Indiana University Women’s Basketball Completes the Non-Conference Season with a Convincing Win over Western Carolina The Indiana Hoosiers finished off the non-conference portion of the 2025-26 season with a 71-44 win over the Western Carolina Catamounts Sunday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in the first ever meeting between the two programs. The Hoosiers are 11-2 overall and 8-0 at home and will host Minnesota next Monday evening at 6 pm to restart Big Ten Conference Play after losing at Illinois 78-57 on December 6. Western Carolina’s 44 points are the lowest point total by an opponent the Hoosiers have played this season. Indiana held Lipscomb to 46 points in the season opener. Shay Ciezki led the Hoosiers with 17 points. Lenne Beaumont added 14 points, and Phoenix Stotjin had 11 points for best game as Hoosier since transferring from Arkansas in the offseason. Maya Malakusky scored 10 points as the Hoosiers put four in double figures. All nine Hoosiers played 11 or more minutes and eight of the nine scored with Chloe Spreen the only one not able to get a point going 0-3 from the field, 0-1 from three-point range and 0-4 from the free throw line. Stotjin played 29 minutes off the bench which was the most in the game as the starting five played between 21 and 28 minutes. Chloe Spreen played 16 minutes along with 15 minutes of playing time for both Jerni Kiaku and Jade Ondineme.
Indiana finished the game 25-50 from the field for 50%, 8-20 from three-point range for 40% and 13-23 from the free throw line for 56%. The Hoosiers pulled down 30 rebounds, 12 assists, 9 steals, 1 block and 11 turnovers. Indiana had 30 points in the paint, 23 points off turnovers, 20 fastbreak points and 17 bench points. “There has to be a mindset shift going into the Big Ten because every team wants to kill you and that is how the Big Ten is Wired” Shay Ciezki said after the game. Indiana now has a few days off to prepare for Minnesota, and the timing could not be better for Indiana. “It’s good have a break with some of us that banged up and get home for a few days and come back and prepare for Minnesota” Lenee Beaumont said after the game.
Western Carolina is 2-11 on the season and has dropped 11 straight games after winning the first two games of the season at home to a pair of non-division 1 opponents to start the season. The Catamounts return home to play Montreat another non division 1 opponent next Tuesday. Ally Hollifield led the Catamounts with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Taj Hunter added 8 points along with 7 points from Christina Bowers. Western Carolina finished 15-53 from the field for 28%, 5-22 from three-point range for 22% and 9-12 from the free throw line for 75%. The Catamounts pulled down 34 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 steals, 5 blocks and 23 turnovers. Western Carolina had 20 points in the paint, 15 points off turnovers and 11 bench points.
Indiana jumped out to 5-0 lead and never trailed. The Hoosiers led 12-6 with 4:29 left in the first quarter and outscored the Catamounts 10-2 the rest of quarter to lead 22-8 after the first quarter. The Hoosiers started the second quarter on a 5-0 run and led 27-8 with 6:45 left in the second quarter and outscored Western Carolina 13-5 the rest of the quarter and 18-5 overall as the Hoosiers led 40-13 at half. The Hoosiers were 14-26 for 58% from the field 5-12 from three-point range for 41% and 7-11 from the free throw line for 63%. Indiana pulled down18 rebounds, 7 Assists, 5 Steals, 0 Blocks, 5 turnovers and 15 Bench Points. The Hoosiers outscored Western Carolina 22-18 in the third quarter as the Hoosiers led 66-31 going into the final ten minutes, but Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren was not happy with the team defensive effort in the third quarter as Western Carolina chipped away at the lead as both teams scored 31 points each in the second half. The Catamounts outscored the Hoosiers 13-9 in the fourth quarter.
