THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” MONDAY JANUARY 26, 2026

“THE SCOREBOARD”

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INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD

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INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD

GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS ANNOUNCED

https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/012526.Girls%20Basketball%20Pairings.pdf

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INDIANA WRESTLING

SECTIONAL: JANUARY 31

INDIANA STATE WRESTLING ASSOCIATION: https://www.iswa.com/

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS WRESTLING COACHES ASSOCIATION: https://www.ihsgw.net/

INDIANA MAT: https://indianamat.com/

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MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES

HAWAII 89 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 68

SOUTH FLORIDA 89 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 75

WASHINGTON 72 OREGON 57

USC 73 WISCONSIN 71

PURDUE FORT WAYNE AT IU INDY POSTPONED

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT EVANSVILLE POSTPONED

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WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES

#16 OKLAHOMA 72 AUBURN 65

#10 IOWA 91 #12 OHIO STATE 70

#7 MICHIGAN 73 USC 67

#23 ALABAMA 85 MISSISSIPPI STATE 78

#2 SOUTH CAROLINA 103 #5 VANDERBILT 74

#3 UCLA 80 NORTHWESTERN 46

PURDUE 80 INDIANA 69

YOUNGSTOWN STATE 61 CLEVELAND STATE 38

KANSAS 83 KANSAS STATE 61

MARQUETTE 64 BUTLER 60

RHODE ISLAND 79 DAYTON 66

ILLINOIS STATE 85 INDIANA STATE 69

CLEMSON 65 NOTRE DAME 58

COLORADO 79 OKLAHOMA STATE 65

DEPAUL 76 CREIGHTON 61

MINNESOTA 88 WISCONSIN 53

EVANSVILLE 68 NORTHERN IOWA 65

MIAMI FLORIDA 75 SMU 66

GEORGIA TECH 80 FLORIDA STATE 69

MISSOURI 81 TEXAS A&M 70

CALIFORNIA 78 STANFORD 71 OT

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NFL

NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCHEDULE

JAN. 25

NEW ENGLAND 10 DENVER 7

SEATTLE 31 LA RAMS 27

SUPER BOWL 60

FEB. 8

NEW ENGLAND VS. SEATTLE, 6:30 PM NBC

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NBA

DETROIT 139 SACRAMENTO 116

GOLDEN STATE 111 MINNESOTA 85

NEW ORLEANS 104 SAN ANTONIO 95

TORONTO 103 OKLAHOMA CITY 101

MIAMI 111 PHOENIX 102

LA CLIPPERS 126 BROOKLYN 89

DENVER AT MEMPHIS POSTPONED

DALLAS AT MILWAUKEE POSTPONED

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NHL

COLORADO 4 TORONTO 1

SEATTLE 4 NEW JERSEY 2

OTTAWA 7 VEGAS 1

PITTSBURGH 3 VANCOUVER 2

FLORIDA 5 CHICAGO 1

ANAHEIM 4 CALGARY 3 OT

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WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL

ATLANTA AT COLUMBUS POSTPONED

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NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES

NFL

SEAHAWKS HOLD OFF RAMS IN NFC TITLE GAME THRILLER, FACE PATS IN SUPER BOWL

Sam Darnold threw for a season-high 346 yards and three touchdowns as the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks defeated the visiting Los Angeles Rams 31-27 Sunday in the NFC Championship Game.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba made 10 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown and Kenneth Walker III rushed for 62 yards and a score for the Seahawks, who will meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, Calif.

Darnold, on his fifth team in eight NFL seasons, finished 25-of-36 passing to reach his first Super Bowl.

The Rams got the ball on their own 8-yard line with no timeouts and 25 seconds remaining but time expired as they reached midfield.

Matthew Stafford was 22 of 35 for 374 yards and three TDs for the fifth-seeded Rams. Puka Nacua made nine catches for 165 yards and a score. Davante Adams added 89 yards and a TD on four receptions.

Trailing by four points, the Rams had a fourth-and-4 from Seattle’s 6-yard with 4:54 remaining. Stafford’s pass intended for Terrance Ferguson in the back of the end zone was knocked down by Devon Witherspoon.

The Seahawks were held on the first possession of the second half, but Rams punt returner Xavier Smith tripped and fell backward as the ball approached. Smith tried to catch the ball just before he landed on his back but muffed the punt and Seattle’s Dareke Young recovered at Los Angeles’ 17-yard line.

On the next play, Darnold hit Jake Bobo in the back of the end zone for a 24-13 lead. It was just the fourth reception of the season for Bobo.

The Rams responded with a four-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Stafford’s 2-yard TD pass to Adams to pull within four points.

Seattle moved right back down the field, restoring their double-digit lead on a 13-yard touchdown reception by former Ram Cooper Kupp.

It appeared the Rams would have to punt from Seattle’s 49-yard line when Riq Woolen knocked down a pass to Nacua to force the Rams into fourth-and-12. But Woolen was called for taunting after the play, giving Los Angeles the ball at the 34. Stafford threw a strike to Nacua, beating Woolen at the front left pylon, to pull the Rams within 31-27 with 2:06 left in the third.

The Seahawks took a 17-13 lead at intermission as Darnold hit a wide-open Smith-Njigba with a 14-yard scoring strike with 20 seconds left. The six-play, 74-yard drive took just 34 seconds after the Rams were held to a three-and-out when they had a chance to run out the clock with the lead.

The Seahawks’ defense also forced a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession. Seattle took advantage with a seven-play, 81-yard touchdown drive, capped by Walker’s 2-yard run around the right end and dive for the pylon.

The teams then traded field goals on the next three possessions, with the Rams’ Harrison Mevis connecting from 44 and 50 yards and Seattle’s Jason Myers from 27.

The Rams took a 13-10 lead on a 9-yard screen pass from Stafford to Kyren Williams with 1:55 left in the half.

PATRIOTS RECLAIM SUPER BOWL VIBES BEHIND QB DRAKE MAYE, DOMINANT D

Drake Maye ran for a touchdown in the first half and delivered a first down to end the AFC Championship Game on Sunday in Denver, when he played co-star to New England’s knockout defense in a 10-7 victory over the Broncos.

“Dominate up front,” Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams said of the game plan. “And we did that.”

Maye becomes the second-youngest quarterback to start the Super Bowl at age 23, trailing only Dan Marino. The Patriots are in the Super Bowl for the 12th time.

Maye led a critical field-goal drive in the third quarter that included a fourth-down conversion and chewed up more than nine minutes of clock. Those three points and the 10-7 lead held up the rest of the way.

“That boy is a dog,” Williams said.

Coach Mike Vrabel’s children are all older than Maye, a first-round pick he inherited when the Patriots brought him back at the top of the organization one year ago. On Sunday afternoon, his final instructions to Maye were that he had to be the “conductor” and control the environment to “make as many positive plays” as he could find.

New England became the first team to beat three teams in the playoffs with defenses that finished the regular season in the top five in total defense. Maye was sacked 15 times during the three-game run through the AFC — defeating the Chargers (No. 5), Texans (No. 1), and Broncos (No. 2) — but he kept finding ways to make plays.

He had the Patriots’ two longest running plays — highlighted by a 28-yarder — and ran 10 times for 65 yards. Of his 10 completions, only one went more than 11 yards in the air, a 31-yard connection with Mack Hollins on a flea-flicker, totaling 86 passing yards.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs, playing in his third conference championship game, is set for his first Super Bowl in his first season with New England and gave all the credit to Maye.

“That’s a soldier, man. That’s a MVP, man,” Diggs, 32, said on the field after the game. “That’s a man that stands 10 toes, battles through adversity.”

Maye ran for a 6-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 in the first half. That came after the Broncos, who scored first on Jarrett Stidham’s 6-yard pass to Courtland Sutton, bypassed a 32-yard field-goal attempt and a potential 10-0 lead to go for a fourth-down pass, which was incomplete at the 9:22 mark in the second quarter. Wil Lutz missed a 54-yard field goal in the second quarter.

On the crucial third down after the final two-minute warning, Maye took the snap under center. A naked bootleg to his left sent Maye into a footrace to the sticks with Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss. Maye needed 5 yards to reach the marker at the New England 46. He got that and two more, securing win No. 17 this season for New England.

Vrabel won three Super Bowls as a player with the Patriots and has a chance to become the first person to win the Lombardi Trophy with the same franchise both as a player and as a head coach. Gary Kubiak was a backup quarterback for the Broncos on three losing trips to the Super Bowl (1986, 1986, 1989 seasons) and as the head coach guided QB Peyton Manning and Denver to a win the last time the game was held in Santa Clara, Calif., 10 years ago, beating the Carolina Panthers 24-10 on Feb. 7, 2016.

Vrabel, a linebacker before his coaching career, has built a rugged defense playing with swagger. Williams said the Patriots were again motivated by praise for the opponent’s defense. In three playoff games, the Patriots have allowed only 26 total points.

With a 7-0 lead, the Broncos opted not to kick a field goal and went for a first down but failed, further fueling New England’s “no respect” narrative.

“We got a lot of guys that’s been counted out. Nobody really believed in us and what we could do,” Williams said. “They’re probably gonna say it’s just how they played (today), we ain’t do nothing, it’s what they did. We got one more game to go out there and take care of business and see if we get some credit then.”

“There’s always regrets,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of going for it on fourth down. “It’s also a call you make based on the team you’re playing and what you’re watching on the other side of the ball. Yeah, there’s always going to be second thoughts.”

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez intercepted Stidham with 2:11 remaining to help secure the win. The Patriots also jumped on a backyard pass from Stidham earlier.

