Indiana University Women’s Basketball looks to extend Winning Streak to 3 Hosting Rutgers The Indiana Hoosiers will look to make it three wins in a row when they host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights this evening at 6 PM inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with the game televised on the Big Ten Network. Indiana is 8-6 all time against Rutgers including a 3-2 record in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have won the last five meetings in the series dating back to December 2019. Rutgers last win came in Bloomington on February 18, 2019, 69-61.
The Hoosiers are 14-7 overall and 6-4 in the Big Ten and look to keep building on their NCAA Tournament resume. The Hoosiers dominated Nebraska 76-60 on Sunday Afternoon with 13 three pointers and holding Nebraska Center Alexis Markowski to 8 points and 3 rebounds in a total team effort at both ends of the floor. Yarden Garzon has scored 54 points in her last two games. Garzon scored a career high 35 points at Washington and followed it up 19 against Nebraska. Garzon is leading the team with 14.7 points. The Junior from Israel averages 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In the last two games Garzon has gone 13-19 from beyond the arc.
Sydney Parrish is averaging 10.9 points along with a team leading 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Shay Ciezki is averaging 10.4 points. Chloe Moore-McNeil averages 9.9 points along with a team leading 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Indiana comes into the contest averaging 69.9 points and committing 14.4 turnovers per game. Karoline Striplin is averaging 9.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Lilly Meister is averaging 9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Indiana is shooting 44 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range and 76 percent from the free throw line.
It has been a tough season for Rutgers with a 9-13 record and 1-10 Big Ten Record. Rutgers comes to Bloomington after a 69-65 home overtime loss to Illinois one week ago. Freshman Kiyomi McMiller led the team with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Destiny Adams added 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. McMiller is leading the team with 19 points and 3 assists per game. The 5-8 Freshman from Silver Spring, Maryland has been the leader for Rutgers recording two double doubles. She has been a bright spot but also had some downfalls and having to learn the ins and outs of big time College Basketball. McMiller missed two games against USC and Minnesota after she took to social media before the USC game letting her fans know that she was not going to play against the Trojans as a decision made by her head coach Coquese Washington and then was to return at Minnesota the next game but was a late scratch. McMiller played 18 minutes at Michigan on January 18 and was held scoreless after going 0-8 from the field and 0-3 from three-point range with an assist and five turnovers.
Destiny Adams is averaging 17.5 points and leads the team with 9.9 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1 block per game. The 6-3 Senior from Lakehurst, New Jersey has 11 double doubles this season. Rutgers is averaging 69 points and committing 15.5 turnovers per game. Rutgers shoots 40 percent from the field, 29 percent from three-point range and 66 percent from the free throw line. The Scarlet Knights have a 12-player roster that represents New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Carolina, Maryland, Texas, Michigan Georgia and one international player from Mali. Coquese Washington is in her third year at Rutgers with a 29-57 record and overall record of 238-226 after a 12-year run at Penn State from 2007-2019 with four NCAA Tournament Appearances and 3 Postseason WNIT Tournament Appearances. Washington is no stranger to the State of Indiana playing at Notre Dame from 1989-1993 and the Indiana Fever from 2002-2003. The 54-Year-Old who was Born in Flint, Michigan was an assistant coach for the Fighting Irish from 1999-2007 and return as the associate head coach from 2000-2002 and was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year while she was at Penn State in 2011.
#21 Wisconsin Extends Indiana University Men’s Basketball’s Kohl Center Losing Streak to 21 The #21 Wisconsin Badgers beat the Indiana Hoosiers 76-64 Tuesday Night at the Kohl Center in Madison. Indiana is 1-21 all time at the Kohl Center with their only win coming on January 25, 1998, 69-59. Indiana falls to 40-47 all-time in Madison and still leads the all-time series 99-81. Wisconsin improves to 12-1 at home this season and 18-5 overall along with an 8-4 in Big Ten play. The Badgers led to start to finish and buried 12 three pointers in the game. Wisconsin led 40-28 at halftime and both teams scored 36 points in the second half, but Indiana was never in the game down 8-0 at the start and 19-2 with 15:40 left in the first half. Wisconsin had a 22-point lead at 12:38 mark 26-4.
