Shay Ciezki’s 35 Points Help Indiana University Women’s Basketball Withstand the Flames of Illinois-Chicago Senior Shay Ciezki scored Indiana Career High 35 points to lead the Indiana Hoosiers to a 71-56 over the Illinois-Chicago Flames Friday Night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The 5-7 Senior had her second highest scoring total as the Hoosiers. Ciezki scored 34 points against the Baylor Bears in the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship in the Bahamas on November 24, 2024, in a 73-65 win. Ciezki dropped 40 points when she was a Sophomore at Penn State in a 101-73 win over Central Connecticut State on December 20, 2023, for her career high. Ciezki went 12-21 from the field, 7-10 from three-point range and 4-4 from the free throw line. The Buffalo, New York native pulled down 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists and 1 block. Zania Socka-Nugemen scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for her first career double-double. Lenee Beaumont had 9 rebounds and 4 points
Indiana is 2-0 on the season and will host the Marshall Thundering Herd on Tuesday Night at 7 PM at Simon Skjdot Assembly Hall. Illinois-Chicago drops to 0-2 on the season and will host Northern Illinois next Thursday at 7 PM Central Time. Indiana is 5-1 all-time against UIC and 4-0 in Simon Skjodt Assemby Hall. Indiana finished the game 28-60 from the field 47%, 9-22 from three-point range 41% and 7-9 from the free throw line for 77%. The Hoosiers pulled down 34 rebounds, dished out 15 assists, 3 steals, 1 block and committed 8 turnovers. The Hoosiers scored 36 points, 15 points off turnovers, 12 points off turnovers and 6 bench points. A sticking point for the Hoosiers was 14 for 25 on layup chances and UIC was 10 for 21.
Julia Coleman led UIC with 20 points and Highland, Indiana Native Jessica Carrothers added 17 points. UIC finished the game 23-54 from the field 42%, 2-9 from three-point range for 22% and 8-18 from the free throw line for 44%. The Flames pulled down 33 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and committed 12 turnovers. The Flames had 30 points in the paint, 8 bench points and 8 points off turnovers. UIC came out of the gate with energy reflective of their coach Ashleen Bracey who was nonstop pacing up and down the bench and her team cheering on every time they scored, got stops and made big plays. Indiana led 17-16 after the first quarter and the Flames outscored the Hoosiers 18-10 in the second quarter as they went into the locker room leading 34-27. Jessica Carrothers scored 10 of her 14 first half points and Coleman added 10 points as they were the 1-2 punch for the Flames.
In the second half Indiana came out and held UIC to 9 third quarter points as the Hoosiers put up 19 to lead 46-43 going into the final 10 minutes of the game. Shay Ciezki scored 25 of her 35 in the second half as the Hoosiers outscored the Flames 26-19 in the fourth quarter and 45-28 in the second half to put the game away. The second game of the season came with some adversity and being a new group Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren wanted to see how this team was going to respond after halftime and they came out and put the clamps on defense and got stops. Indiana will continue to grow as a team and must find ways to grind out wins before they step into the Big Ten Conference.
Indiana University Women’s Tennis Announces the 2026 Spring Schedule Indiana women’s tennis has announced its slate of spring matches for the 2025-26 season. The first six matches of the season will be at home when IU matches up with Kennesaw State and Bulter in a doubleheader on Jan. 23. Opening weekend continues as DePaul also visits the IU Indoor Tennis Center (Jan. 25) while Cincinnati and EKU (Jan. 31) also come to town. Heading into February, the Hoosiers hosts a pair of Power 4 opponents in West Virginia (Feb. 6) and Virginia Tech (Feb. 8). Bellarmine on Feb. 13 concludes the six-game opening homestand while traveling to Louisville on Feb. 15 to close out the weekend.
Non-conference play winds down with Cornell at home (Feb. 21) and a visit to the Windy City on Feb. 27 to face UIC and Chicago State. They will jump right into a Big Ten rivalry match on March 7 when Purdue comes to town followed by its final non-conference match against Southern Indiana. The heart of league play begins March 14-15 with Wisconsin and Minnesota at home. Indiana travels to Northwestern and Illinois (March 21-22) and close March against Iowa (March 27) and Nebraska (March 29). An east coast swing awaits in early April to Rutgers (Apr. 3) and Maryland (Apr. 5) while home action rounds out with Penn State (Apr. 11) and Ohio State (Apr. 12). The Hoosiers will fly west to conclude the regular season at UCLA (Apr. 17) and USC (Apr. 18). The Big Ten women’s tennis championships are set for April 22-25th on the campus of Ohio State. All Indiana women’s home matches are free admission and are played at either in the IU Indoor Tennis Center or the adjacent IU Varsity Tennis Courts (outdoor courts).
Indianapolis Colts Defensive Tackle DeForest Buckner placed on Injured Reserve The Indianapolis Colts have placed three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner on injured reserve meaning he’ll miss at least four games because of a neck injury, coach Shane Steichen said Friday after practice in Berlin. Buckner, who did not travel with the team for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, was hurt in last week’s 27-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. “He’s as tough as they get. Anytime a guy like that goes down, obviously it hurts our football team,” Steichen said. “He’s one of our leaders, one of our best players on defense, been a staple for us. No timetable on the return.” The Colts arrived Friday and held practice — starting near dusk — at the training ground of Bundesliga soccer club Hertha Berlin, near the Olympiastadion.
