Indiana University Men’s Basketball beats Wisconsin to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Indiana Hoosiers beat the Wisconsin Badgers 74-70 Tuesday Night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers snap a four-game losing streak to improve to 7-10 in the Big Ten and 15-13 overall. Wisconsin is 18-10 overall and 10-7 in the Big Ten. Indiana will travel to Maryland on Sunday Afternoon to take on the Terrapins at 2 PM on CBS. The game was tied 54-54 with 10:06 left in the game when the game was stopped due to a fire alarm and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall was evacuated. The alarm went off for several minutes and the game continued until finally the staff and security told people to leave the building. Once outside it wasn’t long before they let the crowd back in and the game continued. The Hoosiers struggled after the delay but outscored the Badgers 20-16 in the final stretch to win the game including a 6-0 run in the final 1:47 and Badgers did not score for the final 2:06.
Kel’el Ware who scored 20 first half points finished the game with 27 points and 11 rebounds along with 5 blocks. Ware started the game 8-8 from the field. He was 9-10 in the first half 1-1 from three-point range and 1-1 from the free throw line. Ware finished the game 11-12 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line. Malik Reneau and Mackenize Mgbako finished with 14 points each and Trey Galloway had 12 assists along with 6 points. Xavier Johnson returned from injury and played 15 minutes scoring 5 points, a rebound, an assist and committed 5 turnovers. The Hoosiers finished the game 29-47 from the field for 61%, 6-14 from three-point range for 42% and 10-15 from the free throw line for 66%. The Hoosiers pulled down 31 rebounds, dished out 17 assists, 7 blocks, 1 steal and committed 12 turnovers. Indiana had 38 points in the paint and 11 bench points.
Wisconsin put five in double figures with Chucky Hepburn leading the way with 15 points, AJ Storr added 14, Max Klesmit and John Blackwell chipped 11 points each, Wisconsin big man Steven Crowl added 10 points and 6 rebounds with 9 points from Tyler Wahl. The Badgers finished 30-69 from the field for 43%, 8-26 from three-point range for 30% and 2-3 from the free throw line for 66%. Wisconsin finished with 27 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, 10 steals, 0 blocks and committed 3 turnovers. Wisconsin had 42 points in the paint, 11 Bench points and 9 points off turnovers.
The Hoosiers got off to a good start leading 4-0 and 8-2 as the Hoosiers pushed the lead to 32-17 with 6:09 left in the first half. Indiana led 36-26 with 2:51 left in half when the Badgers went on a 7-2 run as Indiana went into the locker room 38-33. In the second half Wisconsin chipped away and tied the game with when the game was stopped due to the fire alarm. Once the game restarted Tyler Wahl gave Wisconsin its first lead at 56-54 with 9:29 left. Malik Reneau tied the game at 56-56 with 9:01 left. Wisconsin retook the lead when Chucky Hepburn hit a three pointer with 8:36 left. Reneau got the Hoosiers to within one at 59-58 with 7:52 left. Steven Crowl put the Badgers back up by three with 7:52 left up 61-58. Kel’el Ware hit two free throws as the Hoosiers were down 1 point at 61-60 with 6:51 left. Chucky Hepburn drilled a three to make it 63-60 with 5:54 left as the Hoosiers tied the game on a three by Mackenize Mgbako with 5:35 left to tie game at 63-63.
The teams kept going back and forth as Anthony Walker scored to put the Hoosiers up two with 3:57 left 65-63. AJ Storr tied the game at 65-65 with 3:29. Kel’el Ware scored and was fouled and hit the free throw to make it 68-65 Hoosiers with 3:13 left. Storr answered a second time with a step back three with 2:56 left to tie it 68-68. Tyler Wahl gave Wisconsin its last lead at 72-70 with 2:06 left. Trey Galloway tied the game with 1:47 left. Reneau gave the Hoosiers the lead with 55 seconds and two Mackenize Mgbako free throws sealed the win for the Hoosiers. What was becoming a bleak outlook down the stretch turned into a positive outlook with three regular season games left. The Hoosiers still have a lot of work left in front of them if they want to make a third straight NCAA Tournament, but Hoosier Nation can be please that they got the win, and the fire alarm was going to stand in the way of closing out this win.
#14 Indiana University Women’s Basketball takes care of Northwestern on the road
#14 Indiana Hoosiers beat the Northwestern Wildcats 84-64 Tuesday Night at Welsh Ryan Arena in Evanston Illinois. The Hoosiers are 23-4 on the season and 14-3 in the Big Ten with one more regular season game left to play Sunday afternoon when they host Maryland for Senior Day. Northwestern falls to 8-20 overall and 3-14 in the Big Ten as Indiana sweeps the season series.
Mackenize Holmes led the way with 28 points and 9 rebounds and Sydney Parrish finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Sara Scalia added 11 points and Lilly Meister scored 10 points off the bench. Indiana finished the game 32-60 from the field for 53%, 7-21 from three-point range, and 13-17 from the free throw line for 76%. The Hoosiers pulled down 41 rebounds, dished out 17 assists, 5 blocks, 5 steals and committed 14 turnovers. Indiana scored 46 points in the paint, 23 points off the bench and 11 points off turnovers.
Melannie Daley scored 24 points off the bench to lead Northwestern and Hailey Weaver added 11 as the Wildcats scored 39 bench points. Caliegh Walsh was held to eight points. Northwestern finished 25-65 from the field for 38%, 2-12 from three-point range for 16% and 12-13 from the free throw line for 92%. Northwestern had 27 rebounds, dished 16 assists, 9 steals, 4 blocks and committed 9 turnovers. Northwestern had 26 points in the paint and 6 points off turnovers.
Indiana led 26-21 after the first quarter and went to the locker room up 43-33 at halftime after outscoring the Wildcats 17-12 in the second quarter. Indiana used a 28-12 third quarter to lead 71-45 after three quarters. The Wildcats outscored Indiana 19-13 in the fourth quarter as Northwestern got within 17 points with 1:59 left. Both teams had their scoring droughts but the Hoosiers big third quarter run made the difference and now Indiana can close the regular season with a senior day win against Maryland on Sunday and a perfect home record which they would be the only team in the Big Ten to do so.
Mackenzie Holmes named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale USWBA National Player of the Year Watch List
Indiana Graduate student forward Mackenize Holmes has been named to the 2024 Ann Meyers Drysdale USWBA National Player of the Year Watchlist, announced by the organization on Tuesday. Holmes is leading the No. 14 Hoosiers with a team-high 20.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game through 26 games. She has scored in double figures in 25 of 26 games, including the last 24 straight and has a team-high six double-doubles. Holmes scored a season-high 32 points in a win over Minnesota this season and has 15 20-point scoring efforts and two 30-point games in her final season with IU.
The Gorham, Maine native is shooting a Big Ten best 65.6 percent from the floor, which also ranks third in the nation, 10th overall in field goals made (221) and 16th in points per game. She set the program’s all-time scoring record in a win over Purdue on Feb. 11 and has scored 2,437 career points. She has also appeared on a variety of other player of the year watch lists this season including 2024 Wooden Award late season Top 20, 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy midseason team, 2024 Wade Trophy watch list, 2024 Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 (nation’s top center).
Indiana University Men’s Swimming and Diving takes aim at Third Straight Big Ten Championship in Columbus
The two-time defending Big Ten Champion Indiana Hoosiers will try for a “three-peat” this week at the 2024 Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, running this evening through Saturday inside the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of Ohio State University. IU is the highest-ranked team coming into the meet, ahead of No. 14 Ohio State, No. 18 Michigan and No. 22 Wisconsin. The Hoosiers were undefeated in dual meets this season and were the top team at their midseason meet, the Ohio State Invitational, also held at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. “It’s been great to see this team grow over the past year,” head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “We are ready to take on all challenges.”
The event begins Wednesday evening with the first set of finals in the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay. The following three days will consist of two sessions, with preliminaries in the morning to determine final seeding for the evening session. All seven sessions can be streamed on the Big Ten Plus digital platform. “Our men’s swimmers have done a fantastic job of preparation in both the pool and the weight room,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “We are excited to see how their hard work materializes this week at the Big Ten Championships, and we can’t wait to have a lot of fun in Columbus!”
SCHEDULED EVENTS (Finals)
Tonight (5 p.m. ET) – 200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay
Thursday (5 p.m. ET) – 500 Freestyle, 200 IM, 50 Freestyle, 1-Meter Dive, 400 Medley Relay
Friday (5 p.m. ET) – 100 Butterfly, 400 IM, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, 3-Meter Dive, 200 Freestyle Relay
Saturday (5 p.m. ET) – 1,650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, Platform Dive, 400 Freestyle Relay
Indiana won its second straight Big Ten Championship in 2023. IU earned 27 medals, 11 individual conference titles and broke nine pool records over four days at the 2023 Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The Hoosiers totaled 1,595.5 points to outscore runner-up Ohio State (1,290.5) and the field by 305 points. For the third straight season, the IU pair of Brendan Burns and Andrew Capobianco earned championship award distinctions. Once more the Big Ten Champion in all five events he swam, Burns was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships. Capobianco and Carson Tyler teammate shared the Big Ten Diver of the Championships Award as they combined to help IU sweep the diving titles for a second consecutive year. Burns and Tyler return for the 2024 championships. Indiana has won 29 Big Ten Championships including five of the last seven and six since the beginning of head swimming coach Ray Looze’s tenure. The Hoosiers have also managed 13 consecutive top-three finishes going back to 2011. Indiana has won 310 Big Ten individual titles, counting swimming and diving combined, as well as 76 relay titles.
Taylor University Softball’s Kaylee Larkin named NAIA Player of the Week
The NAIA announced its weekly awards for softball on Tuesday morning, in which Kaylee Larkin was honored as the NAIA Player-of-the-Week after an incredible showing at the Bear Creek Classic. The award is the first of Larkin’s career and the second for a Taylor athlete during the 2023-2024 year. Larkin is the first Taylor Softball athlete to earn the distinction since Cassie Kuizin in 2018.
Larkin had an outstanding performance at the plate, posting a batting average of .727 and a slugging percentage of 1.545 in 11 at-bats while crushing five extra-base hits, including two home runs. The sophomore drove in seven runs and swiped a base while helping the Trojans to three victories, including a pair over RV Campbellsville. Larkin and the Trojans travel to face RV IU Southeast (3-4) next in a doubleheader on Friday, March 1, with the first pitch of the opener scheduled for 1:00 pm.
Indy Fuel set new Attendance Record on Education Day with a win over the Cincinnati Cyclones
The Indy Fuel hosted the Cincinnati Cyclones for a bright and early matchup in front of a sellout crowd of 7,054 fans on Education Day at Indiana Famers Coliseum in Indianapolis. After going up early, the Fuel kept the lead and took the 4-1 victory. In the First Period Kyle Maksimovich started the scoring at just 3:01 with a behind-the-back tip-in to put the Fuel up 1-0. Colin Bilek and Ross MacDougall both claimed assists on the goal. At 7:38, Jon Martin scored his eighteenth goal of the season to give Indy a 2-0 lead. Cam Hillis and Maksimovich had the assists on that goal. Cincinnati’s Brandon Puricelli scored next at 11:53 after a puck floated past the goal line behind Mitchell Weeks. Less than a minute later, Martin got his second goal of the game to put the Fuel up 2-1. Captain Seamus Malone had the sole assist on that goal.
In the Second Period At 2:35, Indy’s Victor Hadfield took the game’s first penalty for high sticking, but the Fuel killed it off. Puricelli took Cincy’s first penalty of the game next with an interference call at 11:08. As that penalty ended, the Fuel went back to the power play after a delay of game penalty on Cincinnati’s Zack Andrusiak. At 14:56, Bilek capitalized on the power play with a goal assisted by Bryan Lemos and Hillis. At 15:28, Santino Centorame took a hooking penalty, giving Cincinnati a power play; however, Indy killed it off again. With less than ten seconds to go, Sean Allen took a slashing penalty that would carry over into the third frame. At the end of the second period, the Fuel were up 4-1, outshooting the Cyclones 32-11.
In the Third Period after time expired on the Allen penalty, Indy’s Chris Cameron took a hooking penalty at 3:01 but the score remained the same. Both teams had chances as time ticked down on regulation before Indy’s Brett Bulmer and Cincy’s Ben Hawerchuk dropped the gloves and earned offsetting fighting majors. Hawerchuk earned an additional roughing minor penalty, giving the Fuel a late power play opportunity. Neither team scored with the remaining time and the Fuel eventually won 4-1 for their first win over the Cyclones this season. The Indy Fuel are back in action at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Friday, March 1 for our International Women’s Month Celebration against the Iowa Heartlanders.
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