Indiana cut the lead to 11 points as Luke Goode drained a three 55 seconds into the second half to trail 42-31 but the Badgers kept control extending the lead to 21 points with 9:15 left in the game trailing 61-39 and got no closer than 12 points the rest of the way. Wisconsin put four in double figures with John Tonje leading the way 15 points, Max Klesmit adding 13, Nolan Winter scoring 12 and Carter Gilmore adding 10 off the bench. Wisconsin went 26-60 from the field for 43%, 12-29 from three-point range for 41% and 12-17 from the free throw line for 70%.
The Badgers committed 6 turnovers, pulled down 36 rebounds, dished out 13 assists, 8 steals and 3 blocks. Wisconsin is two games back of the leaders Purdue and they are positioning themselves for a top four seed and the double-bye in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in March. Indiana is 14-9 overall and 5-7 in the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers have lost four in a row and six of the last seven games. Six of Indiana’s Nine losses this season have been by double digits. It doesn’t get any easier as the Michigan Wolverines come to town on Saturday Afternoon for a 1 PM matchup with the Hoosiers.
Mackenize Mgbako led the Hoosiers with 15 points, Luke Goode scored 11 off the bench and Myles Rice added 10 points. Oumar Ballo was held to 4 points and 6 rebounds. Indiana finished 20-57 from the field for 40%, 7-27 from three-point range 26% and 11-15 for 73%. Indiana pulled down 36 rebounds, dished out 9 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks and committed 11 turnovers. The Hoosiers are sitting in 11th place in the Big Ten Standings as the top 15 advance to the Big Ten Tournament leaving the bottom three out. The Hoosiers have a tough road ahead with Michigan, UCLA, Purdue, Penn State and Ohio State coming to Bloomington and traveling to Michigan State, Washington and Oregon as the opportunities are there to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive but if they keep trending in the wrong direction the Hoosiers could miss the Big Ten Tournament and that would send the fan base that is already on edge to the brink if the unthinkable were to happen.
Bloomington South Girls Swimming looking For Sectional Three-Peat The Bloomington South Panthers will look to make it three Sectional Championships in a row when the Girls Swimming Sectional gets underway at Columbus North at 5:30 PM this evening with the preliminaries. The Diving Finals are scheduled for 9 AM Saturday and the Swimming Finals are scheduled for 1 PM Saturday afternoon. The winners in each Swimming event will advance to the state finals plus any swimmer each equals or betters the state standard in the respective event will advance. The top four sectional divers will qualify for the Diving Regionals which will be held on Tuesday February 11th at Jasper High School at 6 pm and the top eight regional divers will advance to the State Finals.
Bloomington South has won the last two Sectionals titles and four in the last five years. The Panthers have won 24 Sectionals in Program History. Bloomington North is looking for its first sectional title since 2022. The Cougars have won 13 Sectional titles in Program History. The Bloomington Schools combined have 37 Sectional Titles and have won every title since 2020 and look to keep that streak going. Bloomington South won in 1979-80, 1983, 1985-88, 1991-96, 1998, 2007, 2011 2016-18, 2020-21 and 2023-24. Bloomington North won in 1979, 1981-1982, 1984 1999-2006 and 2022. There are 13 other teams competing in the Sectional that include Batesville, Columbus East, Columbus North, East Central, Edgewood, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Milan, Oldenburg Academy, Rising Sun, South Dearborn, South Ripley and Trinity Lutheran.
Edgewood and Lighthouse Christian’s Girls Basketball Seasons come to a close with First Round Sectional Exits The IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament began Tuesday Night with Sectional Play around the great state of Indiana and for the two Monroe County teams that were in action Tuesday Night it was a tough night as both Edgewood and Lighthouse Christian lost and saw their respective seasons come to a close.
Edgewood lost to Northview 43-36 in the Opening Round of the Class 3A Sectional at Northview as the Mustangs season ends at 12-11 for Head Coach Gary Sims who completes his 17th season as Edgewood Head Coach. It’s the first time since 2019 that Edgewood has lost a sectional opener. Macey Crider led the Mustangs in scoring with 20 points as Edgewood finished 15-37 from the field and committed 20 turnovers. Northview improves to 18-6 and extends its winning streak to 14 games. The Knights will face 12-10 Cascade in the second semifinal on Friday at 7:30 PM. Owen Valley who beat Speedway 47-36 in the first game Tuesday Night and improves to 15-6 will face 4-13 Indianapolis Washington in the first semifinal on Friday Night at 6 PM with the Championship game scheduled for Saturday Night at 6 PM.
