Local Sports News: November 8, 2024

Former Indiana Hoosier Mona Zaric and Harvard knock off #25 Indiana University Women’s Basketball in Overtime Mona Zaric returned to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Thursday Night and she and the Harvard Crimson leave Bloomington with a 70-68 victory over the 25th ranked Hoosiers. Zaric played at Indiana for two seasons from 2021-23 and she left for Harvard and now she gets a win over her former team. Zaric played 19 minutes off the bench going 3-6 from the field, 0-3 from three-point range and hit two big free throws to seal the victory in overtime. Zaric pulled down 3 rebounds and had 1 turnover. After the game her Harvard teammates rushed on the court to celebrate her and in the postgame handshake line, she hugged former teammates and coaches including Teri Moren.

The Crimson are 2-0 on the season and Indiana is now 1-1 against the Ivy League this season as the Hoosiers will face Columbia in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in two weeks. The Hoosiers got off to a very slow start trailing 21-7 after the first quarter and were down 9-2 to start the game. Indiana outscored Harvard 23-11 in the second quarter as the Crimson went to the locker room ahead 32-30. The third quarter was equal as both teams scored 16 points with the Crimson leading by two going into the final ten minutes. Indiana outscored Harvard 17-15 in the fourth quarter and had a chance to win the game when Chloe Moore-McNeil’s shot fell short and the game went to overtime tied 63-63. Harvard outscored Indiana 9-5 in the extra period and they win the first ever meeting between the two teams.

Yarden Garzon and Lilly Meister led the Hoosiers with 20 points apiece and Chloe Moore-McNeil added 10 points. Meister pulled down 15 rebounds for a double-double. The Hoosiers finished 17-49 from the field for 34%, 3-18 from three-point range for 16% and 31-38 from the field for 81%. Indiana pulled down 43 rebounds, dished out 9 assists, 7 steals, 2 blocks, 24 points in the paint and committed 27 turnovers thanks to the full court press that the Crimson threw at them all game long.

Harmoni Turner led Harvard with 24 points finished 10-17 from the field, 1-3 from three-point range and 3-6 from the free throw line. Elena Rodriguez added 15 points. Harvard finished the game 27-66 from 41% from the field, 8-24 from three-point range for 33% and 10-16 from the free throw line. Harvard pulled down 30 rebounds, dished 11 assists, 14 steals and 3 blocks. Harvard had 28 points in the paint, 32 points off turnovers and 23 points off the bench. The Crimson committed 18 turnovers as the game featured 8 ties and 12 lead changes and was a grind it out game and the teams went back and forth.

This was the first regular season home loss since February 19, 2022. Head Coach Teri Moren and Graduate Student Sydney Parrish remind everyone that this time not the same team from a season ago and while it is a veteran team that there are new pieces that they are putting together, and it may not be as quick as everyone would like but one thing is for certain Indiana will figure things out and put their best foot forward.  Teri Moren gave Harvard credit for coming in and “Punching us in the mouth in the first quarter” and Chloe Moore-McNeil added that the Ivy League is “A very good league” and said, “but this in Indiana and we have high standards here and we did not meet those tonight”. Indiana will travel to Butler next Wednesday Night to face another team that is going to be looking for the upset over a team who most likely will be unranked when the polls come out next week.

#8 Indiana University Football looks to make more History Saturday Afternoon with Michigan in town  The 8th ranked Indiana Hoosiers are off to their best start in school history at 9-0 and on Saturday afternoon in a sold out Memorial Stadium they will look for the programs first ever 10 win season when they host the Michigan Wolverines in another national spotlight game on CBS at 3:30 pm. Indiana finished 9–0-1 in 1945 and 9-2 in 1967 and played in its only Rose Bowl Appearance. The Hoosiers were ranked 8th in the first College Football Playoff Rankings earlier in the week and were projected as a 9 seed travelling to 8 seed Tennessee in the first round. There are three regular season games left but Indiana has already turned the heads of not only it’s fan base but the entire College Football landscape with one of the most improbable turnarounds of all-time. The Hoosiers are one of two teams in FBS along with Army to win every game by double-digits and are one of five teams are uneaten along with Army, BYU Miami (Florida) and Oregon. 

The Hoosiers are looking for its first 7 win Big Ten Season in program history. The Hoosiers have won six Big Ten Games in a season for the fourth time to go with 1967, 1987 and 2020. Indiana trailed 10-0 at the end of the first quarter at Michigan State last Saturday and outscored the Spartans 47-0 in the final three quarters to win 47-10. Curt Cignetti is the only coach in Division 1 History to start unbeaten at two different schools in back to back season. Cignetti started 10-0 at James Madison in 2023 and he is 9-0 at Indiana and it’s the only coach in IU History to start his tenure 9-0. 

Michigan is 5-4 and 3-3 in the Big Ten after they won the National Championship a season ago. The Wolverines lost at home to top ranked Oregon last Saturday 38-17. Quarterback Davis Warren finished 12-21 for 164 yards passing and 2 touchdowns.. Donovan Edwards was the leading rusher with 52 yards on 10 carries as the maize and Blue ran the ball 28 times for 105 yards. Colston Loveland caught 7 passes for 112 yards. Michigan tied the game 7-7 with 1:31 in the first quarter as the Ducks led  28-10 at halftime and outscored Michigan 10-7 in the second half. 

Michigan has dominated the series with Indiana leading 62-10 all time. Indiana last beat Michigan 38-21 in Bloomington in 2020 when that game was played in front of families due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Indiana beat Michigan 14-10 on October 24,1987 in Bloomington and the last time Indiana h won in Ann Arbor was October 21,1967 27-20. Indiana is a double-digit favorite coming into the game and with the buzz that is around the Hoosier Football Team. Indiana and Curt Cignetti are looking to change the narrative that has surrounded this football program for ever and with each win the Hoosiers are keeping themselves in the national spotlight, The Big Ten Championship race and the College Football Playoff Conversation. 

Indiana University Men’s Soccer ousted from the Big Ten Tournament by Michigan In the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament, No. 6-ranked Indiana men’s soccer (10-4-5, 7-1-2 B1G) fell to No. 7-seeded Michigan 1-0 Thursday afternoon at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. A long-distance, swerving rocket off the boot of Michigan senior midfielder Jason Bucknor was the difference in the match. The Hoosiers outshot the Wolverines 10-7 but couldn’t find a breakthrough. In the 13th minute an attempt from sophomore forward Collins Oduro deflected off a Michigan defender and towards goal, forcing the Michigan goalkeeper to push it over the bar.  At the half-hour mark, Indiana was hit with strokes of bad luck at each end of the field. Senior forward Samuel Sarver went down at the edge of the box with a pair of opponents around him but received no whistle. Moments later, Bucknor got a through ball, struck a volley from outside the box at a tight angle, and his shot swerved into goal to give Michigan the lead. Three minutes later Collins Oduro dribbled inside from the left wing, pushed the ball to his right to avoid the oncoming defender and then ran into that defender as he chased his dribble. The referee reviewed the sequence and did not change his mind. Right before the half a long throw-in found freshman midfielder Charlie Heuer free at the back post, but his volleyed attempt sailed just high. In the 78th minute Samuel Sarver and Collins Oduro nearly scored on a dangerous cross from sophomore forward Clay Murador. Sarver just missed a first-time connection at the top of the six, and Oduro put his back-post shot wide.

Thursday’s result snapped Indiana’s seven-match winning streak, 10-match unbeaten streak and 10-match multi-goal streak – its longest multi-goal stretch since 1997. Indiana will not reach the Big Ten Tournament final for the first time since 2016, snapping a seven-season streak. That tied Georgetown for the NCAA’s longest active streak of conference title game appearances last season, which the Hoyas can extend in the BIG EAST Tournament. IU fell to Michigan for the first time since 2021 and moved to 25-5-5 in the all-time series with the Wolverines. The NCAA will announce its 48-team bracket on Monday, November 18.

Bloomington South faces Crosstown Rival Bloomington North for Sectional Football Championship For the fourth year in a row Bloomington South and Bloomington North will face off in the in the High School Sectionals tonight at 7 PM at Bloomington North and for the third time in the last four years it will be for the Sectional Championship. Bloomington South has ended Bloomington North’s season the last three years and the Cougars are looking to change that this evening. Bloomington South leads 10-2 all time in sectional matchups as Bloomington North last won a sectional championship in 2013 beating their rivals 24-21 and their other postseason win against the Panthers came in 1986 with 17-0 win. Overall Bloomington South leads the all-time series 49-16 but Bloomington North has won the last two regular season meetings 25-24 in overtime in 2023 and this season winning 31-14 on September 13, at home.

Bloomington North is 8-2 on the season for first year Head Coach Anthony Lindsey and has a two-game winning streak after beating Southport in the regular season finale 48-14 and a Sectional Semifinal win at Terre Haute North last week 27-13. The Cougars lost at Mooresville 30-27 in Week 1 and Week 8 at Columbus North 35-34 in Double-Overtime. Combined the Cougars have lost by a combined four points. The Cougars have outscored their opponents 357-176 averaging 35.7 points on offense and giving up 17.6 points on defense. Eight Cougars were named first-team Conference Indiana with Senior Quarterback Dash King, Defensive Back Will Breedlove along with Defensive Lineman Nate Hankins and Zeke Trueblood. Junior Kicker Joe Luther, Linebacker Ross Odgen along with Wide Receivers Jalen Williams and Jorian Brooks. Five Cougars were named Conference Indiana Honorable-Mention Senior Linebackers Hudson Kinsley and Drew Zurbach along with Junior Defensive Lineman Lucas Rice and Defensive Back Luke Freel.

Bloomington South is 6-4 on the season for fifth year Head Coach Gabe Johnson. The Panthers have won two straight after winning at Seymour 42-6 in the regular season finale and at Terre Haute South 42-14 in the Sectional Semifinal last week. The Panthers have outscored their opponents 345-252 for an average of 34.5 points per game and giving up 25.2 points per game on defense. Six Panthers were named Conference Indiana First Team with Senior Defensive Back Miles McKay, Kicker and Indiana University Commit Bryce Taylor along with Linebacker Ben Godar, Offensive Lineman Isaac Sullivan and Junior Arellano and Junior Quarterback Braylen Townsend. Junior Wide Receiver Sam Giles and Junior Defensive Back Ian Quick were named Conference Indiana Honorable Mention.

Bloomington North is looking for its third sectional championship in school history to with titles in 2010 and 2013. Bloomington South will be looking for its 19th Sectional Championship and fourth in a row. The Panthers won in 1983, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The winner of this game will advance to Regional Championship Game Next Friday night to take on the winner between Castle and Evansville North. Should Bloomington North they will be traveling regardless of the result. Should Bloomington South and Castle win the Panthers would be hosting the Knights and Should Evansville North win Bloomington South would make the trip to Evansville to face the Huskies. One thing we do know is one of the Bloomington Schools will win another Football Sectional Championship the question will be which side of town will it be, and we know that this will be another classic city battle that decides a sectional championship and ends the season of their crosstown rival which is sweet for one and heartbreak for the other.  

Sydney Parrish and Anthony Leal Invite Hoosier Fans to Join Them and Donate Blood at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Monday Indiana Hoosier basketball players Sydney Parrish and Anthony Leal will be attending the Big Ten/Abbott Blood Drive Competition at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Monday, Nov. 11. Will you? The Abbott Blood Drive is a conference-wide effort and competition, designed to encourage individuals to donate blood to fight the largest blood shortage in a generation. All 18 Big Ten schools are battling for a $1 million prize earmarked to advance student and community health. The winner will be the Big Ten university that secures the most donors.

The Abbott Blood Drive is ongoing and will continue thru Dec. 6. IU Athletics and its media rights partner, IU Sports Properties, has gotten involved and is supporting the cause by creating an on-campus opportunity to donate blood on Monday, Nov. 11, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. in the south lobby of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Parrish and Leal are both scheduled to attend and will be engaging with donors. In addition, everyone who registers to donate blood on Monday will receive a 15% discount at the IU Team Store located inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. To sign up to give blood on Monday, please visit HERE. If you are unable to attend, you can still support IU’s chances of winning the competition by giving blood by Dec. 6 and submitting the details of your donation HERE.

Indiana’s Clay Merchent Named Big Ten Men’s Golfer of the Week   Indiana redshirt junior Clay Merchent was named Big Ten Men’s Golfer of the Week, the conference announced on Thursday afternoon. Merchent led the Hoosiers to a fourth-place finish at the loaded 21-team Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational this week. He shot a career-low 199 (67-65-67; -14) to become the third player in Indiana men’s golf history to shoot under 200. He joined All-Americans Jeff Overton (three times) and Drew Salyers on the exclusive list. The Noblesville, Ind., native finished tied for fourth in the individual standings. He converted a team-best 18 birdies and played an eagle on the ninth green in the second round. Merchent, the 2021 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was named a team captain this season after missing the better part of the last two seasons with a rib injury. During his five fall tournaments, he has earned three top 25 finishes and a pair of top 5 outings. He is the first Hoosier to earned Player of the Week accolades from the Big Ten since Noah Gillard on April 10, 2024.

Indiana University Field Hockey lands Five on the Big Ten Honors List   Ahead of the start of the Big Ten Tournament, the Big Ten Conference announced their 2024 Field Hockey Postseason Awards. Five Hoosiers were honored for different distinctions. The Hoosier honorees were as follows. All-Big Ten First Team-Inés Garcia Prado. All-Big Ten Second Team-Sofia Arrebola Garcia and Yip van Wonderen. Big Ten All-Freshman Team-Sadie Canelli. Big Ten Sportsmanship Award-Meredith Lee. It was the first career postseason honor for Arrebola Garcia, van Wonderen, Canelli and Lee. It was Garcia Prado’s second career honor as she made the Second Team in 2023.