the Reds, Pham approached San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson during pregame warmups and slapped him across the head. Pham said he was angry over what he believed was cheating by Pederson in a fantasy football league.
“Joc deserved to be slapped,” Pham said.
Pham was suspended for three games and eventually was traded to Boston, his fifth team in five years. A late bloomer, Pham broke out with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017, hitting .306/.411/.520 and finishing 11th in National League MVP voting. Over his nine-year career, he has a .259/.354/.433 line with 114 home runs.
The Mets, whose winter expenditures are approaching half a billion dollars, will pay a 90% tax on Pham’s deal, which was first reported by SNY and includes a potential $2 million in performance bonuses. The $6 million base salary will cost an additional $5.4 million in taxes because the team’s payroll is over the $293 million competitive-balance-tax threshold nicknamed the “Steve Cohen tax,” after the Mets’ owner. Currently, the payroll is projected to be $364 million with an additional $93 million in taxes.
SOURCES: RED SOX, OF ADAM DUVALL AGREE TO 1-YEAR, $7M DEAL
Outfielder Adam Duvall has agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal with the Red Sox, sources confirmed, giving Boston someone who could help make up for the offense lost with the departure of J.D. Martinez.
Duvall, 34, struggled through an injury-plagued season with the Braves last year, hitting .212 with 12 homers and a .677 OPS. He was an All-Star in 2016, while with the Reds, and won a Gold Glove for his play with the Marlins and Braves in 2021, when he clubbed 38 homers and drove in 113 runs.
During this offseason, the Red Sox have lost shortstop Xander Bogaerts and Martinez to free agency, and last week infielder Trevor Story went through significant elbow surgery; Story is expected to miss a large portion of the 2023 season.
Manager Alex Cora must rebuild the middle of his lineup around Rafael Devers, picking from Duvall, newly signed infielder Justin Turner, and outfielder Alex Verdugo, among others. Boston’s biggest investment in the offseason: a deal for Masataka Yoshida, who hit for high average and consistently reached base during his years in Japan. Yoshida is regarded as an average or below-average defender by many rival executives and does not hit for power.
Duvall played at the University of Louisville and ascended into pro ball after the Giants picked him in the 11th round of the 2010 draft.
Duvall’s agreement will go into effect after he passes a physical examination, and it includes up to $3 million in possible performance bonuses.
*****************************MEN’S TRACK****************************
ATTORNEYS: JAMAICA’S USAIN BOLT MISSING $12.7M FROM ACCOUNT
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Lawyers for Usain Bolt, one of the world’s greatest sprinters, said Wednesday that more than $12.7 million is missing from hs account with a private investment firm in Jamaica that authorities are investigating.
Attorney Linton P. Gordon provided The Associated Press with a copy of a letter sent to Stocks & Securities Limited demanding that the money be returned.
Gordon said Bolt’s account once had $12.8 million but now reflects a balance of only $12,000.
“If this is correct, and we are hoping it is not, then a serious act of fraud larceny or a combination of both have been committed against our client,” Bolt’s attorneys say in the letter.
They threaten civil and criminal action if the money is not returned within 10 days.
Stocks & Securities Limited did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On its website, the company asked that clients direct all urgent queries to Jamaica’s Financial Services Commission, which is investigating the firm.
“We understand that clients are anxious to receive more information and assure you that we are closely monitoring the matter throughout all the required steps and will alert our clients of the resolution as soon as that information is available,” the company said.
The company has said that it discovered the fraud earlier this month and that several of its clients may be missing millions of dollars.
Jamaica’s finance minister, Nigel Clarke, called the situation alarming but noted it was unusual.
“It is tempting to doubt our financial institutions, but I would ask that we don’t paint an entire hard working industry with the brush of a few very dishonest individuals,” he said.
Bolt’s lawyers sent the letter Monday, the same day that Jamaica’s Financial Services Commission announced it was appointing a special auditor to look into fraud allegations at Stocks & Securities Limited, which is based in the capital of Kingston.
On Tuesday, financial authorities said they were assuming temporary management of the private investment firm. It is allowed to keep operating but needs approval from the government for any transactions.
Bolt, who retired in 2017, holds the world records for the 100 meters, 400 meters and 4×100 meters.
*********************************MEN’S TENNIS******************************
AMERICAN JENSON BROOKSBY BEATS NO. 2 RUUD AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Jenson Brooksby eliminated No. 2 seed Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-2 in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday in Rod Laver Arena, meaning a pair of 20-something Californians have knocked out the top two players in the men’s bracket.
The 22-year-old Brooksby’s surprise came in the same round and on the same court that 27-year-old Mackenzie McDonald defeated No. 1 seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal on Wednesday at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.
Brooksby is ranked 39th and making his Australian Open debut. He was supposed to enter a year ago but came down with COVID-19 the day before he was supposed to fly to Australia.
“Hopefully this is the first of many many good years here to come,” Brooksby said.
Ruud was the runner-up at the French Open to Nadal last June and at the U.S. Open to Carlos Alcaraz last September.
Brooksby’s unusual playing style, including his two-handed backhand volleys, and ability to track down opponent’s shots, were trouble for Ruud, who took a medical timeout after the second set.
The biggest problem for Brooksby was closing this one out. He held a trio of match points while trying to serve for the victory at 5-3 in the third set but could not cash any of them in.
After he got broken there by missing a backhand, Brooksby sat down in his changeover seat and yelled at himself: “How?! How?! God!”
Ruud, a 24-year-old Norwegian, raced through the end of that set, but Brooksby righted himself in the fourth, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Brooksby finished things off 1 hour, 15 minutes after his first chance.
His performance continued the run of strong play by men from the United States during Week 1, a significant development given that none has won a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open.
By reaching the third round, Brooksby joins countrymen Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul and J.J. Wolf, who also won Thursday, along with McDonald, No. 16 Frances Tiafoe and No. 29 Sebastian Korda, who all won Wednesday.
Shelton beat qualifier Nicolas Jarry of Chile 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 7-5; Paul came back to edge No. 30 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4; and Wolf breezed past No. 23 Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
“A lot of Americans doing really well right now, and we’re all pushing each other,” said Brooksby, who now will face Paul. “Just looking forward to the next one.”
There was also a big win for an American woman Thursday: 21-year-old qualifier Katie Volynets defeated No. 9-seeded Veronika Kudermetova of Russia 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
Elsewhere, No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka improved her 2023 record to 6-0 by topping Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-1 after trailing 3-1 early, and No. 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Taylor Townsend 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
“I literally have the chills, because the fans here are just incredible,” said Volynets, who reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. “I’ve never played in a stadium this packed and with that many people keeping the energy up for me. It was awesome.”
**********TOP INDIANA RELEASES************
PACERS BASKETBALL: INDIANA LOSES TO OKC
The Pacers got off to a rough start on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, so much so that head coach Rick Carlisle had to use two timeouts in the first four minutes.
They never really recovered, as the Thunder (22-23) led from start to finish in a 126-106 victory. It was the fifth straight loss for the Pacers, who dropped to .500 on the season (23-23).
Andrew Nembhard led Indiana with 18 points and seven assists in the loss. The Pacers committed a season-high 24 turnovers in the defeat.
Things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Pacers to start Wednesday’s game. Indiana missed its first four shots and committed three turnovers. On the other end, the Thunder started 6-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from 3-point range.
The Pacers’ early struggles and the Thunder’s hot start added up to a 17-1 Oklahoma City lead just 3:28 into Wednesday’s contest.
“The beginning of the game was ugly and most of the rest of it was ugly, other than the fourth quarter,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’ve got some things to get better at. Our attention to detail to start the game was poor. We’ve just got to learn from this and get better.”
Buddy Hield knocked down a 3-pointer at 8:12 for Indiana’s first field goal. The Pacers eventually found a bit of a rhythm offensively, but were unable to shave much off of the deficit.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 10 points in the opening frame, going 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Oklahoma City led by as many as 19 and took a 36-20 lead into the second quarter.
The Pacers’ Canadian rookies sparked Indiana’s first real charge of the night at the start of the ensuing frame. Bennedict Mathurin knocked down a 3-pointer 20 seconds into the second quarter and Nembhard followed with a layup and a jumper to pull the Blue & Gold within single digits.
Indiana continued to claw away, ultimately outscoring the Thunder 17-4 to open the quarter. T.J. McConnell’s layup with 5:28 remaining in the first half capped that run and brought the Pacers within three at 40-37.
That would be the closest Indiana would get, however. Isaiah Joe and Luguentz Dort each made two 3-pointers as Oklahoma City outscored the Pacers 18-7 over the remainder of the half and took a 58-44 lead into the intermission.
The Pacers had trimmed the deficit to 73-63 following Myles Turner’s layup five minutes into the second half. But the Thunder reeled off 14 unanswered points over the next three-plus minutes to open up a 24-point lead.
The hosts continued to extend the margin over the remainder of the quarter and took a 100-73 lead into the fourth.
There was no drama in the final period, as both coaches used it to give extended minutes to their young players.
Mathurin finished with 13 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes, going 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Two-way guard Trevelin Queen tallied 13 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in his most playing time this season.
Second-year forward Isaiah Jackson collected 11 points and seven boards, second-year guard Chris Duarte tallied 11 points and five rebounds, and McConnell registered 10 points and six assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 23 points and also tallied six assists and three steals. Joe also scored 23 points and went 7-for-12 from 3-point range.
Dort (22 points and 11 rebounds), Josh Giddey (16 points and 11 assists), and Kenrich Williams (12 points and 10 assists) all recorded double-doubles for the Thunder, while
The Pacers will wrap up a four-game road trip with a back-to-back over the weekend, playing in Denver on Friday night and Phoenix on Saturday before returning to Indianapolis to host Chicago on Tuesday.
Inside the Numbers
Nembhard reached double figures for the 13th time this season and the fourth time in his last eight games.
Queen reached double figures for the first time as a Pacer and set new career highs for rebounds (nine) and blocks (three) in his 14th career game.
Turner blocked six shots on Wednesday, matching his season high. He has swatted four or more shots in five of his last eight games.
Hield scored a season-low three points in 19 minutes on Wednesday, going 1-for-4 from the field and from 3-point range.
The Pacers matched their season high with 20 offensive rebounds in the loss, scoring 21 second-chance points.
Indiana shot just 41.5 percent from the field in the loss, while the Thunder converted 50.5 percent of their attempts.
Oklahoma City had 41 assists on 47 made field goals on Wednesday, the second-most assists by any team in an NBA game this season. Brooklyn had 42 assists in a 143-113 win over Golden State on Dec. 21.
You Can Quote Me On That
“Trevelin Queen was impressive tonight. He got a real opportunity tonight to get in in the first half…I liked the way he played. He competed hard. He’s athletic, he was involved in a lot of plays and played under control.” -Carlisle on Queen’s contributions
“Just playing hard. Put myself in the right position to score or get my teammates involved, whether that’s rebounding, running in transition, bringing the ball up, pick-and-roll. I just feel like I was efficient getting my teammates involved and bringing energy.” -Queen on his mindset getting extended minutes
“He played with better pace tonight. He only had one turnover. He did some good things on the playmaking side. His nemesis is fouls. He’s always guarding a good player and so continuing to work at defending without committing those two quick fouls…is really important to us with (starting point guard) Tyrese (Haliburton) out.” -Carlisle on Nembhard
“I think I just was being more aggressive with the ball, trying to force my way into the paint and create an advantage.” -Nembhard on scoring more on Wednesday
“He’s a great young player. I don’t know what else to say. I think he’s a legitimate MVP conversation guy because of the impact he has on their game and what he’s doing with his scoring. He may be the scoring champ before it’s all over.” -Carlisle on facing Gilgeous-Alexander
“It was an honor for me. The kids who were watching the game, it was a great thing for Montreal but also for the Haitian community. Just to have two Haitian-Canadians playing against each other in the NBA, it was a great thing.” -Mathurin on playing against his good friend Dort for the first time in the NBA
Stat of the Night
The Pacers’ 24 turnovers on Wednesday matched their season high, a mark they originally set on Oct. 31 in Brooklyn. The Thunder scored 36 points off Indiana’s turnovers — the most by a Pacers opponent this season (the previous high was 27 by Charlotte on Jan. 8).
Noteworthy
Wednesday’s loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Pacers in Oklahoma City. Indiana’s last road loss to the Thunder came on March 27, 2019.
The Pacers and Thunder will meet once more in the regular season on March 31 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Four of the 10 starters for Wednesday’s game were Canadian: Ontario natives Nembhard and Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal natives Mathurin and Dort.
Up Next
The Pacers’ road trip continues in Denver against reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Friday, Jan. 20 at 9:00 PM ET.
INDY FUEL PIT STOP: WEEK 13
INDY FUEL WEEK 11 RESULTS: 3-1-0-0,
INDY FUEL OVERALL RECORD: 25-10-1-0 Overall (1st Central)
GAME 33 – WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 VS IOWA – 3-1 W
After playing three matches in Iowa, the Fuel hosted the Heartlanders for the fourth and final game in a row versus their divisional opponent. Indy was able to take the win 3-1 after a dominant second period where they scored two goals.
GAME 34 – FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 AT CINCINNATI – 3-1 L
The Fuel headed to Cincinnati to start their weekend where they hoped to find their first win in Cincy this year but despite scoring first they fell to the Cyclones, 3-1. Seamus Malone scored the lone goal for the Fuel in the first period.
GAME 35 – SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 VS KALAMAZOO – 3-2 W
The Fuel hosted the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday night in front of a sold out crowd of 6,559 people for Star Wars night, beating their franchise attendance record of 6,551 set just two weeks prior. In their attempt to bounce back after a loss to Cincinnati on Friday, the Fuel won 3-2 after a scoreless third period.
GAME 36 – SUNDAY, JANUARY 15 AT FORT WAYNE – 6-5 OTW
Coming off a home win vs Kalamazoo the previous night, the Indy Fuel made the trip to Fort Wayne for the final of three games in three days, their fourth game in five days. Despite trailing the Komets the majority of the game, the Fuel came back to force the game into overtime and in the end took a 6-5 victory over their divisional opponent.
ROSTER MOVES
- Chad Yetman was reassigned to Indy from the AHL’s Belleville Senators on 1/15.
- Chase Lang was placed in reserve on 1/14.
- Reid Yochim was signed on 1/14 and released 1/17.
- Cam Bakker was placed on injured reserve, effective 1/8.
OIL DROPS
- Andrew Bellant scored the teams tenth shorthanded goal of the season on Saturday night, that leads the league.
- With 14 wins on the season, goaltender Zach Driscoll is tied for third in most wins in the league this season.
- In Monday’s ECHL All-Star Classic, Indy’s Seamus Malone captained the Western Conference team as well as scoring a goal for them.
- Alex Wideman leads the Fuel in points with 40 in 36 games.
- Chad Yetman returned to the Fuel this weekend and extended his point streak to 12 games with Indy.
- Yetman also set a new Fuel franchise record with seven consecutive games with a goal.
- Goaltender Cam Gray saw his first overtime game and got his first overtime win against Fort Wayne on Sunday.
TEAM NOTES
- The Fuel set a new franchise attendance record of 6,559 people on Saturday night.
- Indy is 3-1 when going to overtime which has earned them seven points.
- The Fuel’s game against Fort Wayne on Sunday was only the second time this season that the Fuel won when being down after two periods.
- The Fuel take, but also allow the most shots during the third period. At the halfway point of the season, Indy has taken 351 shots in the third period and allowed 377.
- All four teams with the highest even-strength goal differential lead their division. This includes the Fuel who currently lead the Central division.
- The Fuel rank fifth in the league in goals for with 136. The Idaho Steelheads lead that category with 145.
INDY FUEL WEEK 14 SCHEDULE
GAME 37 – FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 VS CINCINNATI
GAME 38 – SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 AT FORT WAYNE
GAME 39 – SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 VS WHEELING
INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: TERI MOREN SETS INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WIN RECORD AS NO. 6 IU BEATS NO. 21 ILLINOIS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Indiana head coach Teri Moren picked up her 189th career win as No. 6 Indiana defeated No. 21 Illinois, 83-72, at State Farm Center on Wednesday night.
KEY MOMENTS
In a tight first quarter, Indiana (17-1, 7-1 B1G) kept the game within one possession as senior forward Mackenzie Holmes connected at the line with 4:15 to go. But it fueled a 9-0 run by the Illini, who held its largest lead of the half with 2:27 remaining in the opening frame.
Graduate student guard Grace Berger’s jumper and 3-pointers from freshman guard Yarden Garzon and junior guard Sydney Parrish Parrish kept Indiana within three, trailing 21-18 at the end of the first. Scoring was hard to come by in the early goings of the second quarter, which helped the Hoosiers claw their way back into the contest. Berger’s post up gave her team the lead 28-27 while Garzon got a pair at the line to make it a 3-point advantage. Berger connected on the step through in traffic with 1:55 to play as Indiana would head to the locker room with a 37-31 lead.
The Hoosiers opened up the game in the third quarter, putting up a 30-piece in the frame behind 14 points on 6-for-7 from the floor by Holmes. It was part of a 68.4 percent clip from the floor as Garzon added a pair of triples to fuel the offense as it took a 67-51 lead.
Not backing down in the fourth, the Illini (14-4, 5-3 B1G) cut the deficit to as few as seven with 4:26 to play. Junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil would help her team respond with the and-1 opportunity as Illinois didn’t score in the final 1:07 of play.
NOTABLE
With the win, ninth year head coach Teri Moren secured the program’s record for all-time wins with 189. It bests the previous record of 188 set by Jim Izard in 12 seasons.
The Hoosiers 17-1 start to the season is its best record through 18 games since its inaugural season in 1971-72.
Indiana picked up its 15th straight win in the series against the Illini, dating back to 2013-14.
Holmes led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. She now has 18 all-time double-doubles, which ranks tied for eighth all-time.
Holmes also sent a career-high six steals in the victory.
Three others added double figures including Berger who had 18 points on 7-for-10 from the floor and six rebounds to go along with three assists.
Moore-McNeil chipped in 12 points and a team-high six assists.
Freshman guard Yarden Garzon went 3-for-6 from 3-point range and added 13 points.
Indiana shot 55.6 percent from the floor, the 12th time it has shot 50 percent or more in a single game this season.
QUOTABLE
Indiana head coach Teri Moren
“First of all, I want to give Illinois, what a great win and turnaround that Coach (Shauna Green) is doing over there with her staff. What a great atmosphere. I have been in the league nine years, and I’m not sure I have seen an atmosphere like that. Congratulations to Shauna, her staff and her team on what they are building here with their fans. I think it is great for women’s basketball. We knew that it was going to be a complete dogfight tonight with a really good team in Illinois. The advantage that you sometimes have is that you already play a team. As you know, we opened with them in conference play at our place. We learned a lot about them. They certainly improved just like we have improved. I felt like our staff did a great job at preparing and planning the right scouting report, especially defensively to do a much better job on (Makira) Cook. She had her way with us in Bloomington, and I thought collectively we did a much better job defensively. I would be remised, if I didn’t talk about these two and just how terrific they both were. It is so good to have Grace Berger back. She didn’t get to play against Illinois, but she was clearly in control out there on the outside. And we have this one over here (Mackenzie Holmes) who was in control down there on the block. Overall, it was a great win for us and a great win for our program. We are happy to be getting out of here with a good solid win.”
UP NEXT
Indiana heads to Ann Arbor to face No. 14 Michigan on Monday night. Tipoff at Crisler Center is set for 8 p.m. ET.
INDIANA WRESTLING: NO. 18 INDIANA WRESTLING TO HOST NO. 11 MINNESOTA
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana Wrestling welcomes another big-time test to Bloomington on Friday as it hosts No. 11 Minnesota for a 6 p.m. dual at Wilkinson Hall.
Indiana enters the dual at 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten.
MATCHING UP WITH MINNESOTA:
-Indiana enters its Friday dual against Minnesota No. 11 Minnesota with plenty of momentum after winning two in a row over No. 16 Rutgers and No. 16 Maryland for a 6-1 record.
-Minnesota has had a great season thus far, entering the match at 8-2 with a number of notable wins.
-Minnesota has defeated No. 21 Michigan State, most recently, as well as No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 24 South Dakota State and No. 18 North Dakota State, among others.
-All ten of Minnesota’s probable starters are nationally ranked as well. They are headline by Patrick McKee, the No. 5-ranked grappler at 125. McKee is 8-1 on the year.
-The Golden Gophers also return eight NCAA qualifiers from a year ago. The only one not to return is 2022 NCAA champion at heavyweight, Gable Steveson.
-Minnesota’s starter at 157, No. 16 Brayton Lee was an NCAA qualifier in 2020 and 2021 but was hurt for the 2022 championships.
-The Hoosiers are seeking their first win over Minnesota since Dec. 11, 2015, when they won, 19-18.
RECAPPING RUTGERS:
-Indiana’s 24-16 win over No. 16 Rutgers last week was another wild dual.
-Rutgers took the first three duals to take a 10-0 advantage. From there, the Hoosiers flipped the momentum.
-Back-to-back victories from Derek Gilcher (157) and Nick South (165) proved to give Indiana the lift it needed to propel itself to victory.
-Gilcher won 5-3 in Sudden Victory 1 over No. 23 Andrew Clark which got the crowd into it. To follow, South trailed going into the third period but stunned Robert Kanniard and pinned him to give IU a 12-10 lead.
-Indiana won three of the next four matches to seal it, including Jacob Bullock’s 15-0 tech fall win at heavyweight over John O’Donnell.
-It was Indiana’s first win over Rutgers since 2008, and only the second ever in the series.
LINEUP STRENGTH:
-Indiana’s routine starting lineup has really excelled this season.
-Five of IU’s 10 starters have a dual record of 5-2 or better with Graham Rooks, Derek Gilcher and DJ Washington all owning dual records of 6-1.
-Rooks and Gilcher have the highest win totals with each being 21-4 and 21-5, respectively.
-Washington and Bullock are a little behind on win total but have wrestled fewer matches as Washington is 17-2 and Bullock is 14-2.
LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD:
-While the season Big Ten season feels like it just got started, the NCAA wrestling calendar is nearing the homestretch.
-The Hoosiers have five more Big Ten duals, and six duals total, prior to the postseason.
-The remaining dual opponents for the Hoosiers are Minnesota, at Purdue, Penn State, at Michigan State, at Michigan and at Chattanooga.
-In a little under two months, the NCAA Wrestling Championships will be happening in Tulsa, Okla. from March 16-18.
RANKINGS REBOOT:
-For the second consecutive week, Indiana Wrestling has asserted itself in the national polls.
-The Hoosiers are in FloWrestling’s poll for the second consecutive week, appearing at No. 18.
-In the NWCA Coaches Poll, Indiana is tied for No.21, and for InterMat, it is slotted at No. 22.
-Individually, the same five Hoosiers, Henry Porter, Graham Rooks, Derek Gilcher, DJ Washington and Jacob Bullock, are all in the rankings.
-Porter is No. 31 at 133, Rooks is No. 31 at 149, Gilcher rose to No. 16 at 157, Washington held steady at No. 18 at 174 and Bullock lands at No. 24 for heavyweight.
-The NCAA Coaches rankings are set to be released on Thursday, Jan. 19.
STARTING STRONG:
-IU Wrestling is off to its best start to a season in the Angel Escobedo era.
-The 6-1 start paces with the 2015-16 team that also began the year with the same record.
-The Hoosiers’ three ranked wins are the most in a season during Coach Escobedo’s tenure.
-This season’s win total of six already surpasses last year’s total of three.
INDIANA MEN’S TENNIS: SET FOR ROAD MATCH AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––––– After a 2-0 weekend to start the season, Indiana Men’s Tennis is set to hit the court again on Friday, Jan. 20 at Middle Tennessee.
This will be the Hoosiers’ first road trip of the year, and against a very talented opponent. In the preseason ITA poll, Middle Tennessee was ranked No. 25 nationally. In this week’s rankings, they are just outside of the poll, and are receiving votes.
Middle Tennessee is 1-0 this season, picking up a win over Michigan State in their season opener last weekend.
In Indiana’s wins over Dayton and Toledo, it showcased a versatile lineup mixed with upperclassmen and freshmen to pick up two wins by a score of 4-1.
Freshman Ekansh Kumar and junior Ilya Tiraspolsky both went 2-0 in singles matches over the weekend.
The doubles teams of Kumar and Luka Vukovic and freshmen Sam Landau and Luc Boulier each went 2-0 last weekend, as well.
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL: #3 PURDUE ENDS ROAD TRIP THURSDAY AT MINNESOTA
GAMEDAY INFO
Thursday, January 19, 2023
[3] Purdue (17-1, 6-1) vs. Minnesota (7-9, 1-5)
Minneapolis, Minn. | Williams Arena (14,625)
TELEVISION: ESPN2 | RADIO: Purdue Sports Network
ANNOUNCERS: Kevin Brown, Jon Crispin
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• Purdue takes to the road one final time in its “four-in-five” game stretch on the road when it travels to Minnesota to complete the season series with the Gophers. Since departing for Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 4, Purdue has been away from home for nine of the 16 days since, capped off by the trip to Minneapolis.
• Including next Thursday’s contest at Michigan, six of Purdue’s first 10 Big Ten games will have come on the road.
• Purdue’s 17-1 record through 18 games ties the program’s best mark through 18 games (1987-88). A win over Minnesota will give Purdue a 18-1 record through its first 19 games, becoming the only team in school history to reach that mark.
• Last Friday’s win over Nebraska gave Purdue its 1,900th in school history, the 11th team to reach that total. Purdue is 1,901-1,054 (.643) all-time.
• With the win over Michigan State, Matt Painter became the seventh coach in Big Ten history to win 200 league games (Bob Knight, Tom Izzo, Gene Keady, Piggy Lambert, Lou Henson, Branch McCracken). He is one of five coaches to win 400 games while at a Big Ten school.
• Purdue can claim America’s best resume, being the only team in America with seven quad-1 wins, five of them against teams ranked in the NCAA Net’s top 30 (Gonzaga, Ohio State, West Virginia, Marquette, Duke). Six of the wins (Marquette) have come away from Mackey Arena.
• After being one of the final two teams in the country with zero losses (New Mexico was last), Purdue is now one of four teams nationally with just one loss (Houston, Purdue, Florida Atlantic, College of Charleston).
• After struggling shooting the ball for the majority of the season, Purdue has gone 41-of-100 (.410) from 3-point range over its last seven halves of basketball. Prior to this stretch, Purdue was 93-of-309 (.301) from long range.
• One year after ranking second in the country in rebound margin, Purdue leads the country in rebound margin (+11.5) this season. Purdue leads Providence (2nd) by 2.2 rebounds per game, the largest margin from first to second in the category since 2016-17 (+3.3 by North Carolina).
• Purdue has MADE 294 free throws this season, while opponents have SHOT just 173. Purdue has made 168 more free throws (294 to 126) than its foes this season, the highest discrepancy in the nation (Purdue +168, North Carolina +133, Iowa +129, Providence +129).
• Over the last four games, Purdue is shooting 83.6 percent (46-55) from the FT line. Opponents have made just 17 free throws in that span.
• Purdue ranks 11th nationally in fewest fouls per game (13.4) and is first nationally in opponent free throw attempts per game (9.6). Coincidentally, Minnesota ranks second nationally in opponent free throw attempts per game (13.1).
• Purdue has held 19 straight opponents to 70 points or less, the second-longest streak in the country (Saint Mary’s – 20; North Texas – 19).
