Lamar Wilkerson’s Eight Free Throws Lift Indiana University Men’s Basketball to an Overtime Win over Wisconsin Lamar Wilkerson went 8-8 from free throw line and scored 25 points as the Indiana Hoosiers beat Wisconsin Badgers 78-77 on Saturday Afternoon in Simon Sjkodt Assembly Hall in a nailbiter. Wisconsin led 72-68 with 57 seconds left in regulation when Wilkerson hit two free throws to make it 72-70 with 50 seconds left. Andrew Rhode missed a three pointer with 25 seconds left and fouled Wilkerson with 16 seconds left in regulation. Wilkerson hit two more free throws 16 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 72-72. John Blackwell missed a jumper with one second left as game went to overtime 72-72 after Wisconsin outscored Indiana 42-36 in the second half.
Wisconsin scored first with 3:48 left in overtime as Nolan Winter scored on a layup to lead 74-72. Wilkerson knocked down two free throws with 2:21 left to tie the game 74-74. Nolan Winter gave the Badgers the lead 76-74, knocking down two free throws with 1:54 left. Nick Boyd gave the Badgers a three-point lead knocking down a free throw with 56 seconds left. Lamar Wilkerson drove the basket and scored as Wisconsin led 77-76 with 30 seconds left. Nick Boyd was called for an offensive foul on Conor Enright with 15 seconds left in overtime. John Blackwell picked up his fifth foul with 2 seconds left as Wilkerson went back to the line knocking down both free throws to give Indiana a 78-77 lead. Braeden Carrington threw a half-court shot at the buzzer as the Hoosiers win their second overtime game of the season as the Badgers did not make a field goal for the last 3:48 of the overtime.
Indiana had four players in double figures with by Wilkerson. Sam Alexis scored a season high 19 points along with 7 rebounds and 5 blocks. Tucker DeVries scored 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks as he broke his three-game streak scoring in single digits. Conor Enright scored 11 points, dished out 6 assists, 4 rebounds and no turnovers. Indiana went 30-63 from the field for 47%, 5-22 from downtown for 22% and 13-15 from the free throw line for 86%. The Hoosiers pulled down 37 rebounds, dished out 13 assists, 9 blocks, 1 steal and 8 turnovers. Indiana scored 44 points in the paint, 14 second chance points, 9 points off turnovers, 7 bench points and zero fastbreak points. The Hoosiers did a better job of driving to the basket, scoring in the paint and getting offensive rebounds. The free throw shooting was the key to Hoosier’s win especially down the stretch as Wilkerson knocked down all eight of his free throws to give the Hoosiers win. Tayton Conerway was out due to Illness and was sent home right before the game.
Wisconsin is 16-7 overall and 8-4 in the Big Ten. Nolan Winter scored a career high 26 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season. The seven-footer was 9-13 from the field, 3-5 from three-point range and 5-5 from the free throw line. Winter is always a matchup issue for the opponent as he can stretch the floor with his range and his length inside. Sam Alexis went toe to toe with Winter as Alexis was big on the boards but huge on the defensive end with big blocks. Nick Boyd scored 20 points. John Blackwell scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half. Braeden Carrington scored 7 points and Andrew Rhode added 6 for Wisconsin. The Badgers went 27-71 from the field for 38%, 12-36 from three-point range for 33% and 11-12 from the free throw line for 91%. Wisconsin pulled down 37 rebounds, dished out 16 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks and committed seven turnovers. Wisconsin scored 28 points in the paint, 15 points off turnovers, 14 second chance points, 7 bench points and zero fastbreak points.
Indiana jumped out to a 7-0 lead with Lamar Wilkerson scoring the first five points of the game. The Hoosiers had their largest lead of the game leading by 14 points with 8:26 left in the first half 26-12. The Hoosiers led 36-30 and led throughout the second half until the Badgers took the lead with 1:48 left in the second half as the game saw three ties and two lead changes for the rest of the game. Indiana has a quick turnaround as they host the Oregon Ducks Monday night at 8:30 PM. Oregon will have Nate Bittle back as he returned after missing almost a month due to a foot injury. Bittle scored 23 points as Oregon lost 68-64 at Purdue Saturday Afternoon as Ducks come to Bloomington 8-15 overall and 1-11 in the Big Ten. For Indiana it will be another chance to protect home court and continue to keep their NCAA Tournament chances alive. Indiana is 16-8 overall and 7-6 in the Big Ten with four of their last seven games at home.
