#13 Indiana erases a 17-point halftime deficit to Knock Off #12 Nebraska in the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Opener #13 Indiana Hoosiers were down 20 points 45-25 with 1:17 left before halftime and were able to erase a 17-point halftime deficit to beat the #12 Nebraska Cornhuskers 72-69 in Game 1 of the Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Indiana is 18-13 and will face Ohio State 24-6 in the Second-Round this afternoon at 2:30 PM. Nebraska is 18-12 and await a postseason tournament berth. Nebraska won the regular season meeting on January 8, 78-73 in Lincoln. Indiana took its first lead of the game with 1:06 left when Lenee Beaumont drained a three pointer to make it 68-67 Hoosiers. Britt Prince missed a pullup jumper with 47 seconds left. Shay Ciezki drove to the basket and gave the Hoosiers a three-point lead 70-67 with 32 seconds to go. Amiah Hargrove scored on a second chance layup with 17 seconds left to make it 70-69 for Indiana. Callin Hake fouled Neveah Caffey, and she sank two free throws to make it 72-69 Indiana with 12 seconds left. Nebraska had three chances to tie it as Britt Prince and Logan Nissley both missed three pointers and Callin Hake missed a tip in jumper as the Hoosiers complete the comeback and live to see another day while the Huskers head back to Lincoln.
Shay Ciezki led Indiana with 22 points, and she has 696 points this season which is now second all-time on the all-time scoring list passing Mackenize Holmes who scored 692 points during the 2022-23 season. Ciezki is now 67 points behind Tyra Buss who scored 763 points during the 2017-18 season. Ciezki has scored 1,085 in her Indiana Career and 1,842 points in her college career. Ciezki went 10-20 from the field, 1-4 from three-point range and 1-1 from the free throw. The Senior dished out 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 turnovers and played with four fouls. Lenee Beaumont scored 14 points, Neveah Caffey scored 13 points, and Edessa Noyan recorded her second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and her fifth career game with double digit rebounds and her fourth this season. Maya Makalusky added 9 points, and Jerni Kiaku was the only player to come off the bench for Indiana playing 17 minutes with 2 points, a steal and a rebound. Caffey, Noyan and Ciezki played for the full 40 minutes while Beaumont played for 38 and Makalusky played for 25 minutes. Indiana went 29-57 from the field for 51%, 5-13 from three-point range for 38% and 9-11 from the free throw line for 81%. The Hoosiers had 31 rebounds, 18 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocks and 12 turnovers. The Hoosiers scored 40 points in the paint, 12 fastbreak points, 10 points off turnovers and 2 bench points.
Amiah Hargrove scored 19 of her 23 points in the first half to lead Nebraska. Britt Prince scored 20 points with 11 of those coming in the first half. Logan Nissley added 12 points, and Jessica Petrie scored 10 points and 10 rebounds for her second double double of the season after she had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 92-53 win over Bradley on December 3. Nebraska finished 28-67 from the field for 41%, 5-22 from three-point range for 22% and 8-10 from the free throw line for 80%. Nebraska had 40 points in the paint, 13 points off turnovers, 12 bench points, 10 second chance points and 6 fastbreak points. Nebraska went to work in the first half, leading 9-2 to start the game as the Hoosiers had no answer for Hargrove inside and Prince was knocking shots down from mid-and-long range. The Cornhuskers led 45-28 at halftime. The Hoosiers chipped away at the lead outscoring the Cornhuskers 19-10 in the third quarter and trailed 55-47 going into the final ten minutes. Indiana outscored Nebraska 25-14 in the fourth quarter and went on a 12-2 run in the last two minutes and 2:23 seconds to complete the comeback and advance to face the Ohio State Buckeyes this afternoon.
Indiana has won seven of their last nine games and they continue to find ways to win and do it with a very short rotation. Indiana put four in double figures, and they must hope they have enough left in the tank for tomorrow against Ohio State. Nebraska had 26 points in the paint in the first half and Indiana had 28 points in the first half. Nebraska let the lead slip away and they went cold in the second half, and they have a long week and half ahead to decide what postseason tournament they will compete in.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball Dominates Minnesota on Senior Night The Indiana Hoosiers dominated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 77-47 on Wednesday Night in Simon Skjdot Assembly Hall in the final regular season home game for six seniors who were honored before the game. The Hoosiers are 18-12 on the season and 9-10 in the Big Ten and will travel to Ohio State on Saturday in the Big Ten Regular Season Finale at 5:30 PM on FOX. Minnesota is 14-16 overall and 7-12 in the Big Ten and will host Northwestern in the season finale Saturday Night. Indiana placed four in double figures led by Sam Alexis with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Lamar Wilkerson scored 16 points, Tucker DeVries scored 13 points, and Nick Dorn added 11 points. Conor Enright scored 4 points, dished out 8 assists and 5 rebounds. Reed Bailey scored 4 points, 3 rebounds and had an assist. Tayton Conerway played 8 minutes and scored 2 points.