“Our defense is going to hold it down. If we don’t turn the ball over, we’re going to do our part,” Gonzalez said. “As a corner, you don’t get too many chances. You just want to make the plays when it comes your way. I just saw the ball in the air. I was playing off. Doesn’t happen very often, I’m always in press. At that point it was like I’m playing receiver again. Go up and get it at its highest point and bring it down.”

SEAHAWKS OPEN AS EARLY FAVORITE OVER PATS FOR SUPER BOWL LX

Nearly 11 years ago, the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks by four points to win the Super Bowl.

Oddsmakers are looking for a similarly close game this time around, too, except with Seattle making the plays to come out on top.

Hours after the Patriots and then the Seahawks booked their reservations for Super Bowl LX on Sunday, sportsbooks listed Seattle as the early favorite, putting the line in the 4-to-5-point range.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel listed the Seahawks as 4.5-point favorites, with BetMGM putting the number at 5.

The Super Bowl will be played in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8.

Both teams finished the regular season with 14-3 records, tied with the Denver Broncos for the best record in the league. The Broncos got the No. 1 seed and first-round bye by way of a tiebreaker, but the Patriots beat the Broncos in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game 10-7, the game in Denver ending in snow flurries.

In the day’s second game, the Seahawks held off their NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams, winning 31-27 in the third meeting between the teams this season.

Though the Patriots played in the lower-scoring of the two games, oddsmakers are looking for a score in the Super Bowl more along the lines of the Seahawks-Rams game, with the over/under sitting at 46.5 across most books. The Patriots were the NFL’s second-highest scoring team at 28.8 points per game, with the Seahawks right behind at 28.4.

Seattle had the stingiest defense in the league in 2025, allowing 17.2 points per game. The Patriots were fourth at 18.8.

According to teamrankings.com, the Seahawks and Patriots are the best teams against the spread (record when factoring in the point spread) this season, including playoffs.

Seattle is 14-5-0 against the spread (ATS), while New England is 13-6-1.

While a slew of specialty bets will be posted over the next two weeks, an early look at one of the most popular prop bets, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, is topped with the expected names.

As quarterback of the betting favorite, Seattle’s Sam Darnold is the betting favorite with odds in the plus-130 range (bet $100 to win $130), with New England QB Drake Maye second at around plus-235. The only other players with odds shorter than plus-1000 (or 10-to-1) are a pair of Seahawks — receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba (plus-500) and running back Kenneth Walker III (plus-700). Up next is Patriots running back Rhamondre Stephenson, but he is listed between plus-2500 and plus-3000.

This will be the second Super Bowl meeting between the Seahawks and the Patriots. New England beat defending champion Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX (49) on Feb. 1, 2015 when Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line with 20 seconds left in the game to seal the 28-24 win in Glendale, Ariz.

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WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 2 S. CAROLINA HITS NO. 5 VANDY WITH FIRST DEFEAT

Ta’Niya Latson scored 21 points, Tessa Johnson added 20 and No. 2 South Carolina handed No. 5 Vanderbilt an emphatic first loss of the season, 103-74 on Sunday in Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina (20-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference), coming in off an overtime loss to Oklahoma, wasted little time pouncing on Vanderbilt (20-1, 6-1). The Gamecocks went on an 11-2 barrage just 1:38 into the contest, setting the tone for the lopsided win. They shot a blistering 40-of-65 from the floor (61.5%), including 10-of-17 from 3-point range, en route to their highest-scoring performance in SEC competition this season.

Johnson’s 4-of-7 shooting from deep led the Gamecocks. Madina Okot contributed 17 points (8-of-9 shooting), seven rebounds and five steals off the bench, and Joyce Edwards tallied 16 points, seven boards and six assists.

Vanderbilt, which enjoyed the best start in program history at 20-0, shot 12-of-25 from 3-point distance but only went 16-of-36 from inside the arc. The Commodores also committed 20 turnovers that South Carolina converted into 32 points. Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes scored 23 points to lead all scorers and had seven rebounds and five assists in the loss.

No. 3 UCLA 80, Northwestern 46

Kiki Rice flirted with a triple-double, going for 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and the Bruins rolled to their 13th consecutive victory with the decision against the Wildcats in Evanston, Ill.

UCLA (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten) overwhelmed Northwestern (8-12, 2-7) on defense, holding the Wildcats to just 17-of-48 shooting from the floor. The Bruins leveraged Northwestern’s shooting struggles into a 44-25 rebounding edge and scored 31 points on the Wildcats’ 20 turnovers.

Rice led four Bruins with multiple steals, swiping four. Gabriela Jaquez (19 points) and Lauren Betts (16) each came up with three steals and Angela Dugalic added two off the bench. Northwestern’s Grace Sullivan led all scorers with 21 points.

No. 7 Michigan 73, Southern California 67

Olivia Olson (24 points) led all five starters in double figures for the Wolverines, who rallied in the fourth quarter to hold off the upset-minded Trojans in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michigan (17-3, 8-1 Big Ten) jumped to a double-digit-point lead early and extended it to as many as 16 points in the second and third quarters, but gave up a 31-13 disparity to Southern California (11-9, 3-6) in the third quarter.

The Trojans took a five-point lead into the final period, thanks in part to Kara Dunn’s game highs of 26 points and 10 rebounds. But Michigan’s defense clamped USC down to surrender just nine points over the final 10 minutes. Mila Holloway finished with 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Wolverines, while Brooke Quarles Daniels, Ashley Sofilkanich and Syla Swords each adding 10 points.

No. 10 Iowa 91, No. 12 Ohio State 70

Hannah Stuelke posted 18 points and 15 rebounds, Addie Dea scored a career-high 20 points off the bench and the Hawkeyes cruised to a victory over the Buckeyes in Iowa City.

Iowa (18-2, 9-0 Big Ten) took control early with a 12-0 run late in the first quarter, building a lead it never relinquished. The Buckeyes (18-3, 7-2) pulled to within five points early in the second quarter, but never came any closer despite shooting 14-of-34 (41.2%) from 3-point range compared to Iowa’s 9-of-22.

Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge led all scorers with 26 points, knocking down 6 of 9 3-point attempts, and added 10 rebounds for a double-double, but the Hawkeyes countered with a balanced scoring attack and a 42-14 advantage in points in the paint.

Four Hawkeyes scored in double-figures, including Addison Deal (20 points, five assists) and Ava Heiden (18). Chazadi Wright added 14 points to help Iowa remain perfect in conference play.

No. 16 Oklahoma 72, Auburn 65

Aaliyah Chavez knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 18 points, and the visiting Sooners avoided a letdown with their road win over their Southeastern Conference counterpart Tigers.

Coming off Thursday’s 94-82 upset of No. 2 South Carolina, Oklahoma (16-4, 4-3 SEC) clinched another win with a 13-5 fourth-quarter run after Auburn (13-8, 2-4) tied the game midway through the fourth quarter. Sahara Williams, who scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from inside the 3-point line, grabbed nine boards to lead Oklahoma.

Oklahoma struggled shooting from deep as a team much of the way, making just 6 of 24 (25%), but Chavez knocked down 44.4% of her attempts. Auburn shot 7 of 19 from deep (36.8%), with A’riel Jackson scoring nine of her game-high 19 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. The Tigers could not match Oklahoma on the glass, with the Sooners posting a 39-31 rebounding edge and turning 13 offensive boards into 19 second-chance points.

No. 23 Alabama 85, Mississippi State 78

A late-game 8-0 run helped power the Crimson Tide past the Bulldogs in a stiff SEC test in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Alabama (18-3, 4-3 SEC) broke a 66-66 tie when Karly Weathers’ layup at the 4:17 mark and 3-pointer 25 seconds later ignited the decisive spurt. Jessica Timmons converted an and-one to cap the burst, while another 3-pointer from Weathers with 1:59 remaining effectively put the game away for the Crimson Tide. Weathers produced eight of her 13 total points in the pivotal stretch.

Timmons finished with 28 points for her third game posting at least 22 in Alabama’s last five. Weathers and Timmons combined to shoot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, pacing the Tide’s 13-of-21 outpouring from outside. Diana Collins went for 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Mississippi State (15-6, 2-5) got 19 points from Favour Nwaedozi, 16 points from Madison Francis and 14 points off the bench from Jaylah Lampley in the loss.

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NBA

NBA ROUNDUP: ZION WILLIAMSON, PELICANS WIN AT SAN ANTONIO IN A STUNNER

Saddiq Bey and Zion Williamson scored 24 points each and both canned key free throws down the stretch as New Orleans took a big second-half lead and finished with a flurry to stun host San Antonio 104-95 on Sunday.

Bey and Williamson each grabbed 10 rebounds in the Pelicans’ win while Trey Murphy III added 17 points and Yves Missi had 10 points and 14 boards.

Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Keldon Johnson added 15 points off the bench, Devin Vassell had 13 in his first action since Dec. 29 after missing 13 games with an adductor strain and Julian Champagnie and De’Aaron Fox hit for 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Warriors 111, Timberwolves 85

Stephen Curry finished with 26 points and seven assists and Golden State pulled away in the second half in Minneapolis to hand Minnesota its fifth straight loss.

Moses Moody added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors, who snapped a two-game skid and won a game without Jimmy Butler III since the star suffered a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 19. Brandin Podziemski scored 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting and De’Anthony Melton matched him with 12 off the bench.

Anthony Edwards scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves. Donte DiVincenzo finished with 22 points and Julius Randle scored 11 as Minnesota was were outscored 64-39 after halftime.

Raptors 103, Thunder 101

Immanuel Quickley scored 23 points, including a pair of critical 3-pointers in the final two minutes, to lift Toronto to a road win over Oklahoma City.

The game was nip-and-tuck throughout, with no team leading by more than seven the entire way. RJ Barrett added 14 points and Brandon Ingram 13 for the Raptors. Scottie Barnes had 10 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 24 points, though just three came in the fourth quarter.