• Zach Edey ranks No. 1 in the KenPom POY ratings by a significant margin and has been the game MVP in 14 of the 17 Purdue games that he has played in (missed New Orleans with the flu). Edey has scored 10 or more points in 34 straight games with 10 straight double-doubles.
• Perhaps our favorite Zach Edey stat: Through his 17 games this year, he has more blocked shots (37) than personal fouls (27). He has also played 30 minutes 12 times this season after not doing it once in his first two seasons. Edey is averaging just 2.0 fouls / 40 minutes.
• Fletcher Loyer was named the Big Ten’s Player and Freshman of the Week after a 27-point, six 3-pointer game vs. Nebraska. He became the first freshman since Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn in Nov. 2019, to win Player of the Week honors. He was the first Purdue freshman since Robbie Hummel in Feb. 2008, to win Player of the Week accolades. His three Freshman of the Week honors are tied for the most in school history.
• Over the last four games, freshmen Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith are averaging a combined 29.3 points and 8.3 assists per game. The duo is shooting 39-of-77 (.506) from the field, 22-of-42 (.524) from 3-point range and 17-of-20 (.850) from the free throw line in that span.
• Purdue has been ranked in the AP top 5 in 20 of the 30 polls since the start of last season, the second-highest total nationally (Gonzaga – 21). The Boilermakers’ eight-week run in the top 5 is the longest streak in school history, surpassing the seven-week run set last season.
PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: BOILERS STALL IN FOURTH QUARTER AGAINST NEBRASKA
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Despite a dominant display over the first 30 minutes, the Purdue women’s basketball team came up short in the fourth quarter against Nebraska, falling 71-64 on Wednesday night at Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers (12-6, 3-5) held a 56-48 lead after three periods of play, but Nebraska (12-7, 4-4) rallied in the fourth quarter to outscore Purdue 23-8 to pick up the road win.
Abbey Ellis tallied her second straight game with 20 or more points. The Australian international went for 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 4-of-7 from behind the arc and grabbed six rebounds.
Caitlyn Harper joined Ellis in double figures with a mark of 8-of-8 at the line to finish with 15 points. Jayla Smith added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Purdue shot 40% for the game and went 9-of-23 (39.1) from distance. The Boilermakers won the rebounding battle 33-31 and turned 11 offensive rebounds into 11 points. Jeanae Terry led the way on the glass with eight boards.
The Boilermakers jumped out to an 11-3 lead early in the first with nine combined points from Ellis and Harper. The Cornhuskers responded with a 16-5 run over the final 6:08 to take a 19-16 lead after the first. Ellis totaled 10 points in the opening 10 minutes.
In the second, Cassidy Hardin connected on a quick 3-pointer to pull the score level. Nebraska regained a four-point lead at 25-21 with 7:03 to play, but the Boilermakers held the visitors off the board for the next five minutes. Despite the dominant defense, including a block by Ellis, and solid rebounding in the frame, Purdue only managed to pull ahead by one at the break 31-30.
Harper scored eight of Purdue’s first 14 points of the third quarter to build a nine-point advantage midway through the frame. The Boilermakers held Nebraska to just two made field goals over the first 6:33 of the third, but the Cornhuskers did not allow the gap to reach double digits.
In the fourth, the ball would not fall for the Boilermakers. Purdue went 3-of-12 from the field and 1-of-6 from behind the arc. Nebraska went 7-of-16 on field goal attempts and hit 7-of-9 free throws. Terry and Smith equally split Purdue’s eight points in the final frame.
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Nebraska 10-8.
• With a pair of assists, Jeanae Terry reached 500 for her career. With 308 helpers as a Boilermaker, she ranks 18th in program history alongside Cindy Lamping (1992-95)
• Cassidy Hardin hit a pair of 3-pointers to move into a tie with Jodi Howell (2006-10) for sixth in Purdue history with 188 career triples.
• Ellis’ 20-piece was her third of the season and fourth as a Boilermaker.
• Harper hit double figures for the 11th time this season.
• The Boilermakers have hit nine or more 3-pointers in six games this season.
UP NEXT
Purdue will close out its two-game homestand Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. tip against Minnesota on B1G+.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: PROVIDENCE PUSHES PAST @BUTLERUWBB 74-66
INDIANAPOLIS – The Providence Friars recorded a 74-66 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday night to improve their overall record to 12-8. With the loss, BU moves to 7-12 on the season.
How It Happened
Providence scored the first nine points of the game on Wednesday night forcing Butler to call a timeout less than four minutes into the action. BU started 0-for-8 from the field, but would go on a 7-0 scoring run to get back within eight points after the first quarter. Caroline Strande made the first shot of the game for the Bulldogs and would have six of the team’s first 12 points.
The Friars shot 64 percent in the first quarter and 66 percent in the second to build their 41-32 halftime lead. BU got back within five (35-30) under the two minute mark of the first half, but the Friars would win the frame 21-20. Brynn Farrell had 10 points at the break for Providence and Strande was the top BU scorer with 11.
Sydney Jaynes picked up her third personal foul in the opening stages of the third quarter, but that didn’t stop Butler from opening the second half on a 9-4 scoring run to get back within five. Providence burned a timeout to stop the momentum but that five-point spread would last until the media timeout.
The Friars pushed their lead back to double digits over the final five minutes of the third. A 6-0 run would help the visitors own a 58-47 advantage heading to the fourth. Butler trailed by 10 for most of the fourth quarter and the Friars would hold on for the 74-66 victory.
Stat of the Game
Butler only had two first half turnovers; they ended the game with five.
Postgame Parkinson Quotes
“I have to give Providence a lot of credit. The came in here tonight with an aggressive mindset and played really well. On our side, we didn’t guard anybody. If we don’t take pride in playing defense we will have some tough games ahead and that is just something we have to get better at. We have to step up on our side and be better and it’s something we are going to go back to practice and work on.”
Inside the Box Score
– Caroline Strande scored a game-high 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting
– Rachel McLimore scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds
– Sydney Jaynes had 10 points, three blocks and two assists Wednesday night
– Anna Mortag returned to the starting five tonight and gave BU six rebounds
– Providence shot 52.5% from the field
– All five Friar starters scored in double figures
– Janai Crooms posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards
– Butler’s bench outscored PC 29-15
Up Next
Butler will play at #5 UConn on Saturday, Jan. 21. The 12 PM tip will air on SNY.
IUPUI MEN’S BASKETBALL: JAGUARS TO HOST OAKLAND UNIVERSITY ON THURSDAY NIGHT
INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI basketball team will continue its four-game homestand on Thursday night (Jan. 19) when the Jaguars host Oakland University inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum at 7:00 p.m.. Thursday’s game wil be the annual Favorite Professor Night as professors from across campus, as selected by IUPUI student-athletes, will be honored at halftime of the game.
IUPUI got a breakout performance from junior John Egbuta against Cleveland State on Saturday as the New York-native pumped in a season-high 15 points in just 19 minutes off the bench on 6-of-10 shooting. Egbuta nailed a pair of threes and also grabbed three boards in limited action. Graduate transfer Chris Osten added 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting and freshman DJ Jackson matched his season-high with nine points.
For the season, sophomore Jlynn Counter tops the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and assists (3.1 apg) while Osten is shooting a remarkable 67.2 percent from the floor and averaging 9.8 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game. Health has been a continually theme for the Jaguars as junior Daylan Hamilton became the 13th different IUPUI player to miss a game to injury or illness on Saturday. Only Osten and freshman Vincent Brady II have played all 19 games this season.
QUOTABLE
“(Cleveland State) hit us in the mouth and we never fully responded. It’s tough because we played Thursday night and this was their first game of the weekend, so they came out more aggressive and fresher. They came out quick, made plays and got us on the ropes. I liked our response in the first half, but that stretch at the end of the first half really hurt us,” head coach Matt Crenshaw said following Saturday’s loss to Cleveland State.
SCOUTING OAKLAND
Oakland enters play at 7-12 overall and 5-3 in the Horizon League. The Golden Grizzlies had their five-game winning streak snapped as they lost to Youngstown State on Saturday (Jan. 14), 85-69. Trey Townsend leads Oakland in scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) and Jalen Moore averages 14.6 points and 5.8 assists per game. Keaton Hervey (12.2 ppg) and Blake Lampman (11.2 ppg) also score in double-digits and a fifth starter, Rocket Watts, averages 9.3 points per game.
UP NEXT
IUPUI will close the four-game homestand against Detroit Mercy on Saturday (Jan. 21) at noon inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. That game will be the annual Cram the Coliseum game as FREE Pizza and FREE rally towels will be provided to IUPUI students in attendance.
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL: NOTRE DAME ANNOUNCES 2023 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Opponent | Stadium | Site |
| August 26 | vs. Navy | Aviva Stadium | Dublin, Ireland |
| September 2 | Tennessee State | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, IN |
| September 9 | at NC State | Carter-Finley Stadium | Raleigh, NC |
| September 16 | Central Michigan | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, IN |
| September 23 | Ohio State | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, IN |
| September 30 | at Duke | Wallace Wade Stadium | Durham, NC |
| October 7 | at Louisville | Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium | Louisville, KY |
| October 14 | Southern Cal | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, IN |
| October 21 | BYE WEEK | ||
| October 28 | Pittsburgh | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, IN |
| November 4 | at Clemson | Memorial Stadium | Clemson, SC |
| November 11 | BYE WEEK | ||
| November 18 | Wake Forest | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, IN |
| November 25 | at Stanford | Stanford Stadium | Palo Alto, CA |
Network broadcast coverage and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.
The Irish will begin the season on the Emerald Isle facing Navy for the third time in Ireland. Notre Dame defeated Navy 54-27 in Croke Park on November 2, 1996, and 50-10 at Aviva Stadium to begin the 2012 season. After a 35-32 victory over Navy in Baltimore last season, Notre Dame owns a 81-13-1 advantage in the all-time series.
On September 2, the Irish will face a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) for the first time when the Tennessee State Tigers travel to Notre Dame Stadium. It also will mark the first game Notre Dame will play against a Football Championship Subdivision team.
The first true road test of the 2023 season follows the next week in Raleigh, North Carolina, when the Irish face NC State. The Wolfpack lead the short all-time series 2-1 with Notre Dame claiming a 35-14 victory in 2017.
The next week features a return to Notre Dame Stadium and another schedule first. The Central Michigan Chippewas and the Irish will meet for the first time on the gridiron September 16.
A two-game home stand continues with one of the most anticipated games of the 2023 schedule when Ohio State visits Notre Dame on September 23. The Buckeyes are 5-2 against the Irish and will appear in Notre Dame Stadium for the first time since 1996.
The home stand is followed by back-to-back road games as the Irish will travel to Duke on September 30 followed by Louisville on October 7. Notre Dame holds a 5-2 advantage in the series over the Blue Devils, with two wins in the most recent meetings (2019, 2020). The Irish will travel to Louisville for the second time in school history after a victory to open the 2019 campaign and hold a 2-1 edge against the Cardinals.
Southern Cal makes its bi-yearly mid-October visit to Notre Dame Stadium on October 14 in a renewal of the greatest intersectional college football rivalry.
The Irish-Trojans matchup is followed by the first bye week of the season, before Notre Dame hosts Pittsburgh on October 28. One of Notre Dame’s most played opponents with 72 previous meetings (ND leads the all-time series 50-21-1), the Panthers will visit Notre Dame Stadium for the first time since 2018.
The Atlantic Coast Conference challenges don’t end with the Panthers as the next week brings a trip to Clemson on November 4. The Irish will hope to even the series with the Tigers at 4-4, and will be making their third overall trip to Memorial Stadium and the first since a 24-22 rain-soaked setback in 2015 that came down to the game’s final minute.
The second bye week of the schedule follows the trip to Clemson and the 2023 home schedule wraps up with a visit from Wake Forest on November 18. Notre Dame is 5-0 all-time against the Demon Deacons.
The traditional Thanksgiving weekend trip to California ends the 2023 regular season with the Irish taking on Stanford in Stanford Stadium on November 25. Notre Dame has a two-game win streak in Stanford Stadium (2019, 2021) and holds a 22-14 edge in the all-time series against the Cardinal.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: NO. 7 NOTRE DAME FACES ROAD TEST AT CLEMSON
CLEMSON, S.C. — For the third time in four games, No. 7 Notre Dame will take the court away from Purcell Pavilion. The Irish head to Clemson on Thursday to take on the Tigers (12-7, 3-4).
Like Notre Dame, the Tigers are coming off of a road win that required a second-half surge. On Sunday, Clemson ultimately topped Pittsburgh behind 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists from veteran Amari Robinson. Robinson is pacing Clemson in both points and rebounds this year, putting up 13.1 points and 6.6 boards each time she steps on the court. The senior put up 11 points per game last year.
The Tigers boast one of the best freshmen in the ACC in Ruby Whitehorn. The 6-0 guard out of Michigan was the No. 15 overall recruit in the 2022 class, and so far, she’s played to that standard. In 19 games this year, Whitehorn is averaging 11.6 points per game. She is one of just three rookies in the conference averaging more than 10 points per contest.
Both Olivia Miles and Maddy Westbeld continue to be hot for Notre Dame, and Lauren Ebo is a regular force on the boards. Amongst ACC bench players, Ebo leads the conference in total points (159), made field goals (58), rebounds (113) and made free throws (43). She’s most definitely a worthy candidate for the ACC’s Sixth Player of the Year Award.
On the whole, Notre Dame’s defense has carried the Irish to a 5-1 record in the conference, one which has five teams ranked in the AP Top 20. The Irish are holding teams to 54.3 points per game, which is second in the ACC. Opponents are shooting just 22.3 percent from deep, a mark that is pacing the conference.
“I always talk about defense winning championships and defense being the key, especially on nights that we don’t shoot well, like the North Carolina game” said Niele Ivey, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach. “We didn’t shoot the ball very well, but you can always rely on your defense no matter what the circumstances are. That’s the way that I’ve tried to approach this as a coach, and they’ve really bought into it.”