Indiana is still battling injuries with Zania Socka-Nugemen and Faith Wiseman out. Moren said that Socka-Nuegmen has not returned to practice, and they hope to get her back “Sooner than later” as Socka-Nugemen is feeling better and doing her cardio but there is no timeline for her return after Christmas holiday which the team will be back in Bloomington on Friday. When asked about Sophomore Valentyna Kadecelova leaving the team to return home to Czech Republic Moren declined to elaborate on any details but said it was a surprise, disappointing and something they did not see coming. Shay Ceizki said the team got together and talked about Kadeclova’s departure and said they have to “Stay strong for each other.”
Coach Moren knows there is a lot of work ahead as the Big Ten is going one of the toughest league’s tops to bottom in all of Women’s College Basketball and this team has to continue to get better day in day out and cannot make the mistakes that Coach continues to see 13 games into the season. Indiana biggest problems are rebounding and fouling, and she wants to see the players that do not get as much playing time “Take advantage of their minutes” and if they are going to say on the floor “they have to commit to the defensive side of the ball” and if not, they will be watching from the bench. The non-conference season is over and now the gauntlet begins with 17 games in the regular season and all in the Big Ten Conference and the top 15 teams of the leagues 18 will make the Big Ten Tournament come March and Indiana wants to make sure they are not on the outside looking in.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball Hosts Siena in Final Non-Conference Game The Indiana Hoosiers return to the hardwood tonight at 6 PM when they host the Siena Saints at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with television coverage on the Big Ten Network. Indiana is 9-3 and face a quick turnaround after a 78-58 win over Chicago State Saturday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. This is the final non-conference game of the season as the Hoosiers are 7-0 at home. Indiana was on fire in the first half in Saturday’s Game shooting over 56 percent from the field hitting 14 of their 18 field goals in from beyond the arc. The Hoosiers were 1-20 from beyond the arc in the second half and 8-30 from the field. Indiana struggled with free throws hitting 11-18 for 61 percent and many wondered what happen at halftime as Hoosiers were outscored 29-26 in the second half.
Lamar Wilkerson led the Hoosiers with 21 points and hit five three pointers. The Ashdown, Arkansas native averages 18.7 points, 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Tucker DeVries averages 16.3 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.3 assists per game. Tayton Conerway who scored his 1,000th career point in the first half Saturday against Chicago State leads the Hoosiers with 1.8 steals per game while averaging 11.6 points. Reed Bailey averages 10.7 points per game. Sam Alexis leads the Hoosiers with 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals along with 8.2 points per game. Conor Enright averages 4.8 points per game to lead Indiana as the DePaul Transfer has 57 assists, 12 steals and 12 turnovers in 12 games. Indiana averages 85 points, 19.7 assists and 10 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers shoot 48 percent from the field, 36 percent from three-point range and 76 percent from the free throw line.
Siena is 9-3 on the season and are coming off an 83-69 loss at Vermont last Wednesday Night as the Catamounts snapped the Saints 7 game winning streak. Siena’s other two losses came on November 12, 75-66 at St. Bonaventure and November 17, at home to Colgate 72-69. This is first and only time in the regular season the Saints travel away from the East Coast, and the first time Siena and Indiana have met on the hardwood. Gavin Doty leads the team with 14.8 points per game. Justice Shoats averages 12.7 points per game while leading the team with 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Brendan Couple averages 10.4 points and 4. 5 rebounds per game. Tasman Goodrick averages 9.7 points and less the Saints with 7.3 rebounds per game. Francis Folefac averages 8.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and leads the team with block shot per game. Siena is averaging 70.3 points, 13.2 assists and 11 turnovers per game. The Saints shoot 46 percent from the field, 29 percent from three-point range and 71 percent from the free throw line. The Saints have a 17-player roster with 9 players from the home state of New York along with Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas and Australia. There 5 Seniors, 2 Juniors, 5 Sophomores and 5 Freshmen on the team
Head Coach Gerry McNamara is in his second season as Head Coach of Siena with an overall record of 23-21. The Saints finished the 2024-25 season with a 14-18 record and 9-11 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The 42-year-old who was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania played at Syracuse from 2002-06 and helped the Orange win the 2003 National Championship and his teammates included NBA Star Carmelo Anthony along with 1998 Bloomington North Graduate and 2021 Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Kueth Duany. McNamara started all 135 games at Syracuse scoring 2,099 points, 4,781 minutes played, 258 steals, 648 assists, 400 three pointers made, 1,131 attempted three pointers and 89 percent career free throw percentage. His number 3 Jersey is retired by Syracuse and won a gold medal with Team USA at the World University Games in Izmir, Turkey in 2005.
McNamara returned to Syracuse as a Graduate Manager from 2009-11 and then became an assistant coach from 2011-23 and the associate Head Coach for the 2023-24 season. He was a heck of shooter and hard nose player and don’t be surprised if his team comes in playing Physical hard nose defense and can shoot the ball from the outside. After this game Indiana will be off for 11 Days for the Christmas Holiday and will return to the court to face the Washington Huskies at home on January 4. After a Jekyll and Hyde performance on Saturday Afternoon and a good Siena team coming in Indiana cannot afford another game like that and hope their shots are falling because if they’re not we are going to see what we saw in the second half against Chicago State and the Hoosiers like every team want to go into the Christmas Holiday on a positive note.
Indianapolis Colts to wear the “Indiana Nights” Uniforms for tonight’s game against the San Francisco 49ers The Indianapolis Colts are getting ready for their annual “Indiana Nights” game. The Colts will wear the “Indiana Nights” uniforms tonight when the team faces the San Francisco 49ers. It will be the third straight year the Colts have worn the alternate uniform.
Some of the features of the “Indiana Nights” uniforms include Black helmet and black trim – In addition to the black helmets, the players’ uniforms will also feature black trim around the numbers, sleeves and body. Blue heather material – The iconic blue is infused with depth and texture via a “heather style” which is the first of its kind in the NFL. Colts “Indiana” C logo – The outline of Indiana is carved out of the “C” from the Colts’ word mark to honor the state and community. Classic numbers – The appeal of the jersey numbers is preserved. Two horizontal stripes – The stripes lay across the shoulder pads.
In addition, the team’s official mascot “Blue,” along with the Colts Cheerleaders, will wear “Indiana Nights” themed uniforms. The first 50,000 fans to enter the stadium tonight will receive an “Indiana Nights” beanie. Former Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri will hit the anvil to begin the “Indiana Nights” game.
The Colts have worn the “Indiana Nights” uniforms two times previously: Nov. 2024 matchup vs. Lions and Oct. 2023 matchup vs. Browns. The Colts have yet to win when they’ve worn the “Indiana Nights” uniforms. They are hoping to change that this week. They’re also hoping to just get back on the winning track. The Colts are on a four-game losing streak and are currently one spot outside of the AFC Playoffs if the season ended today. “We said after the bye week how it’s going to be big to have a playoff stretch to complete the regular season,” Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II said after Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks. “Right now, we just got to stay positive and keep our approach to the game.” Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
#6 Purdue Men’s Basketball takes down #21 Auburn at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Trey Kaufman-Renn had 18 points and six rebounds, and Braden Smith added 11 points and a season-high 14 assists to help No. 6 Purdue blow out No. 21 Auburn 88-60 on Saturday. C.J. Cox scored 14 points, making four 3-pointers, as the Boilermakers (11-1) won their third straight game since getting routed at home by then-No. 10 Iowa State two weeks ago. Purdue improved to 3-1 in the annual Indy Classic by shooting 55.9% from the field. Kevin Overton had 22 points and Keyshawn Hall added 14 to lead Auburn (8-4), which has dropped three of four. The Tigers and Oakland are the only Division I teams to play four top-10 opponents this season, but Auburn is 0-4 in those matchups — losing each of the last three by at least 28 points. The Tigers also had a couple of injury scares. Tahaad Pettiford limped off the court after appearing to roll his right ankle with 11:10 remaining. KeShawn Murphy exited with 5:23 left after appearing to hurt his right ankle. Neither returned. But the game was over long before that as Auburn shot just 36.2% from the field and finished with its lowest point total this season. Purdue broke it open with a 9-2 spurt late in the first half, which extended a six-point lead to 37-24. The Boilermakers led 46-32 at halftime, then opened the second half on a 9-3 surge to make it 55-35. Auburn cut the deficit to 64-48 with 10:33 to go but couldn’t get any closer the rest of the way. Purdue is off until December 29 when they host Kent State at Mackey Arena.
