Indiana University Football beats Wisconsin 20-14 for their first Big Ten Win of the Season
The Indiana Hoosiers Football team best the Wisconsin Badgers 20-14 Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium for their first Big Ten Conference win of the season. The Hoosiers are 3-6 on the season and 1-5 in the Big Ten and have a favorable schedule facing Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue who all have losing record and keeping the Hoosiers hopes for a bowl game alive by winning out the rest of the season. The Hoosiers have won two in a row against the Badgers, and this was the first meeting between the two teams since December 5, 2020, when Indiana beat Wisconsin 14-6 in Madison. Indiana beats Wisconsin in Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2002. Wisconsin falls to 5-4 and 3-3 in the Big Ten and makes the Big Ten West Division up for grabs.
The Hoosiers took the ball first and they drove down the field in 9 plays and 66 yards capped off with an 8-yard touchdown run by Brendan Sorsby with 9:59 left in the first quarter to make it 7-0. Chris Freeman added a 27-yard field goal with 8:08 left to make it 10-0. The Badgers turned the ball over on downs on their first drive of the game and then punted the next three possessions. Wisconsin scored with 4:11 left in the second quarter when Braedyn Locke found Bryson Green on 54-yard strike to put the Badgers within three points. Indiana responded when Sorsby found Donaven McCulley with a one-handed grab from seven yards out to make 17-7 with 17 seconds left in the first half.
In the Second Half Wisconsin got the ball first and they went 10 plays and 76 yards down the field in four minutes and forty-six seconds when Locke found his top Wide Receiver Will Pauling on 18-yard touchdown pass to make 17-14 with 10:14 left in the third quarter. The Hoosiers punted the next four possessions and the Badgers Punted twice and had fumble along with a turnover on downs as both defenses made stops and the game was going to come down to who could come up with the big stop and make the big play. Indiana made the big play when Chris Freeman kicked a 50-yard field goal with 1:10 left to make it 20-14. It was a question of backing Wisconsin up their own end zone and hopes of getting a stop. The Hoosiers got the stop that they needed on the final play the Badgers completed a pass and then fumbled the ball and the Hoosiers recovered and won the game and snapped a four-game losing streak.
Brendan Sorsby was 19-31 passing for 186 yards and touchdown pass and no interceptions. Sorsby carried the ball 14 times for 8 yards and a touchdown. Josh Henderson had 15 carries for 40 yards as the Hoosiers had 41 carries for 75 yards. Donaven McCulley had 5 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. EJ Williams had 4 catches for 48 yards. The Hoosiers defense had 2 sacks by Aaron Casey and 7 tackles for loss along with 9 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles. Wisconsin was without leading rusher Braelyn Allen due to injury and that change the dynamic of the Badger running game. Cade Yacamelli and Jackson Acker had 48 yards rushing a piece on a combined 21 carries. Vinny Anthony had 1 carry for 18 yards and Braedyn Locke had 6 carries for minus 13 yards as the Badgers were held to 101 yards rushing on 28 carries. Locke was 21-41 passing for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bryson Green had 4 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Will Pauling had 5 catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. The Wisconsin defense had 2 sacks, 4 pass breakups and no forced fumbles or interceptions.
Indiana came off a tough loss at Penn State last week where they hung around until the last two minutes of the game giving up nine points. The Hoosiers finished the game start to finish and never trailed and the win gives them momentum needed to keep their bowl hopes alive with the final three games of the regular season in reach.
Indiana Men’s Basketball looks much better with 33-point win over Marian in second Exhibition Game
The Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Basketball team handled the Marian University Knights 94-61 Friday night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers finish exhibition play 2-0 and get ready for the season opener Tuesday Night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against Florida Gulf Coast at 6:30 PM. The Hoosiers are 3-0 all time against Marian which is an NAIA Power from Indianapolis and 31-0 all time against non-division one team dating back to the 2004-05 season when the NCAA allowed these types of exhibitions games.
