Indiana University Women’s Basketball Hosts Minnesota to Restart Big Ten Play After four days away from Basketball for the Christmas break the Indiana Hoosiers are back to work as they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers this evening inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at 6 PM with the game streaming on Big Ten Network Plus as both teams restart Big Ten Conference play. The Hoosiers are 11-2 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten after falling at Illinois 78-57 on December 6. Indiana has won three in a row and four out of the last five and looks to remain perfect at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with an 8-0 record. Indiana beat Western Carolina 71-44 on December 21 and now the focus shifts to Big Ten Play with a 17-game slate that goes until February 28.
Shay Ciezki leads the way with 24.3 points and 1.5 steals per game. Lenne Beaumont averages 15.1 points and a team leading 3.3 assists per game. Edessa Noyan is averaging 5.7 points along with a team leading 5.1 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game. Indiana is averaging 75.5 points, 13.1 assists and 13.7 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers have missed Sophomore Zania Socka-Nguemen for the last six games with a lower leg injury and when she will return to the floor remains a major question. Socka-Nguemen averages 13 points and 9 rebounds per game in her seven appearances this season and her return is crucial for the Hoosiers going forward for the rest of the season. The Hoosiers are shooting 48 percent from the field, 37 percent from three-point range and 76 percent from the field. The Hoosiers are dealing with Injuries, bench and scoring issues as well. Head Coach Teri Moren said after the Western Carolina Game that her team has to do a better job of rebounding and staying out of foul trouble.
Minnesota is 9-3 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten as the Golden Gophers lost to Maryland 100-99 in double overtime in Minneapolis on December 7 which was their last loss and have won three straight since. Minnesota won on the road 68-43 last Sunday at Drake. Grace Grocholski leads the team with 13.3 points and adds 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Tori McKinney averages 12.8 points and a team leading 2.2 steals per game. Mara Braun returns after an injury kept her out last season. Braun averages 11.3 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.9 steals and a team leading 0.8 points per game. Amaya Battle averages 7.4 points and leads the Golden Gophers with 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Minnesota averages 78.8 points, 18.7 assists and 10.2 turnovers per game. The Golden Gophers shoot 44 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range and 74 percent from the free throw line.
The Golden Gophers had to deal with the departure of Senior Mallory Heyer in October as she announced her intent to transfer. The 6-1 Chaska, Minnesota native started all 102 games in three seasons averaging 9.5 points, 8 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Heyer had 18 double doubles for Minnesota during her time in Minneapolis. Heyer announced in Mid-November that she will stay in the Big Ten going to Oregon. Heyer is joining the Ducks for the remainder of this season but will not play and will have one year left for the 2026-27 season.
Minnesota has a 14-player roster with 8 of them representing the home state and rest of the team represents Arkansas, Wisconsin, Missouri and Utah. There are 5 Seniors, 5 Juniors, 2 Sophomores and 2 Freshman on the team. Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit is in her third season with a record of 54-30 and 419-171 in 19 seasons as a Head Coach. The Golden Gophers lead the all-time series with the Hoosiers 38-36 as Minnesota won the last meeting 66-55 on February 9, 2025, in Minneapolis. Minnesota is a veteran team and always has good outside shooters along with tough matchups inside and will get in your face defensively. The Hoosiers know that that shift has changed from the non-conference to conference play and every game is tough going forward. This is the first of two games this week for Indiana at home as they will ring in the new year on Thursday hosting Michigan State at Noon. Indiana would love nothing more than to close out 2025 and start 2026 with a pair of wins in the Big Ten.
Bloomington South Girls Basketball Drops a Pair on Saturday at the Plainfield Tournament The Bloomington South Panthers fell from the ranks of the unbeaten Saturday as the Panthers lost both games in the Plainfield Winter Classic. Bloomington South was 10-0 coming into the tournament and they had two tough games ahead of them. Lawrence North took down the Panthers 46-40 in the Semifinals and Zionsville beat the Panthers in the third-place game 67-64. Plainfield beat Zionsville 55-37 in the Semifinal and Lawrence North 53-45 in the Championship Game. Bloomington South will host Warren Central Tuesday Night at 7:30 PM and will travel to New Albany Saturday afternoon at 12:30 PM. Edgewood beat North Harrison 47-36 in the Semifinals of the Orleans Tournament Saturday afternoon before dropping the Championship game Saturday Night to the host team the Orleans Bulldogs 50-46 snapping the Mustangs seven game winning streak. Edgewood will travel back to Orange County on Saturday Evening when they battle the Springs Valley Blackhawks at 7:30 PM.
