Indiana University Women’s Soccer hosts Louisville at Bill Armstrong Stadium
Indiana University Women’s Soccer will take on the Louisville Cardinals at 7 pm this evening on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The match will be broadcasted live on B1G+ with Hayden Smith (PxP) and Lucas McLin (Analyst) on the call. IUWS is partnering with the Office of International Services as they will be celebrating our international students with a tailgate before the match. Free pizza will be provided for all students. The Hoosiers who have won more games than they did all last season have scored 11 goals through 6 matches with .469 shots on goal percentage. In the 2022 season, Indiana totaled 11 goals with .429 shots on goal percentage. The Hoosiers won just three matches with one of those being against Trine University which is an NAIA Program.
Indiana (4-0-2) beat Northern Illinois 2-0 Sunday evening. The Hoosiers struck first in the 36th minute after sophomore forward Marisa Grzesiak intercepted the cross and dished it off to Webber just outside the goalie box as she got it past the goalie into the right side of the net. In the 61st minute, Northern Illinois (2-2-1) saw their best chance with a shot from forward Amber Best. Best’s shot would hit it right off the middle cross bar. Webber added her second goal in the 64th minute after junior midfielder Hope Paredes launched one from center field to the front of the attack. The Huskies keeper dove for the save at the top of the 18-yard box, but Webber put just enough on it as it rolled straight into the net. The Hoosiers continued to put the pressure on as they held NIU one shot in the remaining minutes of the second half to seal the win.
Junior goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg has tallied three shutouts this season bringing her career total to 19. Five more shutouts would surpass former teammate Bethany Kopel (2017-22) who holds the career record with 23 clean sheets. The Birkenwerder, Germany, native surpassed Sarah Stone (2012-15) for most career victories as she moves into the top-10 with 14 wins. She is tied with Lauren Fabbro (2003-05) for 9th place and a win against the Cardinals would move her into a tie for eighth place with Stacey Van Boxmeer (2003-06) who has 15 wins. Paige Webber has 4 goals and 1 Assist on the season. Anna Bennett, Lauren Costello, Sydney Masur, Piper Coffield, Marisa Grzesiak and Sofia Black all have a goal each on the season. Bennett and Costello lead the team with 3 assists a piece. Marisia Grzesiak and Hope Parades has 2 assists while Piper Coffield and Paige Webber have 1 a piece.
Louisville (1-3-2) is coming off a 3-0 shutout win over Central Michigan behind a pair of goals from freshman midfielder Molly Cochran and sophomore midfielder Addie Chester. Graduate forward Ravin Alexander has started in five games for the Cards, scoring one goal with two assists for four points. She holds .538 shots on goal percentage on the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Erynn Floyd has totaled 495 minutes between the posts this season. She has 15 saves with a .750 save percentage along with three shutouts. As a team, UL has recorded five assists on five goals and holds .423 shots on goal percentage. They have recorded five assists through four games and have given up one goal in 19 shot attempts. Karen Ferguson-Dayes enters her 23rd season as head coach of the Cardinals. She led the team to a 6-8-2 record and was named the winningest coach in Louisville history after reaching 200 wins in the 2022 season. The series against Louisville is tied 2-2-2. In the last matchup on Sept. 9, 2022, the squads battled it out to a 0-0 draw in Louisville, Kentucky as Indiana junior goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg picked up four saves in that match.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball finds out times and coverage for Empire Classic in New York
Indiana is competing in one of the premier nonconference college basketball tournaments this year, and the full schedule is now set. Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers first get a shot at the defending national champion UConn Huskies, followed by a matchup with either Texas or Louisville. All games will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y., an iconic sporting venue and the home of the New York Knicks. It’ll be a homecoming of sorts for Woodson, who played for the Knicks from 1980-81 and coached there from 2011-14 and 2020-21.
On Sunday November 19, Indiana will play UConn at 1pm on ESPN followed by Texas and Louisville at 3pm on ESPN. On Monday November 20, the third-place game will take place at 4:30pm and will be televised on ESPNU. The Championship game will be played at 7pm and be televised on ESPNU.
Indiana University Wrestling adds All-American transfer Brayton Lee
Indiana Wrestling head coach Angel Escobedo has announced the signing of the team’s latest addition Brayton Lee. Lee will use his final year of eligibility as a Hoosier after spending five seasons at Minnesota from 2018-2023. With Lee’s transfer to IU, he will return to his home state. The Brownsburg, Ind. native was a three-time Indiana State Champion at Brownsburg High School and was a 2018 Junior Fargo National Champion.