This was the first game since the passing of former IU Head Coach and Hall of Famer. Bob Knight at Age 83 on Wednesday Night. Throughout the evening there were several tributes to him. Videos before the game and halftime when he came back to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for the IU-Purdue game in 2020. There was a moment of silence and quotes from so former players, opposing coaches and basketball colleagues were shown on the video board during timeouts. The team also debuted a patch with the initials RMK which stands for Robert Montgomery Knight and threw stars to honor the three national championships he won in 1976, 1981 and 1987. ” Knowing that he is not around anymore, it means more to me” Woodson said after the game. “I wish i could do all the things he has done as coach which is impossible to do” Woodson Said.
The Hoosiers scored the first bucket of the game 21 seconds in when Xavier Johnson scored on a jumper. Gus Etchison who played at Hamilton Heights HS in Cicero Indiana hit a three pointer to give the Knights a 3-2 lead with 18:16 left in the first half. The Hoosiers would tie the game at 3-3 when Xavier Johnson hit a made free throw at the 16:19 mark left in the first half. Malik Reneau gave the Hoosiers the lead 5-3 on a hook shot off a Marian turnover. The Hoosiers would go on. 14-0 run before Greencastle Indiana Native Brody Whitaker hit a three pointer with 13:40 left in the first half. Kel’el Ware would score the next two buckets on a jumper and slam dunk to give the Hoosiers an 18-6 lead at the 12:51 mark. Marian would get no closer than eight points the rest of the half as the Hoosiers led 49-35 and Malik Reneau scoring 12 first half points.
The Hoosiers opened the second half on a 10-0 run with Seven points coming from Kel’el Ware including a three pointer and Mackenzie Mgbako nailing a triple on the fast break. Marian ended the run when Brody Whitaker drove to the basket with 16:23 left in the second half. Marian got within 20 on a Brody Whitaker basket with 15:36 left in the gane but the Knights could not get any closer as Malik Reneau increased the lead to 30 points with a putback with 9:48 left. The Hoosiers led by 34 with 8:25 left in the game. The Hoosiers led by as much as 36 points and Marian cut the lead to 26 points with 3:48 left in the game. The Hoosiers outscored the Knights 45-26 in the second half as the Knights went 0-8 from the field in the final 3:46 of the game.
Kel’el Ware scored 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Mackenize Mgbako added 15 points, Malik Reneau 14 points, Kaleb Banks 12 points and CJ Gunn added 11 points. Banks made his season debut after missing Sunday’s game with Injury as Payton Sparks was unavailable due to a lower body injury he suffered on Sunday. Coach Woodson has been pushing Ware in practice he apperciates being pushed by Woodson. “I feel like my game has been evolving” Kel’el Ware said after the game. The Hoosiers were 32-61 from the field for 52%, 9-17 for 53% from three-point range and 21-25 from the free throw line for 84%. Indiana pulled down 36 rebounds, dished out 25 assists and committed just two turnovers. The second unit as Coach Mike Woodson refers to as the second unit scored 33 points of the bench. Coach Woodson is pleased with the second unit and like what he sees from them so far. “I feel comfortable that if one of the starting five is not doing what’s needed then i can put them in there” Coach Woodson said after the game.
Brody Whitaker scored 19 points to lead Marian. Ben Henderson scored 12 points and Gus Etchison added 11 points. Marian finished the game 20-62 from the field for 36%, 11-36 from three-point range for 30% and 10-13 from the free throw line for 77%. Marian pulled down 34 rebounds, 12 assists and committed 15 turnovers. The bench scored 28 points. Marian has been a NAIA Powerhouse and with a 14-player roster that has 10 Indiana Players on it with 3 from Ohio and One from Michigan it gets no better for them to get a chance to play at Simon Skjdot Assembly Hall.
