#14 Indiana University Women’s Basketball improves to 5-0 in the Big Ten for the first time ever holding off Penn State
The #14 Indiana Hoosiers held off the Penn State Nittany Lions 75-67 Wednesday Night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall before a crowd of 8,516. The Hoosiers are 14-1 overall and have 13 game winning streak and start conference play at 5-0 for the first time in school history with a trip to Iowa up next on Saturday Night. Indiana has won the last 7 meetings with Penn State dating back to 2018 and 11 of the last 12 meetings along with a six-game home winning streak against Penn State but the Nittany Lions lead the all-time series 33-20. Mackenize Holmes got her 100th career start in 130 games for IU and she scored 21 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Holmes has scored Career Points 2,193 points and is 172 points away from breaking the school scoring record held by Tyra Buss with 2,364 points. Holmes moved into sixth place with 882 career rebounds on the school’s career rebounding list.
Sydney Parrish scored 20 points, Chloe Moore-McNeil added 16 points, Sara Scalia added 11 points, and Yarden Garzon added 7 points as the starters scored all 75 points. While there were no bench points Lexus Bargesser played 23 minutes and had 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block before fouling out. Lilly Meister played 8 minutes pulled down 6 rebounds and had a block. Freshman Lenee Beaumont and Juliana LaMendola each played a minute. The Hoosiers finished 25-59 from the field for 42%, 4-14 from three-point range for 28%, and 21-27 from the free throw line for 77%. Indiana pulled down 37 rebounds, dished out 11 assists, 11 steals, 8 blocks, and committed 20 turnovers. The Hoosiers scored 38 points in the paint and scored 21 points off of turnovers.
Penn State who is now 10-5 on the season and 1-3 in the Big Ten and was led in scoring by Lelani Kapinus with 15 points. Ali Brigham scored 14 points and pulled down 7 rebounds. Tay Valladay added 13 points and Shay Ciezki added 12 points. Penn State got leading scorer Makenna Marisa back after missing the last four games with a leg injury that she suffered one month ago against Ohio State. Marisa averages 17.2 points through the first ten games scored 6 points in 24 minutes against the Hoosiers. Marisa came off the bench to contribute with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and committed 3 turnovers. Penn State finished 26-41 from the field for 42%, 3-10 from three-point range for 30%, and 12-23 from the free throw line for 52%. Penn State pulled down 37 rebounds, 9 assists, 7 steals, 3 blocks, and committed 22 turnovers. The Nittany Lions scored 12 bench points, 46 points in the paint and 19 points off turnovers.
The game started off with something that you don’t see often as Sydney Parrish forgot to take her earrings out and the clock did not start, and Juliana Lamendola had to replace her 3 seconds into the game, in which time she committed an opening drive turnover, after which, Parrish checked back in 7 seconds later. Penn State used a 6-0 run in the last 48 seconds to lead 21-17 at the end of the first quarter. Penn State outscored Indiana 18-17 in the second quarter as Shay Ceizki hit a three pointer at the buzzer to lead 39-34 at halftime. The Battle in the post between Mackenize Holmes and Ali Brigham was back and forth as both scored 10 points in the first half.
In the third quarter Chloe Moore-McNeil hit both free throws as Indiana trailed 39-36 Penn State went on a 6-0 to extend the lead to nine points 45-36 before Mackenzie Holmes ended the run as Indiana 45-38 with 6:52 left in the third quarter. Indiana outscored Penn State 21-12 in the third quarter as Hoosiers led 55-51 at the end of the third quarter. In the Fourth Quarter the Hoosiers outscored Penn State 20-16 in the fourth quarter as the Hoosiers led by 10 points 66-56 with 5:13 left Indiana extended the lead to 11 points with 3:14 left on a Chloe Moore-McNeil bucket. Penn State got within six points on two occasions in the final 45 seconds but could not get any closer.
The Hoosiers now turn their focus to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday Night at 8 pm in Iowa City. “It’s become a rivalry” Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren said after the game. “Caitlin (Clark) has so much attention on her right now, any game she plays in is big” Moren Said. Moren added that the Hoosiers will approach the matchup closely to what they have done in the past, it’s about stopping the other Iowa starters too and “I don’t think anyone has figured out how to guard Cailtin Clark” Moren added.