The Hoosiers were 31-54 from the field for 57%, 10-24 from three-point range for 41% and 5-8 from the free throw line for 62%. Indiana scored 40 points in the paint, 17 points off turnovers, 13 second chance points, 10 bench points and 8 fastbreak points. Indiana led for 38:21 and trailed for 56 seconds and the game was tied for 43 seconds. Cade Tyson scored 21 points to lead Minnesota and Issac Asuma added 13 points. Minnesota was 17-53 from the field for 32%, 5-21 from three-point range for 23% and 8-12 from the free throw line for 66%. The Golden Gophers scored 22 points in the paint, 5 second chance points, 3 fastbreak points, 3 points off turnovers and no bench points. Indiana led 43-28 at halftime and outscored Minnesota 34-19 in the second half. The Hoosiers did not score field goal for the last 2:49 of the game but the game was well in hand. Indiana played about as well as they could. The Hoosiers started out fast let Minnesota back in the game and then pulled away to snap a four-game losing streak and still have a chance at the NCAA Tournament.
Indiana University Head Football Coach Curt Cignetti Receives the Sagamore of the Wabash from Governor Mike Braun The awards keep coming for Indiana University after the team’s first-ever college football national championship! On Wednesday, Gov. Mike Braun honored IU coach Curt Cignetti with the 2026 Sachem Award, the state’s highest honor. Braun also awarded every member of the undefeated 2025 championship-winning team with the Sagamore of the Wabash, which was accepted by Cignetti and IU President Pamela Whitten. “Never daunted, Coach Curt Cignetti represented the state of Indiana on the national stage and showed the world that the Hoosier values of grit, perseverance, and no-excuses hard work are the way to victory. I’m honoring Coach Cignetti with Indiana’s highest award, and awarding the whole championship Hoosiers team with the Sagamore of the Wabash to celebrate their historic achievement for our state,” Braun said in a news release. First lady and IU alumna Maureen Braun helped her husband deliver the award. Maureen graduated from IU in 1976, the last time a Hoosiers team went undefeated, which was the basketball team that won the national championship. According to the news release, the Sachem Award is reserved for people who have profoundly shaped Indiana through character, leadership and service. Only one award is presented each year, and the recipient is chosen by the governor.
Balanced Attack leads #10 Illinois over Improved #15 Wisconsin #10 Illinois Fighting Illini placed four in double figures as they beat the #15 Wisconsin Badgers 82-70 in the first round of the Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Wednesday Evening. Illinois is 20-10 on the season and will play #7 Michigan State 22-7 This evening at 6:30 PM in the second round. Wisconsin ends their season with a 13-17 record. Berry Wallace led the Fighting Illini with 22 points, going 8-17 from the field, 1-4 from three-point range and 5-5 from the free throw line along with 5 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist. Destiny Jackson scored 21 points going 5-8 from the field and 11-13 from the free throw line. Cearah Parchment scored 14 points, 2-and Lacey Vasconcelos added 12 points. The Illini were 28-59 from the field, 2-19 from three-point range for 10% and 24-29 from the free throw line for 82%. Illinois scored 46 points in the paint, 24 points off turnovers, 18 bench points, 14 fastbreak points and 14 second chance points.
Gift Uchenna led Wisconsin with 24 points, going 10-16 from the field, 1-1 from three-point range and 3-6 from the free throw line. Kyrah Daniels added 18 points, and Laci Steele scored 12 points for a Wisconsin team who a season ago were 13-17 overall and 4-14 in the Big Ten and dismissed head coach Marisa Mosely. This season Wisconsin won 5 big ten games under new head coach Robin Pingeton that gives the Badgers a chance to compete in the Big Ten. Wisconsin finished 26-58 from the field for 44%, 8-21 form three-point range for 38% and 10-14 from the free throw line for 71%. The Badgers had 29 rebounds, 21 assists, 8 steals, 4 blocks and 19 turnovers. Wisconsin had 28 points in the paint, 10 points off turnovers, 8 fastbreak points, 7 bench points and 6 second chance points.
Illinois led 23-17 after the first quarter and outscored the Badgers 18-16 in the second quarter leading at halftime 41-35. There were 5 lead changes and no ties as Illinois outscored Wisconsin 21-17 in the third quarter as the Fighting Illini led 62-50 going to the fourth quarter. Both teams scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, but the Illini were able to maintain the lead to advance to the next round against Michigan State. Wisconsin heads back to Madison with a lot to build on for next season.
