“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BOYS STATE FINALS
SESSION 1
PUBLIC GATES OPEN AT 9:30 AM ET
10:30 AM ET | CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
CLINTON PRAIRIE (26-2) VS. ORLEANS (24-4)
APPROX. 12:45 PM ET | CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
MANCHESTER (25-2) VS. UNIVERSITY (20-9)
FIELDHOUSE CLEARED
SESSION 2
PUBLIC GATES OPEN AT 5 PM ET
6 PM ET | CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (26-3) VS. INDIANAPOLIS CRISPUS ATTUCKS (22-6)
APPROX. 8:15 PM ET | CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
FISHERS (30-0) VS. JEFFERSONVILLE (23-5)
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TV SCHEDULE/RESULTS
THURSDAY, MARCH 27 (SWEET 16)
(2) ALABAMA VS. (6) BYU, 7:09 P.M. | CBS
(1) FLORIDA VS. (4) MARYLAND, 7:39 P.M. | TBS
(1) DUKE VS. (4) ARIZONA, 9:39 P.M. | CBS
(3) TEXAS TECH VS. (10) ARKANSAS, 10:09 P.M. | TBS
FRIDAY, MARCH 28 (SWEET 16)
(2) MICHIGAN STATE VS. (6) OLE MISS, 7:09 P.M. | CBS
(2) TENNESSEE VS. (3) KENTUCKY, 7:39 P.M. | TBS
(1) AUBURN VS. (5) MICHIGAN, 9:39 P.M. | CBS
(1) HOUSTON VS. (4) PURDUE, 10:09 P.M. | TBS
NIT SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT TV SCHEDULE
SWEET 16 SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MARCH 28 (SWEET 16)
(2) DUKE VS. (3) NORTH CAROLINA | 2:30 P.M. ON ESPN
(1) SOUTH CAROLINA VS. (4) MARYLAND | 5 P.M. ON ESPN
(2) NC STATE VS. (3) LSU | 7:30 P.M. ON ESPN
(1) UCLA VS. (5) OLE MISS | 10 P.M. ON ESPN
SATURDAY, MARCH 29 (SWEET 16)
(2) TCU VS. (3) NOTRE DAME | 1 P.M. ON ABC
(1) TEXAS VS. (5) TENNESSEE | 3:30 P.M. ON ABC
(2) UCONN VS. (3) OKLAHOMA | 5:30 P.M. ON ESPN
(1) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VS. (5) KANSAS STATE | 8 P.M. ON ESPN
WNIT
LOUISIANA TECH 68 LINDENWOOD 64
INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
NOTRE DAME 9 MICHIGAN STATE 6
BUTLER 10 MIAMI OH 7
INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCOREBOARD
DAYTON 8 BUTLER 0
DEPAUL 4 VALPO 3
INDIANA COLLEGE MEN’S LAX
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA COLLEGE WOMEN’S LAX
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NBA SCOREBOARD
LA LAKERS 120 INDIANA 119
WASHINGTON 119 PHILADELPHIA 114
LA CLIPPERS 126 NEW YORK 113
TORONTO 116 BROOKLYN 86
DENVER 127 MILWAUKEE 117
BOSTON 132 PHOENIX 102
NHL SCOREBOARD
NEW JERSEY 5 CHICAGO 3
VANCOUVER 5 NY ISLANDERS 2
DALLAS 4 EDMONTON 3
ANAHEIM 6 BOSTON 2
MLB SCOREBOARD
REGULAR SEASON
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
MLS SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: LEBRON JAMES’ BUZZER-BEATER LIFTS LAKERS PAST PACERS
LeBron James tipped in the game-winning layup as time expired, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
James, who didn’t connect on a field goal until the fourth quarter, finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers (44-28) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Trailing by three with five minutes left, Los Angeles went on an 11-2 run. The Pacers then retook the lead with seven straight points to grab a 119-118 edge with 42 seconds left. After Bennedict Mathurin missed a 3-pointer, the Lakers’ Luka Doncic missed a floater, but James got a hand on the ball for the tip-in just a split-second before the buzzer.
Doncic had 34 points, seven boards and seven assists for Los Angeles, while Austin Reaves scored 24 and Hachimura added 14. Indiana (42-30) was led by Mathurin’s 23 points off the bench and Haliburton’s 16 points and 18 assists. Myles Turner contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana, which had its five-game winning streak come to an end.
Wizards 119, 76ers 114
Alex Sarr had 24 points to lead Washington to a road win over Philadelphia to snap a five-game losing streak.
Justin Champagnie had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who shot 50.5 percent from the field, including 18 of 44 3-pointers. Jordan Poole chipped in with 18 points and seven assists.
Quentin Grimes paced the 76ers with 22 points, while Guerschon Yabusele went for 21 points and eight boards. With 19 points and 10 rebounds, Justin Edwards recorded his first career double-double for Philadelphia, which dropped its sixth straight.
Raptors 116, Nets 86
With Orlando Robinson going for 23 points and 12 rebounds, Toronto picked up its largest margin of victory of the season with the rout of Brooklyn in New York.
Robinson, starting in place of the resting Jakob Poeltl, hit 10 of 14 shots to give the Raptors their second straight win. Jonathan Mogbo had 16 points off the bench for Toronto, while R.J. Barrett and Scottie Barnes both scored 15.
Nic Claxton had 22 points and 11 boards to lead the Nets, who lost their fifth straight and 16th in 19 games. Ziaire Williams finished with 13 points for Brooklyn, which committed 20 turnovers that turned into 30 points for the Raptors.
Nuggets 127, Bucks 117
In his first appearance after a five-game absence due to injuries to his left ankle and right elbow, Nikola Jokic piled up 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his 30th triple-double of the season to lead Denver to a home win over Milwaukee.
Michael Porter Jr. added 23 points and 10 boards for the Nuggets, Christian Braun chipped in with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Jamal Murray finished with 17 points.
Playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left foot sprain) and Damian Lillard (deep vein thrombosis), the Bucks were paced by Brook Lopez, who had 26 points. Ryan Rollins added 17 off the bench, while Gary Trent Jr. scored 16.
Clippers 126, Knicks 113
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard combined for 56 points as Los Angeles rode a 16-of-30 3-point shooting performance to knock off host New York.
Harden showed no ill effects from a foot injury sustained on Sunday vs. Oklahoma City, pacing the Clippers’ 3-point barrage by hitting 6 of 9 from beyond the arc on the way to 29 points for Los Angeles (41-31). Leonard flirted with a triple-double, going for 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, marking his seventh straight game scoring at least 23 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns led New York (45-27) with game-highs of 34 points and 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby scored 28 points and Mikal Bridges finished with 17 points and nine assists. The Knicks played without Jalen Brunson for the 10th consecutive game.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
DERIK QUEEN, NO. 4 MARYLAND SET SIGHTS ON TOP-SEEDED FLORIDA
SAN FRANCISCO — Florida’s Todd Golden hopes a visit to his old coaching grounds will be just a brief stopover on the Gators’ way back to the center of the college basketball stage. Meanwhile, Maryland hero Derik Queen makes the trip to the West Coast with the opportunity to grow his profile on a national stage.
Those two forces come together Thursday night, when the top-seeded Gators (32-4) face the No. 4 Terrapins (27-8) in an NCAA Tournament West Region semifinal at Chase Center.
Golden was the head coach at the University of San Francisco from 2019 to 2022. In his final season there, the Dons won 22 games and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 seasons.
“It’s kind of icing on the cake to be able to go out there,” Golden told the Gainesville Sun. He added that seeing “a lot of friends and family and people that will kind of support our program as adopting the Gators out west will be awesome.”
More awesome for the Gators would be a pair of victories vaulting them to their first Final Four since 2014. They have not had a longer stretch without reaching college basketball’s final weekend since their first appearance in 1994.
“The time was now for us to take that next step,” Golden said Sunday after Florida eliminated two-time defending champion UConn 77-75 in the second round in Raleigh, N.C. “Being in the Sweet 16 is a great step in the right direction.
To get there, the Gators will lean heavily as usual on Walter Clayton Jr., the team’s leader in scoring (17.9 ppg) and assists (4.2). Clayton scored 23 points against the Huskies, including 13 in the final eight minutes. He made two crucial 3-pointers down the stretch.
“My teammates, like I said, they give me the ball and put trust in me to be able to shoot those shots,” he said.
Maryland’s trust in Queen, a true freshman who was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and is projected as an NBA lottery pick in June, only heightened after he demanded the ball on the Terrapins’ final possession, then put in a nearly impossible fadeaway bank shot from the far left wing to beat No. 12 Colorado State 72-71 on Sunday.
Terrapins coach Kevin Willard said Queen’s personality is just as important to his group as his numbers — 16.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, both team highs.
“He has an infectious personality,” Willard told The Athletic. “He’s never in a bad mood, always smiling. Every time you walk away from him, you’re like, that’s the best kid in the world. You just want to give him a hug.”
Hugs will be widespread with a Maryland victory. The Terrapins have not been to the Elite Eight since 2002, the season of their only national championship. They are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.
“It’s very rare nowadays, where these kids have this unbelievable pressure, but he’s just always in a good mood, always a great teammate,” Willard continued. “He’s a generational talent and a generational kid, and you just don’t see that (combo) very often.”
Make no mistake, though. Queen can be as forceful with his teammates as he can be with his opponents when the needs arise. With Maryland down a point and the game on the line, Queen demanded to Willard in the huddle that he “give me the mother (bleep) ball.”
Willard does have other options. The starting group (dubbed the “Crab Five” as a play on Michigan’s “Fab Five” freshman of the early 1990s and Maryland’s famous sea-food dish) have started every Maryland game since Nov. 19. All five — Queen, Ja’Kobi Gillespie (14.6), Rodney Rice (13.9), Julian Reese (13.3) and Selton Miguel (12.0) — average double-figures in scoring.