Heat 111, Suns 102

Bam Adebayo scored 22 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and sleep-deprived Miami pulled away from host Phoenix.

Norman Powell had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season for the Heat, who finished 3-2 on their longest road trip of the season. The team arrived in Phoenix at 4:30 a.m. local time Sunday after their flight from Salt Lake City was delayed more than three hours, according to FlightAware.

Dillon Brooks scored 26 points and Grayson Allen added 18 for the Suns, who played without leading scorer Devin Booker (sprained ankle) in their first home game after a 12-day, six-game road trip.

Pistons 139, Kings 116

Cade Cunningham scored 19 of his game-high 29 points in the first half to lead Detroit to a home win over Sacramento.

Cunningham, who shot 13 of 22 from the field, added 11 assists and five rebounds for the Pistons, who swept the season series. Jalen Duren scored 18 points and Tobias Harris had 16 for Detroit, which shot 54.9% from the field overall (50 of 91), 51.6% from 3-point range (16 of 31) and held a 43-33 rebounding advantage.

Malik Monk came off the Kings’ bench to score 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, DeMar DeRozan scored 16 and Nique Clifford and Dennis Schroder each added 15 for Sacramento, which has lost five straight overall and nine straight on the road. The Kings shot 52.4% from the field (44 of 84) and 11 of 25 from 3-point range (44%).

Clippers 126, Nets 89

Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points in 25 minutes and Los Angeles continued its recent domination by sailing past visiting Brooklyn.

James Harden had 19 points and eight assists and John Collins scored 18 points as the Clippers won for the 15th in 19 games since bottoming out with a 6-21 start. Jordan Miller had 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench and Ivica Zubac had 11 points and 10 boards. Leonard scored 20 or more points for the 24th consecutive appearance.

Danny Wolf scored 14 points off the bench and Egor Demin added 12 for the Nets, who have lost five straight games and 13 of their past 15 games. High-scoring forward Michael Porter Jr. had just nine points in 22 minutes for Brooklyn.

Nuggets at Grizzlies (ppd.)

Mavericks at Bucks (ppd).

Denver’s scheduled game at Memphis and Dallas’ scheduled game at Milwaukee on Sunday were postponed due to the storm affecting much of the country. No makeup date has been announced for either game.

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NHL

NHL ROUNDUP: ROOKIE BECKETT SENNECKE (HAT TRICK), DUCKS TRIP FLAMES IN OT

Anaheim rookie Beckett Sennecke completed his first career hat trick with the overtime winner and the Ducks won their seventh straight with a 4-3 comeback victory over the host Calgary Flames on Sunday.

Chris Kreider added a goal while both Alex Killorn and Mikael Granlund collected two assists for Anaheim, which is pushing to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. Goaltender Lukas Dostal made 32 saves on 35 shots.

Matt Coronato netted one goal and one assist while Hunter Brzustewicz notched his first NHL goal and Jonathan Huberdeau also tallied for the Flames, who have lost four straight. Goalie Dustin Wolf stopped 17 shots in the loss.

Kraken 4, Devils 2

Former first-round picks Matty Beniers and Berkly Catton scored 18 seconds apart to break a third-period tie as Seattle defeated visiting New Jersey.

Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist and Ryker Evans also scored for the Kraken, who improved to 2-2-0 on its six-game homestand. Goaltender Joey Daccord made 27 saves to snap a personal three-game losing streak.

Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist apiece and Connor Brown added two helpers for the Devils, who were attempting to sweep their four-game Western swing. Hughes snapped a 15-game goalless drought and goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 15 of 18 shots.

Panthers 5, Blackhawks 1

Tobias Bjornfot scored twice to help visiting Florida earn a win against Chicago.

It marked the second and third NHL goals for the 24-year-old Bjornfot, coming close to five years after his first career tally back on May 1, 2021, when he was with the Los Angeles Kings. Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist, and Mackie Samoskevich and Sam Reinhart also scored for the Panthers, who have won three in a row. Daniil Tarasov made 19 saves.

Tyler Bertuzzi scored and Spencer Knight made 20 saves for the Blackhawks, who had their three-game point streak snapped (2-0-1).

Avalanche 4, Maple Leafs 1

Brock Nelson scored two of his three goals in the first period and visiting Colorado went on to defeat Toronto.

It marked the fifth hat trick of Nelson’s career and his first for the Avalanche. Jack Drury also scored for Colorado, which had lost its two previous games. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 32 shots.

Max Domi scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost the first four games of a five-game homestand. Joseph Woll made 33 saves.

Senators 7, Golden Knights 1

Stephen Halliday scored two goals and had an assist, Brady Tkachuk had three assists and Dylan Cozens also scored twice as Ottawa cruised to a victory over visiting Vegas.

Fabian Zetterlund, Jordan Spence and Nick Jensen also scored goals and Tyler Kleven and Thomas Chabot each added two assists. The Senators won in regulation at home against the Golden Knights for the first time in team history (2-6-0). Mads Sogaard, making his first start of the season and the 26th of his career, made 19 saves for Ottawa.

Rasmus Andersson scored a goal and Adin Hill finished with 24 saves for Vegas, which suffered its third loss in the last four games. The six-goal loss matched a franchise record for worst defeat in team history. The Knights had a 11-0-2 point streak snapped against the Senators.

Penguins 3, Canucks 2

British Columbia native Ben Kindel scored two goals in the second period to propel visiting Pittsburgh to a victory over Vancouver.

Kindel, who is from Coquitlam, gave his parents and reported 180 supporters in attendance reason to cheer by snapping a 19-game goal drought. Evgeni Malkin scored a goal in his third consecutive contest and Stuart Skinner made 26 saves for the Penguins, who completed a four-game sweep of their road trip.

The Canucks’ Jake DeBrusk cleaned up a rebound at 6:29 of the third and former Penguin Teddy Blueger tipped home Filip Hronek’s blast with six minutes remaining in the period. Kevin Lankinen turned aside 22 shots for reeling Vancouver, which fell for the 13th time in the last 14 games (1-11-2).

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GOLF

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER LANDS 20TH PGA TOUR WIN AT THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

Far be it for Scottie Scheffler to ease into another golf season.

Scheffler pulled away with a birdie spree in the final round of The American Express to win his first outing of 2026, shooting 6-under-par 66 in Sunday’s final round at La Quinta, Calif.

That gave the world’s No. 1 golfer a tournament total of 27-under 261 for a four-stroke victory on his way to winning on the PGA Tour for the 20th time.

“It’s pretty wild,” Scheffler said. “It has been a great start to my career and I’ve had some nice wins out there. It has been special and I try not to think about that stuff too much.”

The final round of this multiple-course tournament was played at the Pete Dye Stadium Course, where Scheffler recorded seven birdies and one bogey across the first 12 holes to break away from the pack.

Ryan Gerard (65), Matt McCarty (68), Andrew Putnam (68) and Australia’s Jason Day (64) shared second place at 23 under.

Scheffler won six times in 2025 after racking up seven victories in 2024, so he could be on his way to another impressive season. This was the first time he won in his season debut.

“Going into the season, I was just trying to do the things I needed to do in order to be prepared to come out and play this week,” Scheffler said. “I’m going to go home, get some rest and kind of rinse and repeat.”

Scheffler, 29, became the first golfer to rise to the tour’s 20-win mark since Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy achieved that number in 2021. He is the third-youngest player to collect his 20th victory, trailing only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. It marked Scheffler’s 151st tournament, with only Woods (95) and Nicklaus (127) reaching the 20-win plateau faster.

Scheffler led by three shots shortly after a birdie on No. 11 and tacked on birdies at Nos. 12 and 14. By then, among the top five on the leaderboard, only Putnam and Scheffler were still on the course.

Of Scheffler’s first seven birdies, five required putts of less than 3 feet.

Until his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole ended up in the water and he took a double-bogey 5, Scheffler was bidding to become the first golfer in 16 years to reach 30 under in the tournament.

Scheffler said his next tournament will come in the WM Phoenix Open in two weeks.

Third-round leader Si Woo Kim of South Korea shot 72 to finish tied for sixth place with Sam Stevens (67) at 22 under.

Blades Brown, 18, was bidding to become the second-youngest golfer to win a PGA Tour event, but his 74 left him in a tie for 18th place at 19 under.

Brown, Kim and Scheffler were playing in the final threesome. Brown had a 68 on the same course a day earlier.

“One of the coolest things that I learned today was how underrated Scottie Scheffler’s short game is,” Brown said. “To see it in person and just to look at kind of the trajectory and the spin, and just the control that he has with his wedges and short game. Obviously, his putting is insane, too. It was really cool to watch.”

Brown’s efforts turned into a major storyline in the tournament. He flirted with a 59 on Friday before signing for a 60. His T18 was the best finish of his young PGA career.

“I have so much to take away from this week,” Brown said. “Getting to play with Scottie Scheffler in a final group at 18 years old, I had to pinch myself a couple of times just to make sure this was real. Not the Sunday that I would have liked, but I, overall, had so much fun playing The American Express this week.”

Day’s bogey-free round included four consecutive birdies (Nos. 5-8). His best round of the tournament was Thursday’s 63, also on the Pete Dye Stadium Course.

PATRICK REED CAPTURES 4-STROKE WIN IN DUBAI

Patrick Reed took a conservative approach to the final round on Sunday at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates, and it paid off as he turned in a 72 and recorded his first victory on the DP World Tour since 2020.

Reed took a four-stroke lead into play Sunday and turned in eight pars and a bogey on the front nine at Emirates Golf Club. But when David Puig of Spain, his playing partner, rattled off three birdies in a row beginning at No. 8, Reed countered with his own birdie at No. 10 to stay two shots up.