Big Ten Conference announces no additional discipline for Indiana Men’s Basketball Guard after Flagrant 2 Foul at Rutgers
After Tuesday night’s embarrassing performance in the 66-57 loss to Rutgers, Indiana basketball catches a little bit of break when it comes to their team captain, Xavier Johnson. In the second half of the game, at the 13:10 mark last night with Indiana basketball trialing 39-35, 6th-year senior guard Xavier Johnson received a Flagrant 2 foul after seen getting his hand going below the belt trying to get through a screen of Rutgers big man Antwone Woolfolk. It was originally called a foul on Woolfolk but would be reversed after the officials reviewed resulting in Johnson being ejected for the rest of the game. He exited the floor playing just 23 minutes scoring only two points and adding 1 assist and 1 rebound. He contributed to 5 of Indiana basketball’s 18 total turnovers.
A little more news came out today regarding more potential punishment for Xavier Johnson’s action Tuesday night. Per Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star, there will be no additional discipline from the conference regarding Xavier Johnson’s Flagrant 2 last night at Rutgers, which was confirmed by the Big Ten. Osterman also reported Flagrant 2 fouls can be reviewed for further punitive action, though it is not automatic however in this case, no further action will be taken. Overall, it was poor leadership from one of the senior captains on this young Indiana basketball team. “I expects our seniors…(Anthony) Walker, X (Xavier Johnson), Gallow (Trey Galloway) those three guys are seniors, they got to help lead,” Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson said postgame. Indiana basketball is back in action this Friday when they host Minnesota and look to bounce back from one of their worst losses of the season at Rutgers. The Hoosiers are 3-2 in the Big Ten with an overall record of 11-5.
Mackenize Holmes on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List
Indiana Graduate Student Forward Mackenzie Holmes has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Presented By Principal Mideseason Top 25 Watch List, announced by the organization Wednesday evening. In her final season with the Hoosiers, Holmes is averaging a team-high 19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and shooting 66.9 percent from the floor along with 1.4 blocks per game. The Gorham, Maine native has put up double figures in 13 of 14 games and has a team-high three double-doubles. She leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage, third in scoring and fourth in blocks. Nationally, Holmes is fifth in field goal percentage and 29th in points per game. She has led No. 14 IU to 12-straight wins and a 4-0 start in Big Ten play. Holmes is a 2023 Wooden Award All-America who was a top five finalist for the award in her senior season.
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing The Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, The Wooden Award All-America Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legend of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Former Indiana University Football and Bloomington North Graduate Aaron Stienfeldt Transfers to the University of Albany
Regardless of the coaching situation within Indiana University’s football program, Bloomington North graduate Aaron Steinfeldt was ready to move on. The only question was whether he’d head left or right, wanting to get out of the Midwest to further pursue his college football dreams. He’d looked west at Colorado State, but with the school not willing to accept many of his college credits, it wasn’t going to work out for someone looking to graduate next December. IU’s new staff looked at him for a split second, then backed away.
While the tight end was vacationing in the Bahamas, he received a text from a member of the coaching staff at FCS Albany in New York. They chatted and a visit was arranged. On Tuesday, Steinfeldt, who announced in late November he had entered the transfer portal, was on his way to Albany with two years of eligibility remaining. “It’s been a long process, truthfully,” Steinfeldt said. “I went into the process not knowing what was going to happen. “It’s a change I’m looking forward to. I saw the success Albany had going to the semifinals and I saw how hungry the staff was to go to the FCS championship and win. I want to win as well and be around a winning culture.”
The Great Danes, under 10th-year coach Greg Gattuso, like to throw the ball around and are coming off the best season in school history. They went 11-4 (the previous high for wins had been nine (last done in 2019) and it was just a year removed from a 3-9 campaign. Albany won a Colonial Athletic Association title, earning a No. 5 seed for the FCS playoffs. Albany won two games, beating Idaho to make the semifinals where they ran into the defending champs from South Dakota State. Albany will have a new quarterback in place next season as two-year starter Reece Poffenbarger, who led FCA in touchdown passes and was already No. 4 all-time in school history in passing yardage, is transferring to Miami.
Steinfeldt, named the state’s best tight end his senior year at North, was a three-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball for the Cougars. He appeared in eight games at IU this past season, catching but one pass for 11 yards. In 2022, he played 12 games, catching six passes for 52 yards and his only collegiate touchdown. Steinfeldt was not happy with how he was used as a tight end at IU and said the staff wanted him to gain weight in an urgent matter in the off-season, which he didn’t see as helping his ability to get open and catch passes. He is grateful for his experience at IU but ready to run a different route.