ARKANSAS LOOKS TO KEEP RUN GOING AGAINST TEXAS TECH
SAN FRANCISCO — With a couple more victories, Hall of Fame coach John Calipari and his Cinderella squad at Arkansas may become the best magic act this side of David Copperfield. The No. 10-seeded Razorbacks (22-13) already have become one of the enduring memories of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
However, Texas Tech — coached by the considerably lesser-known Grant McCasland — doesn’t figure to be an easy vanishing act.
McCasland said following his team’s 77-64 second-round win over Drake that a Sweet 16 appearance for the No. 3 Red Raiders (27-8) “has been our vision for this the whole time.”
They threw their low-post weight around, outscoring Drake 50-20 inside the paint a game after making 13 3-pointers in 46 attempts in an 82-72 first-round win over North Carolina-Wilmington.
They likely will need a little of both to stop another uprising by Calipari’s Razorbacks in Thursday’s West Regional semifinal at Chase Center. Arkansas — the lowest-remaining seed in the tournament field — reached the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in five seasons with a 75-66 smothering of No. 2 St. John’s on Saturday.
J.T. Toppin leads the Red Raiders in scoring (18.1 ppg), rebounding (9.3) and blocks (1.4). He also surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for his career during the tournament’s opening weekend.
Darrion Williams, who grew up about two hours away in Sacramento, has scored a team-leading 41 points in Texas Tech’s two tournament wins, including 28 against Drake. Elijah Hawkins, meanwhile, recorded his 800th career assist against Drake.
The Red Raiders are trying to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since back-to-back appearances in 2018 and 2019, the latter of which was followed by a trip to the national championship game.
Back then, Calipari was still at Kentucky and riding the success of developing some of the country’s top freshmen before their departure to the NBA. The Razorbacks are a throwback to his initial arrival on the national scene, when he took an unknown University of Massachusetts team to the Final Four in 1996.
In addition to telling reporters during the initial two rounds that he’s “kind of back to the roots of being an underdog,” Calipari also said he challenged his team to “make magic.”
“I said just prior to the (St. John’s) game, ‘How about we give ourselves a chance to make some magic?’ ” Calipari told reporters. ” ‘Let’s go fight like heck, play free and loose, whatever happens, happens.’ ”
What happened is that Arkansas made Calipari just the third coach ever to take four schools (Arkansas, Kentucky, Memphis and Massachusetts) to the Sweet 16. Lon Kruger did it with Florida, Kansas State, Oklahoma and UNLV, while Eddie Sutton made it that far with Creighton, Kentucky, Arkansas and Oklahoma State.
The Razorbacks are fueled by their defense. Arkansas held second-team All-American and Big East Player of the Year R.J. Luis Jr. to 3-for-17 shooting in the second-round victory. The Razorbacks also held the Red Storm to 9 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Offensively, Arkansas may get a boost from the expected return of forward Adou Thiero. He leads the Razorbacks in scoring at 15.6 points per game and is also their rebounding leader at 6 boards per contest. However, he has not played since he suffered a back injury on Feb. 22 against Missouri.
“Nobody is playing better than Arkansas right now,” McCasland told the school’s website. “You can tell they have a great energy and life to them. Coach Cal is doing an awesome job of giving them the belief and confidence that they’re going to win. We’re expecting nothing but their best.”
CALEB LOVE, ARIZONA FACE DUKE IN HIGH-POWERED OFFENSIVE MATCHUP
NEWARK, N.J. — Caleb Love needs no introduction to the Duke Blue Devils. And Duke fans certainly need no refresher course on Love.
The prolific shooting guard has faced Duke nine times, far more than any other opponent in his five-year collegiate career. That includes a 28-point night and a dagger 3-pointer for North Carolina in the 2022 Final Four, delivering an 81-77 win that ended Mike Krzyzewski’s career with a rivalry defeat.
It feels like destiny that Love, now with Arizona, gets one more shot at Duke when the fourth-seeded Wildcats battle Cooper Flagg and the top-seeded Blue Devils in the East Region semifinals Thursday.
Love demurred Wednesday when asked what he remembers about that triple in 2022 — “I made the shot” — but he isn’t shying away from his 10th round against the famed blueblood. Love has averaged 15.9 points against the Blue Devils but scored just 11 and eight in a home-and-home set between Arizona and Duke the past two seasons.
This will also be Love’s 13th career NCAA Tournament game and his third trip to the Sweet 16. Duke, by contrast, starts three freshmen in Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach.
“It’s the understanding if you lose, you go home, so that makes it — it can make you feel differently,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said of the tournament. “At the end of the day, it’s still about the same values and still the same emphasis from us as a staff and for our guys as players.”
Flagg broke out for 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks when Duke won 69-55 at Arizona on Nov. 22. But neither team is putting much stock in that four-month-old matchup because of how different each side looks now.
Arizona no longer has Motiejus Krivas, who started at center that day but is out for the year with a foot injury. Henri Veesaar and Tobe Awaka stepped forward in the frontcourt.
Duke was still starting Caleb Foster at the time, but he’s been replaced in the lineup by Tulane transfer Sion James. There’s also the matter of defensive stopper Maliq Brown, who sat out the first week of the tournament with a re-dislocated left shoulder.
“It’s day-to-day with Maliq, and there’s a chance he could be available (Thursday) night,” Scheyer said of the forward.
Both sides have offensive firepower, and both have shown it in the NCAA Tournament. Duke (83.2 ppg this season) poured in 93 against Mount St. Mary’s and 89 against Baylor; Arizona (82.2 ppg) dropped 93 on Akron before Love led a come-from-behind, 87-83 victory over Oregon. Love had 29 points and nine rebounds, including a crucial 10-point stretch late.
The game could come down to Duke’s penchant for defense. The Blue Devils rank No. 4 in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom.com to complement their No. 1 offense, and they bottled up Baylor for 66 points on 36.8 percent shooting.
“I think just being able to get energy from players blocking shots, getting steals and those type of plays lead to kind of easier offense,” Flagg said. “So I think that’s kind of where it starts from. I think even for us as a team in general, we just take pride and enjoy helping each other out, having each other’s backs.”
Or will Arizona’s experience lend an upper hand? Besides Love, Trey Townsend (8.3 ppg) was on the Oakland team that felled Kentucky in 2024, and coach Tommy Lloyd is in his third Sweet 16 in four years.
“This Duke team … they’re physical, they’re long, they’re athletic and things like that,” Love said. “We’ve got to play kind of mind games and things like that to create advantages for ourselves on both ends of the floor.”
STELLAR OFFENSES IN FOCUS WHEN BYU, ALABAMA CLASH IN SWEET 16
NEWARK, N.J. — The Utahns on BYU’s roster have faint memories of the last time the Cougars made the Sweet 16, the 2010-11 team led by Jimmer Fredette.
“I probably was in school watching them, trying to sneak it on my phone and trying to tune in,” North Salt Lake native Trevin Knell said Wednesday.
BYU has matched that feat in Kevin Young’s first season as its coach. Now the sixth-seeded Cougars are preparing to face second-seeded Alabama, a rising basketball power in its own right, in the East Region semifinals on Thursday.
Young, who hails from Salt Lake City, took the BYU job last spring after building up a resume in the G League and as an NBA assistant. He wants the Cougars (26-9) to be a premier destination for developing players into professional talent.
His days doing advance scouting for the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns have turned out to be another built-in advantage.
“I’ve referenced many of those game plans often with our coaching staff and with our players,” Young said. “I think when you can say, ‘This is how we stopped Dame Lillard’ or ‘This is how we stopped whoever,’ that gives them bright eyes and they listen a little bit more.”
One of the Cougars’ chief tasks Thursday will be stopping Mark Sears, the two-time All-American guard who averages 18.6 points and 5.0 assists to lead Alabama.
The Crimson Tide (27-8) have reached their third straight Sweet 16 and their fourth in five years, and Sears has played 12 NCAA Tournament games between Ohio (2021) and Alabama.
He is the engine of an Alabama offense that ranks No. 1 in Division I in both scoring (90.8 ppg) and tempo (per KenPom.com).
“We’ve been practicing making the reads going 100 percent and going fast, and now it’s just making the right reads,” Sears said. “We always play with creating advantages. So when we’re playing that fast, we’re going to most likely create an advantage within six seconds.”
Sears had 22 points and 10 assists against Robert Morris in the first round, and six players scored in double figures in Alabama’s second-round win over Saint Mary’s.
If Alabama’s offense is known for speed, BYU’s hallmark is efficiency. The Cougars rank top-30 in 3-point percentage (37.3 percent) and top-10 on 2-pointers (58.4 percent).
“We can’t give them simple threes,” Sears said. “Simple threes is they just shoot a three, rock you to sleep, right in your face. And we’ve got to do a great job of that and we’ve got to try to limit rotations as much as possible.”
Richie Saunders leads the Cougars with 16.3 ppg and shoots 43.1 percent from the arc, and he scored a team-high 25 in their 91-89 victory over Wisconsin in the second round. But another seven BYU players post between 6.9 and 10.5 points per contest.
Alabama coach Nate Oats said BYU runs one of the more modern offenses in the sport, and he complimented Young for his success in Year 1. Oats knows something about being a hotshot coach on the rise, from turning Buffalo into a frequent tournament team to his consistent success with Alabama, including a Final Four last year.
With a heavy investment in athletics, BYU is building in that direction. The players also enjoy having access to a program legend like Fredette.
“I’ve been talking to Jimmer a ton,” Knell said. “He’s given me a ton of help, a ton of advice for the first two rounds, and then I called him again on Monday and he gave me some advice going into the Sweet 16.
“Jimmer, he won two games in Denver and then the Sweet 16, so it’s fun to write our history but also replay that history, as well.”
COLORADO STATE TABS ASSISTANT ALI FAROKHMANESH AS NEW HEAD COACH
Colorado State promoted lead assistant Ali Farokhmanesh to head coach on Wednesday to replace the departed Niko Medved.
Farokhmanesh was on the Rams’ staff for all seven seasons of the Medved era. Medved exited for the Minnesota job after Colorado State sustained a last-second setback to Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Rams were 143-85 with three NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT Final Four appearance in those seven seasons. They were 26-10 this season.
“Serving under Coach Medved has been a privilege, and I will forever be grateful to him for bringing me to Fort Collins,” Farokhmanesh said in a news release. “This university and state are special because of the great people. I am grateful for all who have been so welcoming and supportive of me and my family during our time here and look forward to continuing to grow those bonds in our community.
“I can’t wait to continue to build off the championship foundation our players have established and push it to greater heights.”
Farokhmanesh, 36, is a March Madness legend for the ages, stemming from his performance in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
In the first round, he buried a 3-pointer from the left wing with 4.9 seconds left to give Northern Iowa a 69-66 victory over UNLV.
Two days later, he played a major role in helping Northern Iowa defeat top-seeded Kansas 69-67 to reach the Sweet 16. He received a pass on a fast break with his team leading by one and stopped on the right flank and sank a dagger 3-pointer with 34 seconds left.
Now the guy famous for hitting big shots gets his shot to run a Division I program.
“I am thrilled that Ali will continue leading our men’s basketball program, now as head coach,” Rams athletic director John Weber said in the news release. “Ali has a relentless attitude that he attacks each day with, which was important to us as we looked for the next leader of our men’s basketball program.
“After an extremely comprehensive and competitive national search, Ali’s continued leadership of this program is important and really excites me. His ability to connect with people has made him successful throughout his career.”
Farokhmanesh made 152 3-pointers and averaged 9.7 points over his two seasons at Northern Iowa.
IOWA TRANSFER OWEN FREEMAN COMMITS TO CREIGHTON
Owen Freeman, the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Iowa, is transferring to Creighton.
The 6-foot-10-inch forward averaged 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game as a sophomore with the Hawkeyes this past season. He was limited to 19 games due to a finger injury.
Freeman was rated as the top center in the transfer portal. The 20-year-old entered the portal one day after head coach Fran McCaffery was dismissed.
“With the recent coaching change, my family and I have decided it would be in my best interests to enter the transfer portal,” Freeman said in a statement on March 15.
Freeman will move to the Big East, joining a successful Creighton program. The Bluejays are coming off a 25-11 campaign, which included an upset of Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Creighton lost to top-seeded Auburn in the round of 32.
VCU HIRES PHIL MARTELLI JR. AS NEW HEAD COACH
VCU filled its coaching vacancy with the hiring of Bryant coach Phil Martelli Jr. on Wednesday.
Martelli went 43-25 in two seasons at Bryant and guided the Bulldogs into the NCAA Tournament this season. Bryant, a No. 15 seed, lost 87-62 to No. 2 seed Michigan State in the first round.
Martelli replaces Ryan Odom, who departed to take the Virginia job after VCU’s NCAA Tournament appearance. The 11th-seeded Rams (28-7) lost to sixth-seeded BYU 80-71 in the first round.
Martelli, 43, said he wants to build on the success.
“VCU has long been a dream job for me because of the high standards of excellence and national brand,” Martelli said. “I am excited to help carry on the legacy that has been set here and help elevate it to the next level.”
Martelli is the son of Phil Martelli, who made seven NCAA Tournament appearances in his 24-season stint at St. Joseph’s.
VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin said Martelli is a good fit for VCU.
“Phil has proven himself as a winner throughout his career,” McLaughlin said. “He helped engineer a historic turnaround at Bryant seven years ago and led the program to unprecedented success the past two seasons as head coach. He has clearly lived his entire life amid college basketball legends but has made his own path and paid his dues through hard work, good character and a devotion to developing young men into the best versions of themselves through sport.”
FORMER WILL WADE ASSISTANT BILL ARMSTRONG LANDS MCNEESE JOB
McNeese has hired Bill Armstrong as its new coach to replace Will Wade, who left to be the new coach at North Carolina State.
Armstrong has close ties to Wade, having been on the latter’s staff at LSU from 2017-22.
Both Wade and Armstrong were dismissed from LSU in relation to alleged recruiting violations, partly stemming from Wade’s comments on an FBI investigation wiretap in 2017.
Armstrong was an assistant coach at Baylor this past season.
“I couldn’t be happier for McNeese or the (Southwest Louisiana) community,” Wade said in a statement. “They’re getting a great coach in Bill Armstrong. … The players are going to love playing for him and I have no doubt he will build on the success of the past two years.”
McNeese went 28-7 this season in Wade’s second campaign. The 12th-seeded Cowboys upset fifth-seeded Clemson in the first round before losing to fourth-seeded Purdue in the second.
This will mark Armstrong’s first college head-coaching post but athletic director Heath Schroyer feels like he has the right guy.
“I’m thrilled to have Bill Armstrong take over the reins of our men’s basketball program,” Schroyer said. “We’ve built a successful model over the last two years and Bill fully understands that model and embraces the championship expectations we have at McNeese.”
KANSAS F KJ ADAMS HAS ACHILLES SURGERY
Kansas senior forward KJ Adams, who was injured in the NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Arkansas, had surgery on his torn Achilles on Wednesday, Jayhawks coach Bill Self announced.
Adams had grabbed a defensive rebound, landed on his left leg and tried to dribble to start a fast break but fell and lost possession of the ball with 3:14 remaining in the fourth quarter. Seventh-seeded Kansas, which led 67-64 at the time, went on to lose to 10th-seeded Arkansas, 79-72 in Providence, R.I.
“KJ had successful surgery this morning to repair his torn Achilles,” Self said in a social media post on Wednesday. “He is in good spirits. Although this is a big setback, he’ll attack his rehab with his patented toughness and be back on the court as strong as ever.”
Self told The Kansas City Star on Sunday that Adams likely will need 9 to 10 months to recover.
“It is terrible. It’s an awful way to end a really good (college) career,” Self said in the interview. “The thing that is most frustrating and the saddest thing is it probably delays a year in what he’ll do with his future (in pro basketball).
“I anticipate him sticking around (at KU) and we’ll find something for him to do until he gets healthy.”
Adams, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward from Austin, Texas, averaged 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 31 games (29 starts) this season.
He played four seasons at Kansas and averaged 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 23.4 minutes in 138 games (98 starts). He was All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2023 and 2024, the conference’s most improved player in 2023 and on the all-freshman team in 2022.
REPORT: WEST VIRGINIA HIRING ROSS HODGE AS NEW COACH
West Virginia and North Texas coach Ross Hodge are in agreement on a five-year deal that would bring him to Morgantown at the conclusion of the Mean Green’s season, CBS Sports reported Wednesday.
UNT (27-8) still is competing in the NIT, having defeated Oklahoma State on Tuesday night to advance to the semifinals.
Hodge is 46-23 in two seasons as head coach of the Mean Green, having replaced Grant McCasland ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. His tenure in Denton, Texas, marked his first as a head coach at the D-I level; he was a head coach at the junior college level from 2006-11.
Hodge would replace Darian DeVries, who was hired by Indiana after one season coaching the Mountaineers.
Hodge has ties to West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker, who also was at UNT until taking the Mountaineers post in late 2022.
West Virginia declined an invitation to the NIT after being left out of the NCAA Tournament.
REPORT: PENN SET TO HIRE FORMER IOWA COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
Fran McCaffery is nearing a deal to become the next head coach at Penn, CBS Sports reported on Wednesday.
McCaffery, who is a Penn alum and played for the Quakers from 1979-82, spent the past 15 seasons at Iowa and is the winningest coach in the history of the program, with 297 wins. He was dismissed on March 14 after the Hawkeyes were eliminated in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.
McCaffery, 65, served as an assistant coach for the Quakers for one season after graduating from Penn’s Wharton School. He later became an assistant at Lehigh before taking over as the program’s head coach in 1985.
McCaffery owns a 548-384 overall head coaching record with Lehigh (1985-88), UNC Greensboro (1999-2005), Siena (2005-10) and Iowa (2010-25).
McCaffery will take over for Steve Donahue, who was fired by Penn on March 10 after going 8-19 in 2024-25. Donahue owned a 131-130 record during his nine seasons with the Quakers.
ARIZONA STATE’S JOSON SANON TRANSFERS TO ST. JOHN’S
St. John’s picked up a commitment Wednesday from 6-foot-5 guard Joson Sanon, who played his freshman season at Arizona State.
His commitment was confirmed by the 247Sports transfer portal listing.
Sanon was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2024, ranked as the No. 5 shooting guard and the No. 24 overall player in the nation. A native of Fall River, Mass., he played his high school ball at the Vermont Academy, so he will be much closer to home at St. John’s.
For the Sun Devils (13-19, 4-16 Big 12), he appeared in 27 games (nine starts) and averaged 11.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 28 minutes a game. He shot 36.9 percent from 3-point range.
St. John’s will have roster spots to fill next fall. The Red Storm will lose seniors Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith and Aaron Scott for starters, with some underclassmen still undecided about their 2025-26 plans.
Sanon told ESPN on Wednesday that he sees opportunity at St. John’s.
“Coach Pitino believes in me and my potential and what he can do for me,” Sanon told ESPN. “He preaches working hard, and I want to show him I’m the hardest working player that’s ever played for him. The way Coach P teaches defense is something I want to invest my time into.”
St. John’s (31-5, 18-32 Big East) won its conference regular season and tournament titles and was the No. 2 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. After defeating Omaha in the first round, St. John’s lost to No. 10 Arkansas 75-66 last Saturday.
RICHARD PITINO TAKES HEAD COACH JOB AT XAVIER
Richard Pitino is the new head basketball coach at Xavier, joining his legendary father in the Big East coaching ranks.
He heads to Xavier from New Mexico, where he led the Lobos to the past two NCAA Tournaments. He replaces Sean Miller, who was announced as the head coach at Texas on Monday.
Pitino has a career record of 247-186 in his 13 seasons as head coach at Florida International (2012-13), Minnesota (2013-21) and New Mexico (2021-25).