Wisconsin Head Coach Greg Gard was not happy and stormed out of the post-game press conference after 45 seconds, not pleased with the officiating who had questionable calls throughout the game but especially at the end of regulation and overtime. “I’ll take the fine. The league office is going to hear from me too. That’s a stolen win on stolen land.” Gard also said that he has “never seen anything like that” after Nick Boyd was called for the offensive foul against Conor Enright in the final stages of overtime.
Indiana Head Coach Darian DeVries has talked about Conor Enright making winning plays and showed why he continues to be the floor general and defensive stopper for the Hoosiers. “We were trying to get a quick trap, see if we could get a quick steal. We thought we had enough time to try to take a few chances there, and if we could get them speed up, try to get one first.” DeVries added “Conor just does what he does. He keeps competing, keeps fighting, and that was a huge play for us.” DeVries praised Lamar Wilkerson and what he has done all season for the Hoosiers. “Lamar, he’s an elite player. I even think from like a pro standpoint, I think he’s one of those guys that people aren’t talking about enough because he’s going to play in that league for a long, long time. He has all the things you need, the intangibles, in addition to like he has that one skill that everybody wants, and he can throw them in there, And he’s a winner. I love everything about him, and he continues to showcase what makes him so special.” Indiana has figured out ways to win games and after leading for most the game and Wisconsin fighting back the Hoosiers got it done at the free throw line down the stretch.
Indiana University Women’s Basketball Looking to Split the Season Series with Purdue The Indiana Hoosiers take on the Purdue Boilermakers this afternoon at 2 PM at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with the game streaming on Big Ten Network Plus. Purdue beat Indiana 80-69 in Mackey Arena on January 25, to end a 13-game losing streak to the Hoosiers in the series and reclaim the Barn Burner Trophy for the first time since 2016. Indiana lost to Michigan 95-67 at home on January 25, but since the Hoosiers have won two in a row beating Northwestern at Home 89-75 last Sunday and beat Wisconsin on the road 77-74 on Wednesday. Indiana is 13-11 overall and 2-10 in the Big Ten. Indiana was on the outside looking in for the Big Ten Tournament next month, but the Hoosiers have put themselves right back in the conversation as the top 15 of 18 make the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Shay Ciezki leads the Hoosiers with 24 points and 1.5 steals per game. Ciezki has scored 962 points since arriving in Bloomington and 1,719 for her career after she played two seasons at Penn State from 2022-24. Ciezki has been the leading scorer in 18 games this season and has been the focal point of the opposing team’s scouting report as the Hoosiers top scorer. Lenee Beaumont averages 14 points and a team leading 3.1 assists per game. Edessa Noyan leads the Hoosiers with 5 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game. Indiana is averaging 71.4 points, 12 assists and 15,5 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers are shooting 47% from the field, 38% from three-point range and 78% from the free throw line.
Purdue is 11-12 overall and 3-9 in the Big Ten as the Boilermakers have lost three in a row since their last meeting with the Hoosiers. Purdue lost to Michigan State 86-65 and Penn State 85-82 in overtime at home and Minnesota on the road 88-55. The Boilermakers are averaging 70.5 points, 15.2 assists and 16 turnovers per game. The Boilermakers shoot 43% from the field, 33% from three-point range and 74% from the free throw line. Tara Daye leads Purdue in scoring with 12.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and Kiki Smith is averaging 10.6 points per game. Madison Layden-Zay is leading the Boilermakers with 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game while adding 9.8 points per contest. Avery Gordon is leading the team in blocks with 0.6 points per game. Purdue is looking to win in Bloomington for the first time since January 19, 2012, 82-60 as the Hoosiers have won the last 9 meetings in Bloomington are 24-21 all-time against the Boilermakers in Bloomington. Purdue has not swept the Hoosiers 2012 and Indiana does not want that to happen today as Hoosiers want to split the season series and protect home court.
