IUWBB holds off Princeton for Sweet 16 trip
The #3 seeded Indiana Hoosiers held off the #11 seeded Princeton Tigers 56-55 in the NCAA Second Round at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Monday night before 9,627 fans which is the 3rd most attended game in Indiana Women’s Basketball History. The Atmosphere was electric throughout the entire game which had fan bases, bands, and cheerleaders on the edge of seats the entire game. The victory has Indiana advance to the Sweet 16 in Bridgeport Connecticut on Saturday to face the #2 seeded Connecticut Huskies, who beat #7 seed UCF 52-47. The Hoosiers improve to 24-8 on the season and are making their second sweet appearance in a row which the program had never made the sweet 16 until last season.
The Game went back and forth early as both teams got offensive fouls on their first possessions, attacked the inside early, and traded baskets. IU led 10-9 with 4:31 left in the first quarter and the Game was tied 17-17 at the end of the first quarter. IU was up 26-25 with 4:39 left in the second quarter, but then ended the half leading 39-29 after a 13-4 run. Princeton used a 9-2 run to end the 3rd quarter cutting their deficit to 3, 45-42 The Tigers held IU to just 6 points in the third quarter.
Princeton worked to take the lead 52-51 with 1:12 left in the game. IU Guard Grace Berger was fouled with 58.1 seconds left, hitting the tail end to tie the game. With 28 seconds left, Berger scored again, this time getting to the basket on a drive, giving the Hoosiers the 54-52 lead. In the waning seconds, Princeton’s Kaitlyn Chen opted for the last shot, drove to the basket, and IU’s Graduate Guard Ali Patberg intercepted the pass and was fouled. On the inbound, Aleska Gulbe was immediately fouled, hitting both shots with 1.6 seconds left, to give the Hoosiers the lead, 56-52. Princeton Senior Guard Abby Meyers hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was not enough, and the Tigers see their 18-game winning streak come to an end.
Princeton was led by Julia Cunningham and Grace Stone with 13 points each. Meyers had 11 points against IU after scoring 29 on Saturday against Kentucky. Kaitlyn Chen scored 10 points. Ellie Mitchell score 6 and pulled down 15 rebounds. The Tigers Shot 34% from the field, 5-17 from three-point range for 29%, and 8-10 from the Free Throw Line for 80%.
Indiana shot 51% from the field, 4-12 from the three-point range, and 8-11 from the free throw line, for 72%. Grace Berger led the Hoosiers with 15 points and showed off her dribbling skills slicing through the Princeton defense early on in the game, keeping the Assembly Hall crowd excited. Nicole Cardano-Hillary added 12 points, and Mackenzie Holmes added 10 points and led the team into the student section after the game to thank all the students for the support and helping the Hoosiers to the Sweet 16 for second year in a row.
Indianapolis Colts Trade for Quarterback Matt Ryan
The Indianapolis Colts have traded a third-round pick in this year’s draft to Atlanta Falcons for Quarterback Matt Ryan who spent 14 years with the Falcons. The Colts were desperate for a quarterback after they traded Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders for third-round picks in 2022 and 2023. Ryan will be the Colts’ seventh different Week 1 starter in as many years and the fifth different starting quarterback in coach Frank Reich’s tenure.
The Falcons moved quickly to add Ryan’s possible successor, agreeing to a two-year contract with quarterback Marcus Mariota who is familiar with coach Arthur Smith’s offensive scheme from their time together with the Tennessee Titans. Smith and Mariota worked together in multiple capacities in the five years they were together with the Titans, including Mariota’s six games as a starter during the 2019 season. That was Smith’s first year as the Titans’ offensive coordinator.
The third-round pick the Colts are sending the Falcons for Ryan is their original third-rounder, #82 overall, not one of the picks they got from Washington for Wentz. The Colts have been looking for a long-term answer since Andrew Luck retired in August 2019. Ryan will be the second quarterback in the past three seasons at the tail end of his career whom the Colts have acquired. Veteran Philip Rivers retired at the end of the 2020 season after just one season. Ryan is signed through the 2023 season.
In 14 years in Atlanta, he missed only three games – two in 2009 and one in 2019. He threw for at least 4,000 yards every season from 2011 until last season, when he threw for 3,968 yards. He’s had at least 20 touchdown passes every year since his rookie season in 2008, when he had 16. Ryan made the Pro Bowl four times with the Falcons, but no season was more impressive than in 2016, when Ryan completed 69.9% of his passes for a career-high 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.
He was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player that season and led Atlanta to Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots. That Super Bowl will be one of his lasting legacies with the Falcons. Atlanta held a 28-3 lead over the Patriots in the third quarter but ended up losing 34-28 in overtime. Ryan made the playoffs the following year, in 2017, but the Falcons have not had a winning record at any point since.
Indiana Women’s Basketball Lands Grad Transfer Alyssa Geary from Providence
Alyssa Geary announced on her Instagram account on Sunday that she has committed to Indiana Women’s Basketball for the 2022-23 season. Geary is 6-4 from Elmhurst Illinois and played her high school basketball at Nazareth Academy. Geary will take her extra year of eligibility and come to Indiana as graduate transfer. All athletes were given an extra year during the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Geary played in 118 games and started 66 in her four years at Providence. She played 2,655 minutes averaging 22.5 minutes a game. Geary scored 854 points in her career for 7.2 per game average. In 3 years at Providence, Geary pulled down 462 rebounds, dished out 180 assists, blocked 128 shots, and had 47 steals.
Geary expects to fill the void in the lineup with Aleska Gulbe graduating this year. Gulbe announced after Senior Night that she plans to go back to Europe to play professional basketball after this season. Indiana is graduating four – Ali Patberg, Nicole Cardano-Hillary, Grace Waggoner, and Gulbe. Additionally, the Hoosiers have four freshmen coming in for next season.
Indiana Recruit Gabe Cupps named Ohio Mr. Basketball
The honors keep rolling in for Indiana commits, and the latest recognizes 2023-point guard Gabe Cupps following a stellar junior season. On Friday afternoon, Cupps was selected as the 2022 Ohio Mr. Basketball by the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association.
The selection comes after the 6-foot-2 Cupps led his Centerville (Ohio) HS team to a perfect 22-0 regular season record. His father, Brooks, is the head coach of Centerville. This season, Cupps is averaging 14.3 points per game, 7.2 assists per game, and 2.1 steals per game, while shooting 50.2% from the field, 46.9% from three-point range, and 84.1% from the free-throw line. Last season, Cupps helped Centerville win a state championship in Ohio’s Division 1, the top division in the state. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.2 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
Centerville lost to Pickerington Central 53-48 in the Ohio Division 1 State Championship Game Sunday in Dayton. The loss ends the Elks’ 45-game win streak, the third-longest in the nation, as Centerville’s last defeat was Jan. 30, 2021 to St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron). Cupps scored 14 in the state final and Centerville beat St Ignatius 64-33 in the Semifinals Saturday Night in which Cupps scored 15 Points.
Centerville ends the season at 29-1 and will looking to make another run next season for a state title. Cupps is currently ranked a four-star recruit, # 88 nationally and the #16 Point Guard in the nation, according to the 247Sports rankings. Cupps took his first official visit to Indiana on October 9, 2021, and within a month he announced his commitment to the Hoosiers. Since then, Cupps has been to several Indiana games, most recently to watch IU defeat Wyoming in the NCAA Tournament First Four.
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