#11 Oregon with a team effort in a 18-point win over #14 Purdue The #11 Oregon Ducks handled the #14 Purdue Boilermakers 82-64 in the first round of the Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Oregon is 21-11 and will face #6 Maryland 23-7 tonight at 9 PM in the Second round. Purdue ends the season with a 13-17 record. Oregon beat Purdue 71-65 in West Lafayette on February 25. Katie Fiso led Oregon with 20 points, Ehis Etute had a double double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Mia Jacobs added 14 points and 9 rebounds. The Ducks were 25-61 from the field for 41%, 5-16 from three-point range for 31% and 27-29 from the free throw line for 93%. Oregon had 42 rebounds, 12 assists, 6 blocks, 5 steals and 9 turnovers. Oregon had 34 points in the paint, 23 second chance points, 22 bench points, 15 points off turnovers and 5 fastbreak points.
Lana McCarthy led Purdue with 14 points, and 9 rebounds, Tara Daye and Hila Karsch scored 11 points apiece. Purdue was without Madison Layden-Zay who dislocated her kneecap in the matchup against Rutgers. Purdue was 25-60 from the field for 41%, 8-25 from three-point range for 32% and 6-13 from the free throw line for 46%. Purdue scored 30 points in the paint, 30 bench points, 16 bench points, 9 second chance points and no fastbreak points. Purdue Led 3-0 when Tara Daye drilled a three pointer with 9:34 left in the first quarter. Katie Fiso made the game 3-2 with 9:07 left in the Ducks took a 4-3 lead with 7:58 left in the first quarter with a Sofia Bell bucket as the Ducks never trailed the rest of the way. Oregon led 21-12 at the end of the first quarter as the Ducks increased the lead to 47-24 at halftime after Oregon outscored Purdue 26-12 in the second quarter.
Purdue outscored Oregon 25-17 in the third quarter as Ducks led 64-49 going into the fourth quarter. Oregon closed out the game outscoring Purdue 18-15 in the fourth quarter. Purdue challenged Oregon in that third quarter, but the Ducks had too much for the Boilermakers and look forward to a rematch with Maryland while Purdue gets ready for next season.
Indianapolis Colts Put the “Transition Tag” on Quarterback Daniel Jones The Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday placed the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones. In using the transition tag on Jones, the Colts will have the right to match any offer the 28-year-old quarterback may receive as an unrestricted free agent. The Colts and Jones can still agree to a new contract at any point between now and the opening of the NFL free agency negotiation window at noon on Monday, March 9. If the Colts and Jones do not reach a new contract between now and the opening of that window, Jones will be able to negotiate offer sheets with the 31 other NFL teams. However, if Jones were to agree to an offer sheet, the Colts would have five days to choose to match it and keep him in Indianapolis.
There are two key differences between the transition tag and the franchise tag. First: If a team declines to match an offer sheet for a player on the franchise tag, they receive two first-round picks in return; on the transition tag, a team does not receive draft compensation for declining to match. Second: The one-year guaranteed salary of the franchise tag is determined by the average of the top five salaries at a player’s position over the last five years; for the transition tag, it’s the average of the top 10 salaries at a player’s position over the last five years. This is the seventh time since 2013 that a team has used the transition tag on a player, and it’s the first time the Colts have used the transition tag since 1998. Jones signed with the Colts as an unrestricted free agent last March and, over 13 starts, completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,101 yards with 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions, a passer rating of 100.2 and five rushing touchdowns.
Taylor University Men’s Golf Opens the Spring Season The Taylor men’s golf team opened its spring season on Monday and Tuesday at the Currahee Club Invite. The Trojans struggled throughout the 72 holes of competition, finishing in eighth place at the nine-team event. TU blitzed through its fall season, winning all five of its tournaments with a scoring average of 295.7 to vault into the NAIA Top-25 but failed to find that rhythm throughout the first outing of the spring. The Trojans shot rounds of 312, 319 and 317 for a 316.0 average and placed just one finisher inside the top-20 of the 48-member field.
Tanner Conklin led the way for Taylor in 18th with rounds of 78, 77 and 74 for a three-round total of 229. Porter Dick and Will Schuitema finished 10 strokes back of Conklin in a tie for 32nd. Dick highlighted his tourney with a 79 in the final round, with Schuitema firing a 75 in the opening round. No. 25 Taylor will return to action on March 16 and 17 at the Lindsey Wilson Spring Invitational in Columbia, Kentucky.