“We are excited to welcome Richard Pitino as our new men’s basketball head coach,” Xavier athletic director Greg Christopher said late Tuesday. “He has proven himself as a winner as a head coach at New Mexico and has an impressive resume of success before that as a head coach at Minnesota. His success as an assistant stood out, especially his time working for his father, Rick Pitino, at Louisville and Billy Donovan at Florida. We had tremendous interest in our head coaching position. It became clear that Richard was the right fit for Xavier to take us to championship success in the Big East and NCAA Tournament.”
Pitino, 42, said he welcomes the challenge.
“Xavier is one of the great brands in all of college basketball,” he said. “It has always been a dream of mine to coach in the Big East.”
As such, he will coach against his father, Rick Pitino, who is the head coach at conference rival St. John’s.
Richard Pitino guided the Lobos to a 27-8 record and a regular-season Mountain West championship this past season. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 10th-seeded New Mexico upset Big East member Marquette 75-66 before losing 71-63 to No. 2 seed Michigan State in the second round of play in the South Region on Sunday.
He also led Minnesota to two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Xavier finished the season with a 22-12 record after an 86-73 loss to No. 6 seed Illinois in the NCAA Tournament first round last Friday.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: JASON ROBERTSON’S HAT TRICK PROPELS STARS PAST OILERS
Jason Robertson posted a natural hat trick and Roope Hintz collected three assists to lead the visiting Dallas Stars to a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
Wyatt Johnston also scored and Thomas Harley logged two assists for the Stars (46-21-4, 96 points), who have claimed points in six consecutive games (4-0-2) and sit six points behind the first-place Winnipeg Jets in the Central Division. Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger made 41 saves. His shutout streak ended at 130 minutes, 51 seconds.
Corey Perry and Adam Henrique both collected one goal and one assist and Zach Hyman added a goal for the Oilers, who were without their two top scorers, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, due to injuries. Evan Bouchard collected two assists for Edmonton (41-25-5, 87 points), which sits third in the Pacific Division.
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner stopped 17 of 21 shots before leaving in the middle of the third period after Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen’s knee hit him in the head during play. Calvin Pickard made three saves in relief.
Canucks 5, Islanders 2
Aatu Raty and Derek Forbort scored to close out the second period, then Teddy Blueger and Kiefer Sherwood added goals in the third as Vancouver tallied four unanswered en route to the win over New York in Elmont, N.Y.
The Canucks trailed 2-1 midway through the second before Raty netted his third goal of the season, sparking a run of three scores in a little over seven minutes for Vancouver. Sherwood also had a first-period goal. With the win, Vancouver moved to within three points of the St. Louis Blues in the hunt for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Casey Cizikas had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, while Tony DeAngelo added a goal. Jean-Gabriel Pageau dished out an assist for New York, which dropped its third straight.
Devils 5, Blackhawks 3
Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist, Luke Hughes dished out three helpers, and New Jersey held off Chicago for the road win.
Nathan Mastian, Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat and Stefan Noesen each scored for the Devils, who ended a three-game winless streak. Jesper Bratt had two assists for New Jersey and Jacob Markstrom recorded 21 saves.
Tyler Bertuzzi, Ilya Mikheyev and Frank Nazar all scored for the Blackhawks. Nazar’s goal at the 17:10 mark cut the Devils’ lead to 4-3 before Noesen added an empty-net tally for New Jersey. Chicago lost its eighth in nine games and own the second-fewest points in the NHL.
Ducks 6, Bruins 2
Leo Carlsson posted his second multi-goal performance in the past four games, leading Anaheim over visiting Boston for its second win in three games.
Jackson LaCombe had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, while Nikita Nesterenko, Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier also scored and Alex Killorn had a pair of assists. John Gibson made 23 saves, including 15 in the third period.
Morgan Geekie recorded a goal and an assist, David Pastrnak also tallied and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 31 shots for the Bruins, who are on a seven-game skid (0-6-1).
TOP INDIANA HEADLINES
INDIANA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
IHSAA BASKETBALL ALL-STATE TEAMS-IBCA
IBCA SENIOR SUPREME 15 ALL-STATE
Chase Barnes, FW Wayne
Dezmon Briscoe, Crispus Attucks
Bryson Cardinal, Guerin Catholic
Michael Cooper, Jeffersonville
Julius Gizzi, New Palestine
JonAnthony Hall, Fishers
Damien King, Anderson
Justin Kirby, Fishers
Brady Koehler, Cathedral
Chase Konieczny, South Bend St. Joseph
Braylon Mullins, Greenfield-Central
Dominique Murphy, East Chicago Central
Kellen Pickett, FW Blackhawk Christian
Azavier Robinson, Lawrence North
Tre Singleton, Jeffersonville
IBCA SENIOR LARGE SCHOOL ALL-STATE
Mason Bales, Northridge
Josiah Ball, Maconaquah
Luke Bricker, Warsaw
Alex Couto, Carmel
Trey Dillard, FW Wayne
P.J. Douglas, Jeffersonville
Ethan Edwards, Whiteland
Chris Hurt, Crispus Attucks
Carter Kent, Jennings County
Maguire Mitchell, Zionsville
Vince Moutardier, Bloomington South
Tyler Raasch, NorthWood
Papi Rivera, North Central
Shane Sims, Evansville Harrison
Michael Wellman, Portage
IBCA SENIOR SMALL SCHOOL ALL-STATE
Gavin Betten, Manchester
Collin Buck, Hauser
Grady Carpenter, Tipton
Fletcher Cole, Paoli
Cam Craig, Switzerland County
Rylan Crocker, Orleans
Ethan Edwards, Clay City
Easton Foster, Monroe Central
Cole Henry, South Ripley
Branden King, Jimtown
Nate Luce, Wapahani
Jake McGraw, Clinton Prairie
Joshua Renfro, Christian Academy
Nate Smith, Cardinal Ritter
Lemetrius Williams, Gary 21st Century
IBCA UNDERCLASS SUPREME 15 ALL-STATE
Keriawn Berry, Jr., Avon
Justin Curry, Jr., Noblesville
Luke Ertel, Jr., Mt. Vernon
Jason Gardner, Jr., So., Fishers
Brayden Goff, Jr., Northview
Terrance Hayes Jr., Jr., Gary 21st Century
Kai McGrew, Jr., Lawrence North
Brennan Miller, Jr., Lawrence North
Jaylan Mitchell, So., Evansville Reitz
Blake Neill, Jr., Bloomfield
Steven Reynolds III, Jr., South Bend Washington
Brady Scholl, Jr., Northridge
Dikembe Shaw, Jr., Crown Point
Noah Smith, Jr., Plainfield
Cooper Zachary, So., Fishers
IBCA UNDERCLASS LARGE SCHOOL ALL-STATE
Keaton Aldridge, Jr., Cathedral
Dane Caldwell, Jr., Silver Creek
Roosevelt Franklin, Jr., Indianapolis Washington
Drew Haffner, Jr., Westfield
Evan Harrell, Jr., Carmel
Isaiah Hill, So., Pike
Edwin Holmes, Jr., Princeton
Brandon Hunter, So., Silver Creek
Tyrese Jones, Jr., South Bend Riley
Elijah King, So., South Bend St. Joseph
Keaton Lawson, Jr., Columbus East
Julien Smith, Jr., Cathedral
Baron Walker, Jr., Noblesville
Noah Washington, Fr., New Albany
Mack Welker, So., Homestead
IBCA Underclass Small School All-State
Eli Andrews, Jr., Wapahani
Camden Bell, Jr., Wapahani
Devin Bolden, So., Cardinal Ritter
Alex DeWitt, Jr., Orleans
Taviar Duerson, Jr., Providence Cristo Rey
T.J. English, So., Liberty Christian
Stryker Gill, Jr., Hauser
Brian Jackson, Jr., Westville
Lucas Kleckner, Jr., Kouts
Kendrick Martin, So., Liberty Christian
Paul Oliver, Jr., Linton-Stockton
Treigh Schelsky, Jr., Parke Heritage
Eli Sego, Jr., Triton Central
Jace Tonagel, So., Oak Hill
Bryce Wilcox, Jr., Southwood
IBCA SENIOR ALL-STATE HONORABLE MENTION
Nathan Baker, Fishers
Zion Bellamy, Kokomo
Drew Bowers, Rochester
Marcus Browder, Hammond Central
Kalaan Brown, Rock Creek Academy
Brevon Burns, Mooresville
Brady Carmack, Frankton
Mason Carpenter, Richmond
Garrett Clark, Portage
Alonzo Clawson-Smith, Lafayette Jeff
Derek Collins, Gary West Side
Chace Coomer, Brownstown Central
Paxton Crane, Carroll (Fort Wayne)
Collin Czarnecki, LaVille
Luke Ellspermann, Evansville Memorial
Asher Evans, Evansville Memorial
O’Mari Evans, Portage
Maddux Everingham, NorthWood
Eli Falkenberg, Carroll (Flora)
Alex Farley, Clinton Prairie
Lincoln Fathauer, Anderson Prep
Jordan Furney, Delta
Ray Gibson, Harrison (West Lafayette)
Paul Gilvydis, Andrean
Zachary Greene, Lake Central
Jevon Guess, Warren Central
Colby Hall, Brownstown Central
Kelby Harwood, North Montgomery
Moses Haynes, New Palestine
Marshawnn Henderson, Cardinal Ritter
Ethan Hendrix, Manchester
Damon Howard, Pike
Jace Jenkins, Princeton
Jaylan Johnson, Seymour
Mikey Johnson, Greenfield-Central
Bode Judge, Lapel
A.J. Kelly, Maconaquah
Landon Kidwell, Southwestern (Hanover)
Malachi King, Harrison (West Lafayette)