Indiana University Men’s Soccer advances to Big Ten Tournament Semifinals
Indiana men’s soccer was efficient in its Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal victory over Wisconsin Friday night on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The No. 1-seeded Hoosiers (10-4-4, 4-2-2 B1G) needed just five shots to take care of the No. 8-seeded Badgers (6-5-6, 2-2-4 B1G), both shots on goal hitting the back of the net in the 2-1 victory. An early penalty conversion and a great piece of skill by junior forward Samuel Sarver to set up senior forward Maouloune Goumballe gave IU a 2-0 advantage in the 55th minute. The Badgers poured on pressure in the final 35 minutes, breaking through in the 75th, but IU denied their attempts at an equalizer. With the win, Indiana advances to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinal round on Wednesday when it will host No. 5-seeded Michigan, who beat No. 4 Northwestern 1-0 Friday night. Kickoff for the semifinal match is set for 8pm and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
In the 13th minute Freshman forward Collins Oduro dribbled down the left wing into the box, made a defender miss and then was taken down trying to advance into space. Senior defender Joey Maher stepped up and converted into the bottom right corner as the keeper dove the other way. In the 55th minute coming from the left wing, Sarver dribbled past three defenders into the box and picked out Goumballe on the edge of the six. Goumballe needed just to push it in with his right foot, and the Hoosiers doubled their lead. In the 75th minute Senior JT Harms got hands on a header from Wisconsin senior midfielder Max Keenan, but not enough to keep the Badgers out of goal as the lead was cut in half. Three minutes later Wisconsin had a pair of dangerous shots from freshman forwards as they tried to equalize late. Markie Hrvojevic’s shot from distance was blocked but into the path of Roman Eisa, who fired a stinger that Harms saved diving to his right.
Indiana has won seven of its last eight matches and four straight. IU advances to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinal round for the 11th straight season and 27th time overall in 33 tournaments. The Hoosiers stretched their undefeated streak against the Badgers to eight games, going 7-0-1 in that span. IU improved to 43-5-10 against Wisconsin all-time. Joey Maher improved to 2-for-2 on penalty attempts this season. The All-Big Ten first teamer previously converted against Ohio State on Oct. 17. The senior has scored six goals in his career. Maouloune Goumballe’s goal marked his third straight match with a goal contribution, collecting two goals and an assist in that span. Samuel Sarver earned fifth assist and 19th point, both team highs.
Bloomington South Football adds another Sectional Football Title to the Trophy Case
The Bloomington South Panthers beat the Seymour Owls 49-14 Friday Night in the Class 5A Sectional 15 Championship game in Seymour to win the schools 18th sectional championship and third in a row. The Panthers are 10-1 on the season and now host Evansville North who beat Castle 60-50 in Sectional 16 Championship game at Castle Friday Night. The Huskies will travel to Bloomington with an 8-3 record and 6th sectional title in school history and first since 2000. This will be the third postseason matchup between the two teams as Bloomington South won both meetings with a 28-15 win in the 1992 Regional Championship in Evansville and 49-20 win in the 2019 Sectional Semifinal in Bloomington. Friday Night’s game at Fred Huff Memorial Field will start at 7:30pm.
Seymour got on the board first with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Bret Perry to Jack Pennington with 41.6 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Owls a 7-0 lead and avoid a shutout as Panthers beat the Owls 47-0 in the regular season finale. Seymour had the ball for 10 minutes and 14 seconds in the first quarter. Bloomington South Running Back Gavin Adams had a 56-yard run to the four-yard line to end the first quarter. Adams scored on the next play as the second quarter started to tie the game at 7-7. The Panthers went down the field in one minute and 25 seconds as Jarrin Alley threw a 39 yarder to D’Andre Black to make 14-7 with 9:21 left in the second quarter. Seymour tied the game for the second time when Perry found Jaylan Johnson on 5-yard pass with 4:25 left in the half to tie the game 14-14. Bloomington South would control the rest of the game as Jarrin Alley found Black for a second touchdown pass for 17 yards to give the Panthers a 21-14 lead with 1:40 left before halftime. Evan Rodebush picked off Perry with 1:26 left to give the Panthers another chance to score. Alley found Gavin Adams in the endzone on 8-yard pass with 10.4 seconds to give the Panthers a 28-14 lead going into the locker room. The Panthers had 269 yards of total offense in the first half while the Owls had 146.
The Panthers scored when Lucas Waldon took the pitch from Jarrin Alley and found the pylon from two yards out to make it 35-14 with 9:51 left in the third quarter. After Miles McKay picked off Bret Perry the Panthers went back to work as Alley found Black for a third time from 5 yards out to make it 42-14 with 6:32 left in the Third Quarter. Alley threw his fifth touchdown pass of the night when he found Lucas Waldon for 56 yards to make it 49-14 with 5:30 left in the third quarter and a running clock for the rest of the game. In two postseason games Alley has thrown 11 touchdown passes. At the end of the third quarter Alley had 257 yards and Adams had 100 yards rushing. The Panther defense held Seymour to 9 yards offense in the third quarter.
The Panthers will be looking for their 12th regional championship and first since 2019. Bloomington South lost at New Albany 33-14 in 2021 and 31-14 at Castle in 2022 in the last two regional championship games. Evansville North will be looking for its second regional title and first since 1995. The Huskies will come in averaging 33.6 points a game on offense and giving up 17.1 on defense.
Mackenize Holmes named to the Jersey’s Mike’s Naismith Player of the Year Watch List
Graduate student forward Mackenize Holmes has earned a spot on the 2023-24 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Watch List. A preseason Lisa Leslie Award and Wade Trophy watch list candidate, Holmes enters her fifth and final season with the Hoosiers in 2023-24. A three-time first team All-American last season, she is a unanimous preseason all-Big Ten honoree from the coaches and was also selected by the media vote The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous selection for All-Big Ten first teams as a senior, the Gorham, Maine native averaged 22.3 points (second in B1G), a team-high 7.8 rebounds and shot a NCAA second-best 68.0 percent from the floor.
Holmes led the Hoosiers in scoring on 25 occasions as a senior while posting double figures in 31 games, scoring 20 points 19 times and three 30-point scoring efforts. Her nine double-doubles led the team, as six of her double-doubles occurred in conference play which ranks eighth all-time in a single season. She also led the league in blocks (58) and blocks per game (1.9) and averages 1.1 steals (35) per game. Holmes is now in the top five in scoring in school history (1,897) and second in all-time blocks (208). No. 9/9 Indiana will begin regular season play on Thursday at home against Eastern Illinois at 7pm.
Seven Indiana University Men’s Soccer players earn Big Ten Postseason Awards
The Big Ten regular season co-champion Indiana men’s soccer team is represented by seven different student-athletes in the 2023 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Postseason Awards, the largest representation in the conference. Three Hoosiers were named first-team All-Big Ten. Indiana has a first-team selection in each third of the pitch. Junior Forward Samuel Sarver, junior midfielder Patrick McDonald and senior defender and captain Joey Maher were named among the conference’s elite players. IU has produced a league-record 119 first-team selections all-time.
Sarver ranks tied-for-second in the conference in goals (7) and third in points (18) while also leading Indiana with four assists. His five goals and two game-winners in conference matches rank tied-for-first in the Big Ten. McDonald has been a rock in midfield, leading the team in minutes played (1,440) from lasting the full 90 minutes in all 16 matches played. In that time, McDonald has contributed two goals and three assists. Maher is joined among the honorees by two fellow IU defenders that received second-team All-Big Ten plaudits. Senior goalkeeper and fellow captain JT Harms and senior defender Hugo Bacharach have assisted Maher in posting seven clean sheets and .647 goals against average that ranks No. 7 in the country. IU has allowed multiple goals in just one match this season. Maher and Bacharach have contributed to the scoresheet as well, combining for two goals and four assists, and both earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards this season.
Collins Oduro received a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. The first-year player from Bibiani, Ghana, burst onto the scene with goals in each of his first two games as a Hoosier. Oduro has totaled three goals and two assists and is one of two Hoosiers to start all 17 games for IU. Senior Maouloune Goumballe is Indiana’s representative on the Big Ten Sportsmanship Team. Goumballe recently reached a milestone, making his 100th-career appearance in the October 27 match against Trine. Now at 101 appearances, Goumballe is the NCAA’s active leader in career game played.
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