#14 Indiana University Women’s Basketball takes down #4 Iowa in a sold-out Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
The # 14 Indiana Hoosiers took down the #4 Iowa Hawkeyes 86-69 before a sold-out crowd of 17,222 Thursday Night in Simon Sjkodt Assembly Hall. The fans were lined up hours before the game and were in their seats before tip-off. Former Indiana Basketball greats Grace Berger and Victor Oladipo along with WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley were in the crowd to watch this highly anticipated matchup. It was the second time Indiana Women’s Basketball History that the Hoosiers played in front of sold-out crowd at home with the Hoosiers are now 14-0 at home this season and the only team in the Big Ten not to lose a home game this season. The Hoosiers are 22-4 and 13-3 in the Big Ten and Iowa is 23-4 and 12-3 in the Big Ten. Ohio State beat Penn State on the road Thursday Night. 82-69 as the Buckeyes are 14-1 and overall and all three teams are assured a double-bye and a top three seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Sara Scalia scored 25 points, Mackenize Holmes added 24 points and 9 rebounds and 15 points from Yarden Garzon. The Hoosiers finished the game 32-62 from the field for 51%, 9-21 from three-point range for 43% and 13-19 from the free throw line. The Hoosiers pulled down 42 rebounds, dished out 20 assists, 9 blocks, 4 steals and committed 15 turnovers. The Hoosiers had 34 points in the paint, 16 points off turnovers and 9 points off the bench. Caitlin Clark scored 24 points,10 rebounds and 9 assists. Kate Martin added 19 points and Hannah Stuelke added 10 points. The Hawkeyes finished 26-67 from the field for 38%, 5-28 from three-point range and 12-18 from the free throw line for 66%. Iowa had 33 rebounds, dished out 18 assists, 7 steals, 3 blocks and committed 12 turnovers. Clark had a 17-game streak where she scored 25 points or more and that was snapped for the first time, she has scored less than 25 points for the first time since December 2, when she scored 24 against Bowling Green in Iowa City and it was 5th game this season she has scored less than 25 and she has scored 24 points four times and 21 points once at Florida Gulf Coast in November. Iowa scored 40 points in the paint, 13 points off turnovers and 10 points off the bench.
There were six lead changes and five ties as the Hoosiers led for 33:22 while the Hawkeyes led for 4:31. Indiana led 23-22 at the end of the first quarter when Lexus Bargesser hit a jumper to beat the buzzer to put the Hoosiers in the lead. Indiana outscored Iowa 21-11 in the second quarter to lead 44-33 going into the locker room. Iowa outscored Indiana 21-18 in the third quarter as Indiana led 64-52 going into the final 10 minutes. Indiana outscored the Hawkeyes 24-15 in the fourth quarter as the Hoosiers put the game away and split the season series with Iowa and a possible matchup coming in the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis in March.
Indiana and Iowa have become one of the better rivalries in Women’s College Basketball and the game was chippy between the two teams and for Cailtin Clark that’s how basketball is to be played.” It should be heated; it should be that way” Caitlin Clark said after the game. Iowa head Coach Lisa Bluder gave all the credit to Indiana and said that they have no answer for Sara Scalia. There were a lot of fans that were wearing Iowa Gear and young ladies sporting the Cailtin Clark jerseys and Clark is projected to be the number 1 pick in the WNBA Draft in April that is owned by the Indiana Fever. Clark could come back for a fifth year, but she doesn’t want to talk about the future but respects the Hoosier program and the job that Teri Moren has done and knows what the game of Basketball means in the State of Indiana.
The Hoosiers knew how much they needed this win, and they got it and after a 20-point loss to Illinois where it looked like hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament were in jeopardy, but this win gets the Hoosiers back in the conversation. There is no doubt that the game of Women’s Basketball continues to grow and it’s not only the Caitlin Clark effect with her popularity but the Indiana Women’s Basketball effect where the program has been taken to new heights. It used to be that getting to the postseason was the goal now its expected at Indiana to get to the postseason but make a run and Teri Moren and the Hoosiers are gearing up for another run in March.
Bloomington South and Bloomington North send a strong contingent to the IHSAA Boys Swimming State Finals
The IHSAA Boys State Swimming Finals are Tonight and Saturday at the Indiana University Natatorium on the IUPUI campus in Downtown Indianapolis. The Prelims get underway at 6 PM with 4 Heats in each of the 11 events for 32 total individuals or teams in all events. The Diving Event starts at 9 am Saturday Morning with 32 Divers get five dives before the top 20 go to the semifinals and will get three more dives. The Top 16 advance to the finals in the afternoon for three more dives to determine a state champion. The top 16 in each swimming event based on time will advance to the consolation and championship finals starting at 1 pm Saturday Afternoon. The top 8 will battle it out for the state championship while the next 8 determine places 9 through 16. Bloomington South won the Columbus North Sectional and Bloomington North was second as the schools dominated the event winning 11 of 12 events. Neither school sent a diver to the regional which is only event neither Bloomington team won. The top 4 from each sectional qualified for the diving regional and the best finisher for Bloomington North finished in 7th Place.
The Panthers are in the 200 Yard Medley Relay along with the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay. Junior Botond Kun is in the 200 and 500 Yard Freestyle. Junior Davis Kovacs is in the 100 Yard Backstroke and the 200 Yard Individual Medley. Junior Lukas Paegle is in the 50 Yard Freestyle and the 100 Yard Butterfly Junior Kian Kadlec is in the 500 Yard Freestyle. The Cougars have Senior Benjamin Buehler in the 100 and 200 Yard Freestyle. Senior Benjamin Dixon is in the 50 and 100 Yard Freestyle. Junior James Stewart is in the 50 Yard Freestyle and the 100 Yard Butterfly. Senior Hunter Tang is in the 100 Yard Breaststroke. The Cougars are in the 200- and 400-Yard Freestyle Relays. Carmel is looking for its 10th straight state championship and 14th since 2010 winning three in a row from 2010-2012. Chesterton won back-to-back in 2008-09 and 2013-14 and they are the only two schools to win state titles in Boys Swimming Since 2008. Carmel has won 23 overall State titles in Boys Swimming followed by Columbus North with 10.
Bloomington North Girls Gymnastics looks for Sectional Three-Peat
Bloomington North will look to repeat as Girls Gymnastics Sectional Champions this evening at 6:30 PM as Franklin Central HS in Indianapolis host the Sectional Championship Gymnastics Meet. The Cougars have won back-to-back sectional titles and are looking to three peat for the first time since they won four straight titles from 1981-1984 and looking for the 7th Sectional Title in School History. The Cougars have won every meet so far this year including the Conference Indiana meet which was held at Bloomington North.
13 Teams will be competing as the top three teams will advance as a team to next Friday night’s Regional which will be held at Franklin Central which will include the top three teams from the Connersville Sectional. The top six place finishers in each event will advance as well as the all-around. There are four events which are the Vault, Bars, Beam and the Floor Exercise and then the All-Around which includes combined scores from all four events.
Bloomington South won their only sectional title in 2002 would love nothing more than to dethrone their crosstown rivals. The Panthers along with Edgewood, Columbus East, Columbus North Fishers, Franklin Central, Lapel, Martinsville, Noblesville, Owen Valley Roncalli and Seymour will all be competing in a quest to advance to the regionals next Friday night and end the two-year run of Bloomington North.
Four Girls Basketball State Champions to be crowned on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
The 49th annual IHSAA Girls Basketball State Finals will take place Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as four teams will get to cut down the next and be crowned State Champions for the 2023-24 Girls Basketball Season. In Class 1A at 10:30 AM will be defending champion Lanesville taking on Marquette Catholic. In Class 2A at approximately 12:45 PM Brownstown Central takes on Fort Wayne Bishop Luers. At 6pm in Class 3A Gibson Southern battles Norwell and in the nightcap in Class 4A Lawrence Central takes on Lake Central. All four games will be streamed on ihsaatv.org along with the IHSAA Champions Radio Network on many stations across the State of Indiana.
In Class 1A Lanesville is 28-1 and the defending Class 1A State Champion. The Eagles only loss was on December 29, to Evansville Memorial 56-43. Lanesville is led by Junior Hadley Crosier who averages 15.2 points per game and Junior Shelby Allen who averages 11.1 points off the bench. Marquette Catholic 24-4 and lost their final two games of the regular season before their run through the state tournament. The Blazers are led by Sophomore Guard Lania Davis who averages 20 points per game and Freshman Marisa Pleasant who averages 10.2 points per game.
In Class 2A Brownstown Central is 21-8 on the season and averages 49.3 points per game with only one player that averages double figures and that is Sophomore Harley Toppe at 10.1 points per game. The Braves lost to Bloomington North on January 16, at home 46-42. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers is 19-6 and averages 57 points per game. The Knights have three players averaging double figures led by Senior Addie Shank who averages 13.2 and Sophomore Miley Wareing who averages 11.5 and at 6-2 and 6-0 have a size advantage with Brownstown’s tallest player at 5-11. Senior guard Annika Davis is averaging 10.1 points per game.
In Class 3A Gibson Southern is 25-4 and is led by Junior Gabby Spink who averages 19.4 points per game Senior Chloey Graham averages 17.2 points for a Titans team who averages 68.2 points a contest and comes in to the state championship game on a 15-game winning streak. Norwell is 23-4 on the season and led by Senior Kennedy Fueling who averages 21.6 points per game. Senior Makenize Fuess is averaging 16.1 points per game and Sophomore Vanessa Rosswurm averages 11.6 points per game for a team averages 65 points per game.
In Class 4A Lawrence Central is 29-1 and their only loss came on December 2, in a 62-61 to George Rogers Clark from Kentucky. The Bears are in the State Championship for the first time and averages 61.8 points per game. Former Purdue Basketball Star Jannon (Roland) Lampley who played from 1993-97 coaches her two daughters Jaylah Lampley a junior who leads the team 18.6 points per game and Sophomore Lola who averages 11.0 points per game. The Bears have two other players who average double figures. Lake Central is 26-4 and does not have a player who averages double figures and as a team they average 56.4 points per game and lost to Lawrence Central 51-38 on December 22 in the championship game of the Bedford North Lawrence Tournament.
Taylor University Football collects 33 All-Academic All-MSFA Awards
The Mid-States Football Association announced its 2023 All-Academic Team honors recently, with Taylor ending third-of-14 schools in the MSFA with 33 awards. In order to be eligible for Academic All-MSFA recognition, a student-athlete must possess a minimum grade-point average of 3.25, must have reached sophomore status academically and must be nominated by their head coach.
Taylor’s Academic All-MSFA Award recipients
-Clay Adams –Cole Baker
-Stephen Ellis
-Owen Frasure
-Braxton Green
-Seth Griswold
-Matthew Hager
-Jake Halderman
-Vinnie Harder
-Jacob Hockett
-Hutson Hohlbein
-Isaac Hoke
-Gage Holder
-Carter Jenkins
-Aven Jones
-Brendan Lamb
-Isaac Maas
-Evan MacMillan
-Michael Medlock
-Isaac Rans
-Braxton Ream
-Dawson Scally
-Larry Schoenefeld
-Alec Schrock
-Bryson Scott
-Ja Thomas
-Bryce Vasvari
-Adam Watson
-David Wells
-Reid Wheeler
-Parker Whitby
-Carter Wortman
-Hojun Yun
Taylor University Trojans Collect 30 All-Crossroads League Awards at Indoor Championships
The Crossroads League formally announced its 2024 Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field All-League honors on Tuesday, following the league’s indoor championship on February 16 and 17. Taylor gained a total of 30 All-CL honors from 17 events, with 21 student-athletes being recognized. The Taylor women’s team battled to a second-place finish in the team standings at the league championships and saw 14 student-athletes combine to collect 21 All-CL honors over 11 events. The TU men were nearly as impressive, surging to a third-place finish as a team and seeing seven individuals combine to collect nine all-league honors over six events. All-Crossroads League honors are awarded to any student-athlete who placed top-three in an individual event, or relay, at the CL Championships.
Taylor Women’s Indoor Track and Field All-CL Recipients -Audrey Brinkruff | 5,000-Meters
-Kaitlin Burden | 4×800-Meter Relay
-D’Arjha Davis | 200-Meters
-Nicole Braz Domene | Distance-Medley Relay (Champion), 4×400-Meter Relay
-Addie Draper | 4×400-Meter Relay
-Mollie Gamble | 5,000-Meters (Champion)
-Ashley Hall | 400-Meters (Champion), 200-Meters, 4×400-Meter Relay
-Olivia Jeanette | 4×800-Meter Relay
-Emily Johnson | Distance-Medley Relay (Champion), 4×800-Meter Relay
-Abby Mays | Distance-Medley Relay (Champion), 1,000-Meters, 4×800-Meter Relay
-Adrienne McKean | 4×400-Meter Relay
-Ahna Neideck | 3,000-Meters
-Patience Sakeuh | 60-Hudles (Champion)
-Noel VanderWall | Mile (Champion), Distance-Medley Relay (Champion)
Taylor Men’s Indoor Track and Field All-CL Recipients -James Bates | 4×800-Meter Relay
-Nathan Brainer | 4×800-Meter Relay
-Keenan Clegg | 4×800-Meter Relay
-Nate Conkel | 800-Meters, 4×800-Meter Relay
-Josh Forbes | Pole Vault
-Ryan Hanak | 3,000-Meters (Champion)
-Jake Thompson | Long Jump (Champion), High Jump
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