Road Near Assembly Hall to be Renamed Bob Knight Memorial Way State Road 45 in Bloomington between College Avenue and Fee Lane is being renamed “Bob Knight Memorial Way.” A resolution passed the Indiana state legislature for the road to be renamed. Knight was a legendary head coach at IU, where he won three national championships and 11 Big Ten championships. Knight had a 659-242 record in his time in Bloomington. He coached the Hoosiers from 1971-2000. Knight died on November 1, 2023. Knight was the head coach of the 1975-76 IU team that went 32-0 and won the national championship, the last undefeated team in Division 1 college basketball. The ’76 Hoosiers team is being honored at halftime of IU’s matchup against Oregon on Monday for the 50th anniversary of the team. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Bloomington South Girls Swimming and Diving Wins Their Fourth Straight Sectional Title The Bloomington South Panthers scored 513 points to win the East Central Girls Swimming and Diving Sectional Saturday Afternoon. The Panthers have won four in a row and six since 2020 as Bloomington South has 25 Girls Swimming Diving Sectional Championships in its trophy case. East Central finished second with 382 points followed by Columbus North with 262 points. Edgewood was fourth with 241 points and Bloomington North fifth with 212 points. The Monroe County Schools won. 4 individual events and one relay of the 12 events that are contested.
Edgewood’ Senior Ellina Vadeges won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.67 and the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.33. Bloomington South Sophomore Hadley Laughlin won the one-meter diving event with a score 432.95. Senior Harper Eakin won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:09.75. The Panthers won the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:42.50. East Central won the 200-yard medley relay with a time 1:49.85-and 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:39.46. Senior Audrey Baumgardner won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:56.08 and the 100-yard freestyle with a time 53;31. Senior Riley Reany won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:00.79.
Columbus North Junior Mirdula Muthukumaran won the 200 Individual Medley with a time of 2:11.30 and Lawrenceburg Freshman Erin Burgess won the 100-yard backstroke with a time 1:05.25. All Swimming Sectional Champions advance to State Finals this coming Friday and Saturday at the Indiana University Natatorium on the Campus of Indiana University-Indianapolis. The Girls Diving Regional is Tuesday at 6 PM at Jasper. Bloomington South’s Hadley Laughlin, Junior Cecelia Merkel and Senior Lucinida Miksza all finished in the top three along with South Dearborn Junior Brynn Hamlett who finished fourth to advance to Tuesday Night. The top eight from the Diving Regional will advance to the State Finals.
Bloomington South Repeats as Regional Boys Wrestling Champions The Bloomington South Panthers scored 199.5 points to repeat as Boys Wrestling Regional Champions on Saturday by winning the Regional Title in their home gym on the Southside of Bloomington Saturday. Floyd Central finished second with a score 101.5 points and Terre Haute South finished third with a score of 91 points. Owen Valley finished fourth with 84 points, Edgewood finished seventh with 42 points and Bloomington North finished eighth with 40 points. Bloomington South has won 32 Sectional Championships since 1973 when they became Bloomington South.
The Monroe County schools had 21 individuals competing on Saturday and at the end of the event 17 advanced to the Semi State this Saturday at the Ford Center in Evansville. Bloomington South advanced all 11 individuals and produced 6 Regional Champions. Bloomington North and Edgewood advanced three individuals each. You had to win your opening match to book your place in the top 4 and advance to the Semi State. Bloomington North’s Isaiah Shirley-120 pounds and Yanni Nunez-138 pounds fell in the opening round. Edgewood’s Jack Grubaugh-132 Pounds and Cam Richardson-175 Pounds fell in the opening round to see their seasons come to a close.
Bloomington South’s Nick Russell-106 Pounds, Jaxsen Jean-113 Pounds, Josiah Stanton-120 Pounds, Brian Conley-138 Pounds, Armin Pratt-144 Pounds and Wyatt Cooksey-157 Pounds all won individual titles. Other Regional Champions include Nolan Mullins of Jasper 126 Pounds, Owen Blessinger of Southridge-132 Pounds, Hunter Banet of Floyd Central-150 Pounds, Sam May of Terre Haute South 175 pounds and his classmate Noah Fields-175 Pounds, Spencer Fain of Floyd Central-190 Pounds, Devyn Orman of Northview-215 Pounds and Griffin Osburn of Terre Haute North-285 Pounds.
