Indiana Pacers win Las Vegas Summer League Opener over the Cleveland Cavaliers Just 18 days after Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers took the court in Summer League action on Thursday. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers behind an impressive comeback, 116-115, and multiple players showed bursts of NBA-level talent. The summer Pacers are composed of new draft picks Kam Jones and Taelon Peter, as well as returnees from Indiana’s NBA squad, the Noblesville Boom, and overseas. Rick Carlisle was in attendance for Indiana’s clash with the Cavaliers along with a handful of assistant coaches and front office personnel.
Jones drew an offensive foul on the first possession of the game, giving Indiana a chance to run in transition. The summer Pacers maintained the blistering speed that’s become a characteristic of Pacer basketball. Indiana consistently grabbed the ball out of the net on a make, creating a similar opportunity to a fastbreak after made baskets. RayJ Dennis scored nine of the Pacers’ first 11 points as he connected on two triples and free throws. Johnny Furphy had a solid first quarter, notching eight points before going down with an injury with under a minute remaining in the period. The Pacers trailed after one, 35-25. Furphy would not return to the game after taking an elbow to the eye, but the injury was reported to be a minor issue.
Dennis was the most outstanding Pacer through the first half, totaling 14 points, five assists, and two rebounds. Quenton Jackson had an impressive performance off Indiana’s bench as he scored eight points in 12 minutes. “I think at the forefront of it is just being an ultra-competitor,” Dennis said. “Like, I think if you ask anybody who’s around me, I don’t like to lose…So whether it’s scoring, whether it’s passing, whether it’s guarding the best guy, trying to get my nose in there and rebound, I’ll do whatever it takes to win.” Jones had just two points at halftime but dished out three assists. Peter came off the bench, made a nice cut for a layup, and drove strong to the rim to create four total points before the halftime break.
The summer Pacers shot over 50 percent in the first half despite trailing the Cavaliers, 63-50. Indiana cut the deficit to 10 points halfway through the third quarter as Jackson converted an and-1 opportunity following a fastbreak dunk. Jackson continued on a tear down the stretch of the third, powering the Pacers to a 13-0 run. He scored 12 total points in the frame, and Indiana went into the fourth quarter down by just two points, 86-84. “He’s going to put in effort,” coach Isaac Yacob said of Jackson. “And that’s a skill nowadays. That got him onto the court with the NBA team, so I never can doubt his heart. He’s always going to compete, and he did that tonight.”
Steven Ashworth, a Creighton product, checked into the game for the first time with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. He went on to score six points, recorded two assists, and grabbed a rebound in just eight minutes of playing time. “Steven Ashworth came in, [and] I thought it changed the game for us,” Yacob said. Dennis converted a layup off an assist from Ashworth to tie the game at 98, 5:48 to go in the fourth quarter. He gave Indiana its first lead of the night after making his free throw, 99-98. Cleveland would go on an 11-0 run following the Pacers’ capture of the lead, and Indiana trailed by 10 with under four minutes to play. Dennis was the engine on offense down the stretch for Indiana, creating a 13-2 Pacers run to lead by one point with 18 seconds to play, 114-113. Cleveland tipped in a missed basket, leaving Indiana with under 10 seconds to score. The Pacers inbounded the ball, quickly sending it up the court to a sprinting Freeman, who went up for a layup but was fouled.
Freeman made both free throws to earn Indiana a 116-115 victory in its Summer League debut. Dennis was Indiana’s standout player, notching 26 points, four rebounds, and nine assists. Jackson also recorded a strong total of 24 points on 8-for-10 shooting along with three assists. Peter gave Indiana eight points off the bench on 4-for-5 shooting, three rebounds, and closed the game on the floor for the summer Pacers. Indiana is back in action Today at 5:30 PM ET to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Summer League squad.
Bubba Chandler and The Indianapolis Indians Shut out the Gwinnett Stripers at Victory Field Bubba Chandler tossed his second straight start of 6.0 scoreless innings and was backed by three clean frames from the bullpen as the Indianapolis Indians tossed their seventh shutout of the season and clinched at least a series split with Thursday night’s 3-0 win against the Gwinnett Stripers at Victory Field. With a scoreless tie in the third inning, Alika Williams kicked off the frame with a double off of Hurston Waldrep (L, 6-8) and was knocked in by Ji Hwan Bae’s triple two batters later. The triple by Bae was his second in three games against Gwinnett after he tripled in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s contest. Bae then came around to score the final run of the inning on a fielding error by shortstop Luke Waddell to put the Indians (11-4 ,53-36) up, 2-0.
The Stripers (7-8, 36-54) threatened in the seventh when Matthew Batten reached on a lead-off walk. He attempted to move to third on a single from former Indians Jason Delay but was cut down by a seed from Billy Cook to quell the rally. Indianapolis stayed off the scoreboard after the second until the eighth inning, when Ronny Simon clubbed his sixth home run with Indy and seventh of the season, a408-footshot to right field, to pad Indy’s lead. Bubba Chandler (W,4-2) recorded his second straight start of 6.0 scoreless innings and has tossed 15.2 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to the first inning of his start on June 28 vs. Omaha. His scoreless innings streak is the longest by an Indians pitcher this season, surpassing Eddy Yean’s run of 11.1 scoreless innings from April 11-May11. Eddy Yean, Cam Sanders and Kyle Nicolas (S, 3) each tossed an inning to finish out the shutout. Indy’s seven shutouts this season already surpass the five they had in 2024 and are the most they have had through July 10 since 2018, when they posted ten shutouts.
The Big Ten Conference announces 36 Student Athletes to Participate at 2025 Big Ten Volleyball Media Days in Chicago The Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday the complete list of volleyball student-athletes scheduled to attend the fourth annual Big Ten Volleyball Media Days. The two-day event from July 28-29 at Big Ten Network Studios will feature nine schools each day, represented by their head coach and two student-athletes each day.
July 28: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers
July 29: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wisconsin
Media intending to cover the event can apply for credentials here.
2025 Big Ten Volleyball Media Day Student Athlete Attendees
Illinois-Chris Tamas, Kayla Burbage and Averie Hernandez Indiana-Steve Aird, Avry Tatum and Ava Vickers Iowa-Jim Barnes, Claire Ammeraal and Chard’e Vanzandt Maryland-Adam Hughes, Ajack Malual and Eva Rohrbach Michigan-Erin Virtue, Maddi Cuchran and Allison Jacobs Michigan State-Kristen Kelsay, Evie Doezema and Zuzanna Kulig Minnesota-Keegan Cook, Julia Hanson and Stella Swenson Nebraska-Dani Busboom Kelly, Rebekah Allick and Harper Murray Northwestern-Tim Nollan, Ayah Elnady and Sienna Noordermeer Ohio State-Jen Flynn Oldenburg, Olivia Hasbrook and Mia Tuman Oregon-Trent Kersten, Orian Drore and Sophia Meyers Penn State-Katie Schumacher-Cawley, Gillian Grimes and Izzy Starck Purdue-Dave Shondell, Taylor Anderson and Kenna Wollard Rutgers-Caitlin Schweihofer, Kenzie Dyrstad and Lexi Visintine UCLA-Alfee Reft, Cheridyn Leverette and Zayna Meyer USC-Brad Keller, Adonia Faumuina and Leah Ford Washington-Leslie Gabriel, Kierstyn Barton and Julia Hunt Wisconsin-Kelly Sheffield, Carter Booth and Mimi Colyer
Indianapolis International Airport Hosts Run the Court Contest Ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game The Indianapolis International Airport is hosting the “Run the Court” social-media contest, where the winners will play a game of HORSE on the WNBA All-Star court in the airport terminal ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game. The contest launched on July 1, with announcements on the airport’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. To enter the contest, Hoosiers will have to follow the Indianapolis International Airport’s Facebook or Instagram accounts, fill out an entry on one of the social media platforms, comment who they would bring to play HORSE, and tag it with #RunTheCourtIND. Contest entry ended a 9 am yesterday. The contest winners were announced on the Facebook and Instagram accounts Friday. The game will be played using foam basketballs the afternoon of July 15 in Civic Plaza at the airport. The event among tip-off activities the IND airport has planned for travelers ahead of the All-Star Game on July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis. “WNBA All-Star 2025 is a citywide celebration of creativity, Indiana’s legendary basketball culture and community,” said Megan Carrico, senior director of public affairs with the Indianapolis Airport Authority. “With our “Run the Court” social media contest, we listened to our fans, and we’re giving Hoosiers the chance to step into the game at IND.”
Purdue and Purdue Fort Wayne to Meet November 12th in a Women’s Basketball Regular Season Matchup in Fort Wayne The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team will play host to the Purdue Boilermakers on Wednesday, November 12 at 7 p.m. as a part of the 2025-26 slate. Season tickets, which will include this contest, can be purchased at the Purdue Fort Wayne ticket office or by contacting Abby Whitmeyer at 260-481-5769 or aawalker@pfw.edu. After meeting in Mackey Arena last fall, the Boilermakers will make the return trip to Fort Wayne this season. It will be the first time the two teams have played in the Gates Sports Center since 2012. The 2025 edition of the series will be the eighth time the Mastodons and Boilermakers have met in the regular season, with the series dating back to 2004. Purdue went 10-19 and Purdue Fort Wayne went 27-9 after the two teams met in the regular season opener last year.
Butler University Men’s Basketball announces 2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule Butler has finalized its 2025-26 non-conference schedule, which includes nine games at Hinkle Fieldhouse in addition to appearances in the Greenbrier Tip-Off and Indy Classic. The Bulldogs will host games against Wright State (Nov. 28) and NJIT (Dec. 22), which are the only two non-conference matchups that had not been previously announced. Tip times and television assignments for the non-conference schedule will be announced at a later date. The 2025-26 season begins with exhibitions at Hinkle Fieldhouse against Notre Dame (Oct. 17) and Indiana State (Oct. 29). The Bulldogs will also host Boise State Dec. 6 in the first half of a home-and-home agreement between the two programs.
The Bulldogs will play in the Greenbrier Tip-Off (Nov. 21 vs. South Carolina and Nov. 23 vs. Virginia) and the Indy Classic (Dec. 20 vs. Northwestern at Gainbridge Fieldhouse). Butler will travel to SMU for a Nov. 15 tip in Dallas that concludes a home-and-home series that began at Hinkle Fieldhouse last season. The Hinkle Fieldhouse portion of the non-conference schedule also includes dates against Southern Indiana (Nov. 5), IU Indy (Nov. 8), Chicago State (Nov. 11), and Eastern Michigan (Dec. 2). Butler enters the 2025-26 season off an appearance in the inaugural College Basketball Crown.
Coach Thad Matta’s Bulldogs have added five impact transfers in Michael Ajayi (Gonzaga), Yame Butler (Drexel), Jalen Jackson (Purdue Fort Wayne), Drayton Jones (South Carolina State), and Yohan Traore (SMU). That group joins returners Finley Bizjack, who averaged 10.3 points per game for the Bulldogs last season; Jamie Kaiser Jr., who missed the entire 2024-25 season with an ankle injury; and Evan Haywood, who started both College Basketball Crown games. Butler also welcomes a Top 25 recruiting class. Season tickets for the upcoming 2025-26 basketball season are on sale now. The Bulldogs will once again host all 10 BIG EAST rivals at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Fans can email tickets@butler.edu or call the ticket office at 317-940-3647 for more information on securing season tickets.