The final round turned Reed’s way for good on the par-5 No. 13, when his birdie and Puig’s bogey restored the American’s four-stroke lead. Reed closed the round with five pars and a 14-under 274 for the tournament.

“Instead of keeping the foot on the gas early, I tried to protect that lead since I had a four-shot lead, and next thing you know, David goes and birdied eight and nine, and shuts it down to two,” said Reed, who had won the WGC-Mexico Championship in 2020 when it was co-sanctioned by the European Tour.

“We were able to get that birdie there on 13 to get to 1 under and (Puig) gave me a gift there by bogeying. From there on, just hit fairways, hit greens and just don’t make any mistakes.

Instead, it was Puig — who, like Reed, plays on LIV Golf — who made the mistakes, finishing with a bogey on No. 15 and a double bogey on the par-5 18th to end with a 75 and fall from second to seventh place at 7 under.

Englishman Andy Sullivan closed with two birdies to shoot a 71 and finish alone in second place at 10 under.

Scores in the 60s were plentiful in the first three rounds, but only a handful of players managed to finish sub-70 in windy conditions on Sunday. One of them was Julien Guerrier of France, who combined an eagle, two birdies and a bogey to shoot 69 and grab third place at 9 under par.

First-round leader Francesco Molinari of Italy (72 on Sunday), Jayden Schaper of South Africa (70) and Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark (70) tied for fourth, six shots back of Reed.

Viktor Hovland of Norway, who opened the day in third place, had three double bogeys and two birdies to shoot a 76 and finish well off the pace in a 14th-place tie.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland never got untracked on the week, and his 73 on Sunday left him 12 shots behind Reed and tied for 33rd. World No. 3 Tommy Fleetwood of England shot a 69 to end the tournament at 1-under 287.

STEWART CINK CARRIES OVER ROLL FROM 2025, WINS SEASON-OPENING MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC

Stewart Cink, the 2025 PGA Tour Champions Player of the Year, opened the new season with three-shot victory on Saturday at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii.

Cink carded a bogey-free round of 8-under-par 64 to finish at 23-under 193 in the three-round event at Hualalai Golf Course.

“I wanted to come out here this year and start hot and not work my way into the season,” said Cink, 52. “I’m not going to play for almost two months now, so it really meant a lot to come out here and play well. You have to make a lot of birdies, and sometimes the first tournament of the year is not the easiest place to make a lot of birdies, but I was able to this week. Played really solid and I’m very pleased.”

Argentina’s Angel Cabrera followed his 62 on Friday with a 6-under 66 on Saturday to finish alone in second at 20 under. South Africa’s Retief Goosen (64) moved up eight spots to place third at 18 under.

Cink birdied Nos. 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 16. He said a par save on the par-3 No. 8 kept his momentum after missing a birdie putt on No. 7.

“It’s not awful, but it kind of feels a little bit like a bogey,” Cink said of his par at the par-5 No. 7. “To have an 11-, 12-footer for par there (on No. 8) and to can that one, that gave me a lot of momentum, a lot of belief and trust and I rode that all the way.”

Cink was an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, including The Open Championship in 2009. He has won five times in 37 events played on the PGA Tour Champions — three tournaments in 2025, including the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

He finished the tournament first in total birdies (23), tied for first with Cabrera in average driving distance (312.20 yards) and second in longest drive (340 yards) to Cabrera’s 362-yarder. Cink also tied for second in scrambling (10 of 11, 90.9%).

The long-driving Cabrera recovered from a bogey on the par-4 first hole with birdies at Nos. 3, 4 and 7 for 2-under 34 on the front nine. He needed to shave more strokes in pursuit of Cink, the second-round co-leader, and eagled the par-5 No. 10. Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13-14 were followed by pars on the last four holes.

Second-round co-leader Freddie Jacobson of Sweden shot 2-under 70 to finish tied for fourth at 17 under. First-round leader Stephen Ames of Canada shot 72 and tied for ninth at 14 under.

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INDIANA RELEASES

INDIANA PACERS

GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT HAWKS

The Indiana Pacers (11-35) finish off a five-game road trip on Monday as they make a quick stop in Atlanta to match up with the new-look Hawks (22-25). Atlanta parted ways with eight-year veteran Trae Young in exchange for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum early in January. Monday’s meeting is the first time the Pacers will clash with the newly constructed Hawks.

Indiana enters Atlanta 1-3 on the current road trip after securing a victory over the defending champs in Oklahoma City on Friday.

“It’s heartwarming to get a result like this,” coach Carlisle said following the win. “…We just have a competitive grit.”

Andrew Nembhard recorded 27 points and 11 assists to lead the Pacers on Friday, and Jarace Walker contributed a career-high 26 points. The Blue and Gold seek to carry that energy into Atlanta on Monday.

The Pacers have moved the ball well over their last 10 contests – Indiana is averaging over 29 assists per game in that span – but Atlanta swings it well, too. The Hawks dish out a league-leading 31 assists per night, and are led by the emerging Jalen Johnson’s eight per game.

Johnson’s ascension this season has him leading the Hawks in three major stat categories as he averages 23.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and eight assists per game for an Atlanta team with its eyes on the playoffs. The Hawks are winners of two straight contests, and sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, two games out of the ninth seed.

Monday’s game marks the second of three meetings between the Hawks and the Pacers this season. The third and final meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Pacers will attempt to stop Johnson and the Hawks on Monday before returning to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday for a clash with the Chicago Bulls.

Projected Starters

Pacers: G – Andrew Nembhard, G – Aaron Nesmith, F – Johnny Furphy, F – Jarace Walker, C – Pascal Siakam

Hawks: G – Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G – Dyson Daniels, F – Corey Kispert, F – Jalen Johnson, C – Onyeka Okongwu

Injury Report

Pacers: Quenton Jackson – questionable (right ankle sprain), Bennedict Mathurin – questionable (right thumb sprain), Tyrese Haliburton – out (right Achilles tendon tear), Obi Toppin – out (right foot stress fracture)

Hawks: Nikola Djurisic – doubtful (G League assignment), Asa Newell – doubtful (G League assignment), N’Faly Dante – out (torn right ACL), Kristaps Porzingis – out (left Achilles tendinitis), Zaccharie Risacher – out (left knee bone contusion)

Last Meeting

Oct. 31, 2025: The Hawks defeated the Pacers, 128-108, in NBA Cup Group Play action.

A Halloween matchup with Atlanta went awry for the Pacers as early as the second quarter when the Hawks took the lead for good. The Pacers played without Obi Toppin, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, and Tyrese Haliburton as all were sidelined with a slew of injuries.

Atlanta played without star guard Trae Young, who was also sidelined due to injury. Jalen Johnson shouldered the offensive load with Young out, and scored 22 points with 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

The Pacers couldn’t overcome the vast shooting percentage discrepancy as Atlanta made 54 percent of its looks to Indiana’s 35 percent. The Hawks also outdid the Pacers in the fast break – Atlanta recorded 28 fast break points to the Pacers’ eight.

Noteworthy

The Pacers are 1-3 on their current five-game road trip.

Atlanta leads the season series, 1-0.

Indiana is 100-112 against the Hawks all-time.

RayJ Dennis spent time on a two-way contract with the Pacers this season before joining Atlanta.

Broadcast Information (Where to Watch and Listen to Pacers Games >>)

TV: FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)

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INDY FUEL

FUEL FALL TO THE BISON 3-0 ON SUNDAY NIGHT

BLOOMINGTON -The Fuel wrapped up their three-in-three weekend against Bloomington on Sunday night. Despite a strong win over the Bison the night before, the Fuel were unable to capitalize on their chances and fell 3–0.

1ST PERIOD

Sahil Panwar was whistled for slashing just 1:43 into the opening period, but the Bison were unable to capitalize on the early power play.

Nikita Sedov broke the scoreless tie at the 10-minute mark, giving the Bison a 1–0 lead. 

Brenden Datema took a high-sticking minor at 11:52. The Fuel did not even up the score. 

The period ended evenly played, with shots locked at 9–9.

2ND PERIOD

There were no goals or penalties added to the game sheet this period.

Shots on goal favored the Fuel 19-16.

3RD PERIOD

Will Ennis took a tripping penalty 1:55 into the third period. The Fuel held strong on the penalty kill. 

Shane Ott extended the Bison lead 2-0 at 6:02 in the third. 

Things got chippy with Jadon Joseph and Datema with 6:40 remaining in the period. Joseph and Datema were both assessed with a roughing minor. 

Panwar took an interference call at 15:28. The Bison did not execute on the chance. 

Bison forward, Mikhail Abramov, got an empty net goal at 19:43 to end the game.

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PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

PURDUE WINS BARN BURNER TROPHY GAME, GEARLDS NOTCHES CAREER WIN 300

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Barn Burner Trophy returned to West Lafayette for the first time since 2016, as the Purdue women’s basketball team defeated in-state rival Indiana 80-69 on Sunday afternoon at Mackey Arena. The win was the 300th of head coach Katie Gearlds’ career.

The Boilermakers (11-9, 3-6) were led by Nya Smith’s 13 points with a trio fo 3-pointers. Madison Layden-Zay finished with 12 points, four rebounds and six assists. Hila Karsh was 4-of-5 from behind the arc for 12 points.

All nine players who entered the game scored four or more points. Freshman Avery Gordon was 4-of-4 from the field for the second straight game, finishing with nine points.

Purdue dished out 21 assists on 27 made field goals, topped by Ladyen-Zay’s third straight game with six helpers. Purdue shot 49.1% for the game and 11-of-22 from behind the arc. After a slow 4-of-18 start in the first quarter and 1-of-5 from distance, the Boilermakers were 23-of-37 from the field for 62% and 10-of-17 behind the arc over the final 30 minutes.

Purdue forced Indiana (11-10, 0-9) into 20 turnovers to score 27 points, while allowed just 13 points on 15 offensive miscues. Despite losing the rebounding battle 31-24, Purdue surrendered just four points on 10 second chance opportunities for Indiana. Thirty-five of Purdue’s points came off the bench.

Indiana was led by a 37-point performance by Shay Ciezki, which tied for third most points in a game in Mackey Arena history.

SECOND QUARTER STATEMENTThe Boilermakers surged in the second quarter to take control of the game, winning the frame 30-14. Purdue was 10-of-11 from the field with five 3-pointers. The lone miss came from behind the arc. Nya Smith connected three times from distance to score 11 points. Gordon went 3-of-3 in the period for six points.

All 10 field goals came off an assist, led by Kiki Smith’s four.

Purdue held Indiana to 4-of-10 shooting and 1-of-3 from behind the arc and scored 13 points on five of Indiana’s six turnovers in the second. The Boilermakers opened the second on a 19-2 run, allowing just one field goal over the opening 7:13 of the second.

KEY MOMENTS

• Purdue fought through a slow first quarter, missing their first eight shots of the game and starting 1-of-11. The Boilermakers stood up defensively, forcing six turnovers in the opening frame. Indiana led 15-11 after 10 minutes.

• The Boilermakers opened the second quarter scoring eight straight points on a Karsh 3-pointer and five straight from Nya Smith.

• Indiana converted three free throws in the middle of the frame, before McKenna Layden nailed a 3-pointer to open the score back up to 15 with 3:02 to play.

• Gordon scored the final six points of the half, as Purdue carried a 41-29 lead into the break.

• Purdue weathered the storm in the third, as the Hoosiers hit five 3-pointers and went 8-of-9 at the line. Layden scored five points in the third, while Ciezki accounted for 18 of Indiana’s 25 points in the frame.

• Karsh opened the fourth with her first of two 3-pointers in the final period.

• Layden-Zay scored eight points in the fourth, including a trio of free throws under two minutes to ice the game.

NOTES

• After the 100th meeting between Purdue and Indiana, the Boilermakers lead the series 56-44.

• The win was Purdue’s five over Indiana since the 2018-19 season at Mackey Arena when the Hoosiers were ranked No. 25.

• Purdue snapped a nine-game skid in the Barn Burner Trophy Game, dating back to Purdue’s last win on Jan. 10, 2016. Purdue still owns the longest winning streak in the series at 10 games from 1999-2008.

• Madison Layden-Zay became the 31st player in Purdue history to amass 500 rebounds in a career.

• Nya Smith has finished in double figures in three of the last five games.

• Layden-Zay passed Lisa Jahner and Erika Valek to move up to 25th on Purdue’s scoring charts with 1,222 points.

• The fifth year also passed Sharon Versyp for 14th on the all-time steals chart with 197.

• Purdue is 18-1 since the start of last season and 10-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points. The Boilermakers are 10-2 when keeping teams to 70 or fewer this season.

UP NEXT

Purdue will welcome No. 13 Michigan State to Mackey Arena on Thursday night for a 6 p.m. tip on BTN. The Boilermakers will go for their first home win over an AP Top-15 team since Dec. 4, 2011, against No. 4 Texas A&M.

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PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

NO. 4 PURDUE AIMING FOR IMPROVED SHOOTING, REBOUNDING AGAINST INDIANA

Fourth-ranked Purdue is making 3-pointers at an excellent 38.3% clip, good for 21st in Division I.

But in the last four games, the Boilermakers have hit just 33.3% (27 of 81). That’s not bad but isn’t good enough when weighed against how they normally hit it.

As Purdue prepares for a Tuesday night trip to rival Indiana in Bloomington, it will zero in on establishing its normal efficiency from beyond the arc.

“We’ve got guys who shoot 45, 50% not making shots right now,” point guard Braden Smith said after a 69-67 loss at UCLA on Jan. 20. “It is what it is. We’re shooting wide-open shots; they’re just not going in.”

After bricking away at a 7-of-27 clip at UCLA, the Boilermakers (17-3, 7-2 Big Ten) sank an acceptable 7 of 19 on Saturday at home against then-No. 11 Illinois. But the Fighting Illini strafed them for an 18-of-38 showing (47%) from the arc, with freshman Keaton Wagler drilling 9 of 11 from deep on the way to scoring 46 points on just 17 shot attempts in an 88-82 victory.

“He was fabulous,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Wagler. “He hit a lot of tough shots over us, obviously. That’s probably the most impressive performance we’ve had in Mackey Arena from an opponent.”

Painter said his team lost the game when it was stomped on the boards 33-19. Illinois grabbed 13 offensive rebounds off 29 available misses and converted those into 18 back-breaking points.

Smith continues to lead the Boilermakers in scoring (15.2) and assists (9.3). The senior is coming off 27 and 12 against Illinois. Fletcher Loyer (12.7 points per game), Trey Kaufman-Renn (12.5) and Oscar Cluff (11.8) also score in double figures.

Indiana (13-7, 4-5) snapped a four-game losing streak Friday by thumping host Rutgers 82-59. Lamar Wilkerson pumped in 27 points, while Nick Dorn added 23 and Tucker DeVries stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Also importantly, the Hoosiers corrected some weaknesses in defense and rebounding. After allowing an average of 81 points during their skid, they limited Rutgers to 36.2% shooting from the floor (21 of 58) and earned a 40-27 advantage on the boards.

“I love the team mentality these guys have,” said first-year Indiana coach Darian DeVries. “They continue to give us great effort. We have so many opportunities in the Big Ten. This was one. Now we have to get ready for another one at one. It will be a big game for us.”

This one could depend on who controls the 3-point line. Indiana canned 15 from long distance at Rutgers, getting six from Dorn in his first start to tie a career high. Meanwhile, Purdue has permitted a total of 27 3-pointers in its consecutive defeats.

Wilkerson paces the Hoosiers in scoring at 19.4 points per game, canning 40.6% from the 3-point line. Tucker DeVries adds 14.6 despite making a career-low 39.8% from the field. Tayton Conerway, who played against Rutgers despite an ankle injury, chips in 11.2 points per game and is tied for the team lead at 4.1 assists per game.

This is the first of two meetings between these programs. The other one is a home game for Purdue on Feb. 20 in West Lafayette, Ind.

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NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

HIDALGO’S 30-POINT DAY NOT ENOUGH AGAINST CLEMSON

SOUTH BEND, Ind. –  The Fighting Irish fourth-quarter comeback came up short, as Clemson claimed a 65-58 win over Notre Dame inside Purcell Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. The Irish are now 13-7 on the season and 5-4 in ACC play. The game was presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Hannah Hidalgo carried the Irish with 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field. The junior also recorded eight steals, six assists and four rebounds. Iyana Moore also finished in double figures with 16 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The opening 10 minutes was a defensive affair, as the Irish held a 12-9 lead following the first quarter and neither side led by more than three points for the entirety of the frame. Hidalgo scored six of Notre Dame’s 12 points and added four steals to help the Irish gain the early advantage.

The Tigers connected on back-to-back threes to open the second quarter and take a 15-12 lead. Notre Dame responded by scoring 16 of the next 20 points to open up a nine-point advantage at 28-19 with a little over a minute remaining in the half.

Clemson managed to hit two straight three-pointers to cut the Irish lead to three before Hidalgo finished at the rim right before the halftime buzzer to put the Irish up by 30-25 at the break.

The visitors controlled the third quarter, outscoring the Irish 25-9 to take an 11-point lead into the final 10 minutes of play. Clemson used a 15-3 run over the final 5 minutes of the period to build its lead.

Clemson scored a layup for the opening points of the final frame to open up its largest lead of the day but the Irish refused to go away. Notre Dame responded by going on an 11-3 run to cut the Tigers’ lead to just five at 55-50 with 5 minutes left in regulation.

Unfortunately for Notre Dame, it was as close as it would get for the remainder of the game as Clemson held on to win by a score of 65-58.

UP NEXT

The Fighting Irish head out west for a two-game California road swing on the coast, as they take on Cal at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 29 in Berkley. The game will be streamed on ACCNX.

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BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BUTLER NARROWLY FALLS TO MARQUETTE AT HINKLE FIELDHOUSE

INDIANAPOLIS – Butler fell to the Marquette Golden Eagles 64-60 on Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse. With the loss, Butler slides to 9-12 on the season and 3-8 in BIG EAST play while Marquette improves to 13-7 overall and 7-4 in conference action.

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BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS

A trio of Bulldogs scored in double figures, with Mallory Miller leading the way with a team-high 14 points. Lily Zeinstra (13) and Saniya Jackson (12) rounded out the Dawgs in double figures.

Jackson nearly posted her second double double in as many games pulling down a team-high nine rebounds.

Addison Baxter paced the offense with four assists.

Butler shot 25-for-55 (45.5%) from the floor and shot 6-for-25 (24%) from beyond the arc.

BU outrebounded Marquette 27-26.

The Dawgs forced 12 Marquette turnovers.

MARQUETTE HIGHLIGHTS

Halle Vice led all scorers with 23 points in the contest on an efficient 10-for-15 shooting performance from the floor. Jaidynn Mason rounded out the Golden Eagles in double figures, posting 16 points in the contest.

Vice led the Golden Eagles on the glass pulling down five rebounds in the contest.

Lee Volker and Mason paced the Marquette offense with four assists apiece.

Marquette shot 26-for-51 (51%) from the floor and shot 6-for-12 (50%) from beyond the arc.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both sides traded buckets to open the game as Marquette jumped out to an early 10-6 lead at the first media timeout of the contest. After holding the Golden Eagles scoreless for over four minutes in the end of the first, MU hit a late 3-pointer giving the visitors the 13-10 advantage after the first stanza.

Zeinstra started the second quarter on fire from beyond the arc, sinking three-consecutive 3-pointers in the first 2:20 of the quarter. Zeinstra’s nine-point explosion forced Marquette to take a timeout with the Dawgs ahead, 19-13. Marquette responded with a 12-0 run of its own, forcing Butler to take a timeout with the Golden Eagles up six. MU finished the half on a 19-0 run over the final 5:17, as the visitors took the 32-19 lead into the break.

After trading early buckets to start the third, Butler was able to string together a 6-0 run cutting the deficit to six. Marquette responded to the Dawgs’ run by holding BU scoreless for over three minutes as the Golden Eagle lead grew to 11 with two minutes left in the quarter. The visitors closed the quarter with the 47-33 advantage.

Butler opened the fourth on an 8-2 run as the Dawgs cut the visitors’ advantage to eight. BU continued to claw back, holding MU scoreless for 3:34 as the visitors’ lead stood at six with just under five minutes left in the game. Both sides continued to trade buckets but a deep 3-pointer from Miller with 24 seconds left cut the Marquette lead to three. Butler was unable to complete the comeback in the final seconds, falling just short at the final whistle, 64-60.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will be back in action on Sunday, Feb. 1 as BU makes the quick trip to Xavier for a BIG EAST matchup. Tip-off at the Cintas Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SYCAMORES UNABLE TO KEEP PACE WITH REDBIRDS SUNDAY

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Samiyah Briggs led a trio of Sycamores with 14 points Sunday afternoon, but visiting Illinois State defeated Indiana State 85-69 inside Hulman Center.

Tierney Kelsey added 12 points off the bench and Da’Naria Washington chipped in 10. Clemisha Prackett and Jayci Allen each grabbed six rebounds, while Kelsey and Washington added three assists apiece. Washington added a game high five steals.

Illinois State controlled the game from the opening tip, building an early advantage behind a strong first quarter and carrying a double-digit lead into halftime at 47-31. The Redbirds extended their cushion in the third quarter with a 12-4 run fueled by trips to the free-throw line, pushing the margin to 24 points before Indiana State could respond. While the Sycamores played the Redbirds evenly through much of the second half and closed the game with a late run, Illinois State maintained control throughout and pulled away for an 85-69 win.

First Half

Illinois State opened the game with an 8-2 run before a layup by Kennedy Claybrooks cut the early Sycamore deficit. The Trees continued to chip away, using baskets from Claybrooks, Briggs and Kayla Smith to keep pace early on. Illinois State responded by closing the quarter on a 15-6 run to take a 28-17 lead at the end of the first period.

The second quarter began with a scoreless two-and-a-half minutes before Claybrooks knocked down a jumper to get the Sycamores on the board. Illinois State then went on a 13–3 run, halted by a layup from Tierney Kelsey, pushing the score to 41-24 with 2:46 remaining in the half. The final minutes were nearly even, but the Redbirds still carried a 47-31 lead into halftime.

Second Half

Illinois State opened the third quarter with a 12-4 run, aided by eight made free throws, to extend its lead to 59-35. The remainder of the period was evenly played, but the Sycamores still faced a 69-45 deficit heading to the fourth.

Da’Naria Washington scored the first points of the fourth quarter on a fast-break layup. The Sycamores briefly gained momentum with a 7-2 run courtesy of baskets from Prackett, Washington and Kelsey, bringing the score to 75-56 midway through the frame. Indiana State closed the game with another 7-2 run, though it was not enough to overcome the deficit, as the Redbirds secured an 85-69 victory.

News and Notes

Indiana State continued its emphasis on the paint, with the Sycamores tallying 34 points in the paint.

The Sycamores’ bench continued to be a focal point Sunday, as Indiana State had a 28-17 advantage in bench scoring.

Indiana State tallied double-digit second chance points for the fourth consecutive game, finishing with 14 second chance points off of 16 offensive rebounds.

Indiana State shot better from both the field (41.9 percent) and 3-point range (4-for-15) than Illinois State (39.7 percent from the field, 2-for-14 from 3-point range), but Illinois State went 37-for-43 from the free throw line.

Tierney Kelsey scored in double-figures for the 15th time this season, snapping a two-game streak of scoring under 10 points.

Da’Naria Washington recorded a season high with five steals while scoring in double-figures for the second time in the last three games.

Clemisha Prackett dished out two assists in Sunday’ game after entering the contest with just one assist for the whole season.

Up Next

Indiana State begins a two-game road trip Thursday at Valparaiso, with tipoff set for noon.

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EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ACES DEFEAT UNI FOR FIRST WIN IN CEDAR FALLS SINCE 2008

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA – The University of Evansville women’s basketball concluded their Iowa road trip with a bang on Sunday, defeating UNI by a score of 68-65 at the McLeod Center. The win snapped a 21-game losing streak to the Panthers and was the Aces first win in Cedar Falls since 2008.

Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Penn./Greater Latrobe) put in one of the best performances of her career, scoring a season-high 18 points while also matching a career-high with five three pointers on seven attempts. Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) added 17 points and knocked down several key shots late in the game. BreAunna Ward (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs School) matched her career-high with 11 points for the second consecutive game. 

Both teams started slow offensively, with UNI owning a 7-4 advantage at the first media timeout. In the final possession of the quarter, Ward beat the buzzer with a layup to cut the Panthers’ lead to 11-8 at the end of the period.

Evansville got going offensively in the second quarter, taking their first lead of the day on a jumper by Sydney Huber (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Mount Vernon) at the 9:23 mark. The teams went back-and-forth for the remainder of the quarter, trading baskets before going into the half tied up at 29-29.

Coming out of the half, the Aces got hot from three, with Runner and Snyder knocking down a pair of threes to put Evansville ahead by four. Following a jumper by Ward, Snyder buried another triple to stretch the lead to nine. However, UNI responded with a run of their own, battling back to a 42-42 tie with three minutes to go in the quarter. At the end of the quarter, Ward again got a clutch bucket, giving Evansville a three-point lead heading into the fourth.

Snyder remained hot in the four the quarter, sinking another three-ball to put the Aces back up by eight at the 8:40 mark. After the Panthers got it back down to five, Evansville responded with two more threes from Jelena Savic (Melbourne, Australia/Kurunjang Secondary College) and Ward to make it a nine-point game.

UNI made another run with five minutes to go before regaining the lead with 2:20 left, but Runner responded with a jumper as the shot clock expired to put the Aces back up by two. After the Panthers tied it back up, Runner sunk two clutch free throws and the Aces got a stop, sending Snyder to the free throw line with 28 seconds left. Snyder made one free throw before UNI made one free throw of their own. After an Evansville turnout with 18 seconds left, UNI drew another foul and again made one of two, making it a one-point game. With six seconds to go, Kaiden Kreinhagen (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) went to the charity stripe and calmly sunk a pair of free throws, helping the Aces seal a 68-65 win.

Evansville returns home on Thursday, hosting Belmont at Meeks Family Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 6 PM.

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VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

VALPO LOOKS TO EXTEND HOME WINNING STREAK TO FIVE VS. FIRST-PLACE BELMONT

Valparaiso (10-10, 4-5 MVC)

vs. Belmont (18-3, 8-2 MVC)

Game No. 21 – Wednesday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m. CT

Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will finish out a stretch of three consecutive home games on Wednesday night as the Beacons host first-place Belmont at 7 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center. After winning each of the first two games to further a four-game home winning streak, the Beacons will attempt to avenge a defeat from earlier in the season in Nashville and complete a perfect homestand. It’s Pack the ARC Night with seat surprise prizes scheduled to take place and the first 500 fans receiving a free promo item. This will mark Valpo’s second game against Belmont in a four-game span.

Last Time Out: Valpo raced out to a 39-20 halftime lead and fended off a second-half Southern Illinois push to defeat the Salukis 69-63 last Wednesday at the ARC. Justus McNair had a big first half and finished with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The Beacon bench led the SIU bench 35-7, while starter Brody Whitaker went 9-for-9 at the foul line on his way to 12 points. Valpo continued its strong 3-point defense, limiting the Salukis to just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from long range. Valpo had a bye weekend this past weekend as the other 10 conference teams were in action against one another.

Glancing Ahead: Valpo will play its first instate conference foe of the season on Saturday as the Beacons stay within state lines for a road trip to Terre Haute to take on Indiana State. The game tips at noon Central Time on Saturday on ESPN+.

Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Todd Ickow (play-by-play), Jamie Stangel (analyst) and Austin Amburgey (sideline)

Radio – WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso, TuneIn Radio App, ValpoAthletics.com – Jack Hutter and Eli Conklin 

X updates – @ValpoBasketball

Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Roger Powell Jr.: Roger Powell Jr. (32-53) is in his third season as the head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program. After helping guide Gonzaga to a 121-13 record during his four seasons as an assistant coach, Powell returned to Valpo, where he was part of head coach Bryce Drew’s staff from 2011-2016 and led the team to 124 wins in five seasons, including a program-record 30 victories and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title game appearance in 2015-16. He was part of head coach Mark Few’s Gonzaga staff as the Bulldogs reached the 2021 national championship game after winning their first 31 games of the season. During Powell’s first season on staff in 2019-20, Gonzaga was 31-2 at the time the NCAA college basketball season was halted due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of his final three seasons on staff, including two Elite Eight appearances and the aforementioned trip to the 2021 national title game. Prior to his arrival at Gonzaga, Powell served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt University under Bryce Drew from 2016-2019. During his stint as an assistant at Valpo, he was part of four Horizon League regular-season championships in a five-year period while also leading the 2012-13 and 2014-15 squads to Horizon League tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. A product of Joliet West High School and a native of Joliet, Ill., Powell capped a prolific collegiate playing career at Illinois with a national title game appearance in 2005 before going on to a successful professional playing career. In the second season of the Powell Era in 2024-2025, Valpo over doubled its overall win total from the previous season and doubled its conference win output before earning a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal berth. The Beacons finished with 15 wins, the team’s highest total since 2019-20.