Bloomington North Ryan Watkins-113 Pounds along with his classmate Trae Hopkins-144 Pounds, Edgewood’s John Orman-126 Pounds and classmate Cayleb Stephens-150 Pounds, Bloomington South’s Denny Allgood-175 Pounds along with teammate Mason Grubb-215 Pounds all finished in second place in their respective weight classes. Bloomington South’s Jude Pratt-126 Pounds, Mark Hand-132 Pounds and Gerardo Hernandez-Ibarra-150 Pounds along with Bloomington North’s Miguel Tedrow-165 Pounds and Edgewood’s Lincoln Getts-285 pounds all finished in third place in their respective weight class as the Semi State Hosted by Evansville Reitz will begin at the Ford Center in Evansville at 9 AM Evansville Time which is 10 AM Bloomington on Saturday and Each Wrestler will need to win their first two matches to be guaranteed a top four place in weight class to advance to State Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
#12 Purdue Men’s Basketball holds off Oregon’s Upset Bid Saturday Afternoon at Mackey Arena No. 12 Purdue closed the game on a 6-1 run and beat Oregon, 68-64. Fletcher Loyer knocked down a three-pointer with 51 seconds left that put the Boilermakers ahead, and they did not relinquish that lead. “That shot that he made, that was huge,” Painter said. “I think that broke their back right there, even though you’re in a position where they can still get it, it was still such a huge shot and got our crowd into it.” Loyer led Purdue with 18 points and made three three-pointers. Braden Smith added 13 points and four assists. Purdue led 36-34 at halftime. “I thought we did a lot of good things in the first half and we didn’t reward oursselves,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said.
Oregon had lost eight straight games but gave Purdue all it could handle. Oregon center Nate Bittle returned from injury after missing nearly a month, and he made things more challenging on the Boilermakers, scoring 23 points. “It was no doubt a hard game, but it’s one of the things we’ve been talking about as a group, just trying to stay composed, trying to control the controllables,” Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn said. “I’m glad to see we came out with this one.” Kaufman-Renn had 12 points and eight rebounds in the victory. Purdue has now won two consecutive games, bouncing back. Purdue has now won two consecutive games, bouncing back from its three-game losing streak. Next up for the Boilermakers is a road trip to Nebraska. Purdue is scheduled to tip off against the Cornhuskers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Orgeon plays at Indiana Monday Night at 8:30 PM.
No. 24 Taylor University Men’s Basketball Snaps Losing Streak with Emphatic 26-Point Win Over Marian #24 Taylor controlled from tip to buzzer on Saturday in an emphatic 68-42 victory over Marian on the road to snap a season-long four-game losing streak. The Trojans’ defense was elite against the Knights holding them to a season-low 42 points, the fewest the Knights have scored since a 31-point showing against Taylor in 2008. The excellent defensive effort saw Marian (5-19, 2-12 CL) shoot under 30 percent and a paltry 13.3 percent from beyond the arc while turning it over 15 times.
The underclassmen delivered for the Trojans offensively, with a pair of double-digit scorers coming off the bench. Nathan Baker led Taylor with 12 points on a perfect 4-4 showing from the field and 3-3 from the free-throw line. while Levin Smith chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds to match Baker for the team high. Carson Gould rebounded from a rough shooting display against Goshen with nine points and seven assists, draining three shots from beyond the arc early in the contest. After a brief tie at 2 apiece Taylor got going as Gould led the charge with his trio of triples. Gould then assisted on a dunk by Anor Wogar before coming off the floor for the first time with the Trojans leading 18-10.
Pete Combs splashed home a three-pointer and Anthony McGhee quickly followed with four straight TU points as Marian’s offense went on its best stretch of the opening half to keep the deficit under 10. Baker and Nate Paarlberg converted and-one opportunities in the final ninety seconds before halftime to balloon Taylor’s advantage to 35-21. The squads traded buckets in the first five minutes after the break until TU ripped off a 14-0 run before the second media timeout to put an emphatic stamp on the dominant victory. Shortly after, Taylor pushed the lead to 31, the largest of the afternoon before Marian made a run to close the gap at the end. TU’s decided turnover advantage led to a robust 15-6 lead in points off turnovers while the Trojans got to and converted at the free throw line at an 80 percent clip, the second-best mark of the season. No. 24 Taylor (17-7 returns to Odle Arena to play Saint Francis (9-14, 4-10 CL) on Wednesday, February 11th in Crossroads League action, with tip set for 7:30 pm.