Notre Dame-Clemson begins at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on regional sports networks.
NOTRE DAME HOCKEY: WHEELS UP TO STATE COLLEGE
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame hockey program is set to head East to faceoff against Big Ten foe, Penn State, Jan. 20-21 inside Pegula Ice Arena.
Both contests will be streamed on BTN+ with puck drop Friday night slated for 6:30 p.m. followed by a 5 p.m. start the following night to conclude the regular season series between the Irish and Nittany Lions.
QUICK HITS
The Irish spent a weekend at home last week, facing off against No. 2/2 Minnesota for a two-game series. Notre Dame opened up the weekend with a shootout victory over the Golden Gophers, as Ryan Bischel made 36 saves between the pipes Friday night, including four highlight reel saves in the overtime session to keep the Irish hopes alive.
In the shootout, Ryder Rolston net the lone goal for either side as the Irish picked up the extra point in conference play.
The week prior at Wisconsin, the Irish split with the Badgers. After a 2-0 loss in game one, Notre Dame bounced back to a season-best six goals Saturday night en route to the 6-4 victory.
Bischel picked up his nation-leading fourth shutout of the season in the team’s first game of the calendar year, defeating Alaska, 2-0, stopping all 25 shots faced in the contest.
The Irish closed out the first half of their season with an 8-8-2 record following a split with No. 5/5 Penn State at home to enter the holiday break.
In game two of that series, Bischel stopped a career-high 47 saves as the Irish picked up a 5-3 win, and amassed 81 saves over the two game weekend.
With 730 total saves this season, Bischel currently ranks third nationally in the category.
NOTRE DAME vs. PENN STATE
The two teams most recently met to close out the first half of the season at Compton Family Ice Arena. In the December series, the Irish split with the visiting Nittany Lions, 5-2 and 5-3, with ND taking the latter game.
Captain Nick Leivermann led the team with three assists in their most recent outing with the Nittany Lions while Trevor Janicke (0-2-2), Justin Janicke (1-1-2) amd Chase Blackmun (0-2-2) all had multiple points on the weekend series.
Ryan Bischel recorded a career-high saves in game two of the weekend series, registering 47 stops on 50 shots faced in Notre Dame’s 5-3 victory. In addition to his career night on Saturday, the senior netminder tallied 34 saves in game one’s loss for a two-game total of 81 saves.
At State College, the Irish own an 8-3-3 record, sweeping their last set of road games against the Nittany Lions.
All-time, Notre Dame is 21-8-4 against Penn State, having met 33 times in program history.
TEAM LEADERS
Trevor Janicke’s 16 points (7-9-16) leads the Irish as do his seven goals.
Ryder Rolston and T. Janicke each boast nine assists which is tied for a team-best.
Jack Adams, who scored the eventual game-winner on night two with the Badgers leads the team with three game-winning goals. His other two came against Penn State and Ohio State.
Three individuals boast multiple powerplay tallies, with Primeau, T. Janicke and Rolston all having a pair.
Ryan Bischel recorded a career-best 47 saves against Penn State to end the first half of the season. His current save total is 730 which ranks third nationally while his four shutouts is second best in the country. Among Division I goaltenders, Bischel’s .924 save percentage ranks eighth in the country and sits second in the Big Ten Conference, just .001 behind top-ranked Justen Close at Minnesota.
Always willing to jump in front of a shot, Jake Boltmann’s 44 blocks leads the team and is 11th nationally.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Ryan Bischel was named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List on Thursday, Jan. 12. With 730 saves in 24 games played this season, the Minnesota native ranks third nationally while his four shutouts is second-best among Division I collegiate goaltenders.
After 57 saves on the weekend against No. 2/2 Minnesota, which included a shootout victory over the Golden Gophers, Bischel was named Big Ten Third Star of the Week. The senior recorded a .919 save percentage over the two game series, improving his season save percentage to .924, ranked eighth nationally.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCORES 30 IN FOURTH QUARTER TO CLAIM VICTORY AT BUFFALO
BUFFALO, N.Y. – It was one of the highest-scoring quarters of the season for the Ball State women’s basketball team, a 30-point explosion to be exact, in the final 10 minutes of action that helped the Cardinals to an 81-59 victory at Buffalo Wednesday night in Mid-American Conference action in Alumni Arena.
With the win, Ball State improved its overall record to 14-4 and now has a 4-1 MAC ledger for its best league start since the 2016-17 season. Buffalo dropped to 8-6 on the year and 3-2 in conference play.
It came to no surprise that tonight’s game would be a close contest, so close in fact that the game was knotted at 51 with 9:49 remaining in the contest.
After that, graduate senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir broke the tie with a layup to give Ball State back the lead for the 10th and final time, as the Cardinals ran away with it, putting together an incredible offensive and defensive display which allowed Ball State to outscore Buffalo, 30-10.
“Our team understood the 40 min effort we had to play with,” Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. “We got stronger as the game went on and I thought the tougher team won tonight.”
Sallee was right, the Cardinals were on fire in the fourth quarter making shots from all over the court which included 63 percent (10-16) shooting for the field.
All-in-all Ball State out toughed Buffalo tonight, out-rebounding the Bulls, 35-28. The Cardinals were also able to move the ball well along with getting 23 points from its bench which BSU has been able to utilize all season.
For the game, Sophomore Ally Becki led all players with 23 points while also adding 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Clephane was the second highest scorer with 20 points and teammate senior Annie Rauch chipped in 14 points.
The Ball State women’s basketball team will return to Worthen Arena Saturday when it hosts Central Michigan at 1 pm ET. The Cardinals will welcome their alumni back for the game and a dinner following the contest.
INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL: ANOTHER SECOND-HALF STRUGGLE LEADS TO THIRD-STRAIGHT LOSS FOR SYCAMORES
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The second-half woes continued for the Indiana State Sycamores Wednesday night as they led by five at halftime before being outscored by 16 in the second half en route to dropping their third straight game, falling 78-67 to Bradley at Hulman Center.
Indiana State (13-7, 6-3 MVC) held Bradley (13-7, 6-3 MVC) to one field goal through 7:22 in the first half while going on a 16-2 run in that span and led the Braves by 10 points with just under four minutes to go in the opening frame. After the Sycamores led 39-34 at halftime, the Braves used a 12-0 run in the second half to help outscore ISU 44-28 in the period.
Courvoisier McCauley led the Sycamores with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Cameron Henry put up 11 points and seven rebounds while dishing out a new career-high nine assists. Each of them would receive a technical foul in the game, with Henry’s coming at 0:25 in the first half followed by McCauley’s at 14:39 in the second half.
The Sycamores jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first minute of the game, but Bradley responded with back-to-back threes, and ISU trailed 13-8 at 16:21 when both teams went cold from the floor. Cade McKnight broke the field goal drought for the Sycamores with a layup at 13:21, but Bradley’s scoring drought continued as the Sycamores went on an 8-0 run including six points from McKnight in that span. ISU led 16-13 when Bradley finally capped its scoring drought with 10:44 left in the first half.
Indiana State went on another 8-0 run that featured a steal and dunk from Henry, and Henry later took advantage of a Bradley turnover, driving all the way in for a layup while drawing a foul in the process. He completed the and-one to put the Sycamores up by 10 at 36-26 with 3:57 to go. Jayson Kent knocked down a triple at 2:41 to give the Sycamores a 39-30 lead, and Bradley closed the half with four free throws to make it 39-34 going into halftime.
Bradley got a couple quick buckets back in the second half to cut the deficit to one point, and then Indiana State went on a 9-2 run to go up 48-40 at 15:15. After that, a Sycamore tech triggered a 12-0 Bradley run which the Braves used to take a 52-48 lead at 12:15. A three-point and-one from Kailex Stephens would pull the Sycamores within one point of Bradley at 9:56, but that’s as close as Indiana State would come to retaking the lead the rest of the way.
Inside the Numbers
The Sycamores were just 1-of-10 in their first 10 3-point attempts. They finished the night 4-of-20 beyond the arc, marking the least amount of 3-pointers made in a game all season.
Indiana State shot 37.9 percent from the field while Bradley shot 46.7 percent.
ISU pulled down 33 boards compared to Bradley’s 41.
The Sycamores were 19-of-24 from the charity stripe while Bradley was 17-of-23 at the line.
Tonight was the second-straight game in which the Sycamores committed fewer turnovers than their opponent. They committed 11 while Bradley committed 12.
News & Notes
Tonight’s 11-point loss is Indiana State’s largest margin of defeat this season.
For the first time all season, Indiana State is a full game outside of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
Kailex Stephens made his first appearance since Jan. 4 at Illinois State and finished with three points in just under eight minutes of action.
Jayson Kent faced his former team for first time tonight, as he transferred to ISU after two seasons at Bradley. He was one of three Sycamores in double-figures with 11 points alongside four rebounds, an assist, and a block.
Cameron Henry’s nine assists tonight surpassed his previous career-high of eight.
The Sycamores have now given up a double-digit lead six times this season. They recovered to win two of those games but have dropped the last four games in which they blew a double-digit lead. Tonight was the second time that has happened against a Valley opponent, both occurring at home, after giving up a double-digit lead to lose to Southern Illinois Jan. 11.
Indiana State has been outscored in the second half 11 times this season, with nine of those occurrences happening after holding the lead at halftime. The Sycamores have lost three games this season in which they led at halftime and were outscored in the second half.
Tonight’s loss marks the second three-game skid of the year for ISU. After the first three-game losing streak earlier this season, the Sycamores bounced back to win their next four straight.
Up Next
The Sycamores are set for back-to-back nationally televised road games beginning with a trip to Murray State Saturday, Jan. 21 for a 6 p.m. ET tip on ESPNU. After that, Indiana State travels to Drake Tuesday, Jan. 24 for a 9 p.m. ET tip on CBS Sports Network.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL: MASTODONS LOOK FOR ALL THE WRIGHT MOVES ON THURSDAY IN DAYTON
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Mastodon men’s basketball team starts a stretch of five of six on the road with a trip to Wright State on Thursday (Jan. 19).
Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (12-7, 4-4 Horizon League) at Wright State (11-8, 4-4)
When: Thursday, January 18 | 7 p.m. ET
Where: Dayton, Ohio | Nutter Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: 1380 AM The Fan | Listen
Talent: Brett Rump
Game Notes (PDF): Purdue Fort Wayne | Wright State
Series Record: Wright State leads 11-2
KNOW YOUR FOE:
// Wright State has won four of their last five games with their only loss being to Oakland.
// The Raiders won both contests from the ‘Dons last season, with the games being the first between the two teams since 2007.
‘DONS & ENDS
// Jarred Godfrey has seven games of 20 or more points this season. He has 32 career games of 20 or more points.
// In league play, Jarred Godfrey is averaging 18.0 points per game, fourth best in the league.
// Ra Kpedi grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds at Robert Morris (Dec. 29) with a career-best nine offensive rebounds. Kpedi is the first Mastodon with 15 rebounds since John Konchar had 15 vs. North Dakota State (March 2, 2019). He is the first Mastodon to record nine offensive rebounds in a game since Kevin Harden had nine against UTPA (now UTRGV) on Nov. 16, 2012.
// Ra Kpedi on the season has six double-digit rebound games, including double-doubles at Northwestern (Nov. 18), vs. Oakland (Dec. 3) and vs. Cleveland State (Jan. 16).
// The ‘Dons are giving up 65.3 points per game, third best in the Horizon League. Should the Mastodons finish the season at this average, it would be the best during the Division I era (2001-present) in program history. The current record is the 66.0 points the ‘Dons gave up in 2012-13.
// Jarred Godfrey has played in 140 career games, 2nd in program history. Former teammate Cameron Benford played in a program high 141 games from 2017-22.
// The ‘Dons are 10-0 this season when scoring 71 or more points in a game.
// Per sports-reference.com, Ra Kpedi leads the Horizon League in offensive rebounding percentage at 16.7 percent. He has a league-best 75 offensive boards.
// Jarred Godfrey owns 1,911 career points, second place in program history. The only Mastodon ahead of Godfrey is his former teammate John Konchar. Konchar sits in first place in program history with 2,065 points.
// Jarred Godfrey owns 582 rebounds, sixth in program history. When he reaches 603 rebounds he’ll enter the top five in program history. He is already in the top five in points, assists, steals, field goals, free throws and 3-pointers.
// Jarred Godfrey is shooting 93.5 percent (72-of-77) from the free throw line, 5th in the nation. Only once in program history has a player made 50 or more free throws in a season and finished at 90 percent or better. That was Ben Botts in 2009-09, making 65-of-71 (91.5 percent).
// Ra Kpedi has won the opening tip in 16-of-19 games this season. He also won the tip in overtime against Oakland (Dec. 3).
// The ‘Dons are 16th in the nation in 3-pointers per game (9.9).
// The ‘Dons are 8th in the nation in 3-point defense with teams shooting just 28.4 percent against them from three.
// Jarred Godfrey (1,911), Damian Chong Qui (1,458), Anthony Roberts (1,448), and Bobby Planutis (1,090) have each scored 1,000 career NCAA points. Deonte Billups (942) could enter that group this season.
// The ‘Dons have 13 games of double-digit offensive rebounds this season.
// Jarred Godfrey has failed to reach double-digits only once this season (nine points vs. Bluffton).
// Jarred Godfrey is the only active player in NCAA Division I men’s basketball with 1,900 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 3-pointers. Since 1992-93 only 24 student-athletes have finished with such a career stat line. The list includes Shabazz Napier, Jameer Nelson, Eddie House and Kerry Kittles. (per sports-reference.com)
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: USI TRAVELS TO LINDENWOOD AND SIUE THIS WEEK
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball seeks to get back on track this week when the Screaming Eagles travel to the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri to take on Lindenwood University Thursday and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Saturday. Thursday’s contest against Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri will tip at 5:30 p.m., and Saturday’s matchup against SIUE from Edwardsville, Illinois will start at 1 p.m.
