Fourth Ranked Indiana Women’s Basketball starts 2023 with an overtime win The fourth ranked Indiana Hoosiers started out 2023 with a 74-62 overtime win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 7,152 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and nationally televised game on ESPN. “Great Crowd on New Year’s Day, we need everybody in the seats today and we heard Hoosier Nation” Indiana Head coach Teri Moren Said after the game. Indiana was coming off an 83-78 loss at Michigan State last Thursday. The Hoosiers are now 13-1 and 3-1 in the Big Ten while Nebraska who lost to Michigan 76-59 last Wednesday at home is now 10-5 on the season and 2-2 in the Big Ten. Four games into the conference season the Hoosiers know every game is going to be a battle. “We know that there are no easy games in this conference and that we take no team for granted and there are no nights off” Mackenzie Holmes said after the game.
The Hoosiers outscored Nebraska 12-0 in the overtime period getting big plays on offense and making big plays on defense. There were 17 lead changes and 13 ties in a game that was back and forth with both teams struggling from the field all game long. Indiana was 23-59 from the field for 39%, 4-16 from three-point range for 25%. Indiana took control of this game at the free throw line going 24-30 for 80%. Nebraska was 24-60 from the field for 40%, 9-22 from three-point range for 41% and 5-9 from the free throw line for 55%. The teams both pulled down 38 rebounds and had 4 second chance points apiece.
Indiana had 26 points off turnovers to 9 for Cornhuskers. Indiana won the points in the paint battle 36-26 along with 7 block shots to 2 for Nebraska. The Hoosiers had 12 steals, 13 assists, 4 fast break points and committed 13 turnovers. Nebraska had 13 points off the bench compared to six for the Hoosiers. Nebraska had 12 assists, 10 fast break points, 7 steals and committed 21 turnovers.
Indiana was led in scoring by Mackenzie Holmes with 22 points and 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season and her second straight double-double after a 32-point 12 rebound performance at Michigan State. Sydney Parrish scored 16 points which was her ninth straight game in double figures and 11th this season. Chloe Moore-McNeil added 11 points for her eighth double figure game of the season and averaging just under 10 points per game. Freshman Yarden Garzon had 11 points, 5 rebounds 2 assists and went 4-4 from the free throw line. Sara Scalia who came into this game averaging 11.1 points per game was held to six points as the Minnesota transfer had four points at Michigan State.
Nebraska was led in scoring by Isabelle Bourne with 15 points The Canberra Australia native is getting back to her from after missing three games in mid-December with an injury. Sam Haiby, Alexis Markowski and Callin Hake all scored 10 points each for Nebraska. Jaz Shelley who leads the Cornhuskers in scoring was held to 5 points on 2-11 shooting and 1-4 from three-point range. Shelley came into this game averaging 16 points per game. Nebraska will be without Allison Weidner for the rest of the season who has a torn ACL and averaged 13.2 points in 13 games this season. Trinity Brady who is native of Indianapolis was out for this game due to injury after the 5-11 junior played in 8 games this season.
Indiana leads the all-time series with Nebraska 11-6 and the Hoosiers are 6-2 all time in Bloomington against the Cornhuskers. Indiana has won seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams. Teri Moren Picks up her 185th win as Indiana Head Coach and 384th overall in 20 seasons. Nebraska Head Coach Amy Williams was looking for her 300th win in 16 seasons. Indiana will travel to Northwestern on Sunday afternoon for 3pm showdown with the Wildcats. Indiana is now ranked sixth in the latest Associated Press Poll released Monday Afternoon dropping two spots down after the loss to Michigan State.
Indiana University Football player Noah Pierre announces return for his final season Indiana’s secondary got a second boost in as many days when defensive back Noah Pierre announced his return for a sixth season on New Year’s Eve. Pierre started all 12 games at the husky position in 2022 and had 39 tackles including 25 solo. He added three sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, three pass breakups and a quarterback hit. According to PFF, Pierre was Indiana’s second highest graded pass rusher with more than 25 rushes, and he was respectable in coverage, but he did not achieve high marks as a run defender. The versatile defensive back started six times in 2021 at cornerback. During his career Pierre has played in 43 games with 18 starts.
Pierre has been with the program since 2018. He was redshirted in 2018 and the 2020 season didn’t count against eligibility, leaving Pierre with a sixth season in 2023. He graduated in 2022. From Hialeah, Fla., Pierre came to IU from Champagnat Catholic School where he was first team All-Dade County as a senior. Pierre’s announcement follows safety Josh Sanguinetti, who said Last Friday he was taking his name out of the transfer portal and staying with Indiana.
Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers in a nail biter Myles Turner scored 34 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 24 points and 10 assists, including 14 points in the final four minutes, and the Indiana Pacers held on for a 131-130 win over Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. George scored 45 points, the most by a Clippers player this season, in his return to Indianapolis and Kawhi Leonard had 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Leonard missed a 3-pointer from the right wing that would have tied the game at 130. Haliburton then made a free throw with 5.3 seconds left to push Indiana’s lead to 131-127 before George hit a 3 as time expired. Buddy Hield finished with 18 points for Indiana, while Aaron Nesmith had 16 and Bennedict Mathurin 15 off the bench. The Pacers shot 52% from the field. The Clippers finished at 54% but committed 16 turnovers.
Haliburton, who also had seven rebounds and four steals, starred in a tense, back-and-forth fourth quarter. Los Angeles led by six with 5:27 to go, but, beginning with two free throws at the 3:47 mark, Haliburton reeled off a 13-point flurry punctuated by two free throws for a 128-125 lead with 29 seconds remaining. George made two foul shots to get Los Angeles back within one with 20.8 seconds left, but the Clippers let nearly eight seconds run off the clock before fouling Turner on Indiana’s ensuing possession. Turner hit two free throws to restore a three-point advantage for the Pacers, who have won five of their last six. Turner’s hook shot early in the third quarter sent the Pacers ahead by 14, the largest advantage by either side. The Clippers responded by scoring on 11 of their next 13 possessions, a stretch capped by George’s 3 to make it 86-86 with 3:54 remaining in the quarter. The score remained tied, at 93, entering the fourth.
The 32-year-old George, who played for Indiana the first seven seasons of his career, was booed lustily in pregame introductions. The Pacers traded George to Oklahoma City in 2017 after he informed them that he planned to leave once he was eligible for free agency in 2018. Marcus Morris Sr. scored 15 points and Reggie Jackson 13. On the strength of five 3-pointers, Indiana led 32-22 at the end of the first quarter to continue a trend of better starts. It marked the sixth time in the Pacers’ last nine games that they led entering the second quarter. After being outrebounded 62-39 in their 114-100 loss to the Clippers on Nov. 27, the Pacers won the battle of the boards 44-40.
Notre Dame Football beats South Carolina in thrilling Gator Bowl Notre Dame’s Tyler Buchner accounted for seven of the 11 touchdowns in the highest-scoring Gator Bowl in history. Two of them he’d like to forget. Buchner threw three touchdown passes and ran for two scores to help offset two interceptions returned for TDs, and the 19th-ranked Fighting Irish beat No. 20 South Carolina 45-38 on Friday. The back-and-forth game was filled with big plays and memorable moments. Buchner delivered the knockout blow when he found tight end Mitchell Evans wide open for a 16-yard touchdown on a third-and-7 play with 1:38 remaining.
Buchner, who regained the starting job after Drew Pyne entered the transfer portal following the regular-season finale, threw for 274 yards. He also ran for 61 more. He had a 75-yard TD pass to Logan Diggs and a 44-yarder to Braden Lenzy both one-play drives. But his three interceptions nearly proved too much to overcome. O’Donnell Fortune returned one of them 100 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and DQ Smith returned another 47 yards for a score in the first. But Buchner bounced back from both miscues to earn his first victory in three career starts.
The Irish (9-4, No. 21 CFP) overcame a 14-point deficit and won despite South Carolina scoring on the two interception returns and another on a trick play on special teams. Punter Kai Kroger connected with long-snapper Hunter Rogers for one of the oddest TDs in bowl lore. Spencer Rattler completed 29 of 44 passes for 246 yards for the Gamecocks (8-5, No. 19 CFP), with an interception and two touchdowns to Xavier Legette. South Carolina was missing a number of key starters, including running back MarShawn Lloyd, versatile tight end Jaheim Bell, tight end Austin Stogner, defensive lineman Zacch Pickens, safety Devonni Reed, cornerbacks Cam Smith and Darius Rush, and receivers Josh Vann and Jalen Brooks. Notre Dame played without All-American tight end Michael Mayer, standout edge rusher Isaiah Foskey, cornerback Cam Hart and defensive lineman Jayson Ademilola.
Indianapolis Colts lose to the New York Giants 38-10 The Indianapolis Colts began the new year the same way they ended the old one. With a loss. The Giants beat the Colts 38-10 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon to extend Indianapolis’ losing streak to six games. Quarterback Nick Foles, making his second start of the season, was knocked out of the game with a rib injury after being sacked by Kayvon Thibodeaux with 50 seconds left in the first half. Sam Ehlinger played the second half leading the Colts to their first touchdown in nine quarters when he connected with Michael Pittman Jr. for a six-yard score. The Colts scored first on a 23-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal. The key play of the drive was a Foles to Parris Campbell 49-yard connection, the Colts’ longest pass play of the season.
New York answered with two six-yard Daniel Jones touchdown tosses. He found Richie James to make it 7-3, then hit Isaiah Hodgins on the Giants’ next possession to make it 14-3. Landon Collins intercepted Foles and returned it 52-yards for a touchdown and Graham Gano made a 36-yard field goal to cap off the first half scoring as New York led 24-3 at the half. There was a glimmer of hope for a Colts’ comeback after Bobby Okereke forced a Darius Slayton fumble and Rodney McLeod recovered it on the first play from scrimmage of the second half, but McLaughlin missed a 48-yard field goal attempt. The Giants took advantage of the McLaughlin miscue, driving down the field 62-yards in six plays and scoring a touchdown on an 18-yard Jones’ run. He added a 10-yard TD run in the fourth for the final margin. Jones finished 19 of 24 for 177 yards and two touchdowns, while running 11 times for 91 yards and two scores.
Injuries continue to pile up for Indianapolis’ defense. A day after putting team leader in sacks, Yannick Ngakoue on injured reserve with a throat injury, cornerback Brandon Facyson left with a concussion. The Colts were already missing corners Kenny Moore II and Isaiah Rodgers. The Colts (4-11-1) will wrap up the disappointing season next week when they host division rival, Houston on Sunday afternoon 1pm at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Follow us on Facebook
For more local news . . .
Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson here