Local Sports News: February 7, 2024

Indiana University Men’s Basketball completes comeback with a three-point win at Ohio State
The Indiana Hoosiers knocked off the Ohio State Buckeyes 76-73 Tuesday Night in Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio to get their first win in Columbus since March 4, 2017, snapping a four-game losing streak. Indiana sweeps the season series and leads all time against Ohio State 112-88 in 200 overall meetings with a three-game winning streak against the Buckeyes. The Hoosiers are now 14-9 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten with a trip to Purdue up next on Saturday Night. The Buckeyes fall to 13-10 overall and 3-9 in the Big Ten with their chances for an NCAA Tournament berth slipping away as they have lost five in a row and eight of the last nine games.

The Hoosiers trailed by 18 points with 18:05 left in the game 47-29. The Hoosiers went on a 10-0 run to get within 2 points at 65-63 with five minutes left after being down 12 points 65-53 with 7:09 left in the game. Roddy Gayle Jr. made two free throws to put the Buckeyes up four 67-63 with 4:40 left. Trey Galloway hit a three pointer with 4:15 left to put the Hoosiers within one at 67-66. Felix Okpara dunked it with 3:52 left to go up three at 69-66. Malik Reneau put the Hoosiers back within one with a layup with 3:35 left 69-68. The Hoosiers took the lead on a layup by Kel’el Ware with 2:46 left to make 70-69. Anthony Leal added a free throw to make it 71-69 with 2:05 left. Jamison Battle tied the game at 71-71 with 1:40 left on a jumper. Battle gave the Buckeyes the lead hitting two free throws to make it 73-71 with 37 seconds left. Trey Galloway found Anthony Leal on the right wing for a three pointer to give the Hoosiers the lead 74-73 with 22 seconds left. The Buckeyes missed the shot and Kel’el Ware was going to score when he landed awkwardly on his foot and was fouled by Roddy Gayle Jr. with 2 seconds left. Ware went to the bench and Leal hit two free throws to seal the win for the Hoosiers and complete the comeback as IU outscored Ohio State 47-31 in the second half.

Indiana got off to a good start as on the opening tip Indiana got the ball first with Gabe Cupps passing to Malik Reneau who found Ware on the ally-oop five seconds into the game. The went back and forth until Ohio State went on a 10-0 run to lead 25-15 with 8:01 left. Payton Sparks was fouled by Zed Key hit him with an elbow and was called for a flagrant one foul after Sparks with went to the line when Key fouled Sparks. The Hoosiers were frustrated as they trailed 42-29 at halftime. In the second half Malik Reneau was called for technical foul 30 seconds into the second half.

Reneau finished with 26 points and a career high 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Trey Galloway finished with 25 points as the pair combined for 51 of the 76 points and led the comeback in the second half. Mackenize Mgbako finished with 9 points, Anthony Leal and Kel’el Ware finished with 6 points each. Dayton, Ohio native Gabe Cupps finished with 2 points, 2 assists, a rebound, a steal and no turnovers. Payton Sparks and Anthony Walker had one point a piece and C.J. Gunn did not score. Indiana finished 25-56 for 44% from the field, 5-13 from three-point range for 38%, and 21-32 from the free throw line for 67%. The Hoosiers had 36 rebounds, 12 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks and committed 11 turnovers.

Ohio State got 19 points each from Jamison Battle and Roddy Gayle Jr. Bruce Thornton added 11 points, Evan Mahaffey scored 8 points, Felix Okpara added 7 points, Zed Key 6 points and Dale Bonner 3 points. Devin Royal. Austin Parks and Scotty Middleton all played but did not score. The Buckeyes finished 22-53 for 41% from the field, 5-17 from three-point range for 29% and 24-27 from the free throw line for 89%. The Buckeyes pulled down 30 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks and committed 12 turnovers.

Indiana University Women’s Golf Finishes Tied for Fourth at the Florida Atlantic Paradise Invitational
The Indiana University Women’s Golf team finished tied for fourth place at the 13 team Florida Atlantic Paradise Invitational in Boca Raton Florida. The Hoosiers finished with a three-round score of 876 along with Rutgers and Wisconsin which was 12 over par. South Florida won the Invitational finishing 7 under par with a team score 857 which was three strokes ahead of Denver who finished second place. Vanderbilt finished in third place with a team score of 865 which was good for one over par. Notre Dame finished four strokes back of the Hoosiers, Badgers and Scarlet Knights in seventh place with a team score of 880. Iowa finished tied for eighth place with UTSA followed by East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Brigham Young and Florida International. Melanie Green of South Florida won the individual title with a three-round score of 210 which was 6 strokes under par and two strokes ahead of second place. Indiana’s Chloe Johnson finished tied for ninth place with a score of 215 which was 1 under par. The Hoosiers will head to the State of Texas to take part in the Houston ICON Invitational on February 26-27 at Golf Club of Houston.

Indiana University Men’s Golf finishes fourth at the Battle of Briars Creek in South Carolina
The Indiana University Men’s Golf team finished in fourth place at the Battle of Briars Creek in St John’s South Carolina. The Hoosiers finished with a two round score 581 which was good for 5 over par. First round play was suspended on Monday forcing the team to finish the first round and play the second round on Tuesday. Clemson won the 14 team Invitational finishing with a score 577 which was 1 under par and two strokes ahead of second place Chattanooga. Augusta finished 2 strokes ahead of the Hoosiers in third place. IU finished one stroke ahead of Elon followed by Kentucky, The College of Charleston, Campbell, Lipscomb, Nebraska, UNC Wilmington and Boston College who tied for 11th place with Maryland and Virginia Tech rounding out the field. Ford Goldasich of Lipscomb won the individual title with a two-round score of 140 which was 4 strokes under par and 1 stroke ahead of second place. Indiana’s Drew Salyers tied for fourth with a score of 142 which was two under par. The Hoosiers will have an Alumni Match on February 12 in Naples Florida at the Naples National Golf Course.

Purdue University Women’s Basketball’s gets their 500th win in Mackey Arena
An extra period of basketball, an all-around performance by Jeanae Terry and a career-high 25 points from Mary Ashley Stevenson guided the Purdue women’s basketball team to a 77-72 overtime win over Illinois on Monday night. The win marked the Boilermakers’ 500th victory at Mackey Arena. Terry narrowly missed out on her third career triple-double, going for 14 assists, nine points and nine assists in a complete-game 45-minute effort. The Detroit native etched her name into the Purdue record book in multiple spots with the second most assist in a game in Purdue history. Terry became the seventh player in Purdue history to join the 500-assist club. Stevenson had a career night in 35 minutes of action, going 8-of-15 from the floor and 9-of-9 at the line, including a pair with six seconds left in overtime to put the game out of reach. Her 25 points were the most by a Purdue freshman since Courtney Moses’ 26-point outing at Texas A&M in 2010.

Caitlyn Harper was an efficient 6-of-9 from the field for 16 points, while Madison Layden added 14 points and five rebounds. Purdue (10-12, 3-8) shot 40.8% and went 4-of-19 from behind the arc, while finishing 15-of-18 at the line. The Boilermakers matched their season high with 42 points in the paint. On the glass, Illinois (10-11, 4-7) won the rebounding battle 47-40. Illinois grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, but Purdue’s defense surrendered just eight second chance points. The Boilermakers tallied 15 points on 14 second chance opportunities. Led by Terry’s 14 helpers, Purdue dished out 19 assists on 29 made field goals. The Boilermakers committed just 10 turnovers that turned into nine points for the Illini. The Boilermakers dominated in the opening 20 minutes shooting an even 50%. Terry nearly powered a triple-double with six points, five rebounds and seven assists in the first half. Stevenson tallied eight points and three boards. Purdue worked the ball inside to score 22 points, while surrendering just six. Despite being outrebounded 20-17, Purdue gave up just three points on seven Illinois offensive rebounds. The Boilermakers held Illinois to just 8-of-31 shooting in the first half and 1-of-10 from behind the arc.

Fueled by 10 points, the Boilermakers built up a 14-point lead midway through the third. Illinois punched back with a 12-2 run that cut the gap to four at 48-44. Stevenson and Layden both converted contested layups to extend the lead back to 52-44 heading into the fourth. Purdue opened the fourth on a 9-4 run to lead 61-48 with 5:57 to play. Illinois fought back with a 16-3 run to tie the game at 64-64 with nine seconds left. Terry’s last-second layup attempt just missed, sending the game to overtime. In the extra period, Stevenson scored Purdue’s first four points as the two sides traded the lead. A backdoor layup by Layden followed by a corner triple from Harper put the Boilermakers up by four with 49 seconds to play. Free throws by Layden and Stevenson sealed the win late. Purdue was 6-of-8 at the line in overtime, while holding Illinois to 3-of-9 shooting. The Boilermakers will travel to Bloomington on Sunday to the away leg of their season series with No. 14 Indiana. Tipoff at Assembly Hall is set for 2 p.m. on B1G+.

Indianapolis Colts adding University of Pittsburgh’s Charlie Partridge to its staff
Shane Steichen has reached into the collegiate ranks as he adjusts his coaching staff. The Indianapolis Colts are hiring longtime University of Pittsburgh defensive line coach Charlie Partridge to a similar position. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement “the National Football League is getting a great coach and an even greater man. On behalf of our entire program, I wish him and his family only the best.” Partridge, 50, had been at Pitt for 12 seasons during two separate stints. He served as the Panthers’ defensive line coach in 2017 before adding the title of co-defensive coordinator from 2018 through last season. “My heart is heavy and full of gratitude for Pitt and Pittsburgh,” Partridge wrote on social media. “I am honored to have the opportunity to be a DL coach in the NFL. It’s time and I’m excited to go coach football!!” Partridge twice was named National Defensive Line Coach of the Year by FootballScoop.

During his career, Partridge helped develop Calijah Kancey, the ACC’s 2022 Defensive Player of the Year who was selected in the first round of the 2023 draft by Tampa Bay, while serving as Wisconsin’s defensive line coach (2008-12), he worked with J.J. Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year with the Houston Texans. Partridge replaces Nate Ollie, who handled the Colts’ defensive line the past two seasons. In 2023, that group helped set an Indy era record with 51 sacks.

LED Courts to be used during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis
On Monday, the NBA unveiled a video of a high-tech basketball court that will be used during the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend. The sophisticated LED courts will be used at Lucas Oil Stadium next Friday and Saturday as part of the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night. Indianapolis Televison Stations FOX59 and CBS4 got an exclusive look at the German-made court as crews tested it at a warehouse in Indianapolis Monday afternoon.

The company behind it, ASB GlassFloor, describes the flashy glass court as a spectacle for sports fans. “I think it will be a first for most of the people that see it,” said ASB GlassFloor owner Christof Babinsky. “I’m very interested to see the feedback in it. I think we’ll get a lot of people excited about it.” Babinsky said he understands some may prefer the traditional wooden basketball court, but he looks forward to allowing fans the chance to see the game in a new light. “The people on the floor are the best people in the world at what they do,” he said. “What we want to do is aid the visibility and performance of the athlete. So, making that more visible and showing the real skills involved.”

The court can display various animations and designs. It can also track the movements of those on the court and showcase those movements with different artwork. While FOX59/CBS4 crews wore special vests with tracking gear, Babinsky said players will not need to wear tracking gear on their jerseys. Instead, he said all of the animations and movements on the court will be done behind the scenes. “In general, it’s still a very similar concept to what was used 200 years ago,” Babinsky said. “Nobody thinks glass is a suitable product for a sports floor, but it turns out from a health and safety perspective for an athlete, it’s potentially the better product.” The court is built with all sorts of flashy lights, but it also consists of two layers of safety glass. Babinsky said this material is actually very safe for players.

“It’s a high-performance sports surface,” Babinsky said. “So, the floor is actually elastic. It is more give than a regular wooden floor and the grip on the floor is delivered in a different and revolutionary way.” Babinsky said it’s designed to also help reduce injuries. While the court has been used all over Germany and the rest of Europe for various sporting events, this will be the first major U.S. sporting and NBA event to showcase it.

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