In his collegiate career, Lee was a consistent presence in the Minnesota lineup at 149 and 157 lbs. in his time in Minneapolis. Lee owns a career record of 59-23, including a redshirt sophomore season that saw him claim All-American status in 2021 when he got sixth at 157 lbs. In that 2021 run, he went 4-3 at NCAAs and his only losses came to the top-three seeds in the field. In that same season, he got third at the Big Ten Championships.
In his redshirt freshman year, Lee logged a 25-6 record in his first season in the Minnesota lineup. He placed fourth at Big Tens and was a national qualifier prior to the NCAA Championships being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was named an NWCA First Team All-American at 149 lbs. in 2020, as well. In 2022-2023, Lee battled injuries limiting him to just 13 matches and ending his season early at the Big Ten Championships. He began the season ranked as the No. 2 overall wrestler at 157 lbs. by InterMat.
Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston earns third WNBA Rookie of the Month Award
Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston was named the WNBA Rookie of the Month for August; the league announced Wednesday. After becoming the second player in franchise history to earn the award, Boston is now the eighth player in WNBA history to win at least three WNBA Rookie of the Month honors. In August, Boston averaged 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 57.7 percent (60-of-104) from the floor. The WNBA All-Star also recorded 20 steals and 18 blocked shots in 10 games in August.
Boston scored in double figures seven times throughout the month and recorded four double-doubles. The rookie tied her previous career-high against the Atlanta Dream on August 6 when she notched 25 points on a 10-of-22 shooting clip. Boston led the team in rebounding with 10 rebounds and also recorded a career-high four steals against the Dream. From August 4-13, Boston put together five consecutive games with at least 15 points and eight rebounds on 50 percent or better shooting from the court to make her the first rookie in WNBA history to do so in more than three games in a row. In August, Boston set Fever franchise records for both field goals made, and shots blocked in a rookie season, while also recording her 500th career point.
This season, Boston has consistently led the league in field goal percentage shooting 58.2 percent (221-of-380) from the floor, while also leading all 2023 rookies in scoring average (14.5 ppg), rebounds (8.3 rpg), steals (1.3 spg), blocked shots (1.3 bpg) and minutes played (31.2 mpg). Boston and the Fever will be back in action Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena taking on the Connecticut Sun at 7pm. Indiana will return home for the final game of the regular season on Sunday at 1pm to take on the Minnesota Lynx.
Matchups announced for December’s Forum Tip Off Classic HS Basketball event at Southport Fieldhouse
One of the annual highlights of the high school basketball season the FORUM Tipoff Classic is set for Dec. 9 at Southport Fieldhouse. The six-game event will include several of the state’s top players, including Kokomo’s Flory Bidunga, Lawrence North’s Azavier Robinson, Heritage Hills’ Trent Sisley, Greenfield-Central’s Braylon Mullins, Crispus Attucks’ Dezmon Briscoe and more. Here is the lineup for the day: 12:30pm-Southport vs Greenfield Central-The host Cardinals were 14-10 last season but will be rebuilding under new coach Bill Zych after losing their top six scorers to graduation. Greenfield-Central, coming off a 21-2 season, loses four of its top five scorers, but does bring back junior Braylon Mullins (16.9 ppg, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 steals). Mullins has offers from Ball State, Cincinnati, Indiana State, Iowa, IUPUI, Kent State, Miami of Ohio, Notre Dame, Ohio, Southern Indiana, Toledo, Tulane, Valparaiso and Virginia Tech.
2pm-Warren Central vs Center Grove-Bloomington Native Criss Beyers returns to Warren Central as coach and takes over a program that was 14-10 last season. The Warriors return second-leading scorer and rebounder in junior Jevon Guess and senior Robert Walker as leaders. Center Grove, a 22-3 team last season, loses leading scorer Marcus Ankney to graduation, but brings back Joey Schmitz (12.0 ppg, 42.7% 3-pointers), Will Spellman (9.7 ppg, 4.5 rebounds) and Jalen Bundy (7.5 ppg, 3.4 rebounds), among others.