Lighthouse Christian struggled with White River Valley falling 75-11 in the Class 1A Sectional Opener at Clay City. The Lady Lions end the season 1-21 for 6th year Head Coach Brian Brown. Lighthouse Christian beat Washington Catholic 33-30 at home Last Thursday to give them a positive after a tough season. White River Valley improves to 17-5 on the season and will face 7-15 Dugger Union in the first semifinal Friday Night at 6 PM as Dugger Union won the second game Tuesday Night 45-35 over 5-19 Cloverdale.
In Class 4A at Martinsville 20-2 Bloomington South will face 10-14 Terre Haute North in the first semifinal on Friday at 6 PM followed by 12-11 Bloomington North against 8-15 Martinsville in the second game at 7:30 PM. Martinsville beat Terre Haute South 41-26 Tuesday Night ending the Braves season at 9-14. The Championship Game is scheduled for 7:30 PM Saturday Night.
Minnick, Copeland & Parker Selected to 2025 Big Ten Players to Watch List The Big Ten Conference announced its 2025 Softball Players to Watch List on Tuesday afternoon. Indiana had three representatives land on the list, including seniors Brianna Copeland, Taylor Minnick and junior Avery Parker. In 2024, Copeland was the ace in the circle and hit at the top of the lineup for the Hoosiers. In the circle, she had a 2.88 ERA, 174 strikeouts and recorded 20 wins. At the plate, she hit for a .325 average with eight home runs, 10 doubles and 36 RBI while also stealing 18 bases. Minnick hit third in the Indiana order in 2024 and has been a starting outfielder for the team since arriving on campus. The Bloomington, Ind. native hit .357 from the plate with 24 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs, 54 RBI and drew 33 walks last year. Parker has been the team’s primary catcher the last two seasons. She had a .313 batting average with 11 doubles, 44 RBI and a team-high 13 home runs in 2024.
Bloomington South Boys Soccer Head Coach Corbin Calvert steps down Sometimes a coach, always a dad. That duality kind of gnawed at Corbin Calvert as the last soccer season went on, even as his Bloomington South boys team cemented itself as the best in school history. He lost his father at age 62 and finding time for both of his boys was getting tough. “It just never went away,” Calvert said. There was just one easy answer to solve those issues but an extremely difficult choice all the same for Calvert, who has tendered his resignation after a 14-year run with the Panthers, the last three as head coach.
“I’ve had some personal things with my family,” Calvert said. “My youngest was wondering why I spend so much time with my older son, all that. Losing my dad back in August. Those two things made me realize, my dad was young, and I need to be spending time with my kids right now. “The older one is in seventh grade and he’ll be in high school soon. I think it would be better to watch as a dad and not as a coach and not be as stressed about it.” Calvert went 48-6-4, handed the reins by Kevin Sparks who had revived the Panthers with a long-awaited sectional title in 2011. They would go on to win all but one of the next 13 as Calvert kept the ball rolling and then some as South went 21-2 as the Class 3A state runner-up. With the season running so long, he could finally stop and consider his options.
“It was probably the most fall emotional roller coaster I’ve been on,” Calvert said. “I had no intentions but it just kind of came about. It was a really tough decision. “The season going longer, the highs and lows with everything going on. It seemed like once the season was over, I took a deep breath and was able to exhale and think about things. I took some time over winter break to discuss things with my family and (athletic director JR Holmes), where I came to that conclusion.”
Calvert, a school resource officer with MCCSC, isn’t ruling out coaching again down the road (but noted he would do so at the high school level nowhere else but South) and will in fact continue working with his son’s team with Cutters and Alliance FC. “He carried on the program and continued to develop some young kids,” Holmes said. “They were very competitive and this year, they got over the hump and all the way to the championship game. He’s been a very positive influence for our school.”
South assistant Jake Kabrick, a former Panther and the area player of the year in 2012, has indicated his interest in keeping the job in house, but it will have to be officially posted for a period of time before interviews and a hiring takes place. “This whole opportunity has been a dream come true,” Calvert said. “And I want to thank everyone involved, Kevin, the principal, JR, everyone. This whole ride started with Kevin, and we have definitely left a mark. “That’s something in my time as head coach I can hang my hat on.”