Bloomington North finished 2-1 in the Lafayette Jeff Tournament. The Cougars lost 45-27 to Evansville North Friday night but bounced back on Saturday with a pair of wins over Lafayette Jeff 41-40 and Highland 46-27. The Cougars are 6-6 and will travel to Indianapolis Roncalli on Friday afternoon at 1:30 PM and host Castle at 1:30 PM on Saturday. Lighthouse Christian will return to action on Friday Night when they travel to Columbus Christian 5:30 PM and Bloomfield Saturday Afternoon at 2 PM. The Lady Lions are 5-4 on the season and once they return to the court on Friday they will have had a two-week break.
Bloomington South Boys Basketball Wins their own Holiday Tournament The Bloomington South Panthers won the Community Ford Holiday Tournament on their home court Saturday Night with a 64-55 win over Avon in the Championship Game. The Panthers beat Muncie Central 60-58 in the Semifinals Saturday morning to advance, and Avon beat Perry Meridian 71-38 in the second semifinal. Muncie Central beat Perry Meridian 56-53 in the third-place game. The Panthers are 5-2 on the season and will head to Southeastern Indiana on Friday for the Ray Furney Holiday Classic which will be played at Lawrenceburg HS and Greendale Middle School. There are 12 teams from all over Indiana competing in this tournament. Bloomington South is in pool A and will face Centerville at 3 PM at the Middle School and will move over the High School at 7 PM to face the host team Lawrenceburg. All 12 teams will play two more games on Saturday with the Championship Game scheduled for 8 PM.
Edgewood is 5-2 on the season as the Mustangs will play Bloomfield in a consolation game at the First Financial Bank Wabash Valley Classic at Terre Haute South at 4 PM this afternoon. The Mustangs beat Linton in a nailbiter on Friday 50-49 and lost to Martinsville 59-48 in the Quarterfinals on Saturday. Bloomfield beat Casey-Westfield from Illinois 48-43 on Friday and lost to Terre Haute North 77-46 on Saturday in the Quarterfinals. The winner of this game will play in the fifth-place game on Tuesday at 5 PM against the winner of West Vigo and Sullivan. Martinsville and Terre Haute North will battle in the first semifinal at 7 PM this evening followed by Parke Heritage and Northview at 8:30 PM as the winners will advance to the Championship Game Tuesday Night at 8 PM. After the tournament is over Edgewood will have the weekend off and get ready for the following weekend traveling to Brown County and South Putnam.
Lighthouse Christian dropped two games on Saturday at the Eminence Tournament 47-45 to Riverton Parke and Mooresville Christian 49-37. The Lions are 2-5 on the season and will look to snap their five-game losing skid when the face Attica this morning at 10 AM in fifth place game. The Lions will travel to Columbus Christian on Friday evening at 7:45 PM. Bloomington North had the weekend off and will not play until next Tuesday when they travel to Mooresville. The Cougars are 5-1 on the season and will take a three-game winning streak with them when the calendar turns to the year 2026 on Thursday.
Indiana University Wrestling heads to the Windy City for the Ken Kraft Wrestling Midlands Championships In its final competition of 2025, No. 23 Indiana Wrestling will compete in the 61st edition of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Today and Tomorrow at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. Indiana is expected to have roughly 20 wrestlers competing in the tournament with the majority of them attached and a few wrestling unattached. For the second consecutive season, and the third of the last four seasons, Indiana will compete in the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Whether it be attached or unattached, the Hoosiers will send a combined 20 wrestlers to the tournament. This year, Midlands is moving back to Evanston, Ill. at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Northwestern’s campus. In recent previous seasons, the tournament has been at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. In 2024, Indiana’s Tyler Lillard (165) became the program’s first Midlands Champion since Taylor Walsh won it in 2014 at the same weight. Gabe Sollars (197) and Jacob Bullock (285) also finished as runners-up at their weights.
On Dec. 13, No. 24 Indiana defeated No. 27 Army, 26-14, in Wilkinson Hall to improve Indiana’s dual record to 5-1 on the season. The matchup marked the first meeting between the two programs since Jan. 18, 1930, when Indiana won 26-6. Indiana won six of the ten bouts and won five of them with bonus-point victories. At intermission, Indiana and Army were tied at 9-9. Coming out of the break, Indiana won four of the remaining bouts to outscore Army, 17-5 and take the dual. Jacob Moran’s tech fall win over Army’s Charlie Farmer improved his season record to 9-0 to begin the 2025-26 campaign.
Across the latest national rankings, Indiana has seven Hoosier wrestlers ranked in the top 33 at their weight class. This matches the most ranked wrestlers Indiana had at any point in last season’s campaign, too. Indiana’s ranked wrestlers include No. 12 Jacob Moran (125), No. 25 Henry Porter (141), No. 31 Bryce Lowery (157), No. 20 Tyler Lillard (165), No. 31 Derek Gilcher (174), No. 14 Sam Goin (184) and No. 13 Gabe Sollars (197). Prior to the recent set of rankings, Logan Frazier was ranked No. 33 at 133 lbs. by both InterMat and FloWrestling. As a team, Indiana ranks No. 24 with the best dual lineup according to InterMat.