Series Notes: Valpo is 10-9 all-time against Belmont including a 1-7 mark against the Bruins since they joined the Missouri Valley Conference prior to the 2022-2023 campaign. Valpo had lost seven straight head-to-head including all six MVC matchups prior to last season’s 101-86 victory on Feb. 12 at the ARC. The 101 points marked Valpo’s highest scoring output in a league game since 1998. The Beacons succumbed for the eighth time in the last nine showdowns on Jan. 13 of this season, falling 78-74 in Nashville.

Jan. 13 – Belmont 78, Valpo 74: Valpo battled back from down 12 with 8:31 to go to tie the game with 1:26 remaining, but host Belmont improved to 16-3 overall and 6-2 in league play on Jan. 13 in Nashville by pulling out a 78-74 victory on a go-ahead shot with 11 seconds to go. The Beacons were led in scoring by fifth-year senior Owen Dease, who poured in 24 points, while freshman Rakim Chaney had his biggest game in league play with 17 points and fellow rookie JT Pettigrew notched his first conference double-double featuring a career-high 12 rebounds. Valpo held a 34-29 advantage on the boards and outdid Belmont 14-5 on offensive rebounds and 22-4 on second-chance points. Chaney had a team-best plus-minus of +12 in 33 minutes, meaning Valpo was outscored by 16 in the seven minutes he was on the bench. The Beacons shot a season-worst 53.3 percent at the free-throw line, missing seven of their 15 attempts. The game featured 11 ties and eight lead changes.

Scouting the Bruins

Riding a five-game winning streak including an 80-69 win over Illinois State on Saturday.

Led in scoring by Tyler Lundblade at 15.0 points per game. He leads four Bruins averaging in double figures.

With their win on Saturday and Murray State’s loss to UNI, the Bruins moved into a tie for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Hold the top KenPom rating in the Missouri Valley Conference at 64 and the top NET rating in the league at 61. 

Coached by Casey Alexander, who is in his seventh season at Belmont.

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“SPORTS EXTRA”

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

On January 26 in …

1871 – British Rugby Union forms.

1913 – Jim Thorpe relinquishes his 1912 Olympic medals for being a professional player.

1921 – Soccer team GVAV of Groningen Netherlands forms.

1921 – Hockey’s Toronto Saints’ Pat Corb Denneny scores six goals versus Hamilton Tigers.

1924 – Charles Jewtraw, US 500m skater, takes first Winter Olympics gold medal.

1934 – Donald Bradman scores 128 New South Wales versus Victoria, 96 minutes, 17 fours 4 sixes.

1951 – Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.

1956 – (to February 5) The VII Olympic Winter Games are held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

1956 – Hank Greenberg and Joe Cronin are elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.

1957 – Joseph F Cairnes succeeds Lou Perini as president of Milwaukee Braves.

1958 – Marlene Hagge wins LPGA Lake Worth Open Golf Invitational.

1960 – Danny Heater scores 135 points in basketball game (Boys’ High School).

1960 – Oakland enters the AFL.

1960 – Pete Rozelle elected NFL commissioner on the 23rd ballot.

1963 – Major League Rules Committee votes to expand strike zone.

1966 – Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (2:06.2).

1976 – 6th NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 23-20.

1977 – Soviet figure skaters Sergei Shakrai and Marine Tcherkasova are first to perform a quadruple twist lift, in Helsinki, Finland.

1980 – Mary Decker runs a mile in under 4.5 minutes.

1980 – New York Islanders and Hartford Whalers play a NHL penalty-free game.

1981 – Sandeep Patil scores memorable 174 versus Australia at Adelaide Oval.

1982 – New York Islanders score four goals within 1:38, five within 2:37 versus Pittsburgh Penguins.

1984 – Quebec Nordiques’ Michel Goulet scores on 9th penalty shot against New York Islanders.

1986 – Hein Vergeer becomes European skating champ.

1986 – Super Bowl XX: Chicago Bears beat New England Patriots, 46-10 in New Orleans, Louisiana; Most Valuable Player: Richard Dent, Defensive End.

1986 – Val Skinner wins LPGA Mazda Golf Classic.

1989 – Allan Border takes 7-46 against the West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

1989 – Madison Square Gardens sports arena in New York announces two-year US$100 million renovation plan.

1989 – Test debut of Mark Taylor, Australia versus West Indies, Sydney.

1990 – Boston Red Sox hires Elaine Weddington as assistant general manager (highest-ranking black female in a major-league front office).

1991 – 65th Australian Womens Tennis: Monica Seles beats J Novotna (5-7, 6-3, 6-1).

1991 – Houston Rockets’ guard Vernon Maxwell is fourth NBA player to score 30 points in a quarter.

1991 – Jan Stenerud becomes first pure placekicker to make NFL Hall of Fame.

1992 – 80th Australian Mens Tennis: Jim Courier beats Stefan Edberg (6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2).

1992 – The Washington Redskins defeat the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI football at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1993 – West Indies defeats Australia by one run in fourth Test at Adelaide.

1997 – 85th Australian Mens Tennis: Pete Sampras beats Carlos Moya (6-2, 6-3, 6-3).

1997 – Brunswick World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by John Gant.

1997 – The Green Bay Packers win the NFL Championship for the first time since 1967, defeating the New England Patriots 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

2003 – Super Bowl XXXVII: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Oakland Raiders 48-21.

2009 – Kansas City Royals’ pitcher Zack Greinke agrees to a four-year contract worth US$38 million.

2019 – (to January 27) At the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florisa, USA, the Rolex 24 at Daytona race is held, round 1 of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship series.

Finishing 1st in DPi class and 1st overall is the Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 #10 Cadillac DPi driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Renger VanDer Zande, Jordan Taylor, and Fernando Alonso.

Finishing 1st in LMP2 class and 6th overall is the DragonSpeed #18 ORECA LMP2 driven by Pastor Maldonado, Sebastian Saavedra, Ryan Cullen, and Roberto Gonzalez.

Finishing 1st in GT Le Mans class and 10th overall is the BMW Team RLL #25 BMW M8 GTE driven by Colton Herta, Auguste Farfus, Connor De Phillippi, and Philipp Eng.

Finishing 1st in GT Daytona class and 17th overall is the GEAR Racing #11 Lanborghini Huracan GT3 driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Christian Engelhart, Rik Breukes, and Rolf Ineichen.

2022 – At Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, USA, NHL regular season game: Colorado Avalanche beats Boston Bruins by score 4-3.

2022 – At Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, USA, NHL regular season game: Chicago Blackhawks beats Detroit Red Wings by score 8-5.

2022 – At Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, USA, NHL regular season game: Calgary Flames beats Columbus Blue Jackets by score 6-0.

2022 – At Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., USA, NHL regular season game: San Jose Sharks beats Washington Capitals by score 4-1.

2022 – At Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, NHL regular season game: Toronto Maple Leafs beats Anaheim Ducks by score 4-3.

Births of sports figures on January 26

1878 – Birth of A W “Dave” Nourse; cricket player (“Grand Old Man” of South African cricket).

1907 – Birth of Henry Cotton; English golfer (British Open winner 1934, 1937, 1948).

1919 – Birth of Khanmohammad Cassumbhoy Ibrahim; cricket player (batted in four Tests India versus West Indies 1948-49).

1925 – Birth of Paul Newman in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; racer/popcorn mogul/actor (Hud, Hombre, Hustler).

1930 – Birth of Harry “Buddy” Melges Junior in Wisconsin, USA; yachter (Olympics-gold/bronze-1964, 1972).

1935 – Birth of Bob Uecker in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; baseball catcher, actor (Mr Belvedere).

1935 – Birth of Henry Jordan in Emporia, Virginia, USA; NFL defensive tackle (Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers).

1945 – Birth of Mick Hill; cricket player (New South Wales all-rounder 1964-75).

1951 – Birth of Jarmila Kratochvilova in Czechoslovakia; 400m/800m runner (women’s world record holder, Olympics-silver-1980).

1952 – Birth of Thomas Edward Henderson in Newberry, South Carolina, USA; basketball player (Olympics-silver-1972).

1954 – Birth of Kimberly J “Kim” Hughes; cricket player (brilliant Australian batsman 1977-84).

1957 – Birth of Ashok Malhotra; cricket player (Indian batsman in 7 Tests 1982-84).

1957 – Birth of Shivlal Yadav; cricket player (Indian off-spinner 102 Test wickets 1979-87).

1958 – Birth of Dave Rummells in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA; Nike golfer (1993 Buick-second).

1960 – Birth of Gary Plummer; NFL linebacker (San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers).

1960 – Birth of Jeanette Bolden in Los Angeles, California, USA; 4x100m runner (Olympics-gold-1984).

1961 – Birth of Wayne Gretzky in Brantford, Ontario, Canada; Edmonton Oilers/Los Angeles Kings/New York Rangers (NHL Most Valuable Player 1980-1987), The Great One.

1962 – Birth of Roshan Guneratne; cricket player (wicketless in only Test SL versus Australia 1983).

1962 – Birth of Tim May; cricket player (Australian off-spinner 1987-95).

1963 – Birth of Simon O’Donnell, cricket player (Deniliquin New South Wales ODI all-rounder 1985-90).

1965 – Birth of Lou Frazier; US baseball outfielder (Montreal Expos).

1965 – Birth of Tim McDonald; safety (San Francisco 49ers).

1967 – Birth of Jeff Branson; US baseball infielder (Cincinnati Reds).