3:40pm-Guerin Catholic vs Heritage Hills-Guerin Catholic, which was 20-9 last season and reached the Class 3A state finals, brings back senior and leading scorer Rob Sorensen (14.4 ppg, 4.6 rebounds), senior Dylan Murans (8.0 ppg) and junior Bryson Cardinal (6.1 ppg, 4.3 rebounds) as key contributors. Murans recently picked up an offer from Army. Heritage Hills, a 16-9 team last season, is led by one of the state’s top juniors in Trent Sisley (26.3 ppg, 10.2 rebounds, 2.4 blocked shots), who has offers from Central Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
5:20pm-Crispus Attucks vs Noblesville-Attucks, last year’s City tournament champion and an 18-8 squad, will return senior guard and UIndy recruit Ron Rutland III (18.0 ppg, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists) and a junior class of Dezmon Briscoe (15.6 ppg, 11.1 rebounds, 4.0 blocked shots), 6-5 Eric Jackson and Chris Hurt (7.2 ppg, 5.3 assists). Briscoe has offers from Ball State, Butler, Cincinnati, Indiana State, Iowa, IUPUI, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Toledo and Valparaiso. Noblesville, a sectional champion and 19-7 team last season, will be led by senior guard Aaron Fine (13.8 ppg, 3.5 assists), senior Hunter Walston (8.3 ppg, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists) and sophomore Justin Curry (3.0 ppg).
7pm Lawrence North vs Fort Wayne Wayne-Lawrence North is loaded with returners coming off last year’s 18-8 season. Leading the way is junior guard Azavier Robinson (20.3 ppg, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.6 steals), who has offers from Arizona State, Butler, Central Florida, East Carolina, Illinois, Indiana State, IUPUI, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Saint Louis, St. John’s, TCU, Temple and Toledo. Fort Wayne Wayne appears set for a big season after last year’s 21-5 mark and regional title. Returning is senior Jevon Lewis (16.6 ppg, 6.4 assists), junior Chase Barnes (13.9 ppg, 3.3 rebounds), junior H.J. Dillard (9.2 ppg, 9.0 rebounds) and junior Preston Comer (7.1 ppg, 7.9 rebounds). Wayne will have a new coach, though, after Byron Pickens left after turning the program around.
8:30pm Fishers vs Kokomo-Fishers lost star junior Jalen Haralson when he transferred to La Lumiere, but will bring back several key players from a 14-12 team, including senior Taden Metzger (10.2 ppg, 45% 3-pointers), senior Keenan Garner (7.9 ppg, 6.1 rebounds), junior JonAnthony Hall (6.8 ppg, 4.8 rebounds) and more. Kokomo is led by Kansas recruit Flory Bidunga (20.2 ppg, 13.8 rebounds, 4.5 blocked shots), but the Wildkats do graduate several players from last year’s Class 4A state runner-up team. Junior guard Zion Bellamy (6.8 ppg) is another key returner.
Indiana Fever fall at home to Chicago Sky
The Indiana Fever (12-26) fell to the Chicago Sky, 96-69, on Tuesday night in the final matchup between the two teams this season. The Sky gained the lead at the 8:06 mark in the first quarter and never trailed again. Indiana was led by forward NaLyssa Smith’s 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting and seven rebounds on the night. Kelsey Mitchell followed behind with 10 points and two assists, while Emma Cannon came off the bench to also contribute 10 points. Rookie guard and former IU star Grace Berger dished out a career-high six assists to go along with six rebounds and four points. Maya Caldwell tied a season-high six points, while Aliyah Boston, Victoria Vivians and Erica Wheeler also pitched in six points apiece. Berger played 29 minutes going 1-6 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line along with 2 turnovers.
After Mitchell netted the first bucket of the game 30 seconds after tipoff, Chicago went on to lead Indiana on an 11-0 run through the next five minutes. Mitchell supported the Fever comeback effort with seven points in the first frame. The Sky led the Fever, 18-9, at the end of the quarter. Following the lowest-scoring first quarter of the season, the Fever opened the second frame 6-of-6 from the floor and closed the deficit to five points on one occasion. Smith led the way for Indiana by notching 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the court, while Wheeler added four points on a 2-of-2 shooting clip. Indiana closed the second frame shooting 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the floor but trailed Chicago, 49-34, at halftime.
Chicago started the second half shooting 5-of-5 from the floor and eventually led the Fever on a 15-4 scoring run in the third frame. In the fourth quarter, Indiana shot 50 percent from the court (6-of-12) and tied the Sky, 20-20, in scoring, highlighted by Cannon’s six points. For the Sky, Chicago’s four scorers who ended the night in double-figures were led by Kahleah Copper’s 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. Copper also netted four 3-pointers on six attempts to guide Chicago to tying its season-high 14 completed 3-pointers. Marina Mabrey and Courtney Williams both added 17 points in the win. Williams also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while Mabrey led the team with six assists. In addition, Robyn Parks added 11 points.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson