#14 Indiana University Women’s Basketball travels to Northwestern
The #14 Indiana Hoosiers are on the road this evening to take on the Northwestern Wildcats at 7pm inside Welsh-Ryan Arena with the game televised on the Big Ten Network. The Hoosiers enter the final week of the regular season with a 22-4 overall record and 13-3 Big Ten Record. The Hoosiers have clinched a double bye and no worse than a 3 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis. The Hoosiers and Iowa are tied for second in the Big Ten with Ohio State at 15-1 after getting a share of the conference title with a win over Maryland Sunday in Columbus. The Buckeyes host Michigan Wednesday and travel to Iowa on Sunday but will have the number 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with its head-head wins over Indiana and Iowa in Columbus earlier this season.
The Hoosiers split the season series with Iowa after downing the #4 Hawkeyes 86-69 before a sold-out crowd at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall last Thursday. The Hoosiers led 23-22 after the first quarter when Lexus Bargesser hit a jumper to beat the buzzer. The Hoosiers put the clamps down on Iowa outscoring the Hawkeyes 21-11 in the second quarter with the Hoosiers going into the locker room up 44-33 at half. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark had 20 first half points and was held to just four in the second half for 24 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds. Indiana outscored Iowa 42-36 in the second half. The Hoosiers were led by Sara Scalia with 25 points including 8-8 from the free throw line. Mackenize Holmes added 24 points along with 9 rebounds and Yarden Garzon scored 15 points. The Hoosiers hit nine three pointers including back-to-back triples from Sydney Parrish in the second half the sparked the Hoosier run.
Mackenize Holmes averages a team leading 20.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. The Gorham Maine native has scored a school record 2,437 points, 958 rebounds, 245 blocks, a school record 1,004 field goals made and 26 double-doubles. Holmes has played 141 games in her IU Career with 111 career starts and school record 122 wins. Holmes is one point behind Steve Alford who scored 2,438 points for the Hoosiers from 1983-87 and won the 1987 National Title. Calbert Cheaney who remains the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer in Men’s Basketball scored 2,613 points from 1989-93 and led the Hoosiers to the 1992 Final Four.
The Hoosiers starting five averages double figures with Sara Scalia at 16.3 points, followed by Yarden Garzon at 11.2 and Sydney Parrish at 10.1 Chloe Moore-McNeil averages 10.2 points per game along with a team leading 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Indiana averages 80.5 points and commits 13.2 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers are shooting 51% from the field, 41% from three-point range and 72% from the free throw line. Indiana dominated Northwestern 100-59 in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on January 28. The Hoosiers put six in double-figures that game with a double-double from Mackenize Holmes who had 27 points and 11 rebounds.
Northwestern comes into tonight’s game with an 8-19 overall record and a 3-13 Big Ten record and looking to snap a five-game losing streak. Caleigh Walsh leads the Wildcats with 12.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Melannie Daley who scored 16 points against the Hoosiers in the first meeting averages 12.3 points and leads the team with 1.6 steals per game. Caroline Lau leads the team with 5.4 assists and Paige Mott leads the Wildcats with 1 block per game. Northwestern averages 65.8 points and commits 16.7 turnovers per game. The Wildcats shoot 41% from the field, 35% from three-point range and 77% from the free throw line. The Wildcats are locked into one of the bottom four seeds in the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis and will be playing on the first day.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball is hoping for something good to happen hosting Wisconsin
The Indiana Hoosiers are looking to get some momentum down the stretch when they host the Wisconsin Badgers tonight at 7pm inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with the game streaming on Peacock. The Hoosiers are 14-13 and 6-10 overall in the Big Ten and have lost four in a row along with five of their last six including a sweep by Penn State for the first time since 2009. Indiana has struggled all season with three point and free throw shooting. The Hoosiers shoot 31% from three-point range and 65% from the free throw line. The Hoosiers are shooting 47% from the field, averaging 73 points and committing 12 turnovers per game.
Indiana finished 2-15 from three-point range Saturday in an 83-74 loss at Penn State. The Hoosiers did not their first three pointer until 1:35 left in the ball game. The Hoosiers were 14-25 from the free throw line for 56% and combined that with being outrebounded in most games this season and you have a lot of frustration from not only players and coaches but the fan base who gets more and more irritated with every game that does not go the Hoosier’s way. Malik Reneau who scored 27 points at Penn State averages a team leading 16.1 points per game. Kel’el Ware averages 15.1 points along with a team leading 9.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Mackenize Mgbako is averaging 11.5 points. Trey Galloway averages 10.8 points along with a team leading 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Wisconsin is 18-9 overall and 10-6 in the Big Ten and coming off a 74-70 home win against Maryland a week ago. The Badgers got 18 points from Tyler Wahl, 16 from Max Klesmit, 11 from Chucky Hepburn and 10 from AJ Storr. Wisconsin went 28-31 from the free throw line for 90%. The Badgers led 39-27 at halftime as Maryland outscored Wisconsin 41-37 in the second half as the Badgers held on for the win. Wisconsin averages 74.3 points and commits 10.1 turnovers per game. Wisconsin shoots 46% from the field, 34% from three-point range and 76% from the free throw line. The Badgers like to play up tempo but can always slow it down and make it a half court game.
AJ Storr leads the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game. Steven Crowl the Badgers big man averages 11.2 points and a team leading 7.7 rebounds per game. Tyler Wahl averages 11.6 points along with a team leading 0.6 blocks per game. Chucky Hepburn who averages 8.3 points leads the team with 3.7 assists and 2 steals per game. Wisconsin beat Indiana 91-79 in the Kohl Center on January 19. It was 20th time in a row that Wisconsin has beaten Indiana in Madison since 1998 and the longest road skid against any Big Ten opponent since Purdue beat Indiana 19 times in a row from 1901-22. The Hoosiers beat Wisconsin 63-45 in Bloomington on January 14, 2023. Wisconsin had won the last two meetings in Bloomington in 2020 and 2022.
Indiana University Baseball’s Devin Taylor named Big Ten Player of the Week
A dominant week at the plate, which helped spark a perfect 4-0 record for the Indiana Baseball team, led sophomore outfielder Devin Taylor to Big Ten Player of the Week honors. This is IU’s second weekly honor from the Big Ten this season, following Connor Foley’s Pitcher of the Week award (Feb. 19).
Taylor continued his torrid start to the season this past week, hitting .667 (10-15) with three home runs, five walks, six RBIs and 10 runs scored. He had three three-hit games and recorded the fifth multi-home run game of his career on Sunday at Baylor. Through seven games this year, the Cincinnati native is batting .552 (16-29) with three home runs and eight RBIs. He leads an IU lineup that is hitting a collective .319 on the campaign with three players at a .364 average or better. The Hoosiers have mashed 15 home runs this year and have scored 60 runs.
Among power five players this season, Taylor is fifth in the NCAA in hits (16) and batting average (.552) (min. 25 at-bats). He currently leads the Big Ten in batting average and is one of eight conference players with three-or-more home runs. The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year was a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree last season but earns his first Player of the Week accolade from the conference.
Indiana University Basketball’s Mackenize Mgbako named Big Ten Freshman of the Week
Indiana freshman forward Mackenize Mgbako was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the conference announced on Monday afternoon. Mgbako averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steal per game for the Hoosiers. The former McDonald’s All American was one of four major conference freshmen to post at least 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in conference play last week. The Gladstone, N.J., native secured a career-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds and one steal against Nebraska on Feb. 21. He tallied seven points, three assists, and one steal at Penn State on Feb. 24.
The honor is the second of his debut season with the Hoosiers. He joins Cody Zeller (seven honors), Noah Vonleh (seven), Trayce Jackson-Davis (five), Jalen Hood-Schifino (four), Romeo Langford (three), Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell (two), James Blackmon Jr. (two), and Thomas Bryant (two) as Indiana players to earn multiple Big Ten Freshman of the Week selections in a season since the award was first distributed during the 2010-11 season.
Indiana University Softball announces schedule changes for the Hoosier Classic
The Indiana Softball program has announced changes to the Hoosier Classic’s schedule this weekend at Andy Mohr Field. The only changes being made are to the games on Saturday, March 2. The game schedule will remain the same as originally planned for Friday, March 1 and Sunday, March 3, as well. The updated and full schedule for the Hoosier Classic is listed below.
Friday, March 1:
Indiana vs. Bowling Green (4 PM)
Saturday, March 2:
Indiana vs. Bowling Green (12 PM)
Indiana vs. Valparaiso (3 PM)
Bowling Green vs. Valparaiso (5:30 PM)
Sunday, March 3:
Valparaiso vs. Bowling Green (11 AM)
Indiana vs. Valparaiso (1:30 PM)
Two Taylor University Softball Players sweep weekly Crossroads League Awards
The Crossroads League announced its players-of-the-week Monday afternoon, and Taylor softball swept the awards in its sport after an outstanding weekend at the Bear Creek Classic in Kentucky. Kaylee Larkin delivered at the plate for the Trojans to earn her first Crossroads League Player-of-the-Week honors. Larkin recorded a hit in every game and exploded on day two when she received starts in each contest. The Brownsburg, Indiana native belted eight hits over the weekend and five extra-base knocks, four of which came on the final day of action. Larkin had six hits and six RBI on the final day and only got out once while scoring three runs and even stealing a base. The sensational sophomore with a big bat showed off her power with two no-doubt home runs in Kentucky and 17 total bases on eight hits without striking out at the plate.
Mackenzie Noah sparkled inside the circle to secure her second career Crossroads League Pitcher-of-the-Week award. Noah tossed 13 and two-thirds innings throughout three games, earning a win and a save. Noah began the weekend with a solid outing against No. 3 Cumberlands, in which she surrendered four runs in the first two innings before shutting them out the final four times at the plate and allowing only a single hit over those four frames. The terrific junior was called upon in the final inning of Taylor’s first game on the second day of action and protected a one-run lead with one out and the bases loaded. Noah struck out a batter before inducing weak contact on a soft line drive to third, which ended the game and gave Noah her first save of the season. The Allen Park, Michigan native stepped right back into the circle to start the next game and held RV Campbellsville to four runs in a comfortable 10-4 victory in the final game of the weekend for the Trojans. Taylor takes the field next with a doubleheader on Friday, March 1, against RV IU Southeast (3-4), with the first pitch of the opener scheduled for 1pm.
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