Brodey Lamb, Gibson Southern
Kaden Lark, Lebanon
DeAndre Lott-Hancock, Avon
Josiah Love, Wes-Del
Trace Maller, Adams Central
Brandt Martin, Warsaw
Patric Matson, Bedford North Lawrence
Max McComb, University
Zaryen Moore, Evansville Central
Durante Morton, Westfield
Aidan Munchel, Cambridge City Lincoln
Anthony Murphy, Michigan City
Bryce Nannenga, West Central
Kolt Nelson, Franklin
Xander Niehaus, Castle
William Owens, Mishawaka Marian
Ryne Paris, Guerin Catholic
Noah Payne, Northeastern
Lando Petty, Metropolitan
Kam Radeker, Northridge
Bryce Renn, Terre Haute North
Brad Rhode, Hanover Central
Solomon Richard, Leo
Jacob Riley, North Miami
Joel Sanders, Vincennes Lincoln
Gavin Saunders, Hamilton Heights
Marvin Schindler, South Bend Riley
Rylan Schrink, New Albany
Landon Sichting, Indian Creek
Hunter Sisson, Benton Central
Ben Slagley, New Palestine
Reid Smith, Harrison (West Lafayette)
Drew Snively, Zionsville
Dillon Stewart, Tri-Township
Colton Stowers, Washington
Gavin Stubbe, Whiteland
Jay Summitt, Evansville Harrison
Brooks Thomas, Evansville Harrison
Cole Thomas, South Central (Elizabeth)
Landon Thompson, New Castle
Dereon Truesdale, FW Bishop Luers
Drelyn Truesdale, FW Bishop Luers
Drew Turner, Frontier
Seth Wagler, Barr-Reeve
Yamauree Wallace, East Chicago Central
Henry Wanstrath, Oldenburg Academy
Blaine Ward, South Ripley
Jovan Warfield, Anderson
Sam Wellman, Portage
Tate Whitehead, Southridge
Boston Willard, Greenfield-Central
Tavion Williams, Ben Davis
Caleb Wright, Sheridan
Trey Yoder, Woodlan
Ethan Zahn, Huntington North
IBCA UNDERCLASS ALL-STATE HONORABLE MENTION
Brody Baker, So., McCutcheon
Harper Baker-Lands, So., Plainfield
Zacariah Belcher, Jr., FW South
Cooper Bock, Jr., Sullivan
Tony Bos, Jr., DeMotte Christian
Don Bowling III, Fr., Anderson
Cole Breeden, Fr., Evansville Mater Dei
Trayven Buis, So., Northview
Bryson Chapman, Jr., Evansville North
Jack Clark, Jr., Bloomington South
Caden Claxton, Jr., Shelbyville
Carter Coffman, So., Garrett
Brady Cook, Jr., Southwestern (Hanover)
Caleb Coolman, Fr., Penn
Isaac Crane, Jr., Covenant Christian
Wick Craney, Jr., Perry Central
Derrick Cross Jr., So., Bloomington North
Carter Crum, So., Parke Heritage
Kasen Daeger, Jr., Silver Creek
Conner Daily, Jr., Linton-Stockton
Mason Darrell, Jr., Crown Point
Chase Devine, So., Bremen
Cole Dobre, Jr., Marquette Catholic
Aidan Duff, Jr., Carroll (Flora)
Cameron Fennell, Jr., Terre Haute North
Caleb Ferguson, Jr., Columbus North
Jack Fessel, Jr., Corydon Central
Quentavious Fly, Fr., Bowman Academy
Austin Ford, Jr., Brebeuf Jesuit
A.J. Foster, Jr., Loogootee
Anthony Fresh, Jr., Charlestown
Tywaine Fuller, So., Liberty Christian
Grady Gardner, Jr., Martinsville
Sam Gooch, Jr., Greencastle
Kaden Grau, Jr., Westview
Declan Grieser, Jr., Bluffton
Jake Grissom, So., Guerin Catholic
Korbyn Hammel, Jr., Kokomo
Eli Harper, Jr., Kouts
Doron Harris, Jr., Lawrence Central
Marrius Harris, Jr., Evansville Bosse
E.J. Hazelett, Jr., Franklin Central
Shea Hollendonner, Jr., Centerville
Prescott Horvath, Jr., Mishawaka Marian
Johnnie Hudson, Jr., Calumet
Tim Jones, Jr, Marion
James Kalala, Jr., Southport
Landyn Keiser, Jr., Centerville
Isaiah King, So., Garrett
Ishmael Kiteka, Fr., Cloverdale
Brady Klopfenstein, Jr., Terre Haute North
Niles Knox, Fr., Angola
JaShawn Ladd, Jr., Ben Davis
Amarian Leggett, Fr., Blackford
Teagon Leonard, Fr., North Vermillion
Braxton Lewis, Jr., Southwestern (Hanover)
Grant Lindemann, So., Corydon Central
Colton Lindsay, Jr., Eastern (Greentown)
Josh Malloy, Jr., Munster
Karter Marcum, Jr., Goshen
Drew Matelic, Jr., Speedway
Jahari Miller, So., Pike
Ryan Miller, so., Tri-West
Jedidiah Minnett, Jr., Avon
Bishop Moore, Fr., Beech Grove
Mar Nicholson, Jr., Shelbyville
Griffin Ott-Large, So., LaPorte
Da’Kori Parker, So., South Bend Washington
Lane Pendleton, Jr., Brownstown Central
Austin Perry, Jr., Columbus North
Bryce Peters, Jr., Crown Point
Isaac Pickel, Jr., Parke Heritage
Logan Pokorney, Jr., Chesterton
Braylend Reber, Jr., Adams Central
Kingston Rhodes, Jr., Crown Point
Landon Richmond, Jr., Columbia City
Meyer Robb, Jr., Mt. Vernon (Posey)
Gavin Robinson, Jr., Mitchell
Shalon Robinson, Jr., KIPP Indy Legacy
Ethan Roseman, Jr., South Bend St. Joseph
Levi Sawatzky, Jr., Goshen
Austin Schlabach, So., Westview
Houston Schoonover, Jr., Wood Memorial
Nick Shrewsberry, Jr., South Bend St. Joseph
Cooper Sims, Jr., Pendleton Heights
Dane Sprigler, Jr., Silver Creek
Jarvis Tolbert, Jr., South Bend Adams
Max Vise, So., Mt. Vernon
Drew Volz, So., South Ripley
Ben Werth, Jr., West Lafayette
Elijah Wilson, Jr., Shortridge
Xavier Wilson, Jr., FW Snider
Spencer Wynsma, Jr., Hebron
INDIANA PACERS
GAME REWIND: PACERS 119, LAKERS 120
The Pacers closed out a five game homestand as they hosted the Los Angeles Lakers, seeking to extend their winning streak to five games before setting out on a two game road trip at the end of the week. Indiana (42-30) staged a fierce comeback after trailing by as many as 17 points, but fell short at the buzzer, 120-119.
Aaron Nesmith cut a 6-0 Lakers run in half as he dropped in the first bucket for Indiana – a corner 3-pointer to open scoring for the Pacers. He hit another in the opposite corner just a couple possessions later as the Blue and Gold put together a 12-2 run and forced a Los Angeles timeout just 3:50 into the first quarter.
The matchup was knotted at 16 points midway through the first period when Obi Toppin checked in, and mere seconds later he’d already knocked down another 3-pointer for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton’s first points were from long range too, and Indiana recorded a 50 percent success rate from deep through the first frame.
Haliburton recorded five assists in the first quarter alone, and the Pacers closed the period with a five-point lead, 33-28.
The Lakers (44-28) opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run, erasing Indiana’s advantage and reclaiming the lead with 10:25 remaining in the half. Los Angeles extended that run into a 17-0 surge over the next two minutes of play.
Indiana recorded just 22 points in the second quarter as the Lakers erupted to notch a 40-point frame.
Reaves caught fire for the Lakers as he recorded a 15-point second quarter on his way to a 17-point first half. Luka Doncic led Los Angeles in scoring at the break with 19 points.
Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana in scoring at the half, each scoring 10 points. They were the lone Pacers to score in double figures before the half. Haliburton recorded seven points through two quarters of play, and hit double-figures in assists as he entered the locker room with 11.
Myles Turner opened the second half firing from long range. He hit two 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the third quarter as Indiana dug out of a 13-point halftime deficit. The Pacers cut the lead to single digits as he drained yet another 3-pointer to force a Lakers timeout, 76-69.
Haliburton found Nesmith cutting into the lane for his 14th assist of the evening. Nesmith took the feed from Haliburton and slammed it down, sparking a surge that brought Indiana within five points of the lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Mathurin and Nesmith brought the Pacers – and subsequently Gainbridge Fieldhouse – back to life. Indiana trailed by just two points with 2:42 to play in the third, 88-86.
Indiana finished the third quarter 14-for-19, and outscored the Lakers 37-27. The Pacers didn’t have a single 20-point scorer entering the fourth, but boasted seven double-figure scorers, and Haliburton amassed 17 assists before the final frame.
Doncic’s 29 points led Los Angeles into the fourth quarter with a 3-point lead, 95-92.
The Lakers opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run that brought their lead back to double digits with less than 10 minutes to play. A 3-pointer from Mathurin and a fastbreak layup by Pascal Siakam cut the lead back down to five points with under eight minutes to go.
Jarace Walker entered the game with 9:26 to play. Just two minutes later he drained the 3-point shot that brought Indiana back within two points of the Los Angeles lead, 105-103, with 7:41 to go in the contest.
The Pacers forced a shot clock violation to regain possession as Turner bottled up Doncic before he could get a shot off. Mathurin hit again from long range, and Walker made two critical free throws as the Pacers tied the game at 107 with 5:20 to play.
Turner came through from deep yet again, connecting on another Indiana 3-pointer to put the Blue and Gold up four points. Doncic answered with his own long-range bomb, and followed it up with a layup to give the Lakers another two-point advantage, 112-110.
Rui Hachimura played hero for Los Angeles as he connected on two 3-pointers with under three minutes to play. He attempted a dunk with the Lakers up four points, but Turner rejected it at the rim and Haliburton laid it in to bring Indiana back within two points.