Both games can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
USI Women’s Basketball enters the week with an 8-9 overall record and a 2-4 mark in conference play. The Screaming Eagles are tied for sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference standings entering this week’s matchups.
Thursday’s meeting against Lindenwood is the first of two meetings between the two schools in Ohio Valley Conference play. Both programs are familiar with each other from previous seasons and matchups as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference at the NCAA Division II level. USI has won all four meetings against the Lions after Lindenwood joined the GLVC in 2019-20.
USI will face off against SIUE Saturday for the second time in two weeks. Southern Indiana won 79-59 against SIUE on January 7 at Screaming Eagles Arena. USI matched a season high in that contest with 53 rebounds, including 19 offensive boards, and the Screaming Eagles had 21 assists compared to five for SIUE. Individually, Southern Indiana was led by a pair of double-doubles, as sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) posted 18 points and 12 rebounds and senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) tallied 14 points and 10 rebounds. The win gave USI a 27-24 lead in the all-time series against SIUE.
Last week, USI came out on the wrong end of two, one-possession losses at home. USI lost 47-44 last Thursday against the University of Arkansas Little Rock and 63-60 last Saturday against the University of Tennessee at Martin. Both opponents came from behind in the fourth quarter to snag road wins. Shafford led USI in both contests, scoring 10 points against Little Rock and 14 points against UT Martin.
Haithcock paces the Screaming Eagles on the season at 14.3 points per game. Second in scoring is junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) with 13.4 points per contest, while Shafford is third with 13.2 points per outing and leads the team at 7.1 rebounds per game. All three players rank in the OVC’s top eight in scoring. Haithcock’s 14.3 points average is third in the conference. Shafford’s 7.1 rebounds per game are good for third in the OVC, sitting just half a rebound behind the leader. Shafford is at the top of the conference and the nation in three-point shooting, knocking down long-range shots at 56.7 percent. As a team, USI ranks first in the OVC in assists, blocks, rebounding, and in three-point percentage.
Taking a deeper look at this week’s opponents, Lindenwood is 1-16 overall and 0-6 in conference play, while SIUE is 4-13 this season with a 3-3 record in the OVC. SIUE has won three of its last five games. The two schools just faced each other on Saturday, as the Cougars defeated the Lions 74-63. SIUE had a solid start in the game, outscoring Lindenwood 17-6 in the first period. The Cougars outshot the Lions 51.9 percent to 42.6 percent, despite the teams combining to go 0-31 from three. SIUE was led by senior forward Ajulu Thatha, who posted a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds. Lindenwood was led in the game by graduate guard Devin Fuhring with 15 points.
This season, Lindenwood is led in scoring by sophomore guard Mary McGrath with 11.7 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. Thatha leads SIUE at 12.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest. Thatha was named the OVC Player of the Week on Tuesday after recording double-doubles in both games last week for the Cougars.
Following this week’s road trip to Lindenwood and SIUE, Southern Indiana will return home to Screaming Eagles Arena next Thursday for the Screaming Eagles’ second go-around against Eastern Illinois University at 5 p.m.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SWIMMING: EAGLES RETURN TO USI AQUATIC CENTER
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving return home for back-to-back meets to finish their inaugural regular season. The Screaming Eagles will host Southern Illinois University on Saturday then finish the season on January 28 hosting Eastern Illinois University, that meet was originally scheduled for January 14 but had been postponed and moved to the USI Aquatics Center.
The meet on Saturday has had an adjusted start time. The 3-meter diving event will begin at 10 am while the rest of the meet will start as scheduled at 11 am.
USI Men
The Eagles last meet came on January 6 at Cleveland State University as the they fell to the Vikings, 204-82. USI had just eight top three finishes on the day while freshman Carson Faley (Dixon, Illinois) led the way, earning seven points in his three events. Freshmen Gabriel Groves (New Carlisle, Indiana) and Chris Brown (Mattawan, Michigan) closely followed Faley with six point each, groves in two events and Brown in three.
In his first meet with the Eagles, freshman Donnevun Banks won both diving events, scoring a 198.75 in the 1-meter and a 187.58 in the 3-meter. Freshman Lane Pollock (Boonville, Indiana) finished right behind Banks in both events, earning a 163.58 in the 1-meter and a 177.3 in the 3-meter.
The Eagles have had 10 different swimmers set season and school bests this season. Faley leads USI with three bests in the 200-Yard Butterfly and the 200 and 500-Yard Freestyles. Freshmen Caleb Davis (Spring, Texas) and Groves both have two bests. Davis leads the team in the 100 and 200-Yard Breaststrokes while Groves leads in the 100-Yard Backstroke and 100-Yard Freestyle. Sophomore Payton Buse (Lynnville, Indiana) and freshmen Creed Loy (Knoxville, Tennessee) and Grant VanWanzeele (Plainfield, Indiana) lead the team in the final three freestyle events. Buse leading the 50-Yard, Loy in the 1000-Yard, and VanWanzeele in the 1650-Yard. Freshmen Caleb Beaven (Newburgh, Indiana) and Colin Lee (Lakeland, Tennessee) lead the team in the 200 and 400-Yard IM, respectively. Freshmen Liam Murray (Indianapolis, Indiana) and Gregory Benson (Plainfield, Illinois) round out the pack for the Eagles as Murray leads the team in the 200-Yard Backstroke and Benson leads in the 100-Yard Butterfly.
USI Women
The Eagles fell to Cleveland State in their opening match of 2023, 188.5-91.5. USI was able to earn eight second place finishes while freshman Hannah Gardner (Bowling Green, Kentucky) was the only one to have multiple second place finishes with two. Gardner and freshman Mattilynn Smith (Morgantown, Kentucky) led the Eagles, securing 10 points each.
Freshman Autumn Turley (Hobart, Indiana) brought in eight points for the Eagles in diving. Turley recorded a 144.68 in the 1-meter and a 142.88 in the 3-meter.
The Eagles have six different swimmers that lead the team in season and school bests this season. Smith leads the way for USI, leading in four categories. She leads the team in the 200, 500, 1000, and 1650-Yard Freestyles. Freshman Kate Hilgarth (Indianapolis, Indiana) follows Smith with three team bests in the 100 and 200-Yard Backstrokes as well as the 50-Yard Freestyle. Freshmen Sarah-Catherine Dawson (Prospect, Kentucky) and Gardner as well as sophomore Adele Schnautz (Evansville, Indiana) all have two team bests. Dawson leads the team in the 100 and 200-Yard Butterflys, Gardner leads in the 100 and 200-Yard Breastrokes, and Schnautz leads the team in the 200 and 400-Yard IM, respectively. Freshman Emily McIntosh (Huntertown, Indiana) rounds out the leaders in the 100-Yard Freestyle.
Southern Illinois Salukis
The Southern Illinois Men started their season slow, falling to McKendree University to open their season. The Salukis were able to bounce back and earn wins over the University of Evansville and Missouri State University at the MVC Showcase. They then hosted the A3 Performance Invitational where the men took first place. USI finished sixth at the same event. The men then finishes seventh of seven schools at the Purdue Invitational. In their most recent meet the SIU men took down Ball State University.
The SIU Women were able to take down McKendree to open their season. The Salukis would go on to split at the University of Illinois, falling to the Fighting Illini but took down Illinois State University. They then took first place at the A3 Performance Invitational, where USI would take fifth. In their most recent meet the SIU women fell to both Ball State and Indiana State University.
The Salukis will host the University of Arkansas Little Rock and Lindenwood University on Friday before traveling to Evansville.
VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HITS ROAD, HEADS TO UNI THURSDAY
Valparaiso (3-11, 1-5 MVC)
Game #15 – Jan. 19, 2023 – 6 p.m.
at UNI (10-5, 5-1 MVC)
McLeod Center (6,650) – Cedar Falls, Iowa
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Coming off a strong win at home over Missouri State this past Saturday, the Valpo women’s basketball team looks to keep the momentum going into a three-game stretch away from home – a stretch which begins Thursday night at MVC co-leader UNI.
Previously: Valpo earned its first Missouri Valley Conference win of the year in emphatic fashion Saturday afternoon at the ARC, taking down a Missouri State team which is one of the Valley’s perennial powers and entered the weekend tied atop the MVC standings by a 77-68 final. The victory — Valpo’s first in program history over the Lady Bears — was highlighted by a star performance from fifth-year point guard Ilysse Pitts, who more than doubled her previous career best with a game-high 24 points.
Following Valpo Basketball: Streaming Video: ESPN+
Radio: WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso)
Streaming Audio: TuneIn app
Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com
Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her fifth year at the helm of the program in 2022-23 and owns a record of 51-79. Evans has made an impact on the program in her first four years, raising the team’s level of play to be competitive in a strong Missouri Valley Conference. Evans’ preferred style of play has been a big part of the program’s turnaround, as Valpo has led the MVC in 3-pointers made per game in each of the last three seasons and in steals per game in two of the last three years.
Series Notes: Valpo trails the all-time series with UNI, 10-5, but the location has made a big difference in the results – Valpo has split eight all-time matchups with the Panthers at the ARC, but is just 1-6 away from home. Last season, the teams met three times, with each team defending its home court in the regular season (Valpo 60-58, UNI 68-38) before the Panthers claimed the rubber result at Hoops in the Heartland, 63-39.
@ValpoWBB…
…and @ValleyHoops
– Valpo was picked to finish in 10th place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 197 points, just 10 points behind Evansville.
– Valpo is in its sixth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
– The Valley was ranked 10th in conference NET last year, was ranked seventh nationally in conference NET in 2020-21 and was eighth nationally in conference RPI in 2019-20.
…looking back at last year
– Valpo finished last year with an 11-19 overall record, but was strong in MVC play, going 9-9 in conference and finishing in sixth place – both of which match the program’s best since joining the Valley.
– The Beacons registered the first win at Drake and the first win at Bradley in program history.
– Valpo swept the season series over Drake, the program’s first two wins ever against the Bulldogs.
– The Beacons also tallied four top-100 wins within Valley play.
– Grace White was named MVC Sixth Player of the Year – the program’s first major postseason award since joining the Valley. Shay Frederick was a First Team All-MVC choice, while White was an All-Defensive Team selection and Olivia Brown earned a spot on the All-Newcomer Team.
…versus Missouri State
– The Lady Bears led by as many as eight in the first half and held a 39-35 advantage at intermission.
– Five early points from Ilysse Pitts in the third quarter gave Valpo a 42-41 lead, its first lead since the early minutes. The Beacons would not trail again in the third and led 58-56 with 10 minutes to play.
– Olivia Brown converted at the rim on Valpo’s first possession of the fourth quarter to make it a four-point lead, but the Lady Bears scored six straight points to jump back in front, 62-60 with 8:24 to play.
– The Beacons answered with a key 10-2 run over a four-minute stretch to give them control. A 3-pointer by Pitts with 7:19 remaining gave Valpo the lead for good.
– The run was capped in a highlight-reel end-to-end sequence. Pitts blocked a 3-point attempt by MSU’s Paige Rocca with the shot clock running down, secured the loose ball and broke out towards the rim. Her layup attempt was off the mark, but junior Leah Earnest trailed the break perfectly, leapt and put the rebound back in one motion, all while being fouled. When Earnest completed the 3-point play at the foul line, Valpo led 70-64 with 4:02 to play.
– A free throw for the Beacons extended the lead to seven points at 71-64 with under three minutes to play before the Lady Bears converted a pair at the stripe with 2:31 to go to make it 71-66. Valpo had empty offensive possessions on its next two trips, but forced MSU misses on the defensive end to keep the Lady Bears at bay.
– Pitts took care of business at the foul line down the stretch, hitting 6-of-8 at the stripe in the final minute, and Missouri State turned the ball over to the Beacons on each of its final three possessions.
– Pitts, who entered Saturday with a career best of 11 points, more than doubled that to lead all players with 24 points — 18 of which came in the second half. Playing in her 95th career game at Valpo, Pitts paced the squad in scoring for the first time.
– Valpo also got an efficient offensive performance from Earnest, who went 6-of-9 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe for 18 points to go with six rebounds. Earnest, who scored in double figures for the 11th time this year, set a career high with her six free throws made and also posted a career best with three steals.
– Rounding out a trio of Beacons who set a high water mark for output from the free throw line was Brown, who went 6-of-7 from the foul line as part of a 15-point effort — her eighth game in double figures this year. The senior also paced Valpo with four assists.
…at UIC
– Valpo earned its largest lead of the game, 46-38, with 4:58 to play on a 3-pointer from Ilysse Pitts.
– The Beacons were limited to just one point over the next four-plus minutes as UIC closed to within 47-46.
– Olivia Sims hit two free throws with 19.5 seconds to play, countered by two UIC free throws with 10.7 seconds.
– Olivia Brown split a pair at the line to make it 50-48 with 8.6 to go, setting up Josie Filer’s game-winning triple.
– The 51 points allowed matched the lowest output by an opponent since Valpo held Purdue to 47 points on Dec. 6, 2020.
– The Beacons held UIC to 39% shooting, while on the offensive end, Valpo hit at a 45.9% clip. At the foul line, however, the Beacons were just 11-of-22 – including just 4-of-8 in the final two minutes – to the Flames’ 12-of-18.
– Sims matched her career high in the scoring column, with her final two free throws giving her a team-best 12 points on the night. The sophomore, who went 4-of-6 from the field and 4-of-5 from the foul line, has four 12-point efforts in her career.
…looking ahead
– Valpo continues its three-game road swing and concludes the Iowa road trip Saturday afternoon at Drake.
– The Beacons will then step out of Valley play briefly on Wednesday, Jan. 25 to make up their postponed game at Wisconsin.