Nebraska stuns top ranked Purdue Men’s Basketball in Lincoln Tuesday Night Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg had a single word to describe the Huskers biggest win in 40 years, Tuesday’s 88-72 upset of No. 1 Purdue. Hoiberg called it “incredible.” “I’m just so proud of the guys for coming out and getting off to a really good start,” he said. “This is a huge win for our program, to come out here and knock off what I think is the best team in the country. It shows us what we’re capable of doing.” Nebraska (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten) last defeated a No. 1 team 41 years ago, when it beat top-ranked Missouri 67-51. The Huskers’ last win over a No. 1 in Lincoln was a 74-73 victory over Michigan in 1962. No. 2 Houston also lost on Tuesday, 57-53 to Iowa State, the first time since Feb. 26, 2022, when the No. 1 and No. 2 team lost on the same day during the regular season. That year it was Gonzaga and Arizona that went down. It is the eighth time since the 2009-2010 season that the top two teams have lost on the same day in the regular season. The Huskers got the win, Hoiberg said, with the fast start fueled by forward Rienk Mast, who scored Nebraska’s first seven points and led the defense that locked down Purdue’s Zach Edey, who had just two points in the first half.
“It doesn’t get much bigger than this one, the No. 1 team, the reigning National Player of the Year,” Mast said. “I just see that as a challenge and luckily, the shots were going in in the beginning and gave the team a little spark and everybody started believing.” Nebraska built an 11-point halftime lead by holding Purdue scoreless for the final 3 1/2 minutes of the first half, scoring 13 unanswered in a run that began with a pair of 3-pointers by Keisei Tominaga and ended with seven straight points from Sam Hoiberg, the coach’s son. “That was the difference in the game,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said of the Nebraska halftime lead. “We had a couple good fights there in the second half to were pulled within single digits and one time we got it to two, then they pushed it right back to double digits.”
Purdue hit its first four 3-pointers of the second half as it sliced the Nebraska lead to 51-50 on Braden Smith’s free throws with 13:51 left. But the Huskers countered with a 14-2 run to go up by 13 on C.J. Wilcher’s 3-pointer with 11:52 remaining. The Boilermakers surged again, cutting the Nebraska lead to 68-62 on Lance Jones’ driving layup with 9:09 left. The Huskers responded with a 3-pointer by Wilcher that started a 20-10 game ending run. Nebraska fans stormed the floor at the buzzer, Hoiberg got doused with water both on the court and off, and the Huskers relished the rare win over the top ranked team. “It was huge, man, a great thing to see,” Wilcher said. “To be a part of this game, just see the growth of our program, to be a part of this is a great experience. It’s kind of like full circle from where we came from my first year. It was great. It was dope. I’ve never experienced that kind of game.”
Ben Davis HS Teacher and Boys Basketball Coach Don Carlise will return to the school for the 2024-25 School Year
A Ben Davis teacher who has been on administrative leave after allegedly assaulting a student will be able return to the school next year. The Wayne Township Schools board approved a mutual agreement Monday for Don Carlisle to remain on administrative leave for the remainder of the current school year, with provisions that would allow him to return to the school as a teacher and varsity boys basketball coach for the 2024-25 school year. In a Statement to the Indianapolis Televison Station WTHR the school district said Carlisle was afforded due process and the agreement “provides an opportunity for Mr. Carlisle to continue making valuable contributions to the community.”
M.S.D. of Wayne Township said Carlisle was placed on leave following a report of an assault by the physical education teacher on a 15-year-old 11th grade student on Sept. 6. A police report filed on Sept. 7 says the incident happened around 1:30 p.m. The district clarified in a statement to WTHR Channel 13 in Indianapolis that while the police report was made a day after the alleged assault, “a staff member appropriately made to the Indiana Department of Child Services on September 6 to alert authorities as required by law.”
The student’s mother, who did not want to be identified, told Channel 13 that her son was changing shoes for gym class in the bleachers when Carlisle confronted him about not using the dressing room. She said Carlisle threw the boy’s slider shoe across the gym floor. The boy allegedly told Carlisle that the teacher should go get it. The mother said Carlisle then punched the boy in the mouth and pushed him up against the bleachers. She said her son grabbed Carlisle’s necklace, defending himself. The mother said Carlisle then pushed the boy to the ground and punched him in the mouth again. After the alleged assault was reported, Channel 13 learned Carlisle had been teaching classes at Ben Davis for more than a year on an expired emergency permit. Indiana Department of Education records show that Carlisle’s emergency permit to teach physical education and health expired June 30, 2022.
The district named Corey Taylor as interim boys basketball coach in October. Last March, Carlisle led the Giants to a perfect 33-0 season and a state championship win over Kokomo. This summer, Carlisle was selected for the honor of coaching the Indiana boys’ All-Star team against Kentucky. He played college basketball at IUPUI and also played professionally. He’s served five seasons as head coach of the Giants.
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