Another Pacers steal led to a Haliburton floater through a foul by Doncic. Haliburton stepped up to the free throw line with just 42.2 seconds left and a chance to give Indiana the lead. He made the free throw to give the Pacers the advantage, 119-118.
Indiana stayed strong on defense, forcing a missed shot, but couldn’t score on offense. With one second on the clock, Doncic floated a shot to win the game for the Lakers, but it rimmed out. LeBron James tipped in the miss, winning the game for the Lakers, 120-119.
James finished the night with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. Doncic led the Lakers with 34 points and Reaves recorded 24 points as Los Angeles broke its 3-game losing streak in Indianapolis.
Mathurin led the Pacers in scoring with 23 points off the Indiana bench, and Haliburton recorded 16 points along with a season-high 18 assists. Haliburton recorded just one turnover.
Turner notched a double-double for the Pacers as he tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds – a third of Indiana’s 36 total boards. They lost the battle on the glass, 43-36.
Inside the Numbers
Tyrese Haliburton recorded 11 assists in just the first half of play. His 18 total assists are a new season-high.
Myles Turner recorded a season-high 12 rebounds.
Indiana forced 15 Los Angeles turnovers, and scored 25 points off those turnovers.
The Pacers shot 50.6 percent from the field, including 15-for-36 from 3-point range.
INDY FUEL
FUEL WIN SHOOTOUT BATTLE IN ADIRONDACK
GLENS FALLS- The Fuel headed to Glens Falls, New York to take on the Adirondack Thunder in the first of a three-game set this week while they continue their battle for fourth place in the Central division. After a late game comeback for Indy, they forced the shootout and took the 3-2 victory.
1ST PERIOD
Things started off slowly until seemingly out of nowhere, Dakota Seaman and Brendan Less dropped the gloves and each earned five minutes for fighting at 5:40. Seaman also took a two minute instigating penalty that will be served by Owen Robinson.
At 11:48, Kyle Maksimovich scored first on the rebound with the help of Chris Cameron and Bryan Lemos to give the Fuel the 1-0 edge.
The game moved quickly after that, with a lot of players not hesitating to make big hits but time expired on the first period without another whistle.
At the end of the first frame, the Fuel led 1-0 while shots were tied 7-7.
2ND PERIOD
The first half of the second period went by quickly, with the Fuel tacking on ten shots that Jeremy Brodeur handled with ease.
At 10:52, Luke Reid headed to the penalty box for boarding, putting Fuel on their first power play of the game. Adirondack was able to kill off that penalty.
Ryan Conroy headed to the box for boarding at 14:46 to put the Thunder back on the penalty kill.
After that penalty was killed, it was Conroy who scored for Adirondack at 18:45 to make it 1-1 late in the second period.
In the second period, the Fuel outshot the Thunder 14-5 despite the lone goal coming from Adirondack.
3RD PERIOD
Much like the first two periods, the first half of the third went by quickly without much action.
At 11:09, right after Nick Grima saved a puck from going into the Indy net, Spencer Cox headed to the box for a high sticking double minor.
This put the Fuel on a long penalty kill late in the game and it was Thunder newcomer Lars Rødne, who scored his first professional goal to break the tie.
The Fuel remained on the penalty kill because of the double minor and were able to kill the rest of it off.
With about two minutes left, the Fuel pulled Ben Gaudreau from net in favor of the extra skater. It paid off for them when Maksimovich scored his second of the game at 18:22 to tie it up, 2-2.
Neither team scored again before the end of regulation and the game headed to overtime. Shots were tied in the third period, 9-9.
OVERTIME
The Fuel held possession for a lot of the seven-minute overtime period but Adirondack’s defense held strong and boxed them out before having a few good chances of their own.
Neither team recorded a shot on goal in the overtime period before time expired and the game headed to a shootout.
After three rounds of no scoring from either team, Indy’s Jarrett Lee scored the game winner with the second shot of the fourth round. The final score was 3-2.
This earned the Fuel two points in the standings and gave them sole possession of fourth place in the Central division before the weekend.
INDY IGNITE
IGNITE ADD HOMETOWN STAR BAIRD TO ROSTER
FISHERS, Ind. (March 26, 2025) – Welcome home, Caitie Baird.
The Indianapolis native and two-time All-American at Stanford has been signed by the Indy Ignite for the remainder of the 2025 Pro Volleyball Federation season. The 6-foot-3 outside hitter was a member of Stanford’s 2019 NCAA champion team and a four-time Pac-12 all-conference selection who finished her college career with 1,351 kills.
A product of Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis where she was a three-sport star and named the 2019 Marion County Female Athlete of the Year by the Indianapolis Star, Baird played most recently for the Bahcelievler professional team in Turkey. She’s eager for the opportunity to play pro volleyball in the United States, especially in her hometown.
Baird adds depth to an outside hitter position that’s already strong for the Ignite. PVF All-Star Leketor Member-Meneh is out indefinitely with an ankle injury but Anna DeBeer, Carly Skjodt, Nina Cajic and Isabel Martin have all started and excelled at some point this season. Baird gives Indy head coach George Padjen another weapon to work into the outside hitter mix as the Ignite fight for a PVF playoff berth in the remaining nine matches.
“We are incredibly excited to add Caitie to the Ignite. Caitie will bring some size and international experience to our team,” Padjen said. “We have been following her career this year and, with her being an Indy native, this couldn’t be a better fit for everyone.”
Indy visits Orlando on Sunday in a 3 p.m. ET match that streams live on the PVF YouTube Channel. The next Ignite home match is April 12 when Grand Rapids visits in a 7 p.m. match at Fishers Event Center. Tickets for that match are available on the Ignite website.
INDIANA SWIMMING
HOOSIERS BREAK AMERICAN RECORD ON OPENING NIGHT
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Indiana’s all-American quartet of senior Luke Barr, graduate transfer Brian Benzing, senior Finn Brooks and junior Matt King broke the American record in the 200-yard medley relay Wednesday (March 26) night to open the 2025 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
Indiana’s 1:20.92 marks the program’s first time under 1:21, shattering the previous Big Ten and program record 1:21.39 set at conference championships one month ago. The time is six hundredths faster than the previous American standard set by NC State a year ago. IU finished fifth in the first event of the championships.
Barr led it off in 20.65, almost identical to his Big Ten time. Benzing’s 22.65 breaststroke marked the fastest among the non-disqualified relays. Brooks went 19.49 in the butterfly, and King brought the Hoosiers home in 18.13 – the field’s fifth-best anchor.
Indiana’s sixth place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay will help its chances in this week’s team race. The Hoosiers were seeded No. 14 in the event with a 6:11.39 but won the third of four heats with a 6:06.76 to reach the podium.
The Hoosiers sit tied for third in the team standings with 54 points after two events.
“It was a good start for the Hoosier program,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “An American record in the 200 medley relay, then a fantastic 800 freestyle relay to end the session. Prelims will be key tomorrow morning. We need to focus on all the little things and execute fundamentals.”
Junior Owen McDonald led off the 800 free relay with a 1:31.14, moving him from No. 9 to No. 4 all-time in the program’s all-time performers list. Senior Rafael Miroslaw followed up with a nearly identical 1:31.39. Senior Kai van Westering contributed a 1:32.79 before fifth-year senior Tomer Frankel anchored with a 1:31.53.
RESULTS
200 MEDLEY RELAY
5. Luke Barr, Brian Benzing, Brooks, King – 1:20.92 (All-America, American Record, Big Ten Record, Program Record)
800 FREESTYLE RELAY
6. Owen McDonald, Rafael Miroslaw, Kai van Westering, Tomer Frankel – 6:06.76 (All-America)
HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Luke Barr – 200 medley relay
Brian Benzing – 200 medley relay
Finn Brooks – 200 medley relay
Tomer Frankel – 800 freestyle relay
Matt King – 200 medley relay
Owen McDonald – 800 freestyle relay
Rafael Miroslaw – 800 freestyle relay
Kai van Westering – 800 freestyle relay
UP NEXT
The 2025 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships resume Thursday for day two, the first full day of action. Athletes will compete in the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 1-meter dive and 200 freestyle relay, with preliminaries beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Finals are scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.
PURDUE SWIMMING
6 QUALIFIERS, 6 EVENTS FOR PURDUE MEN AT NCAAS
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MEET INFORMATION
Purdue Men at the NCAA Championships
Thursday to Saturday, March 27-29 / ESPN+
Swimming Prelims at 1 p.m. ET / Diving Prelims at 3 p.m. ET
Diving Consolation Finals at 8:15 p.m. ET / Finals Sessions at 9 p.m. ET
Diving Championship Finals at approx. 10:15 p.m. ET
Weyerhaesuer King County Aquatic Center / Federal Way, Wash.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Half a dozen Boilermakers earned the right to represent the university at the national championship meet as Purdue Men’s Swimming & Diving will have at least four entries on all three days at the NCAA Championships this week in the Pacific Northwest.
Swimmer Brady Samuels and divers Max Miller, Jordan Rzepka, Kaden Springfield, Zach Welsh and Tyler Wills are all set to compete among the nation’s best. Samuels is entered in the 100 butterfly as well as the 50 and 100 freestyle. Purdue also has multiple qualifiers in all three diving events, with all five set to compete on 3-meter Friday.
Rzepka is not only closing out his collegiate career as a four-year NCAAs qualifier (2022-25), but is also the first Boilermaker – male or female – to qualify for the national championship meet in all three diving events four years in a row. Samuels (2022, 2023, 2025) is back at NCAAs for the third year and is racing in individual events for the second time. As a sophomore, Miller qualified on both springboards for the second year in a row. Springfield, Welsh and Wills all made it as freshmen.
The top 16 finishers in the preliminaries clinch All-America honors and advance to finals. The top eight compete for the national championship in the evening finals. Diving is traditionally the final individual event of the finals sessions and begins in a window of approximately 10:15 to 10:30 p.m. ET. Consolation finals for diving remain at 8:15 p.m. as the first event of the evening sessions. Consolation finals for swimming events are contested immediately before their respective championship finals.