U OF I FOOTBALL: ALEXIS, CLINTON DUBBED ALL-AMERICA
BROOKFIELD, Ill. — The Don Hansen Football Committee has released the 2022 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America teams recently, with a pair of Greyhounds appearing on the list. Offensive lineman Kednal Alexis and running back Toriano Clinton each added to their ’22 trophy case by garnering All-America Honorable Mention from the respected outlet. It marked the second straight Don Hansen All-America Honorable Mention recognition for Clinton and first career nod for Alexis.
The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988. Don Hansen’s Football Gazette began selecting Division II All-Region squads in 2003.
Clinton wrapped up one of the greatest careers ever by a Greyhound football player this fall. The Chicago native rewrote the UIndy record book in his time on campus, surpassing nearly all the school’s career and season rushing marks. He held the title of DII’s active career rushing leader throughout the 2022 campaign while notching his second straight 1,000-yard season in despite playing in only eight games.
Opening holes for Clinton at left guard was Alexis. The two-time All-GLVC First Team honoree picked up his first career All-America award after helping UIndy to a conference championship and playoff berth. He was part of a unit that ranked highly in DII in several offensive categories, including top-20 spots in both scoring offense and rushing offense. The Indy native and Lawrence North grad is also an Academic All-District® honoree is on track for a fourth-straight Academic All-GLVC nod.
U OF I WRESTLING: GREYHOUNDS FALL IN CLOSE BATTLE TO #18 MARYVILLE
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – No. 12-ranked UIndy wrestling team traveled to St. Louis, Mo. for a dual with the No. 18 Maryville Saints, a face-off in which the Saints came out victorious, 20-17.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The matches began at 157, with No. 3 Logan Bailey playing lead-off man for the Greyhounds. Despite early aggression out of Bailey, he fell 4-2 giving the Saints an early lead. The highlight of the day for the Hounds came right after where No. 8 Jack Eiteljorge made the upset and with flair, dominating No. 7 Cole Ritter from the gates. A 24-8 tech fall win by Eiteljorge put the Hounds back on top.
Maryville refused to quit, however, winning a close match at 174 and claiming a major decision at 184. No. 11 Derek Blubaugh helped calm the bleeding with a pin in 4:48, regaining the lead for the Hounds. Despite late period heroics by Cale Gray, the Hounds would fall at 285. Aidan Sprague and No. 8 Breyden Bailey both won their matches leaving it 17-13 going into 141 and 149.
Ray Rioux, coming off an outstanding performance at William Jewell, battled hard against No. 6 Taylor Jokerest, but eventually fell leaving the match in the hands of Chris Wilkerson, who faced No. 12 Tyler Stegall. Wilkerson fought for position early on but it was the experience of Stegall that reigned true, taking a major victory to close out the dual.
125 Aidan Sprague over Jalin Reese (Dec 10-6)
133 Breyden Bailey over JP Homfeld (Dec 7-6)
141 Taylor Jokerst over Ray Rioux (Dec 3-1)
149
Tyler Stegall over Christopher Wilkerson (MD 8-0)
157 Donavan Whitted over #8 Logan Bailey (Dec 4-2)
165 #8 Jack Eiteljorge over #7 Cole Ritter (TF 24-8 6:39)
174 Bret Heil over Owen Zablocki (Dec 4-3)
184 Joey Williams over Robert Gurley (MD 10-2)
197 Derek Blubaugh Chase Stegall (Fall 4:48)
285 Ryan Herman over Cale Gray (SV-1 6-4)
UP NEXT
The Hounds will host their first dual of the season, welcoming in the Quincy Hawks a week from today on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The first match is set to take place at 6 p.m.
MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: KENNA KIRBY TIES SEASON-HIGH AS MARIAN PREVAILS OVER ST. FRANCIS 62-54
INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 6 Marian women’s basketball team got back on track on Wednesday night as the Knights made the comeback in the second half to defeat St. Francis (Ind.) 62-54. The win puts Marian at 18-2 overall and 9-1 in Crossroads League play.
Both teams traded points in the first quarter as neither team saw a lead greater than three points when a three from the Cougars gave them the 9-6 lead with 2:31 left to play in the first quarter. Kinnidy Garrard answered for Marian with a layup to cut the USF lead down to one. St. Francis found another triple, but it was Garrard and Aliyah Evans each hitting to trail 14-12 to end quarter one.
Marian scored the first four points of the second quarter with buckets coming from Ella Collier and Evans to take the 16-14 lead. However, the hot shooting USF team came firing as they made an 8-2 run to grow their lead back up to five at 22-17 with 6:15 to go in the second quarter. Kenna Kirby gave some life to the Knights as she came in and hit two triples before the guests were the ones closing out the half with two scores and the 36-32 lead.
Everything was working on the offensive end for USF in the second quarter as they shot 63.6% from the field and 50% from three.
The battle continued in the third quarter with the action going back and forth through the first four minutes of play. The Cougars were on the upper hand however as they managed to get out to a seven-point lead. A free throw by Abbey McNally fueled a 7-0 run for Marian that saw McNally scoring five points and Evans having two to cut the deficit to one at 36-35. St. France responded with a layup before Kirby and Collier scored to give Marian the 39-38 lead. USF put together four more points in the final two minutes, while Kirby knocked down the free throw to tie it up at 42-42 going into the final quarter of play.
USF scored the opening points to start the fourth quarter to gain the one-point lead. The Knights got buckets from Garrard and Kirby to take the lead at 48-45. The teams traded points for around the next minute and a half until McNally found Allison Bosse for the three-pointer, shifting the momentum to Marian. The guests tied the game back up at 53-53 after a pair of freebies, but the Knights got back-to-back shots from Kirby and Bosse with 1:03 to play, helping Marian hold off a pesky USF team 62-54.
Marian was led by Kirby who tied her season-high with 14 points and pulled down a season-high seven rebounds. Garrard also had a season-high 12 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Bosse and Evans each added eight points.
Marian will be back inside the PE Center on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff with Mt. Vernon Nazarene. Saturday will also be the annual Alumni Day for both men’s and women’s basketball.
MARIAN MEN’S BASKETBALL: SHORT-HANDED KNIGHTS AVENGE LOSS AGAINST THE COUGARS IN 80-69 SUMMIT CITY WIN
Fort Wayne, Ind. – Playing with an eight-man rotation, the short-handed Marian men’s basketball team avenged their loss from seven days ago to St. Francis by handing the Cougars an 80-69 loss in Fort Wayne on Wednesday night. Marian’s second consecutive win improves their record to 16-4 overall, while jumping to 6-4 in league play.
St. Francis controlled the tempo from the opening tip, scoring on their second possession off a Marian turnover to help begin the game on a 5-0 run. The Knights slowly worked their way into play with Christian Harvey scoring four straight to get the first points of the contest, with Hayden Langkabel granting the first lead five minutes into play. The game swayed back and forth following the senior’s make, with each team swapping three pointers over the ensuing minutes.
A Brayton Bailey trey gave the Cougars a 13-11 edge with under 12 minutes to play, and held St. Francis in front for a five minute stretch as their lead grew to seven thanks to three-pointers made by Antwaan Cushingberry and Dan McKeeman. Brody Whitaker halted the Cougar run with a layup, with Langkabel following with a three to capture the momentum. Trailing by two, Whitaker and Harvey knocked down shots to extend the run to 10 points. The sprint gave Marian a 29-26 lead, and helped Marian stay in control as they would trail for just 49 seconds in the final 3:48 of the half.
A Whitaker three gave Marian a 34-32 lead going into the intermission, and coming out of the locker room the sophomore continued to catch five, scoring the first five points of the half for Marian. Whitaker continued to score at will, and got help from Luke Gohmann as the duo fended off an arsenal from of Cushingberry scores. The senior backcourt of Harvey and Langkabel extended the lead to nine with 13:16 remaining in the game, but the Cougars hung around keeping the visitors within one possession.
Gohmann kept the home team at bay by scoring 11 consecutive Marian points, and at the 8:09 mark he got help in the form of a Langkabel trifecta to keep a three-possession advantage. The fifth-year senior’s score started the clinching run, as Marian held the Cougars scoreless for nearly four minutes of game time, while Gavin Foe helped extend the lead to 14. The defensive stops helped the Knights control the remainder of the game, icing the waning moments with scores from Harvey and Gohmann to pull away with an 80-69 road win.
The Knights gutty win was padded by a 50.9 shooting percentage, while making 12 of 25 shots from beyond the arc. The advantage for Marian came on the glass, holding a whopping 39-14 edge over St. Francis. Whitaker finished one point away from a career-high as he drained a team-best 22 points on a 7-13 night, making four from deep. Gohmann tied his career high with 18 second half points, capping a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds. Harvey scored 16 point to go with seven assists, while Langkabel scored 15. Foe dropped nine points as he made his first collegiate start.
Marian will return home to host their alumni day game on Saturday, with tip coming 30 minutes following the conclusion of the women’s contest against Mount Vernon Nazarene. Marian will look to complete a season sweep of MVNU on Saturday, and extend their win streak to 11-consecutive against the Cougars.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: *
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
SPORTS EXTRA
*************NBA STANDINGS***********
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Boston | 33 | 12 | .733 | — | 17-5 | 16-7 | 5-0 | 19-8 | 8-2 | 7 W | ||
| 2 Milwaukee | 29 | 16 | .644 | 4.0 | 18-5 | 11-11 | 5-3 | 17-12 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 3 Philadelphia | 28 | 16 | .636 | 4.5 | 17-7 | 11-9 | 4-3 | 17-10 | 8-2 | 3 W | ||
| 4 Brooklyn | 27 | 16 | .628 | 5.0 | 13-7 | 14-9 | 5-3 | 20-8 | 6-4 | 3 L | ||
| 5 Cleveland | 28 | 18 | .609 | 5.5 | 19-4 | 9-14 | 7-3 | 17-8 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 6 Miami | 25 | 21 | .543 | 8.5 | 14-9 | 10-12 | 5-2 | 10-13 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 7 New York | 25 | 21 | .543 | 8.5 | 11-13 | 14-8 | 2-5 | 16-12 | 7-3 | 2 L | ||
| 8 Atlanta | 23 | 22 | .511 | 10.0 | 12-9 | 11-13 | 5-3 | 16-15 | 6-4 | 4 W | ||
| 9 Indiana | 23 | 23 | .500 | 10.5 | 15-9 | 8-14 | 2-3 | 16-12 | 4-6 | 5 L | ||
| 10 Chicago | 20 | 24 | .455 | 12.5 | 12-10 | 8-14 | 4-3 | 16-13 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 11 Toronto | 20 | 25 | .444 | 13.0 | 14-11 | 6-14 | 3-8 | 14-18 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 12 Washington | 19 | 26 | .422 | 14.0 | 11-10 | 8-16 | 4-3 | 12-15 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 13 Orlando | 16 | 28 | .364 | 16.5 | 10-12 | 6-16 | 2-5 | 7-18 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 12 | 34 | .261 | 21.5 | 5-16 | 7-18 | 3-6 | 5-23 | 2-8 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Detroit | 12 | 35 | .255 | 22.0 | 6-16 | 6-19 | 0-6 | 4-21 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Denver | 32 | 13 | .711 | — | 21-3 | 11-10 | 9-3 | 24-9 | 9-1 | 8 W | ||
| 2 Memphis | 31 | 13 | .705 | 0.5 | 20-3 | 11-10 | 6-2 | 15-10 | 10-0 | 11 W | ||
| 3 Sacramento | 25 | 18 | .581 | 6.0 | 14-9 | 11-9 | 5-5 | 13-9 | 7-3 | 5 W | ||
| 4 New Orleans | 26 | 19 | .578 | 6.0 | 17-6 | 9-13 | 7-3 | 16-10 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 5 Dallas | 24 | 22 | .522 | 8.5 | 16-7 | 8-15 | 6-2 | 18-10 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 6 Golden State | 22 | 22 | .500 | 9.5 | 17-5 | 5-17 | 4-4 | 13-9 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 7 Utah | 24 | 24 | .500 | 9.5 | 15-8 | 9-16 | 4-4 | 18-14 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 8 LA Clippers | 23 | 24 | .489 | 10.0 | 13-11 | 10-13 | 3-4 | 13-15 | 2-8 | 2 L | ||
| 9 Oklahoma City | 22 | 23 | .489 | 10.0 | 14-9 | 8-14 | 3-6 | 10-12 | 7-3 | 4 W | ||
| 10 Minnesota | 22 | 24 | .478 | 10.5 | 14-10 | 8-14 | 6-6 | 14-15 | 6-4 | 2 L | ||
| 11 Portland | 21 | 23 | .477 | 10.5 | 11-8 | 10-15 | 4-7 | 15-14 | 3-7 | 1 L | ||
| 12 Phoenix | 21 | 24 | .467 | 11.0 | 14-7 | 7-17 | 8-0 | 18-13 | 1-9 | 3 L | ||
| 13 LA Lakers | 20 | 25 | .444 | 12.0 | 11-11 | 9-14 | 1-8 | 9-16 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 14 | 31 | .311 | 18.0 | 9-15 | 5-15 | 2-7 | 5-24 | 2-8 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Houston | 10 | 35 | .222 | 22.0 | 6-15 | 4-20 | 1-8 | 5-26 | 0-10 | 12 L |
*************NHL STANDINGS***********
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Boston Bruins | 44 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 74 | 33 | 170 | 95 | 21-1-3 | 14-4-1 | 8-1-1 | |
| 2 Carolina Hurricanes | 44 | 27 | 9 | 8 | 62 | 24 | 141 | 120 | 13-5-2 | 14-4-6 | 5-3-2 | |
| 3 New Jersey Devils | 44 | 29 | 12 | 3 | 61 | 28 | 156 | 116 | 11-10-2 | 18-2-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 4 Toronto Maple Leafs | 45 | 27 | 11 | 7 | 61 | 27 | 152 | 121 | 16-3-4 | 11-8-3 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 Tampa Bay Lightning | 43 | 29 | 13 | 1 | 59 | 28 | 157 | 124 | 17-4-1 | 12-9-0 | 8-2-0 | |
| 6 New York Rangers | 45 | 25 | 13 | 7 | 57 | 23 | 144 | 120 | 11-8-4 | 14-5-3 | 6-2-2 | |
| 7 Washington Capitals | 47 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 54 | 24 | 150 | 133 | 13-8-3 | 11-9-3 | 4-4-2 | |
| 8 Pittsburgh Penguins | 44 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 51 | 21 | 143 | 135 | 12-5-4 | 10-10-3 | 3-5-2 | |