1967 – Birth of Katie Peterson-Parker in Bethesda, Maryland, USA; LPGA golfer (1995 Oldsmobile-5th).

1967 – Birth of Tim Pugh in Lake Tahoe, California, USA; pitcher (Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals).

1968 – Birth of Eric Davis; NFL cornerback (San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers).

1968 – Birth of Reggie Jordan; NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves).

1970 – Birth of Dan Carlson; US baseball pitcher (San Francisco Giants).

1970 – Birth of Dean Malkoc in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; NHL defenseman (Vancouver Canucks).

1970 – Birth of Ronald Moore; NFL running back (New York Jets, Saint Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals).

1971 – Birth of Jon Heidenreich; WLAF guard (Frankfurt Galaxy).

1971 – Birth of Lamar Mills; WLAF defensive end (Amsterdam Admirals).

1971 – Birth of Lee Naylor; Australian 400m runner (Olympics-1996).

1971 – Birth of Min Tang in Hunan, China; tennis star (1995 Futures-Canberra Australia).

1972 – Birth of Harrison Houston; NFL wide receiver (Chicago Bears).

1973 – Birth of Mark Brook; WLAF linebacker (Rhein Fire).

1973 – Birth of Tatsuki Katayama; hockey defenseman (Team Japan 1998).

1973 – Birth of Tony Ramirez; tackle (Detroit Lions).

1976 – Birth of Paul Byrne; Australian 800m runner (Olympics-1996).

1977 – Birth of Justin Gimelstob in New Jersey; tennis star (1994 doubles USTA Bakersfield).

1989 – Birth of Emily Hughes, American figure skater.

Deaths of sports figures on January 26

1932 – William K Wrigley, owner (Wrigley Gum, Chicago Cubs), dies.

1961 – Morris Nichols, cricket player (41 wickets in 14 Tests for England 1930-39), dies.

1983 – Death of Paul “Bear” Bryant, American college football coach, at age 69 in Alabama (born 1913).

1995 – Vic Buckingham, English soccer player/trainer (Ajax), dies at age 79.

1996 – Death of David Schultz, shot by US millionaire John Du Pont at Foxcatcher estate in Newton Square, Pennsylvania, USA; wrestler (Olympics-Gold-1984).

2007 – Death of Gump Worsley, Canadian hockey player (born 1929).

2020 – Death of Kobe Bryant at age 41 in a helicopter crash; basketball player (shooting guard – Los Angeles Lakers, five NBA championship rings).

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BASEBALL CLASSIC

January 26, 1951 — The Baseball Writers Association of America vote sluggers Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx into the Hall of Fame. Ott hit .304 with 511 home runs and 1860 RBI; he managed the New York Giants from 1942 to 1948. Foxx was a .325 hitter with 534 home runs and 1922 RBI.

When Mel Ott arrived in New York as a 17-year old, 160-pound outfielder in 1926, few could have realized that he would become the first National Leaguer to hit 500 home runs. “Master Melvin” played 22 seasons with the Giants, also managing them for six years. When he retired early in the 1947 season, he held National League marks for career home runs, runs scored, RBI, and walks.

Factoids:

Mel Ott’s 323 home runs hit in the Polo Grounds are the most ever hit by one player in a single ballpark. Sammy Sosa 293 at Wrigley ranks 2nd. Here is a full list.   Ott never won an MVP Award, though he ranked in the top ten in votes six times. His best showing was in 1942 when he finished third to St. Louis Cardinals teammates Mort Cooper and Enos Slaughter.

Ott is the only man to ever lead his league in home runs while also serving as manager, which he did in 1942. He paced the National League in homers six times, but his career high of 42 in 1929 failed to lead the league. On the final day of that season, Philadelphia pitchers walked him intentionally five times to prevent him from tying their teammate Chuck Klein for the home run title.

Ott was known for his odd batting style, which included a leg kick. He took great advantage of his home ballpark, slugging nearly two-thirds of his longballs in the Polo Grounds. Manager John McGraw refused to allow his coaches or any minor league manager (including Casey Stengel) to change Ott’s batting style.

Tragically, on November 14, 1958, Ott and his wife were seriously injured in a head-on automobile collision. During surgery, Ott died at the age of 49.

Birthday boy . . . January 26, 1902 in Denver, CO Johnny Frederick was a great rookie whose career declined because of an injury that would not go away. Frederick, who broke into the majors at age 27, led the league with 52 doubles as a rookie with the Brooklyn Robins in 1929. His doubles total remains the all-time major league rookie record by a wide margin (the American League record is 47). It was also the Dodger all-time franchise record until 2023, when it was eclipsed by Freddie Freeman. Thereafter his doubles and home runs tended to decline each year, although his slugging percentage in 1932 (in 118 games) was among the league leaders. His fielding range, great as a rookie, also declined as he got older, and he moved from being a center fielder to being a right fielder. He suffered a leg injury in 1930 that worsened as time went on, eventually relegating him largely to pinch-hitting duties. After major league ball, he continued to hit .300 in minor league ball for six more seasons.  In 2005 he was elected to the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

January 26, 1919, the St. Louis Cardinals name team president Branch Rickey as manager, replacing Jack Hendricks. Under Rickey’s leadership, the last-place Cardinals will improve only slightly in the standings, finishing seventh in 1919.

January 26, 1934 in Milwaukee, WI . . . Bob Uecker. Nicknamed “Mr. Baseball” (by Johnny Carson – Uecker was a frequent guest on the “Tonight Show” with Carson in the 1970s & 1980s). Bob was also a catcher (with limited skills) for six seasons in the 1960s (1962-1967). His career batting average was only .200 (maybe it should have been called “The Uecker Line” instead of “The Mendoza Line”), but Bob strangely had a lifetime .429 BA (in over 50 AB) against the most dominant pitcher of his era, Sandy Koufax. Bob was a member of the 1964 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. Uecker’s wit and self-deprecating humor made him a very popular talk-show guest and ad pitchman (especially his “Miller Lite” commercials (“I must be in the front row”). His acting extended to the tv series, “Mr. Belvedere” in the 1980s and he appeared in one of the most popular baseball movies ever made, “Major League” (and its sequels) in 1989. He coined a catchphrase from that movie that has been repeated often (to this day): “Juuuust a bit outside.” He has been a regular broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers since the early 1980s and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster, winning the “Ford C. Frick Award” in 2003.

January 26 1951 — The Baseball Writers Association of America vote sluggers Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx into the Hall of Fame. Ott hit .304 with 511 home runs and 1860 RBI; he managed the New York Giants from 1942 to 1948. Foxx was a .325 hitter with 534 home runs and 1922 RBI.

January 26, 1960, 32 year old Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jenson announces his retirement a year after winning the MVP award, only months after enjoying one of his best seasons-28 home runs, 112 RBIs, and a .277 average.The Red Sox right fielder retired because of an intense fear of flying that had plagued him for years—at a time flying had become the primary form of transportation for major league clubs.

January 26 1961 — The Cincinnati Reds send Joe Nuxhall to the Kansas City Athletics for pitchers John Tsitouris and John Briggs. Nuxhall first pitched for the Reds in 1944, when he was 15 years old.

January 26, 1990 — The Boston Red Sox hire Elaine Weddington as the assistant general manager of the team, making her the highest-ranking black female executive in major league baseball. The St. John’s graduate received a scholarship to attend the university from the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

TV SPORTS

Monday, 1/26/26

NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Philadelphia 76ers vs Charlotte Hornets	7:00pm	NBCS-PHI FanDuel Sports CHA
Orlando Magic vs Cleveland Cavaliers	7:00pm	Peacock FanDuel Sports FL FanDuel Sports Ohio
Indiana Pacers vs Atlanta Hawks	7:30pm	FanDuel Sports IND FanDuel Sports ATL
Los Angeles Lakers vs Chicago Bulls	8:00pm	Spectrum CHSN
Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets	8:00pm	FanDuel Sports MEM SCHN
Portland Trail Blazers vs Boston Celtics	8:00pm	NBCS-BOS Rip City
Portland Trail Blazers vs Boston Celtics	9:30pm	Peacock
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Los Angeles Kings vs Columbus Blue Jackets	7:00pm	FanDuel Sports West FanDuel Sports Ohio
Boston Bruins vs New York Rangers	7:00pm	NESN MSG
New York Islanders vs Philadelphia Flyers	7:00pm	ATTSN-PIT NBCS-PHI
Utah Mammoth vs Tampa Bay Lightning	7:00pm	FanDuel Sports Sun Utah16
Anaheim Ducks vs Edmonton Oilers	8:30pm	ESPN+ Victory+
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Louisville at Duke	7:00pm	ESPN
Penn State at Ohio State	7:00pm	FS1
Bucknell at Lafayette	7:00pm	CBSSN
Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M	7:00pm	SWAC TV
Maryland Eastern Shore at North Carolina Central	7:00pm	ESPN+
McNeese at Southeastern Louisiana	7:00pm	ESPN+
Howard at Coppin State	7:00pm	ESPN+
Morgan State at Norfolk State	7:00pm	ESPN+
East Texas A&M at Lamar	7:00pm	ESPN+
UAPB at Grambling State	7:30pm	SWAC TV
New Orleans at Nicholls	7:30pm	ESPN+
UTRGV at A&M-Corpus Christi	8:00pm	ESPN+
UIW at Houston Christian	8:00pm	ESPN+
Arizona at BYU	9:00pm	ESPN
Northwestern State at Stephen F. Austin	9:00pm	CBSSN
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
Serie A: Verona vs Udinese	2:45pm	Paramount+
EPL: Everton vs Leeds United	3:00pm	Peacock
La Liga: Girona vs Getafe	3:00pm	ESPN+ fuboTV

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