PURDUE SCHEDULE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Thursday, March 27 – Brady Samuels in 50 Free; Max Miller, Jordan Rzepka & Zach Welsh on 1-Meter
• Friday, March 28 – Brady Samuels in 100 Fly; Max Miller, Jordan Rzepka, Kaden Springfield, Zach Welsh & Tyler Wills on 3-Meter
• Saturday, March 29 – Brady Samuels in 100 Free; Jordan Rzepka, Kaden Springfield, & Tyler Wills on Platform
Rzepka is one 16 divers nationally this season to qualify for NCAAs in all three diving events – a list that also includes Welsh’s twin brother Jacob (Texas). Rzepka is one of eight student-athletes to be on that list for (at least) the second year in a row. He’ll look to become the first Boilermaker since Tyler Downs in 2022 to be an All-American in all three events, a feat Downs punctuated by winning the national title on the platform in his lone season competing collegiately.
Rzepka will be among the favorites on platform Saturday after winning the conference title (and prelim) on the tower at the Big Ten Championships and posting the top two-list total of any diver at his respective Zone qualifier earlier this month. Indiana’s Carson Tyler is the defending national champion on 3-meter and platform and the Olympian remains a top contender in both events this weekend.
2025 NCAAs QUALIFIERS IN ALL 3 DIVING EVENTS (16)
• Cameron Cash, Pitt
• Nathan Cox, Virginia Tech
• Mario Del Valle Jr., Cal Baptist
• Gage Dubois, Arizona
• Maxwell Flory, Univ. of Miami
• Jesus Gonzalez, Florida
• Bennett Greene, Tennessee
• Quinn Henninger, Indiana • Jacob Jones, Texas
• Rocky Ramsland, Virginia Tech
• Jordan Rzepka, Purdue
• Nick Stone, Tennessee
• Carson Tyler, Indiana
• Aidan Wang, Princeton
• Max Weinrich, Indiana
• Jacob Welsh, Texas (Zach’s Twin Brother)
Rzepka (three-time), Samuels (two-time) and Miller (honorable mention on 1-meter in 2024) have all earned All-America honors as Boilermakers. On platform at NCAAs, Rzepka finished fourth last year and seventh as a freshman in 2022. He was also an honorable mention All-American on 1-meter (10th overall) in 2022. Samuels was an honorable mention All-American in the 100 backstroke in 2023 and with Purdue’s 400 free relay team his freshman season. The Boilermakers have not had an All-American in a butterfly event since Sam Wilcher in 2010.
Purdue has finished among the top 25 in the team scoring at the NCAA Championships 15 times since 2005. The Boilermakers placed 13th in 2009, 2010 and 2017, winning multiple national titles in diving all three years. Purdue scored in all three diving events at NCAAs every year the meet was held from 2017 to 2022, and has an excellent opportunity to achieve that feat again this week.
The 2021 season marked the last time Purdue had individual All-Americans in both a swimming event and a diving event in the same year at NCAAs. In recent history, the Boilermakers also achieved the feat in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Samuels set team records in the 50 free (19.24) and 100 fly (45.10) this season. Rzepka is top five in team history on 3-meter (456.53) and platform (502.50), posting both career-best lists totals at the Purdue Invitational in November. Miller (1-meter and 3-meter), Springfield (3-meter and platform), Welsh (1-meter) and Wills (platform) all rank among the program’s all-time leaderboards in at least one event.
The Weyerhaesuer King County Aquatic Center is set for week two of hosting both the women’s and men’s NCAA Championships over the final two weekends of March. The facility previously hosted the men’s NCAA Championships in 2008 and 2012. Purdue head diving coach David Boudia also qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in Federal Way when the Weyerhaesuer King County Aquatic Center hosted diving’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
This year also marks the first time since 2022 that the same facility is hosting both national championship meets – with Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta pulling double duty three years ago. Located near the southern shoreline of Puget Sound, the Weyerhaesuer King County Aquatic Center is 20 miles northeast of Tacoma and 30 miles south of Seattle.
Purdue had four qualifiers – divers Daryn Wright, Sophie McAfee, Jenna Sonnenberg and Avery Worobel – for the women’s NCAA Championships last week in the Pacific Northwest. Wright was a championship finalist and All-American on both 3-meter and platform. McAfee closed out her career as Purdue’s first female diver to be an All-American on both a springboard and the platform three years in a row, joining Wright in platform championship final. Sonnenberg (platform) and Worobel (1-meter) earned honorable mention All-America accolades, teaming with McAfee and Wright to give the Purdue women an All-American in all three diving events for the first time since 2014.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH OUTLAST SPARTANS
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team captured a 9-6 win over Michigan State at Frank Eck Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Dylan Heine retired the side in order in the top of the first, and Estevan Moreno collected a grounder before a good stretch by Parker Brzustewicz led to a force out to end the second inning for the Irish defense.
Notre Dame erupted for nine runs in the bottom half of the second inning. Davis Johnson led off with a single through the right side of the infield. Jared Zimbardo was hit by a pitch to put a pair on base, and Brady Gumpf ripped a double up the left field line to drive in Johnson. Nick DeMarco lofted a soft single to right field to plate Zimbardo, and Jayce Lee used a single through the left side as Gumpf came in to score. Noah Coy beat out an infield bunt single to load the bases. Parker Brzustewicz then drove a double off of the base of the wall to drive in all three runners. Bino Watters was inches away from a home run as his RBI double hit off the wall while Brzustewicz scored easily on the play. Estevan Moreno was then hit by a pitch as the Irish hit around without an out being recorded. After a passed ball and a walk by Zimbardo loaded the bases, Nick DeMarco delivered his second hit of the inning to drive in Watters and Moreno for the 9-0 lead.
The Spartans plated a run in the top of the third before the Notre Dame defense forced Michigan State into stranding a runner in scoring position in the fourth in an effective two-inning performance by Kellan Klosterman. Jared Zimbardo had a perfectly-placed bunt single in the bottom of the fourth and stole second, but the Irish were unable to capitalize with the runner in scoring position.
Xavier Hirsch used three pitches to strike out the first Michigan State batter he faced in the top of the fifth as Hirsch retired the side in order. The Spartans put three hits together in the top of the sixth to make it a 9-3 game midway through the sixth inning.
Sammy Cooper dialed up a strikeout to begin his outing on the mound, and Cooper used a strikeout and a ground out later in the seventh to shut the door on the Spartans.
Oisin Lee then came into the game in the top of the eighth and sat down all three batters he faced with strikeouts. The Irish threatened to add to their lead in the bottom half of the inning. Connor Hincks drew a walk, and Bino Watters followed suit with a walk of his own to put a pair on base with one out gone. Back-to-back hard-hit fly balls were caught by the Spartans on the defensive side as the game moved to the ninth with the Irish still ahead 9-3.
The Spartans tried to put together the late-game comeback as Michigan State plated three runs to cut the difference to 9-6. Tobey McDonough, however, closed out the inning and the game with a big strikeout for his fourth save of the season.
Kellan Klosterman picked up the pitching win after posting three strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work in relief for his first collegiate victory on the mound. Dylan Heine had a no-decision effort after striking out one and not allowing a hit over the opening 2.0 innings of the game. Xavier Hirsch, Sammy Cooper, Oisin Lee, Justin Mayes Jr., Brady Koester, and Tobey McDonough all saw action with McDonough earning a save.
Nick DeMarco went 2-for-4 for the Irish with three RBI and a run. Parker Brzustewicz was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, three RBI, and a run. Bino Watters had a hit, an RBI, a run, and drew four walks. Brady Gumpf and Jayce Lee both collected a hit, a run, and an RBI in the win. Noah Coy, Davis Johnson, and Jared Zimbardo each had a hit and scored a run, and Estevan Moreno scored once in the victory.
The Irish (13-6) continue an extended homestand and host Florida State for a three-game ACC series beginning on Friday, March 28 at 4:30 p.m. Friday night will also feature a pom pom giveaway as early arriving fans will receive a green pom pom. Admission is free for all home Notre Dame baseball regular season contests.
BUTLER BASEBALL
BUTLER WINS 10-7 AT MIAMI OHIO
The Butler Bulldogs found the win column on Wednesday night by earning a 10-7 win at Miami Ohio. BU scored seven of their 10 runs in the first three innings of the game and held off a late charge to pick up their seventh win of the season.
BU scored four runs in the second inning to build their lead and added three more in the third. Jack Moroknek had three RBI’s during that stretch and would be one of three Bulldogs to end the game with two hits.
Harry Carr went 2-for-4 from the plate while Ryan Drumm had two hits, a homer and three runs scored for the Bulldogs.
On the mound, Tre Benjamin got the start and struck out three over three innings. The win went to Christian Finnigan who breezed through the fourth. Alex Kanipe, Marcus Goodpaster, Nate Rosser, Tate Foxson and Jack Bello would also touch the rubber for BU in the victory.
This win will give Butler some momentum as the team returns to Indy for their home opener this weekend. Northern Illinois will visit Bulldog Park for a four-game series that begins on Friday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL DROPS GAME IN DAYTON
DAYTON, Ohio – The Butler softball team traveled to Dayton for a midweek contest and came away with an 8-0 loss in six innings. The Flyers (15-10, 5-1 A-10) scored single runs in the first and third innings and ended the game with six more in the bottom of the sixth. The Bulldogs (17-11, 6-3 BIG EAST) were limited to two singles and a double on the day.
Katie Petran (4-4) started in the circle for Butler and took the loss. In 2.0 innings, she allowed one run on one hit and two walks while striking out three. Rylyn Dyer (2.0 IP, 1R, 1H) provided relief at the top of the third inning and remained for two complete innings. Gwen Baker (1.0 IP, 2R, 1ER, 2H, 1BB, 2K) took care of the fifth and part of the sixth, and Kayla Noerr (0.2 IP, 4R 0ER, 4H) finished the game.
Bulldog Bits
Ella White’s double was her fifth this season and the 39th of her career.
Up Next
Butler hosts Georgetown for a three-game BIG EAST series from Friday through Sunday, March 28-30.
VALPO SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL DROPS HEARTBREAKER AT DEPAUL WEDNESDAY
The Valpo softball team looked poised to capture just its second win in program history over DePaul Wednesday afternoon in Chicago, leading with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but an error allowed the Blue Demons to walk off with the 4-3 victory.
How It Happened
Valpo opened the scoring in its first turn at the plate. Marissa Jackson (Willis, Mich./Huron) drew a one-out walk and came around to score two batters later when Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) laced the first pitch she saw to the fence in right-center field.
DePaul evened the score with a run in the bottom of the third, but Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) kept the Blue Demons from pulling in front in that frame, entering in relief with two on and one out and getting out of the inning without any further damage.
DePaul added another single run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead.
After 15 of their previous 16 hitters had been retired, the Beacons needed just one swing to tie the game in the top of the sixth, as Mack Gallagher (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East [MSU Moorhead]) drilled a two-out, 2-1 pitch over the fence in left to make it a 2-2 ballgame.
Valpo had runners on second and third with one out in the top of the seventh with a chance to go in front, but a groundout and a popout sent the game tied to the bottom of the inning.
DePaul had a golden opportunity of its own to walk off in the seventh, loading the bases with one out on three straight singles. Madison Vrastil (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) made a nice play on a cue shot out in front of the plate to record the force at home for the second out, and another groundout sent the game to extra innings.
The Beacons got a clutch two-out hit from Kaia Garnica (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) into left in the top of the eighth, and Vrastil — who walked earlier in the inning — scored from second with a nice slide into the plate to beat the tag to make it 3-2 Valpo.
Valpo retired the first two Blue Demon hitters in the bottom of the eighth before a walk and a single put the go-ahead runs on base. A Beacon error on a grounder allowed both baserunners to score, giving DePaul the walk-off win.
Inside the Game
The loss was Valpo’s first of the year in extra innings, as the Beacons dropped to 2-1 when playing beyond seven frames. It also dropped Valpo’s record to 6-3 this year in one-run games.
Valpo was bidding for just its second win in 50 all-time meetings against DePaul.
Five different players accounted for the Beacons’ five hits Wednesday.
Gallagher connected on her team-best fifth homer of the season and also drew an intentional walk in the eighth to reach base twice.
Garnica reached twice as well, getting hit by a pitch in addition to her go-ahead RBI single in the eighth.
All three primary Valpo pitchers saw action in the circle Wednesday, with Lopez taking the tough-luck loss to fall to 6-8 despite not giving up an earned run.
Next Up
Valpo (12-14) hosts Evansville for a three-game MVC series this weekend.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/
MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1902 A Chicago Daily News headline reads, ‘Manager of the Cubs is in Doubt Only on Two Positions,’ marking the first time the team’s nickname has appeared in print. Although the moniker has existed since 1890, the Orphans, also known as the Colts and White Stockings, will not officially adopt the Cubs as its new name until 1907.
1935 In the bottom of the ninth inning, Russell Hinaga singles off future Hall of Fame Russian-born pitcher Victor Starffin, giving the San Jose Asahi, a hometown Japanese American semi-pro team, a 3-2 victory over the powerful Tokyo Giants. The visitors, who will avenge their loss to the ‘Morning Suns,’ next year, are touring the United States to promote the formation of a Japanese professional league, which they plan to establish in the Land of the Rising Sun next season.
1967 Giants’ right-hander Juan Marichal ends his 29-day holdout when he becomes the third $100,000 major league pitcher in history, joining Dodger hurlers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. The ‘Dominican Dandy’ also reported to spring training late last season but proceeded to win his first ten games en route to a 25-6 record.
1973 Twins’ right-hander Jim Perry becomes the first player to use the ’10 and 5 rule’ when he okays his trade to the Tigers for minor league pitcher Dan Fife and cash. During his one season with Detroit, Gaylord’s brother will post a 14-13 (.519) record and an ERA of 4.03 in 35 appearances.
1973 Hoping to make the team in spring training, right-hander Denny McLain is released by the Braves, ending his career two days before his 29th birthday. During his ten-year major league tenure, the former 30-game winner compiled a 131-92 career record with an ERA of 3.39.
1981 Boston’s Gold Glove catcher Carlton Fisk is declared a free agent by major league baseball, much to the chagrin of the Fenway Faithful. The 33-year-old backstop can now negotiate with other teams for his services because he received his contract from the Red Sox two days after the deadline.
1987 The Mets trade backup catcher Ed Hearn, right-hander Rick A. Anderson, and pitching prospect Mauro Gozzo to the Royals for David Cone and minor leaguer Chris Jelic. The 24-year-old right-hander, who will compile an 80-48 (.625) record during his first six seasons in New York, posts a 5-6 mark this season, with Hearn appearing in only 15 games for Kansas City.
1989 The April 3 issue of Sports Illustrated, available on newsstands today, features a six-page article by Craig Neff and Lieber that exposes Pete Rose’s gambling activities. The piece entitled Rose’s Grim Vigil alleges ‘Charlie Hustle’ bet from the Riverfront Stadium dugout using hand gestures with an associate.
1992 The Brewers deal Gary Sheffield to the Padres for pitcher Ricky Bones and minor leaguers Jose Valentin and Matt Mieske. Sheffield, Milwaukee’s first-round pick (sixth overall) in the 1986 draft, will hit .330 for his new team this season, winning the National League batting crown.
2002 After being told he would not be an everyday player, the Expos give 37-year-old Jose Canseco his unconditional release. The 1986 Rookie of the Year and 1988 MVP of the American League ends his 17-year career with 462 home runs while batting .266, playing with five clubs in the Junior Circuit.
2002 The Cubs, in need of a closer due to Tom Gordon’s muscle tear, trade righties Julian Tavarez (10-9, 4.52) and Jose Cueto, southpaw Dontrelle Willis, and catcher Ryan Jorgensen to the Marlins for Antonio Alfonseca (4-4, 28 saves) and right-hander Matt Clement (9-10, 5.05). Willis, next season’s National League Rookie of the Year, will become a 20-game winner for the Fish in 2005.
2008 At the start of spring training, Hideki Matsui, planning to wed in a few weeks, a fact unknown to the Bronx Bombers, makes a wager with some of his teammates about who would be the first to get married. A surprised Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu agree to pay off the bet after learning the Yankee slugger pulled a fast one on them by getting ‘hitched’ in New York on the club’s off-day yesterday.
2009 In a Kansai Independent League game played at the Osaka Dome, knuckleballer Eri Yoshida makes her debut, becoming Japan’s first female professional baseball player. On Opening Day, the 17-year-old faces two batters, walking one and striking out the other, in the ninth inning of the Kobe 9 Cruise’s 5-0 victory over the hometown Gold Villicanes.
2011 Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka will make a $1 million contribution to the Red Sox Foundation for earthquake and tsunami victims in his native Japan. The team’s official charity has raised more than $1.3 million in response to the March 11 disaster, including personal donations from other Japanese players, Hideki Okajima, Junichi Tazawa, and Itsuki Shoda.
2011 The Nationals deal Nyjer Morgan to the Brewers for minor league infielder Cutter Dykstra and cash. Washington sends the light-hitting, fleet-footed outfielder to Milwaukee to obtain the Class A minor league third baseman, the son of former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra.
2012 Embattled owner Frank McCourt agrees to sell the Dodgers to a group that includes former LA Lakers star Magic Johnson and former baseball executive Stan Kasten for $2 billion, the highest amount ever paid for a team in the history of professional sports. The sale price far exceeds the $1.47 billion Malcolm Glazer paid for the English soccer team Manchester United in 2005.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
March 27
1939 — Oregon beats Ohio State 46-33 in the NCAA’s first national basketball tournament.
1942 — Joe Louis knocks out Abe Simon in the sixth round at Madison Square Garden to retain his world heavyweight title.
1945 — Oklahoma A&M beats New York University 49-45 for the NCAA basketball championship.
1951 — Bill Spivey scores 22 points to lead Kentucky to a 68-58 win over Kansas State for the NCAA basketball title.
1960 — The Boston Celtics score a then NBA Finals record 76 points in the first half a 140-122 win over the St. Louis Hawks. Tom Heinsohn (24), Bill Sharman (23), Frank Ramsey (22) and Bob Cousy (20) each score 20-or-more points to win the series opener.
1971 — UCLA beats Villanova 68-62 for its fifth NCAA basketball title.
1978 — Jack Givens scores 41 points to lead Kentucky to a 94-88 victory over Duke for the NCAA basketball title.
1983 — Larry Holmes wins a unanimous 12-round decision over Lucien Rodriguez to retain his world heavyweight title in his hometown of Scranton, Pa.
2005 — Annika Sorenstam shoots a final-round 68 to finish at 15-under to win the Nabisco Championship by eight shots over Rosie Jones. It’s he 59th victory of the Swedish star’s LPGA Tour career — and her eighth major championship win.
2010 — Long shot Al Shemali wins the $5 million Dubai Duty Free, pulling away from a crowded field to pull off a surprisingly easy win in the Dubai World Cup. Al Shemali, at 40-1, starts slow then duels it out with Bankable before taking the lead for good.
2011 — Jamie Skeen scores 26 points as Virginia Commonwealth delivers the biggest upset of the NCAA tournament, a 71-61 win over No. 1 seed Kansas in the Southwest Regional final.
2014 — The Philadelphia 76ers tie the NBA record for futility with their 26th straight loss, falling 120-98 to the Houston Rockets. Philadelphia matches the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA’s worst skid.
2017 — UConn’s women’s basketball team advance to its 10th consecutive Final Four with a 90-52 victory against Oregon. The victory moves coach Geno Auriemma past Pat Summitt for the most NCAA Tournament victories at 113.
TV SPORTS THURSDAY
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| NCAA Sweet 16: (6) BYU vs (2) Alabama | 7:00pm | CBS Paramount+ |
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| World Championships | 3:00pm | USA |