| 9 New York Islanders | 46 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 50 | 23 | 137 | 128 | 13-8-2 | 10-11-2 | 3-5-2 | |
| 10 Florida Panthers | 46 | 21 | 20 | 5 | 47 | 20 | 152 | 158 | 11-6-3 | 10-14-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 11 Buffalo Sabres | 43 | 21 | 19 | 3 | 45 | 20 | 163 | 150 | 9-12-2 | 12-7-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 12 Philadelphia Flyers | 45 | 19 | 19 | 7 | 45 | 19 | 127 | 145 | 10-10-1 | 9-9-6 | 8-2-0 | |
| 13 Detroit Red Wings | 43 | 18 | 17 | 8 | 44 | 17 | 134 | 149 | 11-9-3 | 7-8-5 | 3-6-1 | |
| 14 Ottawa Senators | 44 | 20 | 21 | 3 | 43 | 19 | 131 | 143 | 12-10-1 | 8-11-2 | 5-5-0 | |
| 15 Montreal Canadiens | 45 | 19 | 23 | 3 | 41 | 15 | 120 | 163 | 10-11-0 | 9-12-3 | 4-6-0 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 44 | 13 | 29 | 2 | 28 | 12 | 111 | 172 | 10-14-1 | 3-15-1 | 3-7-0 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Winnipeg Jets | 45 | 29 | 15 | 1 | 59 | 29 | 148 | 118 | 17-6-0 | 12-9-1 | 8-2-0 | |
| 2 Vegas Golden Knights | 45 | 28 | 15 | 2 | 58 | 25 | 147 | 130 | 13-12-0 | 15-3-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 3 Dallas Stars | 46 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 59 | 25 | 159 | 124 | 12-5-3 | 14-8-4 | 5-4-1 | |
| 4 Seattle Kraken | 44 | 26 | 14 | 4 | 56 | 26 | 161 | 139 | 10-9-2 | 16-5-2 | 8-2-0 | |
| 5 Los Angeles Kings | 46 | 25 | 15 | 6 | 56 | 21 | 154 | 157 | 14-8-2 | 11-7-4 | 6-3-1 | |
| 6 Minnesota Wild | 43 | 25 | 14 | 4 | 54 | 22 | 138 | 120 | 13-8-1 | 12-6-3 | 6-2-2 | |
| 7 Edmonton Oilers | 46 | 25 | 18 | 3 | 53 | 25 | 169 | 151 | 11-11-2 | 14-7-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 8 Calgary Flames | 46 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 51 | 20 | 141 | 139 | 12-8-2 | 9-8-7 | 5-3-2 | |
| 9 Colorado Avalanche | 43 | 23 | 17 | 3 | 49 | 20 | 135 | 122 | 11-8-3 | 12-9-0 | 4-5-1 | |
| 10 Nashville Predators | 44 | 21 | 17 | 6 | 48 | 19 | 122 | 128 | 11-7-3 | 10-10-3 | 6-3-1 | |
| 11 St. Louis Blues | 45 | 22 | 20 | 3 | 47 | 19 | 141 | 160 | 9-10-2 | 13-10-1 | 6-4-0 | |
| 12 Vancouver Canucks | 44 | 18 | 23 | 3 | 39 | 15 | 151 | 175 | 8-11-1 | 10-12-2 | 2-8-0 | |
| 13 San Jose Sharks | 46 | 14 | 23 | 9 | 37 | 13 | 142 | 175 | 5-12-7 | 9-11-2 | 3-4-3 | |
| 14 Arizona Coyotes | 44 | 14 | 25 | 5 | 33 | 12 | 119 | 161 | 8-6-2 | 6-19-3 | 1-9-0 | |
| 15 Anaheim Ducks | 45 | 12 | 28 | 5 | 29 | 9 | 105 | 190 | 8-13-1 | 4-15-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 16 Chicago Blackhawks | 42 | 12 | 26 | 4 | 28 | 12 | 98 | 157 | 9-15-2 | 3-11-2 | 4-6-0 |
*******FOOTBALL HISTORY*******
January 19, 1952 – NFL took control of the New York Yanks according to a story on ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com. The Yanks who really got their League start in 1945 when the Brooklyn team reassembled the Yanks franchise that left the NFL in the mid 1940’s and went into the All-America Football Conference. They played as the AAFC’s Boston Yanks for three seasons from 1946-1948. In 1949, the franchise changed homes again and returned to the Big Apple and became the New York Bulldogs and played at the Polo Grounds along with the New York Giants. The 1950 season had the Bulldogs change their name back to the Yanks. Later in 1952, the NFL purchased the Yanks from owner Ted Collins. The franchise then moved to Texas for the upcoming season, and the club donned the Dallas Texans moniker. It was not a good move as the team was not very good and fan support in the Dallas area was not strong. The team struggled, losing 11 of 12 games. By season’s end, the league was running the team and had moved the headquarters to Hershey, Pennsylvania. In the end, the Texans finally folded operations and as we discussed in the January 18 edition of the Football History Headlines they eventually morphed into the second rendition of the Baltimore Colts.
January 19, 1958 – The Canadian Football League is officially founded. According to an article on the CFLHOF.ca the LEague is the highest level of competition of professional football in Canada.
January 19, 1964 – Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California – The 3rd annual AFL All Star Game resulted in the Western Division outlasting the Eastern Division by the close score of 27-24. The Most Valuable Players was LA Chargers rushing weapon Keith Lincoln and Archie Matsos, a linebacker of the Oakland Raiders franchise per Onthisday.com.
January 19, 1969 – Gator Bowl, Jacksonville – The 8th AFL All Star Game had a change of venue. In the game it was the Western Division Stars who vanquished their Eastern Division rivals 38-25. According to the RemembertheAFL.com website the MVPs were Len Dawson the great quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers linebacker, George Webster. This game took place one week after the AFL had possibly its greatest triumph ever when the Jets defeated the Colts in what later became known as Super Bowl III.
January 19, 1969 – LA Memorial Coliseum – 19th NFL Pro Bowl had the West edging out the East, 10-7 per the Onthisday.com web pages. The Most Valuable Players were appropriately for the home crowd both Los Angeles Rams as Merlin Olsen the defensive tackle and Quarterback Roman Gabriel took home the honors.
January 19, 2002 – “Tuck Rule Game” or the AFC Divisional Playoff Game where with less than 2 minutes to play in regulation the New England Patriots were trailing the Oakland Raiders, 13-10 in a driving snowstorm. The American Football Database says that the Patriots drove the ball down the field and while they were still slightly out of field goal range, Tom Brady dropped back to pass and then was hit by a blitzing Charles Woodson of the Raiders jarring the ball out of Brady’s hand. Raiders linebacker Greg Biekert dove on the ball, and was initially credited with a recovered fumble. The on field officials ruled that it was a fumble but after instant replay reviewed the play, that call was overturned and then ruled an incomplete pass. They said that Brady’s arm was moving forward. The Patriots tied the game on a field goal a few moments later and then won the game in overtime 16-13.
ONTHISDAY.COM CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SCOREBOARD.
January 19, 2003 – Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland – Oakland Raiders beat Tennessee Titans, 41-24 in the AFC Championship game.
January 19, 2003 – NFC Championship, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia: Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10
January 19, 2014 – Mile High Stadium, Denver- In the AFC Championship, the Denver Broncos knocked off the New England Patriots, 26-16 to advance to the Super Bowl.
January 19, 2014 – CenturyLink Field, Seattle – The Seattle Seahawks outlasted the San Francisco 49ers by the score of 23-17 at the NFC Championship.
January 19, 2020 – Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara – The results of the NFC Championship game was that the San Francisco 49ers thwarted the Green Bay Packers, 37-20.
January 19, 2020 – Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City – The AFC Championship game for the 2019 season found the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Tennessee Titans, 35-24.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR JANUARY 19
January 19, 1892 – Natick, Massachusetts – The tough Harvard fullback Eddie Mahan was born.
January 19, 1932 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Joe Schmidt the swift linebacker from the University of Pittsburgh arrived into this life. The footballfoundation.org site says that going into the October 1952 game that Pitt had lost eight straight seasons to the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. As Captain of the team Joe asked for a player only meeting five minutes prior to taking the field. That’s when Joe Schmidt took the locker room floor and made a rousing speech. He told his teammates they must win this game. The talk must have inspired the team as they knocked Notre Dame 22-19. The International News Service namedJoe as an All-American linebacker. The NFF selected Joe Schmidt to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971. After college Joe played with the Detroit Lions. In his 13 seasons in the NFL Schmidt was an all-pro linebacker eight times., went to 10 straight Pro Bowls and registered 24 interceptions. Joe Scmidt was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
January 19, 1947 – Shelbyville, Indiana – Purdue’s former excellent Quarterback Mike Phipps was born. The footballfoundation.org website bio of Phipps says that in just his second game after taking over for a graduating Bob Griese his picture was put him on the cover of Sports Illustrated as he threw for two scores over top-ranked Notre Dame. In his Junior season he guided the Boilermakers to a win over Notre Dame in a number one vs., number two match-up. As a senior he became a unanimous All-America selection and the runner up in the Heisman Trophy race. The National Football Foundation in 2006 selected Mike Phips to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. After graduation Phipps was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the NFL draft as the third overall selection. He played for 12 NFL seasons with the Browns and Chicago Bears.
January 19, 1969 – San Diego, California – Junior Seau the outstanding linebacker from Southern Cal was received into this world. Seau played an amazing 20 seasons in the NFL as he was first drafted in the first round by his hometown San Diego Chargers in 1990 according to his bio on the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1992 was voted as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Junior was an All Pro 8 times and played in 12 Pro Bowls. In 1994, he led the Chargers to their first and only Super Bowl appearance. Junior Seau was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
January 19, 1974 – Aliceville, Alabama – The great Florida State Offensive Tackle Walter Jones celebrated his birth. Walter was chosen in the 1997 NFL Draft as the 6th player taken overall by the Seattle Seahawks. Per the Profootballhof.com Jones plates 12 seasons and made it to 9 Pro Bowls all with Seattle. Walter Jones in 2014 had his football legacy placed into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
******BASEBALL HISTORY******
1900 Boston Beaneater catcher Marty Bergen, reportedly depressed by his son’s death in 1898, allegedly kills his family with an ax and commits suicide in Brookfield, Massachusetts. Billy Hamilton is the only Boston player to attend the 28-year-old backstop’s funeral. (Thanks to Bill – a baseball fan in Virginia for suggesting this entry.)
1916 The National Association releases a list of 123 Federal League free agents under the peace agreement terms. Next month, U.S. District Court by Judge Kenesaw M. Landis, who will become the game’s first commissioner in 1920, dismisses, by mutual consent, the upstart league’s year-old suit that charged organized baseball of antitrust violations.
1931 Under the terms of a new agreement with the Pacific Coast League, the Robins purchase Ernie Lombardi’s contract from the Oakland Oaks for $50,000. The 23-year-old ‘Schnozz,’ inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986, plays well for Brooklyn but will be traded to the Reds after his rookie season because the team has a plethora of catchers.
1932 Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Shoeless Joe Jackson’s appeal for reinstatement. The White Sox outfielder, banned for life for his alleged involvement in fixing the 1919 World Series known as the Black Sox scandal, will continue to proclaim his innocence for the remainder of his life.
1937 Cy Young, Nap Lajoie, and Tris Speaker are named on 75% of the 201 BBWAA ballots and will join last year’s inaugural selection of Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson as inductees of baseball’s new Hall of Fame, scheduled to be opened in two years. The Centennial Commission, a small group of executives charged with picking individuals overlooked by the 1936 Veterans election, which failed to name any 19th-century players, selects Connie Mack, John McGraw, Morgan Bulkeley, Ban Johnson, and George Wright for induction at the Cooperstown ceremony.
1938 After resigning as the Reds’ general manager at the end of the 1936 season, Larry MacPhail is coaxed back into baseball by the Dodgers. The Brooklyn Board of Directors, anxious to improve the club’s poor performance on the field and reverse its financial woes, sign the fiery innovator to a contract that gives him complete control of the franchise.
1942 Eleanor Gehrig receives a telegram from Samuel Goldwyn’s creative publicity chief William Hebert about the selection of Teresa Wright to portray her in The Pride of the Yankees, a movie about her late husband, Lou. Miss Wright will earn a Best Actress Oscar nomination for the role where she appears opposite Gary Cooper, the Hollywood superstar chosen to play the legendary Yankees first baseman.
1961 Don Newcombe is released by the Indians, ending his ten-year major league career with a .623 winning percentage with 149 victories and only 90 losses. The one-time hard-throwing right-hander, best known for his playing days with the Dodgers, won the Rookie of the Year (1949), Cy Young (1956), and Most Valuable Player (1956) awards while with Brooklyn.
1963 After Eddie Stanky, the Cardinals’ director of player development, turns down the job, the Orioles promote first base coach Hank Bauer as the team’s manager to replace the fired Billy Hitchcock, who had posted an 86-76 record with the Birds last season. The former A’s skipper and Yankee All-Star outfielder will guide the Birds, thanks to the acquisition of future Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, to their first AL pennant and World Series championship in 1966.
1965 Danny O’Connell and Hobie Landrith surprise the Senators’ front office when they resign to pursue different business opportunities. Rube Walker and Joe Pignatano, former major league catchers who played for the Dodgers with the team’s manager, Gil Hodges, replace the departing coaches.
1972 At the age of 36 years and 20 days, former Dodger southpaw Sandy Koufax, who placed himself on the voluntarily retired list because of an arthritic left arm in 1966, becomes the youngest player elected into the Hall of Fame. The baseball writers also select Yankee legend Yogi Berra and Early Wynn, a 300-game winner.
1983 Ozzie Smith becomes the game’s first $1-million shortstop when the infielder inks a three-year pact with the World Champion Cardinals. The ‘Wizard of Ahs,’ best known for his outstanding defense, won his third consecutive Gold Glove in the offseason.
1997 Ivan Rodriguez, avoiding salary arbitration, agrees to a contract worth $6.65 million to catch for the Rangers. ‘Pudge’ set the record for most doubles by a catcher with 44 last season, and the All-Star receiver also set the major league mark for at-bats by a backstop, with 639, surpassing Johnny Bench’s 621, established in 1970.
1999 During his State of the Union address, President Bill Clinton introduces Sammy Sosa, sitting with First Lady Hillary Clinton, a big Cubs fan, in the House of Representatives chamber balcony, calling the Dominican outfielder “a hero in two countries.” The Commander-in-Chief salutes the Chicago slugger for his relief efforts in the Dominican Republic after the country was devastated by recent hurricanes.
2000 Major league owners vote unanimously to consolidate the administrative functions of the National and American leagues, giving the commissioner’s office sweeping new powers. To restore competitive balance in baseball, Bud Selig will be allowed to block trades and redistribute the wealth and, under the adopted new constitution, will also be able to fine teams up to two million dollars.
2005 Esteban Loaiza (10-7, 5.70) and the Nationals agree to a one-year, $2.9 million pact. The 33-year-old free-agent pitcher, who was traded by the White Sox to the Yankees last season, could not return to form after an outstanding 2003 season (21-9, 2.90).
2006 Major league baseball owners unanimously approve the November transaction in which Bob Castellini and two other Cincinnati businessmen bought control of the Reds from previous owner Carl Lindner. According to reports, the trio, including investors Thomas Williams and William Williams Jr., acquired approximately 70 percent ownership of baseball’s oldest franchise, believed to be valued at an estimated $270 million.
2006 Theo Epstein, after an eighty-day departure, returns to the Red Sox in a yet-to-be-named capacity. The youngest general manager in baseball history, who assembled a World Champion team in 2004, left Boston disguised in a gorilla costume on Halloween Day, citing the position was not “the right fit.”
2009 Bill Werber, the oldest ex-major leaguer and last living teammate of Babe Ruth, dies at 100. The former infielder, who played for the Yankees, Red Sox, A’s, Reds, and Giants, became the first player to appear in a televised game, batting leadoff for Cincinnati in a contest played against the Dodgers at Ebbets Field on August 26, 1939.
2009 The Diamondbacks and Stephen Drew, brother of major league outfielder J.D. Drew and right-hander Tim Drew, avoid arbitration by coming to terms on a $3.4 million, one-year deal. The 26-year-old shortstop, selected as the team’s 15th pick in the 2004 amateur draft, has compiled a .270 batting average during his four seasons with Arizona.
2010 Jonathan Papelbon inks a deal with the Red Sox for the richest salary ever given to a relief pitcher with just four years of major league service. The 29-year-old reliever, who has 151 career saves for Boston, agrees to a $9.35 million, one-year contract to continue to be the team’s closer.
2010 Avoiding arbitration, Luke Scott and the Orioles agree on a $4.05 million, one-year deal. The 31-year-old outfielder, obtained in a 2007 trade with Houston, hit just .258 last season but had career highs with 25 homers and 77 RBIs.
2010 Avoiding arbitration for the second consecutive season, Ryan Ludwick (.265, 22, 97) and the Cardinals agree to a $5.45 million, one-year deal. The 31-year-old outfielder, who had nine assists while committing only one error, was named to the National League All-Star squad last season.
2011 The Twins resign right-handed free-agent Carl Pavano to a $16.5 million deal, keeping the right-hander in Minnesota for two years. The 35-year-old Southington (CT) native led the team in both wins (17) and innings pitched (221) last season, including a league-leading seven complete games.
2013 Doctors perform life-saving surgery on Carl Pavano, removing his spleen, lacerated five days ago when he slipped on ice and fell onto a handle of a snow shovel clearing snow at his Vermont home. The 37-year-old veteran starting pitcher, who had been amping up his free-agent negotiations with several teams after being recently released by the Twins, says he is determined to pitch again.
2016 The Reds announce that Pete Rose will become the 86th member inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. Also, the Cincinnati native, banned from baseball for gambling on the sport, will be honored by having his #14 uniform, which he wore from 1963-78 and 1984-86, retired and will have a statue of him dedicated at Great American Ball Park.
******SPORTS IN NUMBERS*******
9 – 90 – 18 – 74 – 22 – 56 – 16 – 32 – 8 – 24 – 14 – 41 – 10 – 12
January 19, 1932 – The NHL’s Charlie Conacher became the first Toronto Maple Leaf player to score 5 goals in one contest. He started off strong too lighting the lamp just five seconds into the game! Conacher wore the Number 9 during his career with the Leafs.
January 19, 1937 – Cy Young , Tris Speaker, and Nap Lajorie elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
January 19, 1964 – 3rd AFL All Star Game, Balboa Stadium, SD: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 27-24; MVPs: LA Chargers, RB, Number 22, Keith Lincoln, and on defense was Oakland Raiders, LB, Number 56, Archie Matsos.
January 19, 1969 – Houston Oilers Linebacker George Webster earns the AFC All-Star game defensive MVP award at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. George wore the Number 90 while on the roster of the Oilers. Western Division beats Eastern Division, 38-25; MVPs: ( Number 16) Len Dawson, KC Chiefs, QB;
January 19, 1969 – Old Number 18, Rams Quarterback, Roman Gabriel, was awarded the NFL Pro Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player of the game., while Merlin Olsen ( Number 74), Los Angeles Rams, DT received the honor on defense
January 19, 1971 – 24th NHL All-Star Game, Boston Garden: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 2-1; MVP: Bobby Hull ( Number 9), Chicago, LW
January 19, 1972 – Sandy Koufax ( Number 32), Yogi Berra ( Number 8), and Early Wynn ( Number 24) were all elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
January 19, 1977 – Ernie Banks ( Number 14) of the Chicago Cubs was elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
January 19, 1978 – Eddie Mathews ( Number 41) was elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
January 19, 1991 – 42nd NHL All-Star Game, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Campbell beats Wales, 11-5; Vincent Damphousse ( Number 10), Toronto Maple Leafs, C
January 19, 1996 – NHL Board of Governors approves sale of Winnipeg Jets, officially clearing the way for the team to move to Phoenix, Arizona in time for 1996-97 season
January 19, 2002 – “Tuck Rule Game” AFC Divisional Playoff Game; with under 2 minutes to play New England Patriots trail Oakland Raiders, 13-10 in a driving snowstorm, when a ( Number 12) Tom Brady fumble ruled an incomplete pass. Patriots win 16-13 in overtime
*************************TV THURSDAY************************
| NCAA BASKETBALL GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| UMBC at UMass Lowell | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Rutgers at Michigan State | 6:30pm | FS1 |
| Michigan at Maryland | 7:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Purdue at Minnesota | 7:00pm | ESPN2/U |
| Wichita State at Memphis | 7:00pm | ESPN2/U |
| UNCW at Hofstra | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Northeastern at Stony Brook | 7:00pm | SNY |
| Hampton at Drexel | 7:00pm | – |
| Cleveland State at Northern Kentucky | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Oakland at IUPUI | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Purdue Fort Wayne at Wright State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| NJIT at Bryant | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Binghamton at UAlbany | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Maine at Vermont | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Queens at North Florida | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Kennesaw State at Stetson | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Liberty at Jacksonville | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Jacksonville State at FGCU | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Charlotte at Middle Tennessee | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| ULM at Georgia Southern | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Mercer at VMI | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| The Citadel at UNCG | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| App State at Coastal Carolina | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Georgia State at Old Dominion | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| James Madison at Troy | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| William & Mary at Delaware | 7:00pm | FloSports |
| Charleston at Monmouth | 7:00pm | FloSports |
| Towson at North Carolina A&T | 7:00pm | FloSports |
| Stephen F. Austin at Sam Houston | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Denver at South Dakota | 8:00pm | – |
| Kansas City at North Dakota | 8:00pm | – |
| Oral Roberts at North Dakota State | 8:00pm | – |
| A&M-Commerce at New Orleans | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| A&M-Corpus Christi at Lamar | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| McNeese at Nicholls | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UTRGV at UTA | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| South Alabama at Southern Miss | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Louisiana at Arkansas State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Marshall at Texas State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UIW at Houston Christian | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Rice at North Texas | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Robert Morris at Milwaukee | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Youngstown State at Green Bay | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UT Martin at Southeast Missouri | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Florida Atlantic at UTSA | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Washington at Northern Colorado | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Idaho at Northern Arizona | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Kentucky at Lipscomb | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Bellarmine at Austin Peay | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Omaha at South Dakota State | 8:00pm | – |
| Indiana at Illinois | 8:30pm | FS1 |
| Morehead State at SIUE | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Tennessee Tech at Little Rock | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Northwestern State at Southeastern Louisiana | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Loyola Marymount at Gonzaga | 9:00pm | – |
| Washington at Colorado | 9:00pm | ESPNU |
| WKU at Louisiana Tech | 9:00pm | CBSSN |
| Washington State at Utah | 9:00pm | PAC12N |
| USC at Arizona | 9:00pm | PAC12N |
| San Diego at Portland | 9:00pm | KRCW |
| NM State at Southern Utah | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Indiana at Lindenwood | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Portland State at Weber State | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sacramento State at Idaho State | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| FIU at UTEP | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UC Riverside at UC Davis | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UC San Diego at Cal Poly | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| CSUN at UC Santa Barbara | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Hawai’i at UC Irvine | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Tarleton at Seattle U | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UCLA at Arizona State | 10:30pm | FS1 |
| Saint Mary’s at Pepperdine | 11:00pm | ESPNU |
| BYU at Santa Clara | 11:00pm | CBSSN |
| Oregon State at Stanford | 11:00pm | PAC12N |
| Pacific at San Francisco | 11:00pm | NBCS-CA |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA: The American Express | 3:00pm | GOLF |
| PGA Tour Champions Golf: Mitsubishi Electric Championship | 7:00pm | GOLF |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Chicago at Detroit | 3:00pm | NBATV NBCS-CHI Bally Sports |
| Golden State at Boston | 7:30pm | TNT |
| Toronto at Minnesota | 8:00pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Brooklyn at Phoenix | 10:00pm | TNT |
| Philadelphia at Portland | 10:00pm | NBCS-PHI Root Sports |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Anaheim at Columbus | 7:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Boston at NY Rangers | 7:00pm | NESN MSG |
| Chicago at Philadelphia | 7:00pm | NBCS-CHI NBCS-PHI |
| Florida at Montreal | 7:00pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| Minnesota at Carolina | 7:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Winnipeg at Toronto | 7:00pm | Sportsnet |
| NY Islanders at Buffalo | 7:30pm | MSGSN MSG-BUF |
| Nashville at St. Louis | 8:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Tampa Bay at Edmonton | 9:00pm | ESPN |
| Washington at Arizona | 9:00pm | NBCS-WSH Bally Sports |
| Detroit at Vegas | 10:00pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-RM |
| New Jersey at Seattle | 10:00pm | MSGSN Root Sports |
| Dallas at Los Angeles | 10:00pm | Bally Sports |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| Coppa Italia: Atalanta vs Spezia | 9:00am | Paramount+ |
| Coppa Italia: Lazio vs Bologna | 12:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Copa del Rey: Ceuta vs Barcelona | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| First Division A: Sint-Truiden vs Club Brugge | 2:45pm | ESPN+ |
| English Premier League: Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur | 3:00pm | Peacock |
| Copa del Rey: Villarreal vs Real Madrid | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Coppa Italia: Juventus vs Monza | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
********************TV FRIDAY*************************
| NCAA BASKETBALL GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Ball State at Kent State | 6:30pm | CBSSN |
| VCU at Richmond | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Villanova vs. St. John’s (at Manhattan, NY) | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| Mount St. Mary’s at Siena | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Saint Peter’s at Marist | 7:00pm | ESPN3 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn at Saint Francis U | 7:00pm | NEC |
| Central Connecticut at Wagner | 7:00pm | NEC |
| Stonehill at LIU | 7:00pm | NEC |
| Sacred Heart at Fairleigh Dickinson | 7:00pm | NEC |
| Niagara at Rider | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Iona at Manhattan | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Canisius at Fairfield | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Toledo at Buffalo | 8:30pm | CBSSN |
| Boise State at New Mexico | 11:00pm | FS1 |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA: The American Express | 3:00pm | GOLF |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Chicago at Detroit | 3:00pm | NBATV NBCS-CHI Bally Sports |
| Golden State at Boston | 7:30pm | TNT |
| Toronto at Minnesota | 8:00pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Brooklyn at Phoenix | 10:00pm | TNT |
| Philadelphia at Portland | 10:00pm | NBCS-PHI Root Sports |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Ottawa at Pittsburgh | 7:00pm | NHLN Sportsnet ATTSN-PIT |
| Colorado at Vancouver | 10:00pm | ALT Sportsnet |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| Bundesliga: RB Leipzig vs Bayern München | 2:30pm | Paramount+ |
| English Championship: Sheffield United vs Hull City | 2:45pm | ESPN+ |
| La Liga: Mallorca vs Celta de Vigo | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Coupe de France: Olympique Marseille vs Rennes | 3:10pm | FOX Soccer Plus |
| Liga MX: Tijuana vs Tigres UANL | 10:10pm | ESPN+ |