For the Colts, it’s their second game in Germany in the past two years. They beat the New England Patriots 10-6 in Frankfurt in 2023. Jonathan Taylor had the game’s only touchdown, and Gardner Minshew was under center. Germany isn’t new to Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, even if the experience last year wasn’t great. In what turned out to be his final game with the New York Giants, Jones threw two interceptions in a 20-17 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers in Munich in Week 10. Jones was then benched when the team returned home and subsequently released. “A lot has happened since I was last in Germany, for sure,” Jones said. “I’ve been very fortunate since then.” Jones, who signed with the Colts in the offseason, leads the NFL in passing yards. He’s thrown 14 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Gainbridge Extends Sponsorship of the Indianapolis 500 In a Multi-Year Deal Penske Entertainment Corp. and Gainbridge on Thursday announced a contract extension in which the financial company will remain the presenting sponsor of the Indianapolis 500. Both sides said only it was a multi-year sponsorship agreement and did not disclose terms of the deal. “Partnering with the Indianapolis 500 is a natural fit for Gainbridge, reflecting our shared commitment to success, innovation and making every second count,” said Dan Towriss, president of Group 1001, the holding company of Gainbridge. “The Indianapolis 500 holds special significance to Hoosiers and fans across the world. We’re excited for this next chapter in our partnership and honored to celebrate the skilled drivers and the dedicated fans.” Towriss is also the owner of Andretti Global, which competes in IndyCar and other motorsports series. He’s also head of the Cadillac F1 team that will make its Formula 1 debut next season.
Gainbridge signed on as title sponsor of the Indy 500 in 2019, and its logo is featured on the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the checkered and green flags, the Pagoda, the winner’s wreath, the famed oval and Victory Podium. The 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for May 24, 2026, and the race is coming off a sellout that allowed a rare blackout of the local broadcast coverage. “Our partnership with Gainbridge aligns two brands with a shared passion for growth and world class customer experience,” said Mark Miles, the president and CEO of Penske Entertainment. “Renewing this relationship with a multi-year agreement showcases the strength and continued relevance of the Indy 500, an iconic event with the perfect entitlement partner to fuel a momentous future.”
Taylor Trojans Win 13th-Consecutive Crossroads League Women’s Cross-Country Title in Runaway Fashion The No. 1 Taylor women’s cross-country team continued it incredible season, winning its 13th-consecutive Crossroads League Championship in decisive fashion in rainy conditions Friday morning. The Trojans clocked a team time of 1:47:35.4, the second fastest in program history while placing seven runners in the top 13 finishers. A team score of 25, is the best mark since 2022 when the eventual NAIA National Champion Trojans scored 24 en route to an undefeated season. Jaynie Halterman led the pack and set a new course record with a time of 20:17.6, over a minute faster than second place. Halterman’s individual CL Championship is her second in a row as she sets her sights on repeating as the NAIA Individual Champion.
Taylor had five of the top ten runners as Noel Bass was next in third. The senior has come on strong this season and her time of 21:32.7 is her top mark this season granting her a third-place finish. Catey Campbell was the next finisher for TU, crossing the line in fifth. The remarkable freshman set a persona best time by over half a minute at 21:49.7. Sam Patterson finished seventh just under the 22:00 minute mark while Rebekah Firestone eclipsed that mark with her personal-best time of 21:59.8 in ninth. Joining the five mentioned above as All-Crossroads League runners were Malarie Pinwar and Emersyn Funk, who finished 12th and 13th respectively. Funk’s time of 22:17.0 was a personal best by almost 20 seconds. The seven All-CL runners match Taylor’s best mark, set in 2018 and matched in 2022.
A total of eight Trojans recorded a personal best time in the race with Marlina Howell (22:48.8), Kennedy Applegate (23:05.7), Elizabeth Erwin (23:23.5), Lauren Saddington (23:24.7), and Addie Draper (23:50.8) joining the trio already mentioned. As the Crossroads League Champions, No. 1 Taylor (84-6) has secured its spot in the NAIA National Championships in Tallahassee Florida on Friday November 24th at 2:00 pm, where the team will attempt to take home its second NAIA National Championship in the past four years.
Trio of Trojans Lead Taylor to Second-Place Finish at Crossroads League Men’s Cross-Country Championships No. 4 Taylor recorded a second-place finish at the Crossroads League showing in rainy conditions on Friday morning. The Trojans had three finishers in the top 11, led by Nathan Burns and Ryan Hanak finishing in step in seventh and eighth. The duo finished in 24:42.4 and 24:42.6 and each had an impressive final push to pass a runner in the final stretch which land TU in second. The team scored 73 points and was closely followed by No. 18 Spring Arbor with 75 and No. 19 Goshen with 80. The tight race for second was won in those final moments by the top two finishers for TU.
The final member of the All-Crossroads League team from Taylor was Luke Harber, who finished 11th with a time of 24:52.6. The scoring for TU was rounded out by Joel Mumaw and Jared Stayte, who finished 21st and 26th respectively. Two Trojans recorded personal bests in tough conditions, with Paul Gabrielsen finishing in 25:54.2 and Aidan Ortiz crossing the line in 29:18.5. The NAIA will announce the NAIA National Championships Qualifiers on Monday at 7:00 pm, with No. 4 Taylor (82-11) likely to see their name among those schools to compete in Tallahassee, Florida on Friday November 21st at 9:30 am.