The Big Ten Conference always provides high level competition in Indiana’s dual schedule, but the Hoosiers have their toughest non-conference dual schedule in years on deck. In addition to matches against Lock Haven, Columbia and Central Michigan, Indiana will face three ranked opponents in the non-conference slate. As it currently stands in the latest InterMat rankings, Indiana traveled to No. 15 Oklahoma (Nov. 23) to No. 22 Little Rock (Dec. 7) and hosted No. 27 Army (Dec. 13). As a result to the stronger dual schedule, Indiana will wrestle in fewer tournaments on their main schedule.
Indianapolis Colts Fall to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Home Finale for the 2025 Season The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17. The loss marks the Colts sixth straight loss and drops their record to 8-8. The Colts got off to a 10-0 lead but were not able to hold on. They also retook the lead at 17-14 in the third quarter, but the Jaguars scored nine straight points on three field goals to win the game. The Colts were already eliminated from playoff contention before the game on Sunday but still put up a fight against the division-leading Jaguars. “They understood going into the game what the situation was, and you know what? We signed up for 17 of these things, and it’s our job to go out and fight like crazy to go give our best effort,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said. “I thought our guys played hard today and fought like crazy. Just fell short.”
Colts quarterback Philip Rivers was 17-for-30 passing for 147 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the loss. Steichen said he would decide on Tuesday who the starting quarterback would be in the Week 18 finale. With Sunday possibly being Rivers’ final game, he got emotional, choking up while reflecting on his last three games with the Colts. “I’d do it all again,” Rivers said. “It’s been absolutely awesome. So yeah, if it’s the last one, it’s the last one. I thought the last one was walking off the field in Buffalo, walking up that tunnel, and I was fine with that. That one had tears those few days after it. I was at peace with that being the last one. So certainly, if it is, I got three bonus games that I never saw coming and couldn’t be more thankful that I got the opportunity.” Jonathan Taylor had 21 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown in the loss. “When you’re out there fighting and you just come up short, it sucks, especially the finale at home, you at least want to go out with a good taste in your mouth in the home stadium for the fans, and that sucks,” Taylor said. Next up for the Colts is a matchup with the Houston Texans on the road in the final game of the season.
Noblesville Boom beat the Grand Rapids Gold in Overtime The Noblesville Boom (2-2), the NBA G League affiliate of the Indiana Pacers, earned its first overtime win of the season with a 149-145 victory over the Grand Rapids Gold (2-2) on Sunday evening at The Arena at Innovation Mile. Gabe McGlothan paved the way for the Boom, flirting with a triple-double by posting 21 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists on 8-of-17 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and sinking the game-winning free throw. Kyle Guy recorded 28 points, along with nine assists and seven rebounds. Jalen Slawson added 27 points, four rebounds, and four blocks, while M.J. Iraldi provided a spark off the bench with 22 points and seven rebounds.
The Gold were led by James Akinjo (34 points, 10 rebounds) and Moses Brown (16 points, 10 rebounds), who both notched double-doubles. Javante McCoy followed with 22 points and seven assists, while Kessler Edwards tallied 20 points and five rebounds. In a high-scoring opening period, the Gold put up 46 points—the most by an opposing team in the first quarter this season. Akinjo and McCoy scored 10 points apiece to help Grand Rapids build a 46-35 advantage after 12 minutes. Trailing by 11, the Boom opened the second quarter on a 12-4 run, with the first eight points coming from Kyle Guy, cutting the deficit to three early in the period. Noblesville continued to battle and even took its first lead with 3:08 remaining in the half. Despite the Boom’s 42-point quarter, the Gold held a two-point edge at the break.
The back-and-forth third quarter featured eight lead changes, with neither team able to pull away. Holding a two-point advantage (119-117) in the fourth quarter, tempers flared, resulting in the ejection of Samson Johnson. The Boom responded, extending their lead to nine points late in the frame, but the Gold rallied to tie the game with 18.9 seconds remaining. Kyle Guy had one final chance to seal the win, but his 28-foot three-pointer fell short, sending the game into overtime. After a slow start in the extra period, the Boom hit back-to-back threes to pull within one point of the target score. McGlothan capped off his impressive night by grabbing an offensive rebound under the basket, drawing a foul, and sinking the game-winning free throw at the charity stripe to secure the gritty win. The Boom hit the road for a four-game trip beginning Friday against the Maine Celtics in Portland, Maine. Coverage will be available on NBAGLeague.com, with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.