Butler Men’s Basketball wins over Northwestern at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Michael Ajayi posted a 19-point, 20-rebound double-double as Butler held off Northwestern 61-58 on Saturday night in the Indy Classic. Butler (9-3) overcame a tough shooting performance by controlling second chances, finishing with a 41-35 rebounding edge. The Bulldogs set the tone early, outrebounding Northwestern 23-14 in the first half and scoring 10 second-chance points to the Wildcats’ zero. Northwestern (7-5) trailed 29-23 at the break and never led after halftime, though the Wildcats repeatedly cut into the margin. The Wildcats made their final push in the closing minute. Tre Singleton’s jumper with 31 seconds left pulled Northwestern within one, but Ajayi answered on the next possession with a layup off a pass from Drayton Jones to restore a three-point cushion. After Northwestern came up empty on its next trip, Butler closed it out at the line. Evan Haywood made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining, and the Wildcats missed two 3-point attempts in the final 12 seconds. Jayden Reid led Northwestern with 14 points and six assists. Angelo Ciaravino added 12 points, scoring six in the final 10 minutes. The Wildcats struggled from long range, shooting 4 of 23 from 3-point distance. Butler shot 38% from the field and 7 of 30 from beyond the arc but leaned on rebounding and defense to secure the win. Butler is back in action tonight when they host NJIT at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Taylor University Women’s Volleyball earns Maximum Four CSC Academic All-District Nods The College Sports Communicators released the women’s volleyball Academic All-District lists with Taylor earning the maximum four selections. McKaylah Flagle, Ellie Frey, Lindsay Springer and Daya Vestal each earned the distinction. Flagle and Springer each collected the award in all three years they were eligible. Frey and Vestal meanwhile are receiving the nod for the first time in their careers.
Flagle earned a 3.89 GPA throughout her human physiology and preventative medicine workload. The senior libero had a phenomenal season on the court, surpassing 2,000 career digs and leading the Taylor defense with 4.53 digs per set. Springer earned a 3.87 GPA in her psychology classes. The senior setter was terrific on the court as she played in a two-setter system for the first time in her collegiate career. The senior setter helped the Taylor offense average 13 kills per set and a .198 hitting percentage, the best marks for the program since 2022.
Frey totaled a 3.87 GPA in her nursing courseload. The transfer outside was outstanding in all phases of the game as a six-rotation player, leading the team and ranking sixth in the NAIA at 4.32 kills per set. Frey added 3.34 digs, 0.54 blocks, and 0.32 aces per set in her debut season in Purple and Gray. Vestal has accumulated 3.77 GPA in her nursing studies. The sophomore middle stepped into a starting role and thrived for the Trojans. Vestal averaged the second most kills per set on the team at 2.12 and a team-high 0.91 blocks per set. The standout sophomore was efficient on offense with a team-best .345 hitting percent.
The CSC Academic All-District distinction is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the field. To receive the honor, an athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher on a 4.0 scale, must have reached sophomore status academically, and must have met the playing time criteria of 90-percent games played or 66-percent games started. Each university is limited to four individuals for the award and student-athletes are nominated for the honor by their own Sports Information Department. Frey and Vestal will advance to the ballot for CSC Academic All-American honors, which will be voted on by members of the CSC before being announced on January 13, 2023.