“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA BOYS REGIONAL MATCH-UPS NORTHERN HOSTS MICHIGAN CITY CLASS 3A | 4 PM CT | EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (14-12) VS. MISHAWAKA MARIAN (17-7) CLASS 4A | 7 PM CT | CHESTERTON (22-4) VS. CROWN POINT (22-1) LOGANSPORT CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | WEST LAFAYETTE (22-4) VS. NEW HAVEN (19-7) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (18-8) VS. HOMESTEAD (19-6) HUNTINGTON NORTH CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY (14-11) VS. TRI-COUNTY (15-10) CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | FORT WAYNE BISHOP LUERS (14-11) VS. BREMEN (22-4) NEW CASTLE CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | DELTA (15-10) VS. FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN (20-7) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | FORT WAYNE SNIDER (19-7) VS. CARMEL (18-5) NORTH JUDSON-SAN PIERRE CLASS 1A | 4 PM CT | TRITON (22-3) VS. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (18-7) CLASS 2A | 7 PM CT | WESTVIEW (24-1) VS. GARY 21ST CENTURY (17-6) LAPEL CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | MONROE CENTRAL (20-4) VS. SOUTHWOOD (22-3) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | BLACKFORD (20-6) VS. LAPEL (20-5) PLYMOUTH CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | COLUMBIA CITY (22-4) VS. HANOVER CENTRAL (12-14) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | NORTHRIDGE (24-1) VS. SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (21-4) FRANKFORT CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | ROSSVILLE (20-5) VS. NORTH VERMILLION (15-11) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | BENTON CENTRAL (11-14) VS. OAK HILL (24-1) SOUTHERN HOSTS SOUTHPORT CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) (24-3) VS. PIKE (23-3) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | LAWRENCE CENTRAL (14-11) VS. DECATUR CENTRAL (19-6) SEYMOUR CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | SOUTH DECATUR (18-6) VS. HAUSER (24-2) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | PAOLI (26-0) VS. LINTON-STOCKTON (23-4) GREENCASTLE CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | NORTHVIEW (21-5) VS. RONCALLI (17-7) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | COLUMBUS NORTH (14-10) VS. TERRE HAUTE NORTH VIGO (23-3) WASHINGTON CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | BARR-REEVE (24-1) VS. WEST WASHINGTON (20-6) CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | NORTHEAST DUBOIS (17-8) VS. BLOOMFIELD (18-8) GREENFIELD-CENTRAL CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (18-7) VS. GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (11-14) CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | INDIANAPOLIS CARDINAL RITTER (14-12) VS. TRITON CENTRAL (22-3) SOUTHRIDGE CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | EVANSVILLE BOSSE (17-8) VS. PRINCETON COMMUNITY (22-3) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | NEW ALBANY (21-5) VS. CASTLE (9-16) MARTINSVILLE CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | PARKE HERITAGE (23-4) VS. CENTERVILLE (24-2) CLASS 3A | 7 PM ET | BREBEUF JESUIT (18-6) VS. INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (21-5) CHARLESTOWN CLASS 2A | 1 PM ET | AUSTIN (16-8) VS. FOREST PARK (13-13) CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | SILVER CREEK (27-1) VS. BATESVILLE (20-4) ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES #2 ARIZONA 89 COLORADO 79 #11 ILLINOIS 78 MARYLAND 72 #3 MICHIGAN 90 #8 MICHIGAN STATE 80 #9 NEBRASKA 84 IOWA 75 OT OREGON 85 WASHINGTON 79 PACIFIC 61 SEATTLE 58 LONG BEACH STATE 84 HAWAII 75 RUTGERS 74 PENN STATE 62 CAMPBELL 85 NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON 70 MEMPHIS 96 TULANE 95 OT NORTHERN IOWA 84 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 69 SOUTH FLORIDA 83 CHARLOTTE 60 BOSTON 73 NAVY 72 QUEENS 98 CENTRAL ARKANSAS 93 OT MONMOUTH 65 DREXEL 57 ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 90 E. CAROLINA 83 TULSA 78 TEMPLE 76 RICE 80 TEXAS SAN ANTONIO 71 NORTHERN KENTUCKY 96 GREEN BAY 76 EAST TENNESSEE STATE 69 WESTERN CAROLINA 67 NEW ORLEANS 73 HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 60 TOWSON 81 CHARLESTON 56 MERRIMACK 58 MARIST 57 TROY 78 SOUTHERN MISS 70 FURMAN 81 UNC GREENSBORO 75 PORTLAND STATE 85 IDAHO STATE 78 NICHOLLS 61 NORTHWESTERN STATE 47 SIENA 76 FAIRFIELD 61 HOFSTRA 92 WILLIAM & MARY 61 OREGON STATE 78 SAN FRANCISCO 77 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 82 MARSHALL 78 NORTH DAKOTA STATE 70 NORTH DAKOTA 62 IDAHO 78 MONTANA STATE 74 SANTA CLARA 76 PACIFIC 68 =============================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES #13 DUKE 70 #12 LOUISVILLE 65 OT #2 UCLA 96 #9 IOWA 45 #1 UCONN 100 CREIGHTON 51 #25 FAIRFIELD 65 MERRIMACK 48 #4 TEXAS 78 #3 SOUTH CAROLINA 61 #15 WEST VIRGINIA 62 #10 TCU 53 SAMFORD 72 CHATTANOOGA 67 QUINNIPIAC 63 IONA 62 OT JAMES MADISON 81 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 53 PURDUE FORT WAYNE 85 IU INDY 49 IDAHO 66 WEBER STATE 52 OREGON STATE 60 PORTLAND 50 ILLINOIS STATE 66 BRADLEY 65 NORTHERN IOWA 65 DRAKE 58 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 75 EVANSVILLE 69 AIR FORCE 83 SAN DIEGO STATE 76 TROY 83 ARKANSAS STATE 73 RHODE ISLAND 53 GEORGE MASON 51 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 64 NORTH DAKOTA STATE 51 MONTANA STATE 78 MONTANA 57 SANTA CLARA 87 SAN FRANCISCO 69 VILLANOVA 62 SETON HALL 48 BOISE STATE 62 NEW MEXICO 61 HIGH POINT 71 RADFORD 67 UNLV 79 FRESNO STATE 65 COLORADO STATE 61 GRAND CANYON 59 =============================================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES NOTRE DAME 2 DUKE 0 MOREHEAD STATE 9 BUTLER 4 WASHINGTON 13 INDIANA 4 OREGON 15 PURDUE 4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 10 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 1 SOUTHERN INDIANA 4 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 1 BALL STATE 11 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 10 OLE MISS 8 EVANSVILLE 3 WESTERN KENTUCKY 7 INDIANA STATE 4 ============================================================== COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES PRINCETON 4 NOTRE DAME 1 LIPSCOMB 11 BUTLER 3 BUTLER 6 LIPSCOMB 5 (8) INDIANA 6 MINNESOTA 4 BALL STATE 3 ILLINOIS 1 BALL STATE 7 LONG ISLAND 1 PURDUE 5 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 2 PURDUE 8 GREEN BAY 0 INDIANA STATE 10 BRADLEY 2 BRADLEY 4 INDIANA STATE 3 SOUTHERN INDIANA 10 TENNESSEE STATE 4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 6 TENNESSEE STATE 5 (9) ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES #16 MINNESOTA STATE 2 FERRIS STATE 0 ROBERT MORRIS 5 AIR FORCE 2 ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES #20 NJIT 3 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 1 ================================================================ DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES #18 PENN 10 VILLANOVA 6 ================================================================= DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES #13 JOHNS HOPKINS 13 #10 STONY BROOK 11 CHARLOTTE 16 STETSON 14 #15 CLEMSON 13 #7 NOTRE DAME 9 #21 VIRGINIA 15 FLORIDA STATE 7 WINTHROP 12 OLD DOMINION 11 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 13 BUTLER 9 CINCINNATI 16 EASTERN MICHIGAN 9 #19 DENVER 15 FAIRFIELD 9 ST. JOSEPH’S 25 DUQUESNE 9 WILLIAM & MARY 8 XAVIER 7 #11 MICHIGAN 8 #12 COLORADO 7 CAMPBELL 16 E. CAROLINA 9 #17 PENN STATE 18 SAN DIEGO STATE 6 ARIZONA STATE 19 BUCKNELL 12 #2 STANFORD 11 #24 DUKE 10 USC 19 NIAGARA 10 ================================================================= NBA SCORES BOSTON 109 CLEVELAND 98 LA LAKERS 110 NEW YORK 97 TORONTO 122 DALLAS 92 MIAMI 121 DETROIT 110 NEW ORLEANS 138 WASHINGTON 118 SAN ANTONIO 145 HOUSTON 120 ORLANDO 130 MILWAUKEE 91 PORTLAND 131 INDIANA 111 SACRAMENTO 126 CHICAGO 110 PHOENIX 111 CHARLOTTE 99 ================================================================== NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES RIO GRANDE VALLEY 137 WINDY CITY 100 MEMPHIS 142 IOWA 132 RAPTORS 137 DELAWARE 113 OSCEOLA 134 MAINE 103 AUSTIN 119 SIOUX FALLS 118 CAPITAL CITY 124 CLEVELAND 113 BIRMINGHAM 127 STOCKTON 119 OT SOUTH BAY 113 SANTA CRUZ 104 ================================================================== NHL SCORES COLORADO 3 MINNESOTA 2 PITTSBURGH 5 BOSTON 4 OT DALLAS 4 CHICAGO 3 OT BUFFALO 8 TAMPA BAY 7 DETROIT 3 NEW JERSEY 0 ST. LOUIS 4 ANAHEIM 0 EDMONTON 4 VEGAS 2 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TORONTO 1 BALTIMORE 0 PITTSBURGH 9 BOSTON 7 TAMPA BAY 9 ATLANTA 8 WASHINGTON 3 HOUSTON 1 MINNESOTA 7 PHILADELPHIA 6 TORONTO 5 DETROIT 0 NY METS 10 NY YANKEES 4 ST. LOUIS 2 MIAMI 2 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 5 KANSAS CITY 4 CINCINNATI 13 ARIZONA 4 SAN FRANCISCO 9 CHICAGO CUBS 5 LAS VEGAS 11 LA DODGERS 7 SAN DIEGO 13 CINCINNATI 3 CLEVELAND 4 COLORADO 4 MILWAUKEE 6 SEATTLE 3 ================================================================== WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC SCORES JAPAN 4 AUSTRALIA 3 CUBA 7 COLUMBIA 4 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 12 NETHERLANDS 1 ITALY 7 GREAT BRITAIN 4 ISRAEL 5 NICARAGUA 0 PANAMA 4 CANADA 3 MEXICO 16 BRAZIL 0 ================================================================= WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES INDY IGNITE 3 GRAD RAPIDS 1 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER MONTRÉAL 3 NEW YORK 0 TORONTO 1 CINCINNATI 0 ================================================================= NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES NFL NFL’S FREE-AGENT SPENDING FRENZY BEGINS FIRST WITH A LEGAL TAMPERING PERIOD Ready, set, negotiate multi-million contracts. The NFL’s free agency period opens Monday with a 52-hour legal tampering period ahead of the official start of the new league year Wednesday. Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III head the list of high-profile players who will be free to sign a contract with a new team. Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Kyler Murray also will be seeking new teams because they’re going to be released by their teams. Here’s an explanation of rules and terms: What does legal tampering mean? At noon EDT Monday, teams can start negotiating with certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents when their contracts expire at the start of the new league year on 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday. Teams aren’t permitted to speak directly to the players, who can’t sign a new contract until the league year officially begins. The two-day negotiating period applies only to players who will be unrestricted free agents. Who are unrestricted free agents? Any player with four or more accrued seasons — six or more regular-season games on a club’s active/inactive, reserve/injured or reserve/physically unable to perform lists — whose contract has expired becomes an unrestricted free agent and may negotiate and sign with any team. Who are restricted free agents? Restricted free agents are players with three accrued seasons who have received a qualifying offer when their current deals expire on Wednesday. What is a franchise tag? Each team can designate one potential free agent a franchise player. Cowboys receiver George Pickens, Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts and Jets running back Breece Hall received the tag before the March 3 deadline. An exclusive franchise player is not free to sign with another club and is offered the greater of the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position for the current year as of the end of the restricted free agent signing period on April 17; or the amount of the required tender for a nonexclusive franchise player. A nonexclusive franchise player can sign with another team, but that club will owe his previous team two first-round draft picks. All the players tagged this year are nonexclusive. What is a transition tag? The transition tag is a one-year offer for the average of top 10 salaries at the position. It guarantees the original club the right of first refusal to match any offer the player might receive from another team. The tagging team is awarded no compensation if it chooses not to match a deal. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones received the transition tag this year. The signing period for transition players begins at 4 p.m. EDT on March 11 and ends on July 22. After July 22 and until 4 p.m. EDT on the Tuesday following the 10th week of the season, the prior club has exclusive negotiating rights. Teams can decide to withdraw franchise and transition tags and the player automatically becomes an unrestricted free agent. What is the salary cap for 2026? The salary cap is $301.2 million per club, up from $279.2 million last year. Teams must be under the salary cap by 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday. What is salary cap rollover? A team may carry over salary cap space from one league year to the following league year by submitting notice to the NFL prior to 4 p.m. EDT on the day following the team’s final regular-season game. A team can carry over 100% of its remaining 2025 room to its adjusted salary cap for 2026. REPORT: TE TRAVIS KELCE WANTS TO KEEP PLAYING, PERHAPS NOT FOR CHIEFS Star tight end Travis Kelce wants to continue his NFL career after 13 years with the Kansas City Chiefs and could be open to playing for another team, The Athletic reported on Sunday. Kelce, who will be 37 in October, has been selected to 11 Pro Bowls and is a four-time first-team All-Pro with Kansas City, which drafted him in the third round in 2013. He has been weighing whether to return for this 14th season in the league and has debated retirement for the past two offseasons. One new layer this offseason is Kelce is set to become an unrestricted free agent after finishing his two-year, $34.25 million extension this past season. The Athletic reported that Kelce’s representatives are expected to talk with multiple teams. Kansas City, while financially strapped by salary-cap issues, has been diplomatic in a wait-and-see approach with Kelce regarding retirement or another season. “We’ve kind of prepared for either scenario,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Feb. 24. “We’re trying to position ourselves that either way, we have a plan moving forward.” Veach said he would be meeting with Kelce’s representatives following the combine and “you need some sort of timeline and deadline,” but called conversations with his camp “positive.” Head coach Andy Reid said he routinely is in touch with Kelce, who is coming off a relatively down year in a Hall of Fame career. He had 851 yards and five touchdowns last season, but 76 receptions was Kelce’s lowest total since he had 72 in 2015. No. 2 tight end Noah Gray also is an unrestricted free agent. “Travis is the best, he’s an icon and hopefully he comes back,” Veach said in the February interview. “We’ll just kind of let that process play out. It’s not your typical 27-year-old first-time-in-free agency. “Travis has done everything. He’s accomplished everything. He’s about to get married, got a lot going on. We’re just going to continue to have positive dialogue and see where this thing ends.” Prior to the 2025 season, Kelce admitted that he contemplated retirement. He also said his life has changed in some ways since he began dating the biggest pop star on the planet in Taylor Swift, to whom he is engaged. Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion, is the Chiefs’ all-time leader in receptions (1,080), receiving yards (13,002) and touchdown receptions (82). REPORT: RAMS MAKE ALL-PRO TRENT MCDUFFIE HIGHEST-PAID CB IN NFL HISTORY The Los Angeles Rams came to terms with cornerback Trent McDuffie Sunday evening on a four-year, $124 million extension, according to ESPN. The deal for the former Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro includes a $100 million guarantee, which will make him the highest-paid cornerback in league history. The Chiefs traded McDuffie, 25, to the Rams on March 5 in exchange for the 29th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft and the Rams’ fifth- and sixth-round selections in 2026 as well as a third-round pick in 2027. The Chiefs exercised McDuffie’s fifth-year option in April 2025. He recorded 63 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in 13 games (all starts) last season, but missed the final four games due to a knee injury. A two-time Super Bowl champion, McDuffie has totaled 246 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 34 pass breakups and three interceptions in 56 career games (all starts) since being selected by Kansas City with the 21st overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. The University of Washington alum earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 and second team accolades in 2024. REPORT: BEARS RE-SIGNING DE DANIEL HARDY TO 2-YEAR CONTRACT The Chicago Bears are re-signing defensive end Daniel Hardy, a special teams player, to a two-year contract worth about $5 million and close to $6 million with incentives, NFL Network reported on Sunday. Hardy, 27, played in 17 regular-season games for the Bears in 2025, mostly on special teams, making one start and totaling 22 tackles. Hardy played on 78% of special teams snaps (355) and 5% on defensive snaps (54). The Los Angeles Rams selected Hardy in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Montana State. He started the 2022 season on injured reserve and played in six games in 2022 before he was released in August 2023 and signed two days later by the Bears to their practice squad. He has 38 career tackles in 40 games, 34 with the Bears in 2024 and 2025. REPORT: JAMES CONNER BACK WITH CARDINALS ON REWORKED DEAL The Arizona Cardinals and James Conner have agreed to a reworked contract to keep the running back with the team next season, NFL Network reported Sunday. Conner was scheduled to have a $9.8 million cap hit this season. The terms of his new contract were not reported. Conner, who will turn 31 in May, missed all but three games last season after sustaining a season-ending ankle injury. Conner was coming off of back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons with Arizona in 2023-24. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Conner has been with the Cardinals since 2021 and has played in 60 games in Arizona after four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Across 110 career games (84 starts), the third-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft has 6,065 rushing yards and 60 touchdowns with 2,255 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns The Cardinals also reworked the contract of cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Murphy-Bunting was projected to have a $9.2 million cap hit next season. Murphy-Bunting, 28, has played in 82 career games (65 starts) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-22), Tennessee Titans (2023) and Cardinals (2024). He has 297 tackles, 34 pass breakups and 11 interceptions in his career. REPORTS: BRONCOS INK 3-YEAR DEAL TO KEEP LB JUSTIN STRNAD The Denver Broncos are bringing back another key part of their defensive front. The Broncos have agreed to a 3-year, $18 million deal with linebacker Justin Strnad to keep him in Denver, multiple outlets reported Sunday. Per the reports, $5.1 million is guaranteed at signing with $10 million guaranteed overall. Strnad, 29, has played the past five seasons for the Broncos since Denver drafted him in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. After playing solely on special teams during his second and third seasons, Strnad has carved out himself a role as an every-game player on defense. Across the last two seasons, Strnad has started 16 games for the Broncos. Strnad has played in 83 games (21 starts) for Denver across his five seasons. In those games he has 7.5 sacks, 177 tackles, six pass breakups and an interception. REPORT: TYLER HUNTLEY RETURNING TO RAVENS ON 2-YEAR DEAL Quarterback Tyler Huntley is staying with the Baltimore Ravens, with the sides agreeing to a two-year $5 million deal, multiple outlets reported. Per reports, the contract contains up to $6 million in incentives. Huntley, 28, has spent five of his six NFL seasons with the Ravens, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020. The Miami Dolphins claimed him off the Ravens’ practice squad in 2024, and he re-signed with the Ravens in 2025. He has started 11 games for an injured Lamar Jackson and started five more in place of Tua Tagovailoa with the Dolphins and has a 7-9 record as a starter. Huntley has appeared in 30 games overall, completing 66.2% of his passes for 3,212 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has five rushing touchdowns and 795 yards on the ground. REPORTS: PACKERS VERSATILE OL SEAN RHYAN AGREES TO 3-YEAR DEAL Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Sean Rhyan agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract with a maximum value of $39 million, multiple media outlets reported Sunday. Rhyan shifted from starting guard to center after two-time Pro Bowl selection Elgton Jenkins sustained a season-ending injury in November. Rhyan, 25, appeared in all 17 games (11 starts) last season, one year after he started all 17 games at right guard. He has made 47 appearances (28 starts) with the Packers since they selected him with a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of UCLA. The Packers are expected to part ways with Jenkins, either by trade or release. =================================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NO. 2 UCLA ROLLS PAST NO. 9 IOWA 96-45 FOR 2ND STRAIGHT WOMEN’S BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TITLE INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gianna Kneepkens scored 19 points and Kiki Rice added 15 points and eight assists Sunday as No. 2 UCLA rolled past No. 9 Iowa 96-45 to win its second straight Big Ten Tournament crown. Rice was named the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player. It’s the first time the Bruins (31-1) have captured back-to-back postseason conference titles, and it’s also the first time they have won regular-season and league tournament titles in the same season. The Bruins also extended their school-record win streak to 25 games and their Big Ten win streak to 24, dating to last season’s tourney run. And they did it with most the lopsided championship-game margin in tournament history, easily surpassing Iowa’s 33-point win over Ohio State in 2023. Six UCLA players scored in double figures, including Sienna Betts — the younger sister of star center Lauren Betts — who matched a season high with 14 points. Lauren Betts had 10 points in 24 minutes and was dancing with her teammates after the final buzzer. “For us to come out the way we did, it means a lot because we’re doing it against really good teams,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “I want to just say thank you to the incredible players who really fulfilled their mission and stayed committed to the character qualities we needed to make this run.” Ava Heiden scored 15 points for the Hawkeyes (26-6). Addie Deal added 11 points while all-conference forward Hannah Stuelke struggled as she played through a right elbow injury and an illness for the third straight day. Stuelke was scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting and had only three rebounds as Iowa’s eight-game winning streak was snapped. The Hawkeyes never looked right after Taylor Stremlow opened the game with a 3-pointer to give them their only lead. “Their staff had them prepared and locked in, ready to roll,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said. “What they’ve done this year has been really impressive, and they were great today.” UCLA answered with 13 consecutive points. The Bruins extended the margin to 22-5 after one quarter and led by 25 in the second before Iowa closed the half with a 3 to get within 42-20. It only got worse for Iowa in the second half. The Bruins had 34 assists on 40 baskets. UCLA’s two-year title reign was preceded by Iowa’s three-peat and Maryland winning two straight. Last weekend, the Bruins became the first Big Ten team to complete a perfect conference season since the Terrapins in 2014-15. Maryland also won the tourney crown that season. Up next Both teams wait a week for Selection Sunday to find out their women’s NCAA Tournament matchups. UCLA is certain to host the first two rounds, while Iowa could also play at home. WEST VIRGINIA BOUNCES TOP-SEEDED TCU TO CLAIM BIG 12 TITLE Tournament Most Outstanding Player Jordan Harrison recorded 21 points, six rebounds and three steals to lead West Virginia to a 62-53 victory over top-seeded TCU to win the Big 12 tournament championship game in Kansas City and claim the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Sydney Shaw contributed 17 points and seven rebounds and Kierra Wheeler added 10 points and eight rebounds for second-seeded West Virginia (27-6), which won the tournament for the first time since 2017. Olivia Miles scored 17 points but was affected by foul trouble for TCU (29-5). Marta Suarez added 16 points and eight rebounds but was just 6-of-19 shooting before fouling out for the 10th-ranked Horned Frogs, who will receive a high at-large seed into the NCAA field. Wheeler drove down the lane for a layup to make it 54-43 with 1:52 left in the game and Harrison added two free throws 22 seconds later as the 15th-ranked Mountaineers led by 13. Suarez answered with five straight points to keep TCU alive, but she fouled out with 56.1 seconds left. Veronica Sheffey added two free throws as the Horned Frogs crept within 56-50 with 38.1 seconds left. Harrison then knocked down two free throws with 33.4 seconds to go and Shaw scored on a fastbreak layup to make it a 10-point margin and seal it for the Mountaineers. West Virginia shot 40% from the field, including 5 of 15 from 3-point range. The Mountaineers owned the boards by a 41-34 count and claimed a 15-8 advantage on points off turnovers. The Horned Frogs connected on 33.3% of their attempts and were just 8 of 31 from behind the arc. A key sequence occurred 39 seconds into the third quarter when Miles was called for her fourth foul. Harrison made both free throws to give the Mountaineers a 28-23 lead. Though Miles returned to the game less than three minutes later, she reined in her aggressive style to avoid the risk of fouling out. West Virginia later ripped off an 11-2 burst to open up a 41-30 lead. Harrison added a buzzer-beating layup as West Virginia took a 43-32 lead into the final quarter. A putback by Wheeler gave the Mountaineers a 48-34 advantage — the game’s largest lead — with 7:56 remaining in the game. TCU displayed life when Miles buried a trey and Taylor Bigby followed with a layup to bring the Horned Frogs within nine with 4:50 left. Earlier, West Virginia scored the final seven points of the second quarter to take a 26-23 halftime lead that it never relinquished. NO. 4 TEXAS ROLLS PAST NO. 3 SOUTH CAROLINA IN SEC TITLE GAME Madison Booker scored 18 points, Justice Carlton had 13 of her 15 in a dominant first quarter and No. 4 Texas never trailed in defeating No. 3 South Carolina 78-61 to win the SEC women’s championship Sunday in Greenville, S.C. Carlton, who entered the game averaging 8.5 points, made 6 of 7 field-goal attempts, including her only 3-pointer, as the third-seeded Longhorns (31-3) raced to a 27-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. She only took one more shot after the first quarter before fouling out. Jordan Lee added 12 points for Texas, which won its eighth straight game and for the 13th time in 14 games since a 68-65 loss at South Carolina on Jan. 15. Joyce Edwards scored 13 points and Maddy McDaniel had 10 to lead the top-seeded Gamecocks (31-3), who had won their last 12 games but had lost to the Longhorns 66-64 in the title game of the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas on Nov. 27. Edwards made a jumper to start the second-half scoring and pull the Gamecocks within 15 points. They got within 15 on two more occasions before the Longhorns increased the lead to as many as 19. South Carolina scored the final six points to creep within 57-44 at the end of the third quarter. Edwards scored five points to help the Gamecocks get within 11 points, but Lee’s 3-pointer gave Texas a 68-54 lead with 4:53 remaining. Carlton scored six points, Booker added four and two teammates had one field goal apiece as Texas scored the first 14 points of the game. Tessa Johnson made a 3-pointer for South Carolina’s first points 3 1/2 minutes into the game and the Gamecocks got within 11 points a second time before the Longhorns went on another spurt. Carlton had a jumper and a 3-pointer to help Texas expand the lead to 16, and her layup left the Longhorns with a 27-12 lead at the end of the quarter. The Gamecocks got within nine points twice in the second quarter before Aaliyah Crump and Lee each had a 3-pointer during a 10-0 run that gave the Longhorns a 41-22 lead on their way to a 45-28 halftime edge. BIG EAST TOURNAMENT: NO. 1 UCONN BLASTS CREIGHTON, WILL FACE VILLANOVA IN FINAL Sarah Strong, KK Arnold and Azzi Fudd rarely missed as No. 1 UConn earned its 49th straight victory by thrashing Creighton 100-51 in the Big East tournament semifinals Sunday in Uncasville, Conn. Strong scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting, Arnold (8-for-9) put up 18 points and Fudd (6-for-10) added 16 points to fuel the Huskies (33-0), who are on the verge of a 13th consecutive conference tournament championship between the American and Big East. They’ll face second-seeded Villanova on Monday. UConn outshot fifth-seeded Creighton 57.1% to 33.3% overall and made 14 of 22 3-point tries (63.6%). Strong went 4 for 4 from outside, and eight Huskies made at least one triple. UConn also outrebounded Creighton 43-25, with Kayleigh Heckel going for nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. Kennedy Townsend finished with 13 points for the Bluejays (16-15), who fell behind 29-9 at the end of one quarter after surrendering a 17-0 run in less than three minutes of game time. Villanova 62, Seton Hall 48 Brynn McCurry scored 16 points, Jasmine Bascoe racked up 15 and the Wildcats rode the strength of a game-opening 12-0 burst to eliminate the third-seeded Pirates. Denae Carter and Bascoe combined to account for the first 12 points of the game, ensuring that Villanova (25-6) would never trail. Carter finished with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and the Wildcats overcame 5-for-28 3-point shooting by converting 16 Seton Hall turnovers into 23 points. Jordana Codio and Zahara Bishop each scored 13 points to lead Seton Hall (19-12), with Bishop adding seven boards and two steals. DUKE BEATS LOUISVILLE IN OT TO REPEAT AS ACC TOURNAMENT CHAMPION Taina Mair and Delaney Thomas both scored 19 points and No. 13 Duke pulled out a 70-65 overtime victory against No. 12 Louisville to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champion on Sunday afternoon in Duluth, Ga. Thomas made key plays in regulation and overtime as Duke won its 10th ACC tournament overall. Riley Nelson added 12 points and Ashlon Jackson had 11 points for the top-seeded Blue Devils (24-8). Mair had 12 rebounds. Imari Berry tallied 18 points and Mackenly Randolph posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for the second-seeded Cardinals (27-7), who were unable to avenge a regular-season home loss on Feb. 5. Tajianna Roberts racked up 12 points. Thomas scored the last basket of regulation — a tying layup with four seconds left — and the first two Duke baskets of overtime. She also pulled in a key offensive rebound to prevent Louisville, which was trailing by two, from gaining possession with less than 30 seconds to play in overtime. That led to Nelson’s clinching 3-pointer with six seconds left. Duke had lost two of its last three regular-season games before a three-game sweep through the tournament. Mair’s 3-pointer pushed Duke to a 51-49 lead with 7:02 to play before the Cardinals built a 57-53 edge going into the final minute of regulation. Thomas converted off an offensive rebound, and Nelson hit a 3-pointer from the right wing in an 18-second span. Randolph’s basket put Louisville up 59-58 with 23 seconds to play. After two Duke misses, Berry made 1 of 2 free throws with 14 seconds to go, setting the stage for Thomas’ game-tying basket. Mair blocked a Louisville 3-point attempt to end regulation. Louisville built an 11-point lead in the first quarter before Duke responded to take a brief lead in the second quarter. The Cardinals went to halftime with a 32-30 edge. Half of Duke’s 10 first-half field goals were 3-pointers. It was the first time since 2021 that the top two seeds reached the final of the ACC tournament. ===================================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 3 MICHIGAN TOPS NO. 8 MICHIGAN ST. FOR 19-1 BIG TEN MARK Yaxel Lendeborg poured in a game-high 27 points as No. 3 Michigan swept the season series against No. 8 Michigan State with a 90-80 home victory in a Big Ten regular-season finale on Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich. Morez Johnson Jr. posted 18 points and seven rebounds while Roddy Gayle Jr. scored 15 points and Trey McKenney notched 12 points off the bench for Michigan (29-2, 19-1), which wrapped up the best Big Ten record since undefeated Indiana in 1975-76. Jaxon Kohler paced Michigan State (25-6, 15-5) with 23 points and eight rebounds while Jeremy Fears Jr. provided 22 points and nine assists. The Spartans will be the No. 3 seed in this coming week’s Big Ten tournament in Chicago. The rivalry game including three technical fouls in the opening 10 minutes. At the 14:24 mark, an officials’ replay determined Fears merited a technical after using the back of his leg to hit Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau in the groin immediately after Cadeau was whistled for reaching in for a foul. Just 61 seconds later, Michigan’s Aday Mara was whistled for pushing Carson Cooper (19 points) in the back after a Gayle layup. With 10:44 on the clock, McKenney scored a breakaway layup but knocked the ball out of Kohler’s hands as he prepared to inbound the ball, drawing a whistle. No. 9 Nebraska 84, Iowa 75 (OT) The Cornhuskers tied the program record for wins in a season and earned the second seed in the Big Ten tournament after defeating the Hawkeyes in overtime in both teams’ regular-season finale in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska (26-5, 15-5 Big Ten), which extended its record for conference wins in a season, ended the game on a 9-0 run to seal the victory. Cale Jacobsen — who made two of his 14 3-pointers this season in the extra period — Sam Hoiberg and Pryce Sandfort each finished with 15 points and Rienk Mast added 14 for the Cornhuskers. Kael Combs and Cooper Koch scored 18 points apiece to pace the Hawkeyes (20-11, 10-1). Tavion Banks had 12 and Bennett Stirtz added 11. No. 11 Illinois 78, Maryland 72 David Mirkovic delivered 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds as the Fighting Illini outlasted the Terrapins in the teams’ regular-season finale in College Park, Md. In a game that was tight throughout, Kylan Boswell scored 11 points and Keaton Wagler tallied all 11 of his points in the second half as Illinois (24-7, 15-5 Big Ten) clinched a top-four seed in the Big Ten tournament and earned a triple bye into Friday’s quarterfinal round in Chicago. Andre Mills scored 30 points to pace Maryland (11-20, 4-16), which enters the Big Ten tournament as the No. 17 seed and will face No. 16 Oregon on Tuesday afternoon. Darius Adams scored 14 points and David Coit, who was one of four Terrapins honored on senior day, added 10 points. BIG TEN UNVEILS 2026 TIAA BIG TEN MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced the full bracket for the 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, set to take place March 10-15 at the United Center in Chicago. All seating for the 29th edition of the tournament is reserved. Fan can purchase all-session and single session at the United Center box office or online at Ticketmaster.com . All ticket packages are subject to Ticketmaster and facility fees. For more information on this year’s tournament, visit the Big Ten Tournament Central page at bigten.org/MBBT . All 17 games of this year’s Big Ten Tournament will be broadcast live, with Tuesday’s first round broadcast on Peacock. Wednesday’s first session will also air on Peacock, with Big Ten Network airing the day’s second session. Big Ten Network will also broadcast all eight third round and quarterfinal games on Thursday and Friday, respectively. The Big Ten Tournament semifinal and championship games will be televised live on CBS and the Paramount+ app. Michigan (29-2, 19-1 Big Ten) earned the No. 1 seed and the program’s 16th Big Ten regular season title. The Wolverines are looking to become the first back-to-back Big Ten Tournament winners since they did it in 2017 and 2018. Nebraska (26-5, 15-5 Big Ten) earned the No. 2 seed. This is the second top three Big Ten finish in the last three years, the first time that has happened for the Huskers in the Big Ten era and first the first time since the early 1990s (1990-91, 3rd; 1992-93, t-2nd). Michigan State (25-6, 15-5 Big Ten) claimed the No. 3 seed. The Spartans are led by its four captains, Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler, Coen Carr, and Jeremy Fears Jr., who have combined for 64.2% of the team’s scoring (1,567 of 2,442 points) and average nearly 50 points, 24 rebounds and 13 assists per game. Illinois (24-7, 15-5 Big Ten) secured the No. 4 seed after posting 15 conference wins to tie the 2022 Illinois squad for second most league wins in program history, one shy of the team mark set in 2021. It’s 24 wins are also the most during the regular season in program history. Each of the tournament’s top four seeds have earned triple-byes and will open tournament play in Friday’s quarterfinal round. The 2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament schedule is as follows: Tuesday, March 10 (First Round)Game 1 (#17 Maryland vs. #16 Oregon) – 4 p.m. CT (Peacock)Game 2 (#18 Penn State vs. #15 Northwestern) – 25 minutes following Game 1 (Peacock) Wednesday, March 11 (Second Round)Game 3 (#9 Iowa vs. Game 3 winner) – 11 a.m. CT (Peacock)Game 4 (#12 Washington vs. #13 USC) – 25 minutes following Game 3 (Peacock)Game 5 (#10 Indiana vs Game 2 winner) – 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN)Game 6 (#11 Minnesota vs. #14 Rutgers) – 25 minutes following Game 5 (BTN) Thursday, March 12 (Third Round)Game 7 (#8 Ohio State vs. Game 3 winner) – 11 a.m. CT (BTN)Game 8 (#5 Wisconsin vs. #Game 4 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 7 (BTN)Game 9 (#7 Purdue vs. Game 5 winner)– 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN)Game 10 (#6 UCLA vs. Game 6 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 9 (BTN) Friday, March 13 (Quarterfinals)Game 11 (#1 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner) – 11 a.m. CT (BTN)Game 12 (#4 Illinois vs. Game 8 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 11 (BTN)Game 13 (#2 Nebraska vs. Game 9 winner) – 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN)Game 14 (#3 Michigan State vs. Game 10 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 13 (BTN) Saturday, March 14 (Semifinals)Game 15 (Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner) – 12 p.m. CT (CBS)Game 16 (Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 15 (CBS) Sunday, March 15 (Championship)Game 14 (Game 15 winner vs. Game 16 winner) – 2:30 p.m. CT (CBS) NOTES: All times are approximate and subject to change … BTN games are also available on the FOX Sports app … CBS games are also available on the Paramount+ app … for more information, please visit the tournament web site at ( bigten.org/MBBT ). MAC ANNOUNCES 2026 MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Mid-American Conference has announced official pairings for the 2026 MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Rocket Arena. Tournament MACtion gets underway on Thursday, March 12th with Game One set to tip-off at 11AM ET on ESPN+.The undefeated, regular-season-champion Miami RedHawks hold the No. 1 seed and will battle UMass to begin this year’s tournament. Game two will feature the No. 4 Toledo Rockets and No. 5 Bowling Green Falcons for a rivalry rubber match after splitting the regular season series. In the day’s third contest, the No. 2 Akron Zips will square off against the No. 7 Buffalo Bulls. The opening day will then close with the No. 3 Kent State Golden Flashes taking on the No. 6 Ohio Bobcats.The full tournament schedule can be found below:2026 Mid-American Conference Men’s Basketball TournamentMarch 12-14 | Cleveland, Ohio | Rocket ArenaThursday, March 12th, 2026 – QuarterfinalsGame 1: No. 1 Miami vs. No. 8 UMass, 11:00AM ET (ESPN+) Game 2: No. 4 Toledo vs. No. 5 Bowling Green, Time TBA (ESPN+)* Game 3: No. 2 Akron vs. No. 7 Buffalo, Time TBA (ESPN+)* Game 4: No. 3 Kent State vs. No. 6 Ohio, Time TBA (ESPN+)* Friday, March 13th, 2026 – SemifinalsGame 5: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 5 PM ET (CBS Sports Network)Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, approx. 7:30 PM ET (CBS Sports Network)*Saturday, March 14th, 2026 – MAC Championship GameGame 7: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 8 PM ET (ESPN2) *30 minutes following the completion of the first game of the session. BRACKET SET FOR PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT The bracket is set for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, held March 10-14 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Arizona, who captured its first Big 12 men’s basketball regular season title, is the top seed with a 16-2 record. The 2026 event marks the 26th time Kansas City has served as host. No. 2 seed Houston (14-4), No. 3 seed Kansas (12-6) and No. 4 seed Texas Tech (12-6) earned the remainder of the coveted double-byes and will begin their run in Kansas City during the quarterfinals on March 12. Kansas and Texas Tech earned the last double-byes over No. 5 seed Iowa State (12-6) due to their superior winning percentage in head-to-head competition among the tied teams (Kansas .667; Texas Tech .500).Joining the Cyclones with single-byes into the second round on March 11 are No. 6 seed TCU (11-7), No. 7 West Virginia (9-9) and No. 8 UCF (9-9). West Virginia was undefeated against the four-team tie at 9-9, while UCF earned the edge over No. 9 seed Cincinnati due to its 82-71 win over TCU on Feb. 17, as the teams had the same winning percentage against the top five teams in the standings. BYU (9-9) was seeded 10th due to its 0-3 record against tied teams.Play begins on March 10 with No. 12 Arizona State (7-11) squaring off with No. 13 Baylor (6-12) at 11:30 a.m. CT (9:30 a.m. MST). Cincinnati takes on No. 16 Utah at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET/1 p.m. MDT) in the second game of Session 1. Tuesday’s night session features No. 10 seed BYU (8-10) facing No. 15 seed Kansas State (3-15) at 6 p.m. CT (5 p.m. MDT) followed by No. 11 seed Colorado (7-11) and No. 14 Oklahoma State (6-12) at 8:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. MDT). Baylor ranked ahead of Oklahoma State due to its Jan. 13 win in Stillwater, while Colorado swept a pair of meetings with Arizona State to earn the tiebreaker.All games of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Basketball Tournament are broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN+. The winner of the event captures the Big 12’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.Tickets are still available HERE. Options include sideline seats, corner seats, baseline seats, and upper-level seating. Club access seats are in sections 111 and 112 in the lettered rows and come with access to The Backcourt Club, which includes lounge seating and a cash bar with for-purchase snacks. The Busey Bank Club is another premium option that offers 4 seat tables with Food & Beverage credit and personal in-seat service with an unparalleled baseline view. 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament Schedule (Printable Bracket)First Round – Tuesday, March 10Game 1: No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 13 Baylor (ESPN+) – 11:30 a.m. CT/9:30 a.m. MSTGame 2: No. 9 Cincinnati vs. No. 16 Utah (ESPN+) – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MDTGame 3: No. 10 BYU vs. No. 15 Kansas State (ESPN+) – 6 p.m. CT/5 p.m. MDTGame 4: No. 11 Colorado vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State (ESPN+) – 8:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. MDTSecond Round – Wednesday, March 11Game 5: No. 5 Iowa State vs. Game 1 winner (ESPN/2) – 11:30 a.m. CTGame 6: No. 8 UCF vs. Game 2 winner (ESPNU) – 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ETGame 7: No. 7 West Virginia vs. Game 3 winner (ESPNU) – 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ETGame 8: No. 6 TCU vs. Game 4 winner (ESPN2/U) – 8:30 p.m. CTQuarterfinals – Thursday, March 12Game 9: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. Game 5 winner (ESPN/2) – 11:30 a.m. CTGame 10: No. 1 Arizona vs. Game 6 winner (ESPN/2) – 2 p.m. CT/12 p.m. MSTGame 11: No. 2 Houston vs. Game 7 winner (ESPN/2) – 6 p.m. CTGame 12: No. 3 Kansas vs. Game 8 winner (ESPN/2) – 8:30 p.m. CTSemifinals – Friday, March 13Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (ESPN/2) – 6 p.m. CTGame 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (ESPN/2) – 8:30 p.m. CTFinal – Saturday, March 14Game 15: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner (ESPN) – 5 p.m. CT FULL BRACKET ANNOUNCED FOR 2026 T. ROWE PRICE ACC MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced the seedings and full bracket for the 2026 T. Rowe Price ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, which will be played Tuesday through Saturday, March 10-14, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 73rd edition of the tournament will be played for the 15th time in Charlotte, including the fourth at Spectrum Center (2008, 2019, 2025). After winning the outright ACC regular-season championship for the second straight year, Duke (28-2, 17-1 ACC) claimed the tournament’s No. 1 seed and a double bye into the Thursday quarterfinals. In the first year under head coach Ryan Odom, Virginia (27-4, 16-2) earned the No. 2 seed, while Miami (24-7, 13-5), in its first year under Jai Lucas, notched the No. 3 seed. North Carolina (24-7, 12-6) took the No. 4 seed and the final double bye. The tournament starts Tuesday with three games. Winners of four straight games and six of its last eight, No. 10 seed Stanford (20-11, 9-9) takes on No. 15 seed Pitt (12-19, 5-13) in the tournament’s opener at 2 p.m. ET. No. 11 seed SMU (19-12, 8-10) faces No. 14 Syracuse (15-16, 6-12) in the second game at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET. In the nightcap, No. 12 seed Virginia Tech (19-12, 8-10) plays No. 13 seed Wake Forest (16-15, 7-11) at approximately 7 p.m. ET. Day 2 on Wednesday begins at noon ET, with No. 7 seed NC State (19-12, 10-8) battling the Stanford-Pitt winner. No. 7 seed Louisville (22-9, 11-7) follows by taking on the SMU-XXX winner at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET. The evening session starts at 7 p.m. ET, with No. 8 seed Florida State (17-14, 10-8), winners of 10 of its last 13 games, playing No. 9 seed California (21-10, 9-9). The second game features No. 5 seed Clemson (22-9, 12-6) battling the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest winner at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET. The Wednesday winners then will move on to play the tournament’s top four seeds on Thursday in the quarterfinals, with No. 2 seed Virginia taking the court at noon ET and No. 3 seed Miami following at 2:30 p.m. ET. The evening session features No. 1 seed Duke at 7 p.m. ET and No. 4 seed North Carolina at 9:30 p.m. ET. All 14 tournament games will be nationally televised on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ACC Network. In addition, all games will be available for streaming via ACCNX. The 2026 T. Rowe Price ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament schedule: Tuesday, March 10First Round2 p.m. – No. 10 Stanford vs. No. 15 Pitt (ACC Network)4:30 p.m. – No. 11 SMU vs. No. 14 Syracuse (ACC Network)7 p.m. – No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Wake Forest (ACC Network) Wednesday, March 11Second RoundNoon – No. 7 NC State vs. Stanford-Pitt winner (ESPN/ESPN)2:30 p.m. – No. 6 Louisville vs. SMU-Syracuse winner (ESPN/ESPNU)7 p.m. – No. 8 Florida State vs. No. 9 California (ESPN2/ESPNU)9:30 p.m. – No. 5 Clemson vs. Virginia Tech-Wake Forest winner (ESPN2/ESPNU) Thursday, March 12QuarterfinalsNoon – No. 2 Virginia vs. Wednesday Noon winner (ESPN/ESPN2)2:30 p.m. – No. 3 Miami vs. Wednesday 2:30 p.m. winner (ESPN/ESPN2)7 p.m. – No. 1 Duke vs. Wednesday 7 p.m. winner (ESPN/ESPN2)9:30 p.m. – No. 4 North Carolina vs. Wednesday 9:30 p.m. winner (ESPN/ESPN2) Friday, March 13Semifinals7 p.m. – Thursday afternoon winners (ESPN/ESPN2)9:30 p.m. – Thursday evening winners (ESPN/ESPN2) Saturday, March 14Championship8:30 p.m. – Semifinal winners (ESPN) All times Eastern 2026 BIG EAST MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT The 2026 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament Presented by Jeep returns to Madison Square Garden for the 44th consecutive year. This year’s tournament dates are Wednesday, March 11 through Saturday, March 14. The tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 11, with a first-round tripleheader on Peacock. The No. 8 seed meets the No. 9 seed at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the No. 7 seed battling the No. 10 seed at 6:30 p.m. The evening concludes at 9 p.m., with the No. 6 seed playing the No. 11 seed. All three games of Wednesday’s opening day of play will also air on NBC Sports Network. Thursday’s quarterfinals on March 12 will continue the BIG EAST Tournament tradition of taking over Madison Square Garden for the entire day, electrifying the metro area college basketball community, as well as those coming from across the BIG EAST map. Peacock and NBCSN will cast the afternoon doubleheader featuring the No. 1 seed facing the winner of Wednesday’s 8-9 game, followed by a matchup that will pit the No. 4 seed against the No. 5 seed. FS1 will take over for the evening doubleheader, beginning at 7 p.m., with the No. 2 seed facing the winner of Wednesday’s 7-10 game. Quarterfinal action will conclude at 9:30 p.m. with the No. 3 seed going up against the winner of Wednesday’s 6-11 contest. Friday’s semifinal night will feature a battle between the winners of Thursday’s afternoon sessions, with the first game tipping at 5:30 p.m. on FOX, followed by the nightcap at 8 p.m. on FS1. The BIG EAST Championship will broadcast live on FOX at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. Now in its fourth decade in New York City, the BIG EAST Tournament is college basketball’s longest-running postseason basketball conference championship held at the same venue, dating to 1983. Last season’s 2025 BIG EAST Tournament, won by St. John’s, sold out each session to 19,812 supporting fans. ==================================================================== NBA NBA ROUNDUP: SUNS HALT HORNETS’ 10-GAME ROAD WINNING STREAK Devin Booker had 30 points and 10 assists, Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie each added 24 points and the host Phoenix Suns ran away from Charlotte in the second half for a 111-99 victory on Sunday to break the Hornets’ 10-game road winning streak. Rookie forward Rasheer Fleming had career highs with 16 points and four 3-pointers for the Suns, who have won four of five. Booker made all 15 of his free-throw attempts, setting a season high in makes and tying a career high for most makes without a miss in a game. The Suns were 23 of 26 from the foul line. LaMelo Ball scored 22 points and made four 3-pointers, Miles Bridges scored 16 points and Kon Knueppel added 15 points for the Hornets, playing the first of a four-game trip. The Hornets, 16-5 in their last 21, had not lost on the road since a 136-116 defeat at Golden State on Jan. 17. Celtics 109, Cavaliers 98 Jaylen Brown collected 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as Boston built a 26-point lead on its way to a victory over host Cleveland. Jayson Tatum had 20 points on 6-of-16 shooting for the Celtics, who are second in the Eastern Conference behind the Detroit Pistons. Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 30 points and Evan Mobley had 24 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland. The Cavaliers had their season-high home winning streak snapped at seven and are 22-9 since Dec. 29. Boston received big games off the bench from Payton Pritchard, who had 18 points and seven assists and Baylor Scheierman, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sam Hauser scored 15 points on five 3-pointers. Lakers 110, Knicks 97 Luka Doncic scored 35 points as Los Angeles weathered some shaky moments in the fourth quarter, along with LeBron James sitting out, and recorded a wire-to-wire victory over visiting New York. James sat out with a bruised left elbow he sustained in Thursday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets when he absorbed contact from Nikola Jokic. The Lakers also said the 41-year-old missed the game due to left foot arthritis. Austin Reaves added 25 and had a pair of key defensive plays against Jalen Brunson in the final minutes. Rui Hachimura started for James again and contributed 13. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 25 points, including 11 in the fourth, to go along with 16 rebounds. Brunson added 24 points, six rebounds and seven assists, but shot 8 of 19 from the field and committed seven of New York’s 19 turnovers. Raptors 122, Mavericks 92 RJ Barrett scored a season-best 31 points and Toronto defeated visiting Dallas. Scottie Barnes added 17 points for the Raptors, who had lost their two previous games and four of five. Jakob Poeltl had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Ingram and Ja’Kobe Walter contributed 11 points each while Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 13 points. Daniel Gafford had a season-best 21 points on 10-for-10 shooting and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have lost seven in a row. Rookie Cooper Flagg added 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks. Pelicans 138, Wizards 118 Trey Murphy III knocked down four of nine 3-pointers on the way to 24 points, Saddiq Bey recorded a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double, and New Orleans routed visiting Washington. Murphy was one of five Pelicans scoring at least 18 points, a quintet that included Jeremiah Fears with 18 points. Zion Williamson scored 20 points in the win — the Pelicans’ 21st of the season to match their 2024-25 total — with eight coming on 11 free-throw attempts. His team-high at the charity stripe paced New Orleans to a Pelicans-record 37 points scored at the free-throw line. Playing his second game for a Washington team that slipped to its eighth consecutive loss, Trae Young scored 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and dished a game-high eight assists. Trail Blazers 131, Pacers 111 Scoot Henderson scored a season-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead Portland to an easy victory over visiting Indiana. Jrue Holiday (five 3-pointers) and Jerami Grant (four) scored 21 points apiece as the Trail Blazers won for the second time in three games. Portland All-Star Deni Avdija (back) returned from a six-game absence and had 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 25 minutes for the Trail Blazers. Pascal Siakam had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists as the Pacers lost their ninth consecutive game. Indiana has dropped its past six games by an average of 19.7 points. Magic 130, Bucks 91 Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 33 points to lead Orlando to a victory over the Bucks in Milwaukee. Jalen Suggs added 20 for Orlando, which won its fourth consecutive game. Desmond Bane scored 18 with a game-high nine assists. The Bucks fell for the fifth time in their last six contests. Bobby Portis led Milwaukee in scoring with 18 along with a game-best 10 rebounds. Portis made history with his performance, pulling into second place in the all-time NBA ranks with his 87th double-double off the bench. Cam Thomas added 17 points with six assists for the Bucks. Heat 121, Pistons 110 Tyler Herro scored 25 points as host Miami won its fifth straight game, defeating Detroit. Miami, on its hottest streak since winning six in a row in November, also got 24 points and nine rebounds from Bam Adebayo. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds off the bench. Cade Cunningham scored 26 points and dished 10 assists for Detroit, which has lost four straight games. Jalen Duren scored 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting. The Heat, who improved to 21-11 at home, played without leading scorer Norman Powell (groin), starter Andrew Wiggins (toe) and role players Nikola Jovic (back) and Simone Fontecchio (groin). Miami got 16 points from Tyler Herro and 14 from Bam Adebayo, and the Heat dominated most every first-half statistic. Spurs 145, Rockets 120 Four players scored 20 or more points, led by Victor Wembanyama’s 29, as host San Antonio rolled past up-and-down Houston. The Spurs scored their most points in a game this season and have captured four straight outings and 15 of their past 16 contests. Stephon Castle added 23 points for San Antonio while De’Aaron Fox finished with 20 points and 10 assists, Keldon Johnson also scored 20 points, Dylan Harper had 19 and Julian Champagnie tallied 11. Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 23 points each. Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 17 apiece while Alperen Sengun had 16 points. Houston has alternated wins and losses over its past six games and fell 7.5 games behind the second-place Spurs in the Western Conference standings. Kings 126, Bulls 110 Malik Monk and Maxime Raynaud combined for 56 points, Russell Westbrook added to his unmatched triple-double total, and host Sacramento won for just the third time in its last 23 games by beating Chicago. Monk led the way off the bench with 30 points and Raynaud added 26 for the Kings. Westbrook, the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, recorded his fifth of the season and the 208th of his career with 23 points, 11 rebounds and a game-high 12 assists. Collin Sexton came off the bench to pour in 28 points for the Bulls. Teammate Josh Giddey had a triple-double of his own with 15 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Nick Richards put up a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. ======================================================================= NHL NHL ROUNDUP: SIZZLING SABRES EDGE LIGHTNING AS TEAMS TOTAL 15 GOALS Josh Doan’s second power-play goal capped a manic third period as the Buffalo Sabres rallied from a pair of two-goal deficits to beat visiting Tampa Bay 8-7 on Sunday and take over first place in the Atlantic Division. In their NHL-best seventh straight win, the Sabres allowed five unanswered goals to turn a 4-1 lead into a 6-4 deficit six minutes into the final period. After the two teams exchanged goals, Buffalo scored three times in a span of 4:40 to move to 2-0-1 against the Lightning and lead the visitors 84-82 in division standings points. Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker also scored twice, and Sam Carrick and Rasmus Dahlin found the net for the Sabres. Bowen Byram had three assists. Tage Thompson produced four assists to extend his point streak to 11 games (six goals, nine assists. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist, and J.J. Moser had a goal and two assists. Corey Perry, Zemgus Girgensons, Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel had goals. Darren Raddysh posted three helpers. Penguins 5, Bruins 4 (OT) Tommy Novak scored 17 seconds into overtime, helping Pittsburgh rally from a 3-0 deficit to beat visiting Boston. On the opening shift of overtime, Egor Chinakhov forced a turnover, drove to the net, won a puck battle, and Novak charged down the slot, jumping on the loose puck to bury the deciding goal. Anthony Mantha scored twice in the third period, Novak posted a goal and an assist and Chinakhov and Connor Dewar also scored for the Penguins. The Bruins fell despite Pavel Zacha’s second hat trick of the season and Joonas Korpisalo’s 34-save effort. David Pastrnak also broke an eight-game scoring drought, and Viktor Arvidsson and Jonathan Aspirot each had two assists. Avalanche 3, Wild 2 (SO) Nathan MacKinnon beat Jesper Wallstedt in the fourth round of the shootout, as Colorado topped Minnesota in Denver. The Avalanche increased their lead over the third-place Wild in the Central Division to 10 points with their fifth straight win. MacKinnon and Nicolas Roy scored in regulation, Val Nichushkin added a goal in the shootout, and Scott Wedgewood stopped 32 shots in 65 minutes, plus two in the shootout for Colorado. Kirill Kaprizov and Nico Sturm had goals, Matt Boldy found the net in the shootout and Wallstedt made 34 saves through overtime for Minnesota. He also stopped two more in the shootout. Stars 4, Blackhawks 3 (OT) Miro Heiskanen scored 22 seconds into overtime, after Mavrik Bourque recorded a goal and assist in the third period, as surging Dallas outlasted visiting Chicago. In the opening seconds of the extra session, Heiskanen received a pass from Matt Duchene and chipped the puck past Blackhawks netminder Arvid Soderblom. Dallas rebounded after its club-record 10-game winning streak ended with Friday’s 5-4 shootout loss to Colorado. Chicago led 2-0 within the first nine minutes of game but eventually trailed 3-2 in the waning minutes of regulation. With 1:20 to go and Soderblom (27 saves) pulled for the extra skater, Blackhawks star Connor Bedard unleashed a wrister through traffic that glanced off Dallas defenseman Tyler Myers and past netminder Casey DeSmith (16 saves) to tie the contest. Red Wings 3, Devils 0 John Gibson and Cam Talbot combined for a shutout and Detroit defeated host New Jersey in Newark, N.J. Gibson stopped all 21 shots he faced in the first two periods. But the Devils’ Timo Meier knocked the Red Wings’ Lucas Raymond into Gibson late in the second period. Cam Talbot relieved Gibson (undisclosed injury) to begin the third period and made 10 saves. It was Detroit’s first combined shutout since March 2019 (Jonathan Bernier and Jimmy Howard). Defenseman Moritz Seider had a goal and two assists, James van Riemsdyk tallied one of each and Dominik Shine scored his first career goal for the Red Wings, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Patrick Kane had two assists. Jacob Markstrom stopped 27 shots for New Jersey, which had its four-game winning streak broken. Blues 4, Ducks 0 Joel Hofer made 22 saves in posting his fifth shutout of the season, and a three-goal second period fueled St. Louis past Anaheim to cap a perfect four-game road trip. Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and an assist for the second straight game. Forward Jonathan Drouin, acquired Friday from the New York Islanders as part of the Brayden Schenn trade, scored for the Blues, as did Jordan Kyrou and Pius Suter. Defenseman Justin Holl, whom St. Louis acquired from Detroit in the Justin Faulk trade, added an assist in his first game with his new team and NHL season debut. Ville Husso stopped 31 shots for the Ducks, who finished their nine-game homestand with a 7-2 record. Oilers 4, Golden Knights 2 Connor Ingram made 24 saves and Connor McDavid had a pair of assists to lead Edmonton over slumping Vegas in Las Vegas. Trent Frederic, Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl and Kasperi Kapanen scored goals for the Oilers, who closed to within three points of Pacific Division-leading Anaheim with the win. Jack Eichel scored a short-handed goal, Mitch Marner had two assists and Noah Hanifin also scored for the Golden Knights, who lost for the fifth time in the last six games. Adin Hill stopped 15 of 18 shots. ===================================================================== BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: LEO DE VRIES GOES DEEP TWICE TO LEAD A’S PAST DODGERS Top prospect Leo De Vries homered twice, including a grand slam, to lift the Athletics’ split squad to an 11-7 spring training victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday in Mesa, Ariz. De Vries, a 19-year-old switch-hitting shortstop, also delivered a two-run home run in the fourth for the Athletics to post his first six RBIs of the spring. Andy Ibanez went 4-for-5 with two doubles out of the leadoff spot, and Clark Elliott hit the tiebreaking single to launch the A’s four-run eighth. Andy Pages and Alex Call stroked solo shots for the Dodgers, who amassed nine hits to the Athletics’ 14. Starter Justin Wroblewski tossed three scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Twins 7, Phillies 6 Gabriel Gonzalez, Minnesota’s seventh-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, came through with a walk-off sacrifice fly as Minnesota rallied past Philadelphia in Fort Myers, Fla. Ryan Kreidler delivered a game-tying solo home run in the seventh, and Kody Clemens (2-for-3) added a two-run triple along with a double for the Twins, who leapt ahead 3-1 in the third before the Phillies posted a four-run seventh to take a 6-5 lead. Simeon Woods Richardson excelled in his start for Minnesota, striking out five while allowing one run and one hit over four innings. Marco Raya was the winning pitcher, walking one in a scoreless ninth. Otto Kemp opened the scoring with a second-inning homer and added an RBI single for Philadelphia, which saw starter Alan Rangel surrender three runs on six hits over three frames. Rays 9, Braves 8 Tampa Bay plated two in the bottom of the eighth, including the winning run on a passed ball, to beat Atlanta in a back-and-forth battle at Port Charlotte, Fla. The teams combined for six homers and six doubles, scoring 11 runs in the first two innings. Ben Williamson and Brayden Taylor went yard for the Rays, who overcame starter Logan Workman giving up five runs on eight hits over 2 2/3 innings. Ben Gamel hit his fourth spring homer in the Braves’ four-run first inning, with Kyle Farmer, Luke Williams and Jair Camargo also touching them all for the prospect-laden road squad. Bryce Elder allowed five runs over 3 1/3 innings. Nationals 3, Astros 1 Ronny Cruz, a 19-year-old prospect, broke a deadlock with a two-run homer as Washington outdueled Houston in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Nationals bunched all three of their hits into their three-run seventh, then held on as six pitchers combined to allow three hits and one run. Starter Andrew Alvarez gave up just one hit and struck out five over four shutout innings. Cam Smith delivered the Astros’ lone run on a fifth-inning homer and finished with two of Houston’s three hits. Hunter Brown racked up nine strikeouts over four hitless frames before J.P. France took the loss. Pirates 9, Red Sox 7 Billy Cook and Nick Yorke each homered and knocked in three runs in Pittsburgh’s defeat of Boston in Bradenton, Fla. Cook (3-for-3) finished a triple shy of the cycle while Marcell Ozuna had two hits and scored two runs for Pittsburgh. Carmen Mlodzinski scattered five hits over his three innings, but allowed just one earned run to secure his second spring win. Mickey Gasper was 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and Ahbram Liendo had a two-run double for the Red Sox. Starter Jake Bennett took the loss with two runs and two hits allowed over 1 2/3 innings. Blue Jays (ss) 1, Orioles 0 Jesus Sanchez’s third-inning RBI single provided the only run in Toronto’s split-squad victory over host Baltimore in Sarasota, Fla. Shortstop Arjun Nimmala, the Blue Jays’ No. 3 prospect, was 2-for-2 with a stolen base and a run. Starting with three hitless innings from Cody Ponce, five Toronto pitchers combined for a five-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and one walk. Taylor Ward’s double was the lone extra-base hit for Baltimore, which was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Jackson Kowar was the losing pitcher, allowing the lone run on two hits over his inning of work. Blue Jays (ss) 5, Tigers 0 Addison Barger knocked in Toronto’s first three runs with a homer and two-run single in consecutive innings to spark a win over Detroit in Dunedin, Fla. Behind 3 1/3 scoreless frames in Kevin Gausman’s start, seven Blue Jays pitchers struck out eight and walked two to complete Toronto’s second shutout of the day. No. 13 prospect Josh Kasevich added an RBI double. Colt Keith was 2-of-3 to lead the Tigers, who managed seven singles. Starter Bryan Sammons surrendered four runs on two hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings. Marlins 2, Cardinals 2 An error by St. Louis first baseman Dakota Harris allowed the leveling Miami run to score in the seventh inning of an eventual tie at Jupiter, Fla. Griffin Conine homered and Graham Pauley (2-for-3, triple) accounted for the Marlins’ three hits. Braxton Garrett, who has been sidelined since June 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, allowed one run on one hit over three innings in his second spring start. Pedro Pages’ double was the Cardinals’ only extra-base hit. Andre Pallante (one run on two hits with three strikeouts over four innings) began a combined three-hit performance by six St. Louis pitchers. Mets 10, Yankees 4 Mets No. 2 prospect Carson Benge (2-for-3) helmed a thorough win in a battle of New York rivals in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The Mets scored three runs in both the second and third innings to pull out of a 2-0 hole. Nine Mets recorded hits with Brett Baty and Tyrone Taylor delivering back-to-back RBI doubles in the third. Freddy Peralta earned the win, striking out four and allowing two runs over three innings. Top Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. scored the opening run after lining a two-out triple to left-center in the first. Jasson Dominguez added a two-run single. Offseason acquisition Ryan Weathers had a rough start, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits over two innings. Athletics (ss) 7, Angels (ss) 4 Tommy White went 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs to pace the host Athletics’ split squad to a win over Los Angeles in Las Vegas. Henry Bolte added a two-run homer and two doubles as part of his 4-for-4 day for the Athletics. Starter Aaron Civale allowed five hits and two runs during his 3 2/3-inning stint, but struck out four with no walks. The Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe poked a two-run homer off Civale while Oswald Peraza added a solo shot as part of his three-hit day. Starter Jack Kochanowicz gave up three hits and one run over four innings. Giants 9, Cubs 5 San Francisco slugged five home runs, including three during a four-run sixth, to secure the win over host Chicago in Mesa, Ariz. Grant McCray and Jesus Rodriguez opened the sixth with back-to-back homers off Connor Schultz, then Buddy Kennedy added a two-run clout with two outs to secure a 6-5 lead. Eric Haase and Parks Harber also homered for the Giants. Landen Roupp allowed two hits and one run with two strikeouts during his three-inning start. Dansby Swanson went 2-for-2 with a double, a triple and two runs for the Cubs, who received three RBIs from Moises Ballesteros on a single and a groundout. Chicago’s bullpen day featured Caleb Thielbar, Phil Maton, Hoby Milner and Luke Little each throwing a hitless inning to open the game. White Sox 5, Royals 4 Colson Montgomery and Jarred Kelenic cracked home runs as Chicago claimed the win over visiting Kansas City in Phoenix. Kelenic and Luisangel Acuna posted two hits apiece for the White Sox. Jordan Hicks walked four and gave up two runs in his 1 2/3-inning start. Sean Newcomb, also vying for a rotation spot, allowed two runs and three hits over three innings. Nick Loftin knocked a two-run homer off Newcomb in the fifth as part of his 2-for-3, three-RBI day in the leadoff spot. Starter Noah Cameron amassed three hits, two runs and three strikeouts in three innings. Reds 13 (ss), Diamondbacks 4 Cincinnati’s 14-hit attack featured four home runs as the hosts never trailed against Arizona in Goodyear, Ariz. Will Benson, Tyson Lewis (2-for-2), Ryan McCrystal (2-for-2, 3 RBIs) and Zavier Warren went deep for the Reds, who broke it open with a five-run sixth. Brady Singer allowed two hits with three strikeouts over his three-inning start. Jordan Lawlar poked his third homer of the spring for the Diamondbacks to highlight his 2-for-4 effort. Ryan Waldschmidt went 3-for-3 with two runs while Gino Groover provided a pair of RBI doubles. Starter Drey Jameson faced six batters — allowing three hits and one run — before being removed. Angels (ss) 10, Rangers 7 Los Angeles shrugged off Evan Carter’s first-inning grand slam to claim the victory over host Texas in Surprise, Ariz. The Angels turned three singles, three walks and a hit-by-pitch into a six-run seventh to take an 8-6 lead. Chris Taylor, Donovan Walton and Christopher Harrelson notched two hits apiece. Starter Victor Mederos surrendered four runs, four walks and two hits over three innings. Carter (2-for-3) gave the Rangers a 4-1 lead with his second homer of the spring. Josh Smith (2-for-2) added a two-run clout in the sixth. Nathan Eovaldi stretched out to five innings and gave up five hits and two runs while fanning four. Guardians 4, Rockies 4 After Dom Nunez’s RBI single gave Cleveland the lead in the top of the ninth, Andy Perez answered with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the ninth to forge a tie in Scottsdale, Ariz. Tyler Freeman and Kyle Karros contributed two hits apiece for the Rockies, who finished with nine hits. Starter Eiberson Castellano posted two scoreless innings despite allowing three walks and one hit. Starter Joey Cantillo fanned four over 4 2/3 innings for the Guardians while allowing five hits and two runs. Nobody cracked two hits for the Guards as they pieced together nine walks, four singles and a Daniel Schneemann double. Brewers 6, Mariners 3 Ethan Murray’s three-run homer in the fourth gave Milwaukee the lead for good against visiting Seattle in Phoenix. Jake Bauers added a solo shot and a double for the Brewers while Andrew Vaughn contributed a 2-for-4 day. Starter Kyle Harrison allowed two hits and two runs (one earned) over three innings while Jacob Misiorowski went 3 1/3 innings in relief with six strikeouts, two hits and one run. Brennen Davis bashed his fourth homer of the spring for the Mariners while Leo Rivas added a two-run shot. George Kirby went the first three innings and gave up two hits and one run with two strikeouts and one walk. Padres 14, Reds (ss) 3 Gavin Sheets and Romeo Sanabria launched three-run homers as host San Diego rode a nine-run eighth past Cincinnati in Peoria, Ariz. Jackson Merrill notched two doubles and Jake Cronenworth contributed a triple as part of the Padres’ 10-hit attack. Logan Gillaspie fired four scoreless innings with two hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Reds prospect Chase Burns gave up four hits and four runs over 3 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. Alfredo Duno provided a two-run homer in the seventh to pull the Reds within 4-2. WBC ROUNDUP: CUBA STARTS STRONG IN DEFEAT OF COLOMBIA Ariel Martinez and Erisbel Arruebarrena each homered as Cuba got off to a hot start and coasted to a 7-4 win over Colombia in Pool A play of the World Baseball Classic on Sunday at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Martinez and Arruebarrena plated four runs on their first-inning home runs, which staked Cuba (2-0 in Pool A) to a 4-0 lead five batters into the bottom of the first. Yoelkis Guibert was 2-for-3, and Yiddi Cappe added insurance with a two-run triple in the sixth to extend the lead to 7-2. That offense helped Cuba overcome its pitching staff issuing more walks (10) than strikeouts (nine). Denny Larrondo recorded the victory despite giving up four walks over his two-inning start. Gio Urshela walked twice and added an RBI single for Colombia (0-3), which got two RBIs from Tito Polo — who was hitless — on a sacrifice fly and hit-by-pitch. Luis Patino was tagged for four runs on two hits in a third of an inning in his start. Italy 7, Great Britain 4 Andrew Fischer and J.J. D’Orazio’s back-to-back homers helped the Italian national team rally from an early deficit to beat the British team in Houston. They were two of five Italian players with two hits as the team finished with 12 knocks, including an RBI double from Miles Mastrobuoni and a run-scoring triple from Sam Antonacci. Italy (2-0 Pool B) saw starter Dylan DeLucia issue a pair of run-scoring wild pitches in the first but he struck out five in 3 2/3 innings to spark the team’s 13-strikeout showing by seven different arms. Jazz Chisholm Jr. had the lone RBI for Great Britain (0-3) on an eighth-inning single. Nate Eaton and Chisholm each finished with two hits in the top two spots of the lineup. Nick Wells took the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits over two-thirds of an inning. Dominican Republic 12, Netherlands 1 (7) The Dominican Republic squad (2-0 Pool D) smashed four home runs in a run-rule-shortened demolition of the Dutch national team in Miami. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Junior Caminero, Austin Wells and Juan Soto all homered to account for half of the Dominican team’s eight hits. Luis Severino struck out five and allowed one run over four innings, with three pitchers combining for 11 strikeouts to one walk. Didi Gregorius smacked a second-inning homer for the Netherlands (1-2), which was held to five hits and 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. Arij Fransen took the loss, allowing three runs on three walks and two hits over two innings. ===================================================================== GOLF AKSHAY BHATIA DEFEATS DANIEL BERGER IN PLAYOFF TO WIN ARNOLD PALMER Akshay Bhatia found several sources of late-day momentum, which led to another victory on the PGA Tour. Bhatia used a late-round eagle to help secure a 3-under-par 69 before winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in a playoff Sunday in Orlando, Fla. His par on the extra hole was enough when Daniel Berger missed a putt from about 7 1/2 feet. They both were at 15-under 273 for the tournament at Bay Hill Club and Lodge. “Everyone knows when you show up to Bay Hill it’s going to be a test and to play one of the hardest golf courses,” Bhatia said. “And to succeed is really cool.” Bhatia won for the third time on the PGA Tour with his first victory since the 2024 Texas Open. It was the tournament’s first playoff since 1999. Berger, seeking his fifth tour victory and first in more than five years, shot 70 in the final round. “Obviously it didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” Berger said. “But at the start of the week if you told me I would have a chance on the 18th hole to win Bay Hill, I would be ecstatic with that. So a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from.” There was plenty of drama on the last hole in regulation. With his tee shot into the rough on No. 18, Berger chose to lay up rather than try to carry the lake guarding the green. Bhatia put his second shot within 19 feet of the hole and then needed a tap-in for par. Berger sank a 13 1/2-foot putt, with the ball curling into the cup, to match Bhatia’s par and extend the tournament. “You just never know what can happen in this game,” Bhatia said. Berger was in the rough off the tee again on the playoff hole, and this time he couldn’t make a full recovery. “It’s tough to win (a tournament),” Berger said. “It’s tough to battle. But I feel like I did a good job, and a shot here or there was the difference.” Cameron Young (69) and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (67) tied for third place at 12 under and Collin Morikawa (70), seeking his second victory in four weeks, was fifth at 11 under. Hours earlier, Berger’s lead dipped to one stroke on Bhatia after they were among a few groups completing the weather-interrupted third round Sunday morning. Bhatia posted birdie on No. 18 to finish the third round. Berger and Bhatia were in the final pairing for the second round in a row. Bhatia drew even briefly with an eagle 3 — courtesy of a 3-foot putt — on the 16th hole. The approach shot came from what Bhatia called the best 6-iron shot of his life. Berger, however, left the green with a one-stroke lead after making birdie. He relinquished the final-round lead with a bogey on the following hole. Berger dodged early trouble when his tee shot on the par-5 fourth hole went into a shallow creek off the fairway. He took a risk by powering his second shot out of trouble with water spraying, and he managed to produce a birdie on the hole. Bhatia got back in it with four consecutive birdies to begin the back nine after a three-bogey, one-birdie front side. He said a bogey on No. 9 led to a change of mindset. “I played with some anger for those couple holes,” he said. His birdie splurge included a 58-foot birdie putt on No. 11. “That putt on 11 was a huge bonus for me,” he said. “That really switched my momentum.” Young liked being near the top of the leaderboard. “I got myself in a place where I hit a bunch of good shots and sometimes the putts just don’t go in,” Young said. Sahith Theegala had the final round’s best score with 66, allowing him to share sixth place at 10 under with Russell Henley (68) and Australia’s Min Woo Lee (70). “This week was big,” Theegala said. “I played some really, really nice golf. Just got to figure out how to get one of the really bad round.” World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler’s 73 marked his worst round of the tournament. He tied for 24th place at 2 under, yet he was far from discouraged. “I hit a lot of really, really nice iron shots,” Scheffler said. “Some worked out, others got some wind shifts, but overall, I felt like I struck it really nicely.” ZACH JOHNSON WINS CHAMPIONS DEBUT AT JAMES HARDIE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME INVITATIONAL Zach Johnson didn’t wait long to make himself at home on PGA Tour Champions. Just two weeks after turning 50, the two-time major winner closed with a 3-under 69 on Sunday to win the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla., by four shots in his debut on the 50-and-older circuit. Johnson finished at 11-under 205 on The Old Course at Broken Sound, becoming the 22nd player to win his first start on the tour. “It’s humbling, it’s humbling just to get to this point,” Johnson said after the win. “… I mean if you would have told me I’d be here at 50 years old, you know, the hypothetical part of that is so incredible that I would have said you’re crazy. “Staying in modest shape to play with these guys because it’s still really good golf, highly competitive on a phenomenal track, I am humbled. I am extremely excited, and I have been excited.” Johnson’s final round had an early hiccup — a bogey on the par-3 third hole — but then he maintained steady pressure. He recorded four birdies as he created separation from a leaderboard that stayed bunched most of the week. Stewart Cink, one of the early-season pace-setters on the Champions Tour, finished four back after a closing 70 that tied him with George McNeill (72) for second place at 7-under 209. McNeill briefly grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie on the opening hole, but couldn’t keep pace once Johnson began stacking birdies through the middle of the round. “Made too many bogeys throughout the week. Just, you can’t do that,” McNeil said. “And today was, I just didn’t make any putts. I hit the ball fine, just nothing. And it wasn’t that I was hitting bad putts, I just couldn’t read ‘em all that well. But overall it was great.” Ireland’s Padraig Harrington capped a sharp rebound from an opening-round 79 by finishing tied for fourth at 6 under thanks to weekend rounds of 66 and 65. Jamie Donaldson of Wales, Germany’s Alex Cejka, Australia’s Steve Allan and Steve Flesch tied Harrington for fourth. RICKY CASTILLO PULLS OUT FIRST PGA TOUR WIN AT PUERTO RICO OPEN Ricky Castillo had a chip-in eagle on the sixth hole to take the lead and held on to win the Puerto Rico Open by one stroke for his first PGA Tour victory Sunday in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Castillo drained a birdie putt at No. 13 to break a tie with Chandler Blanchet for the outright lead, then added one more at the par-5 14th at Grand Reserve Golf Club before saving four pars down the stretch and carding a 5-under 67. At 17-under 271, Castillo had just enough room to beat Blanchet, who birdied his final hole to also shoot 67 and reach 16 under. “It’s super special,” said Castillo, 25. “To be able to win out here, my parents were able to watch and stuff like that. You know, I know my grandma’s looking down right now all happy and stuff, so just super surreal.” Castillo, a native of California, had two top-five finishes, including a third place in 2025. He said he would have liked to qualify for this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational but entered the alternate event because he was eager to play, making the breakthrough even more rewarding. “It’s really cool to put into words to be able to win my first event,” he said. “I felt like I wanted to be in Bay Hill and I decided to just come out here and play this and ended up winning, so it all works out in the end.” Crucially, Castillo did not have a single bogey Saturday or Sunday. His short-range chip-in from off the green at the par-5 sixth was quickly followed by a birdie at the par-3 seventh. Blades Brown, 18, was vying to become the second-youngest winner in PGA Tour history but settled for third at 14 under after a round of 69. Davis Thompson (69) was fourth at 13 under and Paul Peterson (66), Luke Clanton (68) and German Matti Schmid (71) tied for fifth at 12 under. Gordon Sargent, the former No. 1 amateur in the world, shot a final-round 70 and finished in a large tie at 11 under in his first tournament as a pro. “I think it’s easy to get ahead of yourself a little bit and think about kind of the results, so tried to kind of just stay present and yeah, definitely going to take a lot away from this week,” Sargent said. Amateur John Daly II struggled to a 74 and finished 7 under in his first PGA Tour start. =================================================================== AUTO RACING RYAN BLANEY HOLDS ON IN PHOENIX, ENDS TYLER REDDICK’S WINNING STREAK Ryan Blaney overcame two loose wheels after pit service and denied Tyler Reddick of a chance for a NASCAR record-setting fourth straight victory to open a season, winning Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 500 over Christopher Bell at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. After a track-record-tying 12th caution, Blaney, who made a late two-tire stop, started second to Ty Gibbs on a 12-lap sprint, but he maneuvered his No. 12 Ford under the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who was seeking his first Cup Series win. The 2023 Cup champion led 28 laps overall and held off Bell, on four tires, by 0.399 seconds for his 18th career win. Kyle Larson, Gibbs and Denny Hamlin completed the top five. Seeking his fourth straight win, Reddick came home eighth in his No. 45 Toyota. Polesitter Joey Logano and Team Penske teammates Blaney and Austin Cindric ran 1-2-3 until Blaney’s Ford rolled the center better than Logano’s No. 22 in a gaggle of cars and took the lead for the first time. Stage 1 ended with Blaney taking the checkers followed by Bell, Logano, Reddick and Hamlin. Kyle Busch and Shane van Gisbergen had issues on Lap 93 for the second caution. Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott had trouble together on Lap 104. Hindered by a tire vibration, third-place Chase Briscoe’s right tire blew out seven circuits after passing Reddick on Lap 125 and smacked the wall for the fourth yellow. Tires became even more of an issue on Lap 158 as Noah Gragson’s No. 4 Ford, William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet, Connor Zilisch’s No. 88 Chevrolet and Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet all experienced rubber failure. Hamlin — who did not take two tires while leading late in the Championship Race last November and lost the title to Larson — did so this time on the ensuing pit stop and easily moved to the front, but Bell won Stage 2 with Hamlin, Logano, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace behind. Logano spun Ross Chastain to create the race’s hardest hit, Cindric’s No. 2 Ford, on Lap 217. Contact with AJ Allmendinger ended Logano’s day on Lap 254, and Elliott, van Gisbergen and Josh Berry were among those receiving damage. ===================================================================== INDIANA SPORTS TEAM RELEASES INDIANA PACERS GAME REWIND: PACERS 111, TRAIL BLAZERS 131 The Pacers continued their four-game West Coast road trip on Sunday as they visited the Trail Blazers in Portland. Indiana took losses to both the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers on the first stretch of the trip, and sought to reverse its fortune in Portland. The Pacers played the Trail Blazers closely in the first quarter, but a lopsided second quarter had them facing a 17-point deficit at halftime. It proved to be too much to overcome for Indiana, who fell in Portland, 131-111. Deni Avdija returned to the lineup for Portland on Sunday following a six-game absence due to injury. Avdija leads the Trail Blazers in scoring this season as he averages 24.4 points per game. Aaron Nesmith wasted no time before knocking down a 3-point shot off a pass from Andrew Nembhard – Nesmith scored the game’s first points just 10 seconds into action. Portland jumped out to a 12-5 lead early in the first quarter that forced an Indiana timeout, but the Blue and Gold responded. The Pacers led by as many as four points before the end of the first quarter. The game was knotted heading into the second, 30-30. Jrue Holiday hit a long 2-point shot over Pascal Siakam midway through the second quarter that put the Trail Blazers up four points, but Jarace Walker responded with a triple to close the gap to just a point, 6:51 to play before the half. The first half was tightly contested until the final three minutes. Portland went up by double digits following a bucket from Jerami Grant, 57-47. The Trail Blazers lead ballooned to 17 before the half as they opened up an 18-2 run to lead at the half, 69-52. Siakam was the first of the Pacers to reach double-figures, and notched 13 points in the half. Scoot Henderson came off the Blazers bench to score a game-high 19 points, and contributed three rebounds and five assists. Indiana struggled from deep throughout much of the first half. Just five of Indiana’s 12 3-point attempts found the bottom of the net. It took nearly 15 minutes of game time for the Pacers to commit their first turnover, and they committed just four in the half. The Pacers fell behind by 20 points before Nesmith collected a rebound, then sent it the full length of the floor to Siakam, who dropped it in for two. Indiana trailed, 75-62. Jay Huff’s 3-point shot wasn’t falling in the first half, but the third quarter was a different story. He buried three triples before the eight-minute mark of the frame, and shot 75 percent from deep throughout the third. Huff recorded 11 points in the third quarter, but the Pacers trailed heading into the fourth, 100-80. Indiana played the Blazers even in the fourth quarter – each team notched 31 points. A lopsided second quarter in which Portland outscored the Pacers by 17 points created a deficit that Indiana couldn’t overcome in the latter half of the contest. Indiana fell to the Trail Blazers, 131-111. Siakam led Indiana in scoring with 22 points – his 44th game of 20 points or more this season – along with six rebounds and five assists. Henderson’s 28 points off the bench led the way for Portland, and both Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan recorded 11 rebounds. The loss marks nine straight for Indiana, who will travel to Sacramento for a matchup with the Kings on Tuesday, March 10, at 10:00 PM ET. Inside the Numbers The Pacers lost the rebound battle, 53-38. Sunday’s contest marked the sixth straight game that Indiana has trailed by 20+ points. Indiana shot just 43 percent from the field to Portland’s 51 percent. Both teams had five players record double-digit scoring nights. You Can Quote Me on That “We had done some good things leading up to that, and there are some good things sprinkled throughout the game, but consistency and being able to sustain are essential on the road…There were problems we just couldn’t overcome.” – coach Rick Carlisle on Portland’s run to end the first half “This is an opportunity to look at everything. And we’re looking at a lot of different guys, a lot of different combinations, and by the time we’re done we’re going to have a significant amount of information collected on our entire team…This is meaningful.” – Carlisle on his rotational decisions late in the season “We’re trying to come up with sub-30 point defensive quarters…The second quarter was the killer again. The second quarter’s been a big problem for us. We’ve just got to do better.” – Carlisle on Indiana’s defensive goals Stat of the Night The Pacers conceded a 25-8 run to close the second quarter that gave Portland a 17-point cushion to start the second half. Noteworthy T.J. McConnell left Sunday’s game with a sore hamstring in the fourth quarter. He did not return. The Pacers are 39-64 against the Trail Blazers all-time. The Trail Blazers will visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 18, 7:30 PM ET to conclude the season series with the Pacers. Up Next The Pacers conclude their four-game West Coast road trip in Sacramento on Tuesday, March 10, as they match up with the Kings. ==================================================================== INDY IGNITE IGNITE KEEP BURNING OPPONENTS, STRETCH WIN STREAK TO SEVEN FISHERS, Ind. (March 8, 2026) – The Indy Ignite continue lighting Major League Volleyball on fire. After downing Grand Rapids in four sets at Fishers Event Center, Indy has now strung together seven straight wins and pushed its league-leading record to a sizzling 13-2. The latest victory was by no means easy. Despite playing its second match in as many days, Grand Rapids battled throughout and even mounted a comeback to take the opening set 25-23. Indy re-established its presence the rest of the way, winning three straight by scores of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-20 to equal their entire regular-season win total from a year ago just past halfway through the 2026 season. Ignite head coach Lauren Bertolacci admitted it wasn’t her team’s most outstanding effort but it was enough to grind out the win and drop the Rise to 5-10. “I would not say that was our cleanest, smoothest, most flow-state game that I’ve ever seen,” Bertolacci said, “so it is important that we’re able to win through those situations. I like that we just kind of stuck in there and kept going and showed that mental aptitude that we are looking for all the time.” It’s been a recurring theme in Bertolacci’s first season at the Ignite helm: find ways to win even when you’re not hitting on all cylinders. Libero Elena Scott, who set a season high with 17 digs and was her team’s most effective passer in the match (75% positive receptions, 54% perfect receptions), said it’s winning in these types of situations that will prove beneficial when the pressure amps up in the postseason. “I feel like it wasn’t our cleanest match, but a win is a win and that’s what Lauren was saying after the game,” Scott said. “Even though it might feel rough at times, or being put in uncomfortable situations, it can really help you in the long run when it comes to the end of the season—whether you can pull it out or not in those tough situations.” Indy looked as if it might roll to victory early, jumping to leads of 7-1 and 19-14 in the opening set before the Rise rallied to score nine of the final 12 points to take a 1-0 advantage. Set two was knotted at 15 until outside hitter Kayla Lund sparked a 10-3 Ignite outburst, scoring half of those points herself as Indy evened the battle at a set apiece. A five-point Ignite run – three coming on a pair of kills and a block from middle blocker Alexandra Botezat – gave Indy a 21-16 lead in the third set that they wouldn’t relinquish, holding strong for the 25-22 win that put them a set away from clinching the match. That came in the fourth set when Indy broke away from an 18-18 deadlock and finished with a 7-2 blast. Opposite hitter Camryn Hannah led Indy with six kills in the set, with Lund adding five. Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh led Ignite scorers in the match with 15 kills (seven in the second set alone) and a block. Lund totaled 13 points all on kills, Botezat had 12 points (seven kills, four blocks and a service ace) and Hannah gave Indy four scorers in double figures with 10 kills and a block. Setter Mia Tuaniga notched her third double-double in the past four matches with 50 assists and 12 digs. For Botezat, the 6-foot-6 free-agent signee from Italy, it was her best match of the season. Seeing extensive playing time for the first time in a month, she hit with 63.6% success on 54.5% efficiency. She cited the competitive Ignite practices for keeping her sharp when her number is called to play. “I’m happy,” Botezat said with a smile. “I work every day (for) moments like this, but being in a team like ours, it’s really easy to get to the court and be great. Because, as Lauren said, we are working a lot on our mindset, and I think in each game we can see how our mood can help us more than our volleyball skills. That’s really a great thing. “Every day (in practice), we try to be locked in as during the games,” Botezat added, “so it’s not like getting to the court on the game day and just being ready for it. It is something that we have to work every day to be ready, and it’s something that is happening.” The Ignite finish a three-match homestand Thursday when reigning MLV champion Orlando (8-8) visits. The Ignite have already defeated the Valkyries twice this season. The 7 p.m. ET match is designated as Indiana Forever Night, with Indiana natives able to purchase tickets at a 20% discount. Young fans can also arrive early for a Touch-a-Truck experience at Forum Credit Union Plaza in front of Fishers Event Center. A variety of cool vehicles will be available for children sit in, honk horns and learn what powers them. For ticket information, visit IndyIgniteVB.com. ======================================================================= INDIANA SOFTBALLOFFENSIVE FLURRY LEADS TO SERIES WIN OVER MINNESOTA BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– Scoreless through four innings, both offenses found footing in the fifth and Indiana softball rode that momentum to a 6-4 victory and series win over Minnesota on Sunday (March 8) on Andy Mohr Field. Indiana (18-5, 2-1 B1G) out-hit Minnesota (8-15, 1-2 B1G), 9-8, but capitalized on two Gopher errors and four walks in the victory. Hoosier pitching did not walk a batter for the second straight game and surrendered just one extra base hit in the game. INDIANA 6, MINNESOTA 4 Indiana wins series, 2-1 KEY MOMENTS • Aubree Hooks (ND) retired eight straight batters before the Gophers struck for two runs in the fifth inning to open the scoring. • The win went to Taylor Hess (5-1) after 1.1 innings of work and one run allowed in relief. • Minnesota struck first with an RBI fielder’s choice from Brooklyn Jones with runners on the corner and no outs in the fifth. Two batters later, Lucy Hopper grounded out to bring the second run across. • Indiana answered with a crooked number of their own in the fifth inning when five of the first six batters reached base safely, capped by a two-run home run from Madalyn Strader. Avery Parker and Josie Bird also drove in RBI in the frame. • The Gophers drew within one run thanks to a pair of sixth inning runs courtesy of Maggie Werner’s two-run home run with two outs. • An insurance run was manufactured by a leadoff walk to Cassidy Kettleman, a groundout that advanced her to second base and a two-out RBI single from Parker. • Minnesota got the tying run to the plate in the ninth before Ella Troutt (1) closed out the game for her first career save. NOTABLES • Parker produced her ninth multi-RBI game of the season with two in the series finale. She now has 46 such games in her career. • She reached base three times with two hits and a hit-by-pitch and scored one run. • Hooks’ line finished at four complete innings of work with two runs – one earned – allowed on four hits. She struck out three in the game. • Troutt finished the weekend with eight innings of shutout work in the circle. She allowed just four base runners, did not walk a batter and finished 1-0 with her first career save. • Alex Cooper produced a two-double game for the third time in her career and came around to score one run. She reached base safely three times in the game. • Strader hit her first career home run in the fifth inning and produced her third mutli-RBI game of the season – fourth of her career. • Cassidy Kettleman walked twice and scored one run. It is her second-career multi-walk game. UP NEXT Indiana continues its seven-game homestand with a midweek contest against Loyola Chicago at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 on Andy Mohr Field. ======================================================================= INDIANA BASEBALL SERIES FINALE ESCAPES ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Even after striking for an early lead in the first inning, the Indiana Baseball team (6-9, 1-2 B1G) couldn’t find a way to hang on to momentum on Sunday (March 8) afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field. Visiting Washington (5-10, 2-1 B1G) scored 11 unanswered runs to pull away for a 13-4 victory in the rubber match of the opening weekend of the Big Ten season. It’s the third-straight season that IU has lost the first conference series of the year. Without the services of normal Sunday starter Jackson Bergman, IU’s bullpen had to pick up the load earlier than expected. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Reagan Rivera went four innings and gave up four runs. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Kaden Jacobi pitched well before hanging a breaking ball to catcher Colton Bower. Bower hit a go-ahead two-run blast, one of three home runs on the day, in the sixth inning to give Washington a lead it wouldn’t concede. Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian gave IU a lead in the first inning with a two-run single. Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley added a solo home run in the fourth inning. Momentum killers proved massive for the Hoosiers on Sunday afternoon. Double plays in the first and eighth inning with the bases loaded were part of a day where IU was 2-20 (.100) with runners on base. IU will look to erase the sting of this weekend’s loss with a midweek contest against Wright State on Tuesday (March 10) at Bart Kaufman Field. The Hoosiers will head on the road for the first time in conference play next weekend at Oregon (March 13-15). Scoring Recap Bottom First Cooper Malamazian provided a two-run single to open the scoring on Sunday afternoon. Indiana 2, Washington 0 Top Third Colton Bower hit an opposite field home run to right field to get Washington on the board. Braeden Terry added a triple later in the inning to tie the game. Indiana 2, Washington 2 Bottom Third IU took the lead right back on a solo home run from Jake Hanley. Indiana 3, Washington 2 Bottom Fourth Will Moore reached on an error, allowing Caleb Koskie to score from third. In the process, Moore was tagged out after accidentally rounding the base at first. Indiana 4, Washington 2 Top Fifth Bower and Landon Young hit back-to-back solo home runs to chase Reagan Rivera from the game. Indiana 4, Washington 4 Top Sixth Bower hit a two-run home run on a breaking ball that Kaden Jacobi left over the plate. Washington 6, Indiana 4 Top Seventh Sam DeCarlo hit a ball past the diving reach of Ayden Crouse for a two-run triple into right field. Washington 8, Indiana 4 Top Ninth Things really got away from IU in the ninth inning. A bunt single from Mic Paul got a run on the board before a triple and an error scored three more from Bower. Young scored on a double steal move to end the frame. Washington 13, Indiana 4 Top Hoosier Performers #34 Hanley, Jake 3-4, HR, RBI, BB #15 Malamazian, Cooper 2-5, 2 RBI #5 Crouse, Ayden 2-2, 2 BB Notes to Know • This weekend’s series against Washington was just the fifth Big Ten home weekend that head coach Jeff Mercer has lost in his time in Bloomington. For the third-straight season, and the second time at home, IU has lost the opening Big Ten series of the season. • Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley picked up three hits to take his career tally to 93 base knocks in only 71 games. He’s seven away from reaching 100 career hits in just the second month of his sophomore campaign. His fourth-inning home run was the 17th of his collegiate career. Up Next IU will finish out the four-game homestand against Wright State on Tuesday (March 8) evening. First pitch is currently set for 5 p.m. and will be streamed on B1G+ and carried on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio. ================================================================== INDIANA WRESTLING INDIANA EARNS BEST BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS FINISH SINCE 2012 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –––– Indiana concluded its time at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (March 8) with another year of growth and four wrestlers who have officially clinched their bids to the NCAA Championships. On top of that, the Hoosiers had three wrestlers reach the podium and two of them who had the best individual placement at Big Tens of any Hoosier since 2019. No. 4 Seed Jacob Moran (125) and No. 8 Seed Gabe Sollars (197) each reached the third place match and narrowly lost to earn a strong fourth place finish. The last Hoosier to finish in fourth place or better at the Big Ten Championships was Elijah Oliver (125) in 2019. In the consolation semifinals, both Moran and Sollars won decisively to advance in the wrestlebacks. Moran defeated No. 9 Seed Diego Sotelo (Michigan) in a 9-7 decision and Sollars defeated No. 6 Seed Wyatt Ingham (Wisconsin) in an 8-1 decision to earn their spot in the third place matches. In that last match of the consolation bracket, both Hoosiers were close but fell just short to its opponents. Moran faced off against No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) and trailed 4-2 with 20 seconds left, he shot and looked to secure a takedown on the edge of the mat, but was out of bounds. Bouzakis held on in the closing seconds to win the match. Sollars trailed 6-1 early to No. 5 Seed Luke Geog (Ohio State) but clawed his way back to make it a 7-5 score in the third period but could not score the final takedown to take the match. Moran, Sollars and Lowery each clinched bids yesterday. No. 6 Seed Derek Gilcher (174) joined the group to earn automatic bids today. In the 11th Place Semifinal match, he faced No. 10 Seed Eddie Enright (Northwestern) and fought to an 11-7 win. With there being 10 available automatic bids for the Big Ten at 174 lbs., Gilcher clinched his spot with his win in that match. This will be his second career NCAA Tournament appearance. As a team, Indiana finished with 40.0 points and a 10th place spot in the team score. It is Indiana’s best showing at the Big Ten Championships since 2012 when the team scored 41.0 points and tied for 10th. Indiana will await to see if any more Hoosier wrestlers will make the NCAA Championships when the entire tournament field is announced on Tuesday (March 10) when the at-large selections will be revealed. FINAL TEAM SCORES Penn State (184.0) Ohio State (148.5) Nebraska (116.5) Iowa (87.0) Michigan (86.5) Illinois (78.0) Minnesota (76.5) Rutgers (63.5) Wisconsin (55.0) Indiana (40.0) Maryland (35.5) Purdue (29.5) Northwestern (14.5) Michigan State (10.5) FINAL RESULTS 125 – No. 4 Jacob Moran: -Round 1: No. 4 Jacob Moran (IU) def. No. 13 Ashton Jackson (PU): TF, 17-2 (3:53) -Quarterfinal: No. 4 Jacob Moran (IU) def. No. 12 Nick Corday (MSU): TF, 20-3 (5:18) -Semifinal: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) def. No. 4 Jacob Moran (IU): MD, 11-3 -Consi Semi: No. 4 Jacob Moran (IU) def. No. 9 Diego Sotelo (MICH): Dec. 9-7 -3rd Place: No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) def. No. 4 Jacob Moran (IU): Dec. 4-2 Jacob Moran finished in 4th Place at 125 lbs. 133 – No. 12 Blaine Frazier: -Round 1: No. 5 Drake Ayala (Iowa) def. No. 12 Blaine Frazier (IU): TF, 21-6 (3:54) -Cons. R1: No. 12 Blaine Frazier (IU) def. No. 13 Gauge Botero (Michigan): Dec. 10-4 -Cons. R2: No. 6 Jacob Van Dee (UNL) def. No. 12 Blaine Frazier (IU): TF, 19-4 (5:22) -9th Place R1: No. 13 Gauge Botero (MICH) def. No. 12 Blaine Frazier (IU): Dec. 5-1 141 – No. 9 Henry Porter: -Round 1: No. 8 Billy DeKraker (NU) def. No. 9 Henry Porter (IU): TF, 15-0 (4:19) -Cons. R1: No. 9 Henry Porter (IU) advanced on bye. -Cons. R2: No. 10 Joey Olivieri (RU) def. No. 9 Henry Porter (IU): MD, 13-1 149 – No. 11 Joey Buttler: -Round 1: No. 6 Chance Lamer (NEB) def. No. 11 Joey Buttler (IU): MD, 9-1 -Cons. R1: No. 14 August Hibler (NU) def. No. 11 Joey Buttler (IU): SV-1, 9-8 -9th Place R1: No. 12 Gavin Brown (PU) def. No. 11 Joey Buttler (IU): Dec. 2-1 157 – No. 11 Bryce Lowery: -Round 1: No. 6 Charlie Millard (MINN) def. No. 11 Bryce Lowery (IU): MD, 12-4 -Cons. R1: No. 11 Bryce Lowery (IU) def. No. 14 Ty Wilson (NU): Dec. 4-1 -Cons. R2: No. 11 Bryce Lowery (IU) def. No. 12 Darius Marines (MSU): Dec. 5-4 -Cons. R3: No. 11 Bryce Lowery (IU) def. No. 8 Luke Mechler (WIS): MD, 9-1 -Consi Semi: No. 3 Kannon Webster (ILL) def. No. 11 Bryce Lowery (IU): Inj. (1:09) Bryce Lowery finished in 6th Place at 157 lbs. 165 – No. 9 Tyler Lillard: -Round 1: No. 8 Paddy Gallagher (OSU) def. No. 9 Tyler Lillard (IU): Dec. 4-1 -Cons. R1: No. 9 Tyler Lillard (IU) advanced on bye. -Cons. R2: No. 2 Joey Blaze (PU) def. No. 9 Tyler Lillard (IU): Dec. 4-1 -9th Place Semi: No. 9 Tyler Lillard (IU) def. No. 14 Jack Conley (MSU): Fall (3:38) -9th Place Final: No. 10 Cody Goebel (Wisconsin) def. No. 9 Tyler Lillard (IU): Dec. 5-2 Tyler Lillard finished in 10th Place at 165 lbs. 174 – No. 6 Derek Gilcher: -Round 1: No. 11 Lenny Pinto (RU) def. No. 6 Derek Gilcher (IU): Inj. (5:57) -Cons. R1: No. 6 Derek Gilcher (IU) def. No. 14 Seth Digby (Maryland): Dec. 4-2 -Cons. R2: No. 5 Beau Mantanona (MICH) def. No. 6 Derek Gilcher (IU): Inj. (0:01) -11th Place Semi: No. 6 Derek Gilcher (IU) def. No. 10 Eddie Enright (NU): Dec. 11-7 -9th Place: No. 12 Lucas Condon (Wisconsin) def. No. 6 Derek Gilcher (IU): MFF Derek Gilcher finished in 10th Place at 174 lbs. 184 – No. 9 Sam Goin: -Round 1: No. 8 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa) def. No. 9 Sam Goin (IU): Dec. 9-3 -Cons. R1: No. 9 Sam Goin (IU) advanced on bye. -Cons. R2: No. 7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RU) def. No. 9 Sam Goin (IU): Dec. 12-7 -9th Place Semi: No. 9 Sam Goin (IU) def. No. 11 J.D. Perez (Northwestern): Dec. 13-12 -9th Place Final: No. 9 Sam Goin (IU) def. No. 10 James Rowley (Purdue): Dec. 7-3 Sam Goin finished in 9th Place at 184 lbs. 197 – No. 8 Gabe Sollars: -Round 1: No. 8 Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 9 Ben Vanadia (PU): Inj. (0:04) -Quarterfinal: No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) def. No. 8 Gabe Sollars (IU): TF, 21-6 (4:10) -Cons. R2: No. 8 Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 10 Hayden Walters (MICH): Dec. 6-1 -Cons. R3: No. 8 Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 4 Branson John (UMD): Dec. 2-1 -Consi Semi: No. 8 Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 6 Wyatt Ingham (Wisconsin): Dec. 8-1 Gabe Sollars finished in 4th Place at 197 lbs. 285 – No. 14 Caleb Marzolino: -Round 1: No. 3 Nick Feldman (OSU) def. No. 14 Caleb Marzolino (IU): TF, 21-6 (2:32) -Cons. R1: No. 14 Caleb Marzolino (IU) def. No. 11 Hayden Filipovich (PUR): Fall (0:29) -Cons. R2: No. 5 Braxton Amos (WIS) def. No. 14 Caleb Marzolino (IU): Fall (2:46) -9th Place R1: No. 11 Hayden Filipvoich (PU) def. No. 14 Caleb Marzolino (IU): Dec. 4-3 ================================================================ PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL SMITH TABBED TO WOODEN AWARD NATIONAL BALLOT WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue senior point guard Braden Smith has been named 1-of-15 players selected to the Wooden Award National Ballot, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced this weekend. Smith is 1-of-4 Big Ten players selected and is joined by Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas), Christian Anderson (Texas Tech), Cameron Boozer (Duke), A.J. Dybantsa (BYU), Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Thomas Haugh (Florida), Graham Ike (Gonzaga), Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State), Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan), J.T. Toppin (Texas Tech), Keaton Wagler (Illinois) and Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) on the list. Smith is having a sensational senior season, averaging 14.9 points, 8.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from 3-point range and 82.3 percent from the free throw line. In conference play only, Smith averaged 16.5 points, 8.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 48.0 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from deep and 88.3 percent from the free throw line. He is 1-of-6 players nationally to stash splits of at least 48-40-88 in conference games only. Smith is the only player in the country to have at least 450 points, 250 assists and 100 rebounds this season and is the first player in NCAA history to have at least three seasons of 450 points, 250 assists and 100 rebounds. The 450-250-100 splits have been accomplished just eight times in Big Ten history. Smith has accounted for three of them. Smith is one of the most-decorated point guards in NCAA history, being named a first-team All-American and Cousy Award winner during the 2024-25 season. For his career, he is the only player in NCAA history to have at least 1,800 points and 1,000 career assists and when you add in his 648 rebounds, Smith is still the only player in NCAA history with even 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds. He is the Big Ten’s all-time leader in assists (1,029) and needs 48 assists to become the NCAA all-time leader in career assists. Purdue’s next action will be Thursday night in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament, starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT in Chicago’s United Center against an opponent to be determined. BOILERMAKERS TO OPEN BIG TEN TOURNAMENT PLAY THURSDAY NIGHT WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men’s basketball team will open its Big Ten Tournament action on Thursday night at the United Center in Chicago. The Boilermakrs, which received the No. 7 seed with a 13-7 Big Ten record, will face either 10th-seeded Indiana, 15th-seeded Northwestern or 18th-seeded Penn State. Northwestern and Penn State will play in Tuesday night’s first round with the winner facing Indiana in Wednesday’s second round. The winner of the second-round game will then face the Boilermakers in the first game of the evening session on Thursday. Purdue enters the tournament with a 23-8 overall record and a 13-7 mark in the Big Ten. Purdue has lost its seven Big Ten games by a combined 38 points with five of the losses coming by six or fewer points. The Boilermakers have played well away from Mackey Arena, posting an 11-3 record, including a 3-0 record in neutral-site games with wins over nationally-ranked Texas Tech and Auburn. Purdue’s seven Big Ten wins away from Mackey Arena are tied for the most in a season in school history. All four of Purdue’s wins against nationally-ranked teams have come away from Mackey Arena. Purdue and Indiana have split the season series this year with each team winning on their home court. Indiana edged the Boilermakers 72-67 in Bloomington in late January, while Purdue toppled the Hoosiers 93-64 in Mackey Arena in mid-February. Purdue and Indiana have met just once in Big Ten Tournament history – a 76-71 Purdue victory in the Boilermakers’ very first Big Ten Tournament game on March 6, 1998, in Chicago. Purdue defeated Northwestern just two games ago on March 4, rallying for a 70-66 road win over the Wildcats. Purdue defeated Penn State 93-85 in Mackey Arena on Jan. 10, in the only meeting between the two squads. Purdue owns a 1-0 record against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament, defeating the Wildcats 69-61 in the 2010 quarterfinals. Purdue is 5-0 all-time against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament, including a 67-65 win in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament title game in Chicago. The bottom half of the bracket includes No. 2 seed Nebraska, No. 3 seed Michigan State and No. 6 seed UCLA. Should Purdue advance to Friday’s quarterfinals, it would face Nebraska on Friday evening in Chicago. ================================================================= PURDUE WRESTLING BLAZE WINS BIG TEN BRONZE; 4 BOILERS TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Junior Joey Blaze won his second consecutive bronze medal at the Big Ten Conference Wrestling Championships on Sunday. Purdue’s All-American was leading Nebraska’s No. 4 LJ Araujo 5-1 midway through the third-place match when the Cornhusker injury defaulted, giving Blaze the win inside Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center. Blaze (No. 2 at 165 lbs.) responded from his first loss of the season on Saturday to wrestle all the way back and finish third, which is the best possible outcome for anyone who drops a match before the finals. Purdue’s foursome of Blaze, Blake Boarman (fifth at 133), Brody Baumann (eighth at 174) and Ben Vanadia (eighth at 197) earned spots on the Big Ten podium and secured automatic qualifying spots for the NCAA Championships in Cleveland on March 19-21. Other Boilermakers could remain in the mix for nationals with at-large selections, which will be announced in the coming week. Since he also placed third last year at 157, Blaze is the first Boilermaker to earn consecutive top-three conference finishes since Devin Schroder in 2020 and 2021. More impressively, Blaze is the first to do so in different weight classes since Dave Walter from 1989 and 1990. The 2025 NCAA finalist added four wins over the weekend against the current No. 7, No. 8, No. 11 and No. 16 wrestlers in the country. With a record of 22-1, including 11 ranked victories, Blaze’s chief objective remains intact: becoming Purdue’s first national champion since 1992. Boarman became a second-time NCAA qualifier in his first season as a Boilermaker. He wrestled the past four years at Chattanooga and qualified for the 2025 national tournament before transferring to Purdue last offseason. Boarman took a big leap forward in his Big Ten tournament debut, upsetting the No. 7 seed Sean Spidle and defending national champion Lucas Byrd (No. 2), who had won 29 straight matches entering the bout. Another homegrown talent from Evansville, Ind., Baumann earned his third venture to the NCAA Championships in his redshirt junior season. He beat No. 7 Ethan Riddle in the second consolation round, which was the only win he needed to make his third appearance at nationals. Baumann was one of just five Indiana natives to qualify for NCAAs the past two years and the only underclassman to do so. Vanadia competed in his fourth and final Big Ten tournament and won the only match that he wrestled in, defeating No. 7 Kael Wisler 7-2 before injury defaulting his remaining bouts. Vanadia did just enough despite a grueling final month of the season and opted to save his best stuff for the national tournament in two weeks. Hailing from Brecksville, Ohio, Vanadia will return to his home state to wrestle on the sport’s grandest stage in two weeks. Purdue finished 12th in the Big Ten tournament standings with 29.5 team points. UP NEXT Purdue’s four automatic qualifiers and any potential at-large selections will head to Cleveland for the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 19-21. The three-day national tournament will take place inside Rocket Arena, home of the NBA’s Cavaliers. RESULTS 125 | #13 Ashton Jackson (R-So.) – DNP Round 1: #4 Jacob Moran (IU) – L, TF 17-2 (3:53) Cons. Round 1: #5 Ayden Smith (RU) – L, Dec. 4-2 (TB-1) 9th Place Quarters: #12 Nick Corday (MSU) – L, Dec. 7-0 133 | #10 Blake Boarman (R-Sr.) – NCAA Qualifier (6th Place) Round 1: #7 Sean Spidle (NU) – W, Dec. 3-2 Quarters: #2 Lucas Byrd (ILL) – W, Dec. 7-3 Semis: #3 Ben Davino (OSU) – L, TF 21-5 (4:17) Cons. Semis: #4 Zan Fugitt (WIS) – L, MD 11-1 5th Place Match: #2 Lucas Byrd (ILL) – L, Dec. 5-2 141 | #7 Greyson Clark (Jr.) – DNP Round 1: #10 Joey Olivieri (RU) Cons. Round 1: BYE Cons. Round 2: #8 Billy DeKraker (NU) – L, Dec. 5-4 149 | #12 Gavin Brown (R-Jr.) – DNP Round 1: #5 Carter Young (MD) – L, Dec. 8-1 Cons. Round 1: #13 Clayton Jones (MSU) – L, MD 10-2 9th Place Quarters: #11 Joey Buttler (IU) – W, Dec. 2-1 9th Place Semis: #8 Ryder Block (IOWA) – L, MD 8-0 157 | #9 Stoney Buell (R-Sr.) – DNP Round 1: #8 Luke Mechler (WIS) – L, Dec. 7-2 Cons. Round 1: BYE Cons. Round 2: #7 Brandon Cannon (OSU) – L, MFFL 9th Place Quarters: BYE 9th Place Semis: #12 Darius Marines (MSU) – L, MFFL 165 | #2 Joey Blaze (Jr.) – NCAA Qualifier (3rd Place) Round 1: BYE Quarters: #7 Andrew Barbosa (RU) – L, Dec. 3-2 Cons. Round 2: #9 Tyler Lillard (IU) – W, Dec. 4-1 Cons. Quarters: #6 Braeden Scoles (ILL) – W, Dec. 5-0 Cons. Semis: #5 Andrew Sparks (MIN) – W, Dec. 3-1 (TB) 3rd Place Match: #4 LJ Araujo (NEB) – W, Inj Def. 3:47 (Led 5-1) 174 | #8 Brody Baumann (R-Jr.) – NCAA Qualifier (8th Place) Round 1: #9 Colin Kelly (ILL) – L, MD 11-2 Cons. Round 1: BYE Cons. Round 2: #7 Ethan Riddle (MIN) – W, Dec. 8-6 Cons. Quarters: #11 Lenny Pinto (RU) – L, Dec. 8-5 7th Place Match: #9 Colin Kelly (ILL) – L, Dec. 11-5 184 | #10 James Rowley (R-Jr.) – DNP Round 1: #7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RU) – L, Dec. 5-2 (SV-1) Cons. Round 1: BYE Cons. Round 2: #8 Angelo Ferrari (IOWA) – L, Dec. 5-1 9th Place Quarters: BYE 9th Place Semis: #12 Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (MD) – W, MD 8-0 9th Place Match: #9 Sam Goin (IU) – L, D 7-3 197 | #9 Ben Vanadia (R-Sr.) – NCAA Qualifier (8th Place) Round 1: #8 Gabe Sollars (IU) – L, MFFL Cons. Round 1: BYE Cons. Round 2: #7 Kael Wisler (MSU) – W, Dec. 7-2 Cons. Quarters: #3 Remy Cotton (RU) – L, MFFL 7th Place Match: #4 Branson John (MD) – L, MFFL 285 | #11 Hayden Filipovich (R-Sr.) – DNP Round 1: #6 Luke Luffman (ILL) – L, Dec. 5-1 Cons. Round 1: #14 Caleb Marzolino (IU) – L, Fall 0:29 9th Place Quarters: #14 Caleb Marzolino (IU) – W, Dec. 4-3 9th Place Semis: #8 Hunter Catka (RU) – L, Dec. 4-1 =================================================================== PURDUE SOFTBALL BOILERS SWEEP THE DAY WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Softball swept day three of the Boilermaker Classic, heading into the final day 4-0. The Boilers started the day with a 5-2 victory over Northern Illinois, before closing it out with an 8-0 run rule victory over Green Bay. BOILER BITS (Game 1 vs NIU) Offensive Highlights Haley Painter: 2-for-2, 1 RBI, 2B Anna Moore: 1-for-1, 3 RBI, HR, R Khloe Banks: 2-for-3, R, 2B Bella Douglas: 2-for-3 Pitching Breakdown Brianna Fontenot: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 16 BF Julia Gossett:(W, 7-3) 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 9 K, 13 BF The NIU Huskies got on the board in the top of the first on a double and a single, but the Boilers immediately came fighting back, tying it up in the bottom of the inning on an RBI groundout from Ashlynn Campbell. The second inning proved scoreless on both sides, before NIU plated another lone run in the top of the third. In the bottom of the inning, Purdue came roaring back, regaining the lead on a three-run home run from freshman, Anna Moore. The homer is Moore’s fifth this season, her first on her home field. Julia Gossett continued to work in the circle after relieving Brianna Fontenot. Gossett struck out the side in the top of the fifth before the Boilers added on another run in the bottom. Haley Painter singled through the left side for her second hit of the day, scoring Polar. Gossett mowed down NIU batters, fanning 9 over her four innings of work, earning her the victory. BOILER BITS (Game 2 vs Green Bay) Offensive Highlights Khloe Banks: 2-for-3, 2 R Moriah Polar: 2-for-3, 2 R, 4 RBI Haley Painter: 2-for-3, 2 RBI Delaney Reefe: 1-for-2, RBI Pitching Breakdown Julia Gossett:(W, 8-3) 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 11 K, 17 BF Gossett picked up right where she left off, striking out the side on 11 pitches in the top of the first. She continued to momentum into the second, striking out two more batters while also catching a line drive back to the mound. The Boilers broke through in the bottom of the third, plating four runs during a two-out rally. Banks led off with a double to right center before three-straight singles from Polar, A. Moore, and Painter piled on the run support. Purdue continued to strengthen its lead, plating four more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Campbell started the inning with a leadoff double, coming around to score on a single from Delaney Reefe. A bunt single from Banks, and a single up the middle from Polar plated two more runs, bringing the lead out to seven. Painter continued her stellar evening adding another RBI, taking the Boilers out to eight runs. Gossett closed it out on the mound, finishing with 11 strikeouts in game two, just one under her season-high. For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball). =================================================================== PURDUE BASEBALL OREGON’S OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT DOOMS PURDUE IN RUBBER GAME WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Sam Flores connected for Purdue Baseball’s first inside-the-park home run at Alexander Field since 2014, but the four-run inning was the only frame in which the Boilermakers scored in a 15-4 rubber game loss to No. 23 Oregon on Sunday. The Ducks (12-3, 2-1 Big Ten) pounded out 20 hits while scoring in six of the game’s eight innings, posting multiple runs in four straight frames from the third through the sixth. They connected for seven extra-base hits (3 doubles, 4 home runs) while striking out just twice. After a two-out RBI single from Aaron Manias put Purdue (9-4, 1-2 Big Ten) on the board in the bottom of the third, Flores followed with an opposite-field gapper to left center. Oregon center fielder Jack Brooks didn’t pull up in his effort to make the inning-ending catch, crashing into the wall and ending up flat on his back on the warning track. Inexplicably, left fielder Jax Gimenez ran toward third base instead of backing up Brooks at the outfield wall. Flores was able to trot home after rounding second base, ultimately celebrating his second home run of the series and fourth of the season. The three-run homer cut the Boilermakers’ deficit to 5-4, but the Ducks responded with three consecutive multi-run innings. Purdue’s last inside-the-park home run was off the bat of Harry Shipley as part of a ninth-inning comeback in a May 2018 win at Ball State. Jeff Evak hit the only other inside-the-park home run by a Boilermaker at Alexander Field, circling the bases in an April 2014 win vs. Ohio State. Purdue used nine pitchers, with only one of the eight relievers recording three outs or more. A game-opening zero from Jarvis Evans and another zero from Jacob Boland against the top of the lineup in the top of the seventh accounted for the Boilermakers’ only scoreless innings of the day. Noah Filer induced an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play ball with the first pitch he threw in the top of the fourth. Center fielder Brandon Rogers made the top defensive play of the game, a diving catch in right center that saw him land on the warning track to end the top of the sixth inning. Oregon’s Drew Smith and Angel Laya both had four hits and four runs scored while batting 6-7 in the lineup. Smith singled in front of both of Laya’s two-run homers. All 11 players that batted for the Ducks had at least one hit. Purdue’s two strikeouts on the mound were its fewest since a February 2024 win vs. Stony Brook in game No. 3 of that season. The Boilermakers had recorded 22 strikeouts over the first 18 innings of the series vs. Oregon. Purdue is back action Tuesday when it hosts Milwaukee for its first home midweek game. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. ET on a forecasted 70-degree day in Greater Lafayette. Beers, hot dogs and popcorn are specially priced at $3 at all Tuesday and Wednesday games at Alexander Field. SERIES LEADERS AT THE PLATE • Aaron Manias: 5-for-11, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, HBP, 2 R • Sam Flores: 3-for-12, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R • Jimmy Dionne: 3-for-9, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R • Brandon Rogers: 2-for-7, RBI, BB, HBP, 2 R, SB STREAKS EXTENDED • Brandon Rogers: 9-game on-base; 8-game on-base in Big Ten play • Aaron Manias: 5-game hit =================================================================== NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL IRISH FALL TO PRINCETON SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The University of Notre Dame softball team dropped Sunday’s neutral site matchup against Princeton, 1-4. The Irish fell to 9-15 overall this season. Caroline O’Brien scored the lone run for Notre Dame while also recording a pair of hits, including a triple. Mickey Winchell also tallied a multi-hit game. The Irish continue their California swing on Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT on ESPN+. Notre Dame is 7-1 all-time against the Gauchos. How it happened Brianne Weiss made the start for the Irish and tossed a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. Notre Dame got on the board first in the bottom of the second thanks to Caroline O’Brien. The sophomore tripled to right center with one out and trotted home on an RBI fielder’s choice from Olivia Levitt to make it 1-0 Irish after two. The Tigers tied the game in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly before taking the lead in the top of the fifth off an unearned run that made it 2-1 Princeton after five innings. Kami Kamzik relieved Weiss in the third inning. Kamzik came into the weekend with a 1.56 ERA out of the bullpen so far this year and didn’t allow an earned run in her 3.1 innings today. Ava Zachary led off the bottom of the sixth with a bunt single to try to spark the Irish offense. After a pair of outs, O’Brien lined a single into left field to put two on, two out for Levitt. On a 2-1 count, Levitt lined one back up the middle, but right at Princeton pitcher Cassidy Shaw who snagged it for the out to escape the Irish threat. The Tigers added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh before shutting the door on a Notre Dame comeback attempt. ================================================================= NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S LAX IRISH FALL 9-13 AT #11/15 CLEMSON CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 6/7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2, 2-2) fell 9-13 on the road to the No. 11/15 Clemson Tigers (4-4, 1-3) on Sunday afternoon. One of the latest Tewaaraton Watch List additions, junior Kate Timarky, led the Irish with three goals with her fourth hat trick of the season. She was followed by fellow Tewaaraton Watch List player Madison Rassas with two goals. Charley Bacigalupo, Grace Maroney, Angie Conley, and Emma Murphy each scored one goal for the Irish. Murphy and Maura Irish each dished out a team-best two assists apiece. The Irish won the draw control battle 15-9 with Uma Kowalski finishing with six draw controls and Meghan O’Hare finishing with a stat line of five draw controls, two ground balls, and a caused turnover. Sloane Ginevan led the Irish with three ground balls. Timarky put Notre Dame on the board first at 12:09 of the first period. While the Clemson Tigers would strike right back to even the slate, Timarky picked up her second goal of the day shortly after to make it 2-1. The Tigers responded with a 3-0 run to give them an early 4-2 edge over the Irish with 4:08 remaining in the quarter. Notre Dame cut into the deficit as Murphy scored on the free position opportunity to make it 3-4. Shortly after, O’Hare found Maroney as the freshman had the equalizer to make it 4-all at the end of the first quarter. The back-and-forth action picked right back in the second quarter as the Tigers struck first, but were quickly followed with a Rassas goal to even the slate yet again at 5-all. Momentum started to shift, however, as back-to-back Clemson goals in just 54 seconds time put the Tigers in front 7-5. This would give Clemson a two-goal advantage at halftime. Clemson’s run continued into the second half as they scored three straight goals to open the third to make it 10-5. Looking to chip away at the deficit, Conley capitalized on a big-time free-position goal to cut it to four. It became a five-goal game yet again after another Tiger goal, but Bacigalupo found the back of the net as the Irish scored in transition to make it 7-11 with 1:58 remaining in the third quarter. Trailing by four heading into the fourth, Rassas took advantage of the man-up opportunity as she scored her second goal of the day to make it 8-11 at 11:05 in the final quarter. Two more Clemson goals would follow and while Timarky was able to cap off her hat trick in the closing minutes, the Irish would fall 9-13 to the Tigers on the road. UP NEXT The Irish will remain on the east coast as they head to North Carolina to take on Elon on Tuesday, March 10 at 1:00 p.m. ================================================================ NOTRE DAME BASEBALL IRISH BLANK BLUE DEVILS TO CAPTURE ACC SERIES DURHAM, N.C. – Drew Berkland got it done on both sides of the field to help lift the Notre Dame baseball team to a 2-0 win over Duke to capture the opening ACC series of the year. Ty Uber retired the first eight batters he faced, including five strikeouts, through the opening two-plus innings of work before Duke recorded a single. Two batters later, Uber induced a flyout to right field as Jayce Lee made the catch to end the inning. Uber continued to stay in command of the strike zone with a sixth K to open the fourth. Drew Berkland made a great diving catch in center field, and Lee collected a fly ball in right to force the Blue Devils into stranding a runner on first. After Uber retired the side yet again in the bottom of the fifth, Drew Berkland led off the top of the sixth with an opposite-field solo home run to break the stalemate and put the Irish on the scoreboard. The Irish got out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth when Berkland made a highlight-reel leaping catch at the wall to rob Duke from a three-run home run and keep the Blue Devils off the scoreboard. In the top of the seventh, the Irish plated their second run of the contest. Mason Barth drilled a two-out double to get things started. Jamie Zee then drove the first pitch of his at-bat into the outfield to easily drive in Barth for a 2-0 lead. The Blue Devils loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Dylan Singleton induced a first-pitch pop up to Parker Brzustewicz to end the inning. Duke loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth with no one out. Eli Thurmond came on in relief and struck out the first batter he faced. Thurmond then induced an infield pop up and a flyout to Jayce Lee in right field to shut down the Blue Devils. Duke put the tying run on base with two outs in the ninth, but Noah Rooney came in and struck out the lone batter he faced to close out the win and earn the save in the 2-0 final. The Irish pitching staff and defense forced Duke into stranding 12 runners on base in the win. Drew Berkland had a solo home run along with a pair of big defensive plays in center field to lead the Irish. Mason Barth had a double and scored a run, and Jamie Zee went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Davis Johnson, Mark Quatrani and Noah Coy each added a hit. Ty Uber went 5.2 innings with a career-high eight strikeouts with zero runs allowed. Will Jaisle had an effective one-third of an inning on the bump by inducing the flyout to Berkland to end the threat. Dylan Singleton went one-plus with three strikeouts on the hill. Eli Thurmond went 1.2 innings with two strikeouts before Noah Rooney came in for the final out with a strikeout for a save to close out the win for the Irish. Notre Dame (9-4, 2-1 ACC) takes a break from league play when they travel to Atrium Health Ballpark, home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, to face Queens on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m. ET. ================================================================= NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HIDALGO SELECTED TO WOODEN AWARD NATIONAL BALLOT LOS ANGELES — Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo has been named to the 2026 Women’s National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award on Sunday. Hidalgo is one of 15 players to earn a spot on the ballot. Selected by a panel of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 20 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award® All-American Team and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player. The Merchantville, New Jersey, native is averaging 25.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.4 steals and 5.3 assists per game. Hidalgo is the only women’s player at the DI level since the 1999-00 season to average at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game. The junior has turned in many incredible performances this season while breaking records along the way. Hidalgo set the all-time record for steals in a game and the program’s single-game scoring record against Akron, finishing with 44 points and 16 rebounds. She has the career program scoring records for 30-point games (18), 20-point games (76) and consecutive games in double figures (99). Hidalgo broke the program’s record for career steals (452) and season steals (173). The standout became the fastest player in ACC and program history to reach 2,000 career points, accomplishing the feat in 86 games. In the final game of the regular season, Hidalgo recorded 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in a road win over No. 10 Louisville, becoming the first ACC player to have 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game since 2001. Hidalgo had a stretch to close out the regular season and begin ACC Tournament play with a career-high six straight 25+ point games, which is the most among all ACC players this century. ================================================================ BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL AJAYI VOTED ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM; BIZJACK EARNS THIRD-TEAM HONORS A pair of Bulldogs were recognized with All-BIG EAST honors as graduate student forward Michael Ajayi was named to the league’s first team and junior guard Finley Bizjack earned third-team honors. The league’s head coaches select the all-conference squads and were not permitted to select their own players. The BIG EAST Conference office announced the all-league teams Sunday, March 8. Ajayi is the fifth Bulldog to earn All-BIG EAST first team honors since Butler joined the conference prior to the 2013-14 season (Kamar Baldwin, 2019-20; Kelan Martin, 2017-18; Andrew Chrabascz, 2016-17; Kellen Dunham, 2014-15). Ajayi ranks fifth nationally in both rebounding (11.1 per game) and double-doubles (18) at the conclusion of the regular season. In addition to leading the BIG EAST in rebounding, he is fifth in scoring (16.3 points per game) and also ranks among the conference’s Top 15 in minutes played (third), field goal percentage (sixth), blocked shots (eighth), and assists (13th). Ajayi’s 345 rebounds this season are just nine shy of Butler’s single-season record. Ajayi won BIG EAST Player of the Week honors twice this season. Ajayi earned USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honors Nov. 24 after averaging 16.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in Greenbrier Tip-Off wins over Virginia and South Carolina. His 20 rebounds in the Dec. 20 win over Northwestern set a career-high and were the most by a Bulldog in a game since 1983. Bizjack’s 17.1 points per game are third in the BIG EAST. He leads the conference in minutes played and his 85.7-percent accuracy at the free throw line is second in the BIG EAST. He averages 2.17 made three-pointers per game, which is fifth in the conference. Bizjack has 11 20-point games this season and went over 1,000 career points in Saturday’s win at DePaul. He has led the team in scoring in 15 games this season. The BIG EAST Player of the Year will come from the All-BIG EAST First Team. The conference will announce Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Scholar-Athlete of the Year Wednesday. Other league individual awards, including BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Sportsmanship Award will be announced Monday. Butler, the No. 8 seed, opens the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Bulldogs will meet Providence, the No. 9 seed, in the first game of the tournament at 4 p.m. The action will air on Peacock and NBC Sports Network. The winner of Wednesday’s game will meet top-seeded St. John’s in Thursday’s quarterfinals. 2025-26 BIG EAST All-Conference Teams All-BIG EAST First Team Michael Ajayi, Butler Silas Demary Jr., UConn Alex Karaban, UConn Tarris Reed Jr., UConn Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s * Tre Carroll, Xavier All-BIG EAST Second Team Solo Ball, UConn Jaylin Sellers, Providence Bryce Hopkins, St. John’s Budd Clark, Seton Hall Acaden Lewis, Villanova All-BIG EAST Third Team Finley Bizjack, Butler KJ Lewis, Georgetown Nigel James Jr., Marquette Dillon Mitchell, St. John’s Duke Brennan, Villanova Tyler Perkins, Villanova All-Freshman Team Braylon Mullins, UConn * Nigel James Jr., Marquette * Jamier Jones, Providence Stefan Vaaks, Providence * Acaden Lewis, Villanova * All-Defensive Team Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s * Budd Clark, Seton Hall Dillon Mitchell, St. John’s Silas Demary Jr., UConn Chase Ross, Marquette *Unanimous Selection ================================================================== BUTLER SOFTBALL ROBARDS CRACKS FIVE DOUBLES AS BULLDOGS SPLIT AT LIPSCOMB NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Butler softball team dropped game one at Lipscomb in five innings but then responded by scoring in extras to defeat the Bisons in game two, splitting a doubleheader that was part of the Cathi Maynard Invitational hosted by Austin Peay. Lipscomb (6-16) used a nine-run second inning on its way to a shortened game one, winning by the final score of 11-3. The Bulldogs (7-9) never trailed in the follow-up contest, scoring on a single in the eighth inning to pull out the victory, 6-5. Olivia Robards was 6-for-8 on the day with five doubles. Makena Alexander had a home run in game one and also hit the go-ahead run in the final inning of game two. Game 1: Lipscomb 11, Butler 3 (5 innings) In the first inning, with Kayla Preiss on first base, Alexander sent a ball over the right field wall. The Dawgs were up early, 2-0. One inning later, Lipscomb erupted for nine runs on eight hits, two walks, and an error. In the fourth, the Bisons added two more runs on three hits and an error. The lead was 11-2. Butler tacked on one final run in the fifth when Robards hit her third double of the game, pushing Alexander across. Maren Berger (0-2) started in the circle for Butler and took the loss. After being relieved in the second, she re-entered to pitch the fourth and final defensive inning. In 2.1 total innings, she allowed ten runs (nine earned) on nine hits and three walks. Rylyn Dyer (1.2-IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 3BB, K) provided relief in the second inning and faced 10 total batters through the third inning. Game 2: Butler 6, Lipscomb 5 (8 innings) In the second inning, Butler used doubles by Robards and Hailey Conger, along with an RBI-single from Kendall Graves, to build a 4-0 lead. Lipscomb got one back in the third on a sacrifice fly. In the fifth, with runners on the corners, a Kieli Ryan single allowed Rachel Hunt to score. Butler was back to a four-run lead, 5-1. The Bisons loaded the bases with just one out in the sixth. A sacrifice fly and two infield hits reduced Butler’s lead to only one run with one inning to play. In the bottom of the seventh, with a runner on second, Lipscomb tied the game with a single. Butler put runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the eighth. Alexander hit a single that put the Dawgs in front once again, 6-5. The Bisons were unable to get a runner on base in their final at bat. Kate Murray (6.0-IP, 5R, 11H, BB, K) started in the circle for Butler and lasted one batter into the seventh. Alyx Johnson (2-0) entered in the seventh, finished the game, and picked up her second win of the season. In 2.0 innings, she faced seven batters and allowed only one hit. Bulldog Bits Alexander’s home run in game one was her fifth this season and the 17th of her career. With three doubles in game one and two more in game two, Robards now has seven this season and 18 in her career. With a pair of doubles in game two, Conger has six this season and 19 for her career. Johnson picked up her second win of the season in game two. Up Next Butler travels to Indiana State on Tuesday, March 10, for a game postponed earlier in the season. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. Next weekend, the Bulldogs begin BIG EAST competition with a three-game series on the road at Villanova. ================================================================ BUTLER BASEBALL BUTLER DROPS FINAL GAME AGAINST MOREHEAD STATE WESTFIELD, Ind. – Butler dropped its final game of the series against Morehead State on Sunday afternoon, 9-4, at Droplight Grand Park in Westfield, Ind. With the loss, Butler slides to 4-11 on the season while Morehead State improves to 8-8. BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS Danny Gavin was 1-for-4 with a home run. Matthew Rhoades belted two homers and tallied two RBIs and two runs scored. David Ayers went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a homer. Logan Crock tallied a hit. Jack Zeller earned a hit as a pinch hitter. HOW IT HAPPENED Morehead State got on the board first with a two-out two-run homer to center field. Butler responded in the bottom half of the inning as Rhoades belted his fourth homer of the series to right-center field, cutting the deficit to one heading into the second frame. The second was scoreless for both sides. In the bottom of the third, Butler took its first lead of the day with back-to-back homers from Gavin and Rhoades. Rhoades’ homer was his second of the game and fifth of the series. The Eagles responded in the top of the fourth, plating two runs on an RBI double as the visitors retook the lead at 4-3. BU was unable to respond despite putting a runner on third in the bottom of the frame as Morehead State took the one-run lead into the fifth. The Eagles started the fifth with a solo homer, extending the lead to two (5-3). The visitors were able to tack on three more in the frame as the Eagles took the 8-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth. After keeping the Dawgs off the board in the bottom of the fifth, Morehead State added another, extending the lead to six. Butler responded with a solo homer from Ayers in the bottom half of the frame, but that was the lone run the Dawgs were able to scratch across. The seventh was scoreless for both sides. The Dawgs left one stranded in the bottom of the eighth as the Eagles took the 9-4 advantage into the final frame. BU retired Morehead State in order in the ninth. The Dawgs were unable to mount a comeback in the final frame, dropping the contest 9-4. UP NEXT The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday, March 10, as the Dawgs travel to Louisville, Ky., to take on Bellarmine. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. More information will be available on Butlersports.com. ==================================================================== BUTLER WOMEN’S LAX BUTLER FALLS TO CENTRAL MICHIGAN SUNDAY AFTERNOON INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.- The Butler women’s lacrosse team fell to Central Michigan 13-9 on Sunday afternoon. The Dawgs would score first with a goal by Madeline Gregston one minute into the contest. Central Michigan would go on to score three over the next four minutes. Sarah Gastineau would add a goal for the Bulldogs, but the Chippewas would score again to end the first quarter with a score of 4-2. Central Michigan outscored Butler 5-3 in the second quarter. Riley Ryan would record two goals in the quarter and Grace Churchwell would add the final goal in the second quarter for the Dawgs. The score was 9-5 going into half. After the half, the Bulldogs would score first with a man up goal by Elise Latham. The Chippewas would go on to score two more to make it 11-6 after three. The Dawgs would outscore Central Michigan in the fourth 3-2. Elle Tomalia would record her first career goal in the Bulldog uniform. Ryan and Churchwell would each add one goal to the final quarter. Two Chippewa goals would end the game with a final score of 13-9. Notable Stats: Kerrin McGovern recorded four draw controls. Olivia DiCarlo, Katie Smyka, Chloe Hall, and Elizabeth Badke would each record two ground balls. Up Next The Bulldogs are back on the road as they face Gardner-Webb on Wednesday, March 11 at 1 p.m. =================================================================== IU INDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS TO MASTODONS IN SECOND ROUND OF #HLWBB TOURNEY INDIANAPOLIS – IU Indy women’s basketball saw its 2025-26 season come to a close on Sunday afternoon as the No. 7 seed Jaguars fell to No. 5 seed Purdue Fort Wayne, 85-49, in the second round of the Horizon League Tournament at Corteva Coliseum. The Jaguars conclude the year at 14-17 overall after the Mastodons shot 60.7 percent from the floor in the contest. IU Indy (14-17) came out aggressive and grabbed the early edge as Olivia Smith opened the scoring and Hailey Smith followed with a fastbreak jumper to put the Jags ahead 4-0. The two sides traded runs midway through the quarter, and a late jumper by Hailey Smith trimmed the deficit to three. Purdue Fort Wayne closed the period on top, 13-10. The Mastodons found their rhythm in the second stanza, using a three-point barrage and efficient interior scoring to extend the margin. Purdue Fort Wayne shot 11-of-15 in the quarter and outscored the Jaguars 26-14 to take a 39-24 lead into the locker room. IU Indy continued to attack the paint and get to the foul line, but the Mastodons’ offensive efficiency created separation before halftime. Purdue Fort Wayne carried its momentum into the third, shooting 9-of-12 from the field in the period. IU Indy battled at the stripe, converting 8-of-11 free throws in the quarter, but the Mastodons’ balanced attack pushed the lead to 65-36 heading to the fourth. The Jaguars continued to compete down the stretch, highlighted by a three-point play from Ariana Williams and strong drives from Hailey Smith and Olivia Smith. However, Purdue Fort Wayne maintained control and closed out the 85-49 decision. Hailey Smith paced the Jaguars with 20 points, going 6-of-15 from the field and 8-of-12 at the free throw line while adding four rebounds, four steals and a block. Olivia Smith added seven points and four assists, while Destini Craig contributed five points and five rebounds. Purdue Fort Wayne held a 41-27 rebounding advantage and shot 46.7 percent from three-point range, advancing to the Horizon League semifinals while ending the Jaguars’ tournament run. ================================================================= BALL STATE BASEBALL BASEBALL RALLIES BACK FROM FIVE-RUN DEFICIT IN NINTH FOR 11-10 WIN OVER CENTRAL MICHIGAN MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team rallied back from five runs down in the ninth inning and walked it off on a two-run double by Brett Griffiths to claim an 11-10 win over Central Michigan on Sunday afternoon at Shebek Stadium. After an out to start the ninth, Gavin Balius and Jacob Gillis singled and Ryan Muizelaar walked to load the bases. Tommy Landsnes cleared them with a three-run triple to left center to cut Central’s lead to 10-8. Kendric Sorgius followed with an RBI single to plate Landsnes and get the Cardinals within a run. Ball State was down to its last out twice, but Charlie Keller reached on a fielding error by the first baseman to put runners on first and second. Brett Griffiths hit a deep fly ball to left center field on a 1-2 count that scored Maalik Perkins and Keller to secure the comeback win for the hosts. The Cardinals (7-7, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) clinched the series win over the Chippewas (6-7, 1-2 MAC) with the decision on the opening weekend of conference play. Central got the scoring started with seven runs in the top of the fourth inning, but Ball State responded with four in the bottom half of the frame on RBI singles from Max Kalk and Keller and a two-run triple by Griffiths. The visitors scored two more in the fifth inning and once in the eighth, and Ball State got a single tally in the eighth on a solo home run courtesy of Kendric Sorgius to set the state for the ninth inning rally. Gillis went 3-for-5 on the day, while Griffiths, Kalk, Muizelaar and Sorgius collected two hits each for the hosts, who had four extra base knocks among 14 hits for the game. Joe Lafkas (1-0) tossed a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout to earn the win. Alex Burden started for the Cardinals and worked 3.0 innings of four-run ball with four punchouts. Gavin Moczydlowsky (1-1) surrendered the final two runs to suffer the loss for the Chippewas. “Great comeback victory for our boys,” Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said. “The team, the team, the team! So many different guys contributing!” The next game for Ball State is scheduled for Tuesday night at Kentucky. ================================================================ BALL STATE SOFTBALL SOFTBALL CLOSES CARDINAL CLASSIC WITH PAIR OF SUNDAY WINS LOUISVILLE – – The Ball State softball team closed play in the Cardinal Classic with a pair of wins Sunday, topping Long Island 7-1 and earning a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Illinois to fly the #MACtion flag for the second time this weekend. In the opener, senior designated player Ella Whitney and senior first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck drove in three runs apiece, helping the Cardinals (11-7) pick up its third win of the season over the Sharks (1-23). Overall, the Cardinals pounded out 10 hits in the game, with three coming from Whitney and two each from DeRoeck and junior shortstop Maia Pietrzak. After reaching on an error in the first, Pietrzak tripled in the second and doubled in the fourth, scoring runs in all three innings. Junior pitcher Brinkley Kita earn the win in the circle, improving to 3-0 on the year after limiting LIU to four hits and one earned run in a complete game effort. She also struck out two batters in the win. In the win over the Illini (8-14), DeRoeck evened the score in the top of the third inning with an RBI double, driving in redshirt junior catcher Skylinn Pogue. The score remained 1-1 until the top of the fifth, when Pogue started another rally with a leadoff double. After a one-out walk to DeRoeck, senior left fielder Ashlee Lovett blasted an RBI double to right field, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 edge. Moments later, redshirt sophomore pinch runner Veronica Peitersen scored on a wild pitch, pushing the score to 3-1. Whitney once again shined in the circle, improving to 4-1 on the year by limiting Illinois to five hits and one run over her 7.0 innings of work. She also picked up one strikeout. The effort capped a solid weekend for Whitney who went 2-0 with a 1.85 ERA in the circle, while batting .471 with two doubles, a triple and three home runs. She also scored four runs, while driving in a team-best 12 RBIs. The Ball State softball team opens both its home and Mid-American Conference slates Friday when it opens a three-game series versus Akron with a 3 p.m. first pitch at the Ball State Softball Stadium. The teams are also scheduled to play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday. GAME 1 SCORING SUMMARY: Ball State 7 – Long Island 1 B1 – Witney opened the scoring with an RBI double to center field (1-0) B1 – DeRoeck drove in two more runs with a single down the left field line (3-0) B2 – Pogue made it a four-run game with an RBI single through the left side (4-0) T4 – A bases loaded walk to Kaylee Clarkson gave LIU its lone run of the contest (4-1) B4 – Whitney countered with two more RBI in a single to center field (6-1) B4 – DeRoeck capped the scoring with an RBI single to left field (7-1) GAME 2 SCORING SUMMARY: Ball State 3 – Illinois 1 B2 – The Illini opened the scoring courtesy of an RBI double from Skylar Brennan (1-0) T3 – The Cardinals countered with a leadoff triple from Pogue and an RBI double from DeRoeck to even the score (1-1) T5 – Lovett’s double to right field drove home Pogue to give Ball State the lead (1-2) T5 – Peitersen scored from third on a wild pitch (3-1) ================================================================ INDIANA STATE BASEBALL ESTRELLA HOMERS TWICE, SYCAMORE OFFENSE CLICKS IN 11-6 WIN OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Emil Estrella homered twice and drove in five RBIs in leading an Indiana State offense that featured all nine players in the starting lineup hitting safely as the Sycamores topped Western Kentucky on Saturday night, 11-6. Estrella connected on a grand slam in the top of the second inning for his first home run of the 2026 and added his second in the eighth inning to lead an Indiana State (7-7) offense. The Sycamores scored runs in five consecutive innings from the fourth through the eighth inning in evening the series against the Hilltoppers (8-8). Ty Brooks (3-0) picked up the win on the mound as the sophomore right-hander went 5.0 innings allowing four hits and three runs while striking out four in his team-leading third win of the season. Brooks bounced back from a three-run second inning to retire eight of the final 10 batters he faced before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Caden Miller recorded his first home run of the 2026 season with a solo shot in the seventh inning, while Eddie Alonso, Emil Estrella, Nick Sutherlin, Mason Roell, and Jeremy Martinez all doubled in the win. Martinez added his first triple of the year. Owen Roberts tied his career-high going 3.2 innings on the mound after taking over in the sixth inning. The freshman surrendered seven hits and three runs while striking out four, before turning the ball over to Aaron Moss for the final strikeout to end the contest. Austin Haller and Reid Howard recorded three hits apiece for the Hilltoppers, while Haller, Howard (2), Daniel Stewart, and Parker Coley all doubled in the loss. Dawson Hill (1-2) took the loss on the mound after allowing four hits and five runs while striking out two in 3.0 innings. Conner Wolf, Gage Olsen, Declan Francis, Sam Frizzi, and Kaine Samuels closed out the game on the mound. How They Scored Indiana State took the early lead in the top of the second inning as Nomar Garcia singled home Mason Roell, before Emil Estella connected on a grand slam over the wall in left field to make it a 5-0 Sycamore lead. Western Kentucky took three back in the bottom of the second inning as Daniel Stewart connected on a two-run double down the right field line, before Parker Coley drilled an RBI double down the left field line to make it a 5-3 ballgame. The Sycamores added to their lead in the fourth inning as Jeremy Martinez tripled and the scored on Nomar Garcia’s RBI groundout to go up 6-3. Indiana State utilized small ball in the top of the fifth inning with Caleb Niehaus’ bunt single scoring Nick Sutherlin to go up 7-3. It was an 8-3 game in the top of the sixth with Emil Estrella scoring on a WKU fielding error on Nick Sutherlin’s grounder. Indiana State went up 10-3 in the top of the seventh inning with Caden Miller connecting on a solo home run to left center, before Mason Roell and Jeremy Martinez recorded back-to-back doubles to go ahead by seven. Emil Estrella put Indiana State up 11-3 in the top of the eighth as the senior right fielder drilled his second home run of the game over the left center wall. WKU scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to provide the final margin as Lane Arroyos connected on a two-run single, while Reid Howard connected on an RBI single to make it an 11-6 final score. News and Notes Carter Beck extended his on-base streak to 19 consecutive games after connecting on a single in the top of the first inning. Emil Estrella recorded his first multi-homer game in his Indiana State career and his first two home runs of the 2026 season. Estrella’s two-homer game marked the Sycamores’ first two-homer game since Nick Sutherlin homered twice against Illinois State on May 16, 2025. Estrella’s grand slam marked Indiana State’s second grand slam of the 2026 season and first since Carter Beck connected in the second inning against Miami (Ohio) on February 20. Indiana State scored double-digits for the fifth time in the 2026 season and have posted a 4-1 record in those games. Indiana State’s five doubles on Saturday night marked a season-high for the Sycamores with Eddie Alonso, Emil Estrella, Nick Sutherlin, Mason Roell, and Jeremy Martinez all connecting in the win. Ty Brooks (3-0) picked up his team-leading third win in the 2026 season after going 5.0 innings on Saturday afternoon. Brooks has posted a 20:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year allowing opponents to hit just .129 from the plate. Owen Roberts tied his season-high with 3.2 innings pitched on Saturday night as the freshman posted a season-high four strikeouts. Up Next Indiana State and Western Kentucky close out the weekend series on Sunday afternoon with first pitch set for 4 p.m. ET at Nick Denes Field. The game will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend. =================================================================== INDIANA STATE DIVING LOPEZ HEADS TO NCAA ZONE C QUALIFIERS FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE SEASON TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State diver Jecza Lopez is heading back to the NCAA Zone C Qualifiers this week as the junior heads to Ypsilanti, Mich. and the Michael H. Jones Natatorium for the three-day event hosted by Eastern Michigan over March 9-11. Lopez heads back to the Zones for the second consecutive season after qualifying in both the 1M and 3M Springboard events. She becomes just the first Indiana State diver to qualify in both boards in back-to-back events. Lopez will take on the field in the 1M Springboard event on Monday, before competing in the 3M Springboard on Tuesday. Preliminary rounds will take place in the morning with finals coming following a short break. Live Results can be found on DiveMeets.com. The Guadalajara, Mexico native won her second consecutive 1M Springboard title at the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Swimming and Diving Championships and was the runner-up in the 3M Springboard A-Finals to highlight the start of her postseason run. She posted a 285.40 in the 1M Finals to win the event by nearly 25 points, while her 3M performance came down to the last dive after scoring a 279.70 in the conference meet. Last season in Columbus, Ohio, Lopez became the first Sycamore in program history to advance to an NCAA Zone C Qualifier Finals after placing inside the Top 18 in the 1M Springboard preliminaries. Lopez posted a 12-dive score of 496.90, hitting eight dives that scored at least 40 points on the day to place 17th overall in the field. Lopez added a 27th-pace result in the 3M Springboard preliminaries with a score of 257.30, averaging 42.88 points per attempt. She eclipsed the 40-point mark on five of her six attempts. To become NCAA Zone qualified for the one-meter event, a diver must achieve a score above 300 points for men and 265 points for women. For the three-meter event a diver must achieve a score above 320 points for men and 280 points for women. For the platform event a diver must achieve a score of 300 points for the men. The NCAA Diving Zone Championships will provide one final opportunity for divers to secure their spots in the NCAA National Championships. ================================================================== PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball rolled to an 85-49 victory over IU Indianapolis in the second round of the Barbasol Horizon League Championship on Sunday (March 8). With the win, No. 5 Purdue Fort Wayne (20-12) moves on to play No. 1 Green Bay on Monday (March 9) at noon. Given available records, the Mastodons’ 60.9 percent mark from the floor is the third-best field goal percentage in Horizon League Championship history. The Mastodons put on an offensive clinic in the second and third quarters, which was when they built up a lead as large as 33 shortly into the fourth quarter. The ‘Dons were 11-of-15 in the second and 9-of-12 in the third. It was Destiny Macharia’s two 3-pointers in the early moments of the second quarter that got the Mastodons going on a 14-2 push to break the game open. The ‘Dons had a 9-0 run and a 7-0 in the third quarter, the latter of which bled into an 11-0 extended run into the fourth quarter. Hillary Offing led the Mastodons with 14 points, but all 11 ‘Dons that played scored at least one field goal. Rylee Bess and Jordan Reid added 11 points each. Purdue Fort Wayne dominated on the boards, collecting 41 rebounds to IU Indy’s 27. For the fourth year in a row, the Mastodons are moving on to the semifinal of the Horizon League Championship. It is also the third year in a row with 20 wins, marking the best three-year stretch in program history. IU Indy fell to 14-17. ‘DONS AND PHOENIX TO CLASH IN #HLWBB SEMIFINAL INDIANAPOLIS – For the fourth time in the last four years, Purdue Fort Wayne and Green Bay women’s basketball teams will meet in the Horizon League Championship in Indy. The Mastodons and Phoenix will clash on Monday (March 9) in the semifinal at noon in the Corteva Coliseum.Game Day InformationWho: Green Bay PhoenixWhen: Monday, March 9 | NoonWhere: Indianapolis, Ind. | Corteva ColiseumLive Stats: Sidearm | StatbroadcastWatch: ESPN+Radio: WELT 95.7Championship Central: LinkGame Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Green Bay | Horizon League Know Your Foe The Horizon League regular season champion Green Bay Phoenix are 23-8. The Phoenix have played just once since the two teams met in the regular season finale. GB beat No. 11 Detroit Mercy 81-57 in the first round to advance to the semifinal. Horizon League Player of the Year Jenna Guyer had 25 points and nine boards and Maddy Skorupski had a triple-double in that game. Series History Green Bay leads the all-time series 15-2, but the Mastodons won both of those in the last two seasons. The ‘Dons won the last matchup 71-66 two weeks ago, but the Mastodons are looking for their first win in four tries against the Phoenix in the last four postseasons. Chasing 2,000 Jordan Reid needs four points to reach 2,000 in her career between Purdue Fort Wayne and Indiana Wesleyan. In the Tournament… In the Horizon League Championship, Purdue Fort Wayne is shooting 54.1 percent from the floor, 44.4 percent from 3-point range and 95.7 percent from the line. They are averaging 79.0 points per game while allowing just 46.0. The ‘Dons are also averaging 9.0 more rebounds per game than their foes. Making History In the Mastodons’ 85-49 victory over IU Indy in the Horizon League Championship second round, the ‘Dons shot 60.7 percent from the floor, the third-best in championship history. It was also the third-best performance by the Mastodons in their Division I era. Rivalry Riches After their win over IU Indy on March 8, the Mastodons extended their winning streak against the Jaguars to eight games. The eight-game winning streak is the longest for the Mastodons in the series dating back to 1980. Over The Last Four… In the Mastodons’ active four-game winning streak, the starting five have all averaged over 8.5 points per game: Alana Nelson (13.8), Jordan Reid (12.3), Lauren Lee (9.8), Lili Krasovec (9.0), Rylee Bess (8.5). Lee and Krasovec are both shooting over 50 percent in that stretch, with Lee also shooting 75.0 percent from 3-point range. As a team, the ‘Dons are shooting 40.8 percent from 3-point range in that time, eight percent better than the season average. Not So Fast! The Mastodons held Milwaukee, Green Bay and Robert Morris to zero fast break points over the last three games It was the first time since the 2019-20 season that the Mastodons held three foes in a row to zero fast break points (Omaha, 2/22/20, Denver, 2/27/20, Oral Roberts, 2/29/20). Defense On Lock Purdue Fort Wayne allowed Robert Morris to shoot just 28.3 percent from the floor on March 4 and IU Indy to 26.3 percent on March 8. Those were the third and fourth times this season that the ‘Dons have held a team under 30 percent this season. Aquinas (21.2) and IU Indy (25.0) were the other two. The 21.2 percent in the Aquinas game was the lowest opponent field goal percentage in the Mastodons’ Division I era. Last Time Out Purdue Fort Wayne blasted IU Indy 85-49 in the second round of the Horizon League Championship. The Mastodons shot 60.7 percent from the floor, the third-best in tournament history. Next Time Up The winner of Monday’s game will play the winner of Cleveland State and Youngstown State on Tuesday. =================================================================== EVANSVILLE BASEBALL ACES DROP GAME THREE AT OLE MISS ON SUNDAY OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Evansville baseball team dropped game three of the series at Ole Miss on Sunday, falling by a score of 8-3. Drew McConnell (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) drove in all three runs for Evansville, while Aaron Nehls (Evansville, Ind./North) scored two runs. Kellen Roberts (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) was excellent out of the bullpen, striking out four across two shutout innings. Kevin Reed (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville) took the loss for the Aces, while Wil Libbert got the win for Ole Miss. HOW IT HAPPENED Ole Miss took the lead in the bottom of the first, using a double and a sac fly to plate a run. However, the Aces responded in their next at-bats, loading the bases before McConnell delivered a single to center field, driving in two runs to give the Aces a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the second, the Rebels got a run back, using another double and a sac fly to even the score at two. Ole Miss broke through in the bottom of the third, delivering a three-run home run to take a 5-2 lead. The Rebels chased Reed in the fourth after a leadoff home run and a walk, with Tanner Graham (Rocheport, Mo./Hickman) taking over on the mound. Graham recorded the final two outs of the inning, including a punch-out, but surrendered two runs in the fifth as the Rebels took advantage of two walks and an error. Roberts came in from the bullpen in the sixth and quieted the Rebels, striking out the side in his first inning fo work and working around a leadoff walk to put up another zero in the seventh. Roberts was helped was center field Reid Haire (Hudson, N.C./Charlotte), who made a terrific catch for the third out, tracking a deep fly ball to the warning track and hanging on after crashing into the wall. Chris McCormack (Naperville, Ill./Iowa Central CC) took the mound in the eighth inning and put up a zero of his own, picking up a strikeout in the process. Evansville made things interesting in the ninth inning, taking advantage of three walks before McConnell drove in Nehls with a sac fly, but that would be where the game ended, as the Rebels took an 8-3 win. UP NEXT Evansville plays five games in Southwest Ohio next week, beginning with a meeting with Cincinnati on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 2 PM Central. ================================================================ EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ACES FALL TO SIU IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team dropped their game of the regular season game on Sunday, falling to SIU 75-69 inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. The Aces battled back in the second half after facing an 18-point deficit at halftime, but came up just short in a hard-fought effort. Evansville finishes the regular season 7-24 with a 5-15 mark in MVC play. The Aces will open the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday as the 10 seed, taking on 7th-seeded UIC at 6 PM on Thursday at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) led the Aces against the Salukis, scoring 20 points with eight rebounds and five assists. Sydney Huber (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Mount Vernon) also scored in double figures with 10 points. Evansville began the game on a 7-0 run, including five consecutive points from Georgia Cox (Ballarat, Australia/Eastern Illinois). The Salukis quickly erased the deficit, however, scoring eight consecutive points to jump ahead. Both teams traded baskets over the next several possessions, but the Salukis scored the final six points of the quarter to take a 19-14 lead. SIU continued their run in the second quarter, scoring the first four points to go ahead 23-14. Evansville brought it back within four after Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) converted three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt, but another SIU run put the Salukis up 34-21 at the 5:54 mark. SIU remained red-hot from the field for the remainder of the quarter, taking a commanding 51-33 lead into the break. As hot as SIU ended the half, they came out from halftime just as cold, allowing the Aces to chip away. Daniela Llavero (Malaga, Spain/ IES Mediterráneo) provided a spark off the bench for Evansville, converting on a reverse layup to bring the game within 15 with 3:58 to go in the third quarter. As time expired in the quarter, Runner drew a foul and sunk both free throws, making it 61-47 heading into the fourth. Evansville continued their comeback in the fourth quarter, holding the Salukis to two points in the first 5:56 of the period. With five minutes to go, Huber knocked down consecutive three-pointers to bring the Aces within eight. The Aces continued to storm back, cutting it to five with 1:41 to go on a layup by Runner and getting it to four with 17 seconds left when Runner knocked down a three. However, that’s as close as the score would get, as the Salukis hung on for a 6-point win. Evansville shifts into MVC Tournament play on Thursday, battling 7th-seeded UIC on Thursday in Coralville, Iowa. Tip-off is set for 6 PM from Xtream Arena. =================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL USI SWEEPS DOUBLEHEADER, SERIES FROM YSU EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball swept a doubleheader and completed a three-game sweep of Youngstown State, 10-1 and 4-1, Sunday on the final day of the Holiday Inn Showcase at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 12-4 this season, while YSU goes to 1-13. The 12-4 mark is USI’s best start since 1996 when the Screaming Eagles were 13-4 to begin the season. This spring also is USI’s best start in the Division I era. GAME 1: USI junior right-hander Ryan Weller threw five strong innings and junior catcher Drue Saenz drove in four runs as the Screaming Eagles cruised to a 10-1 win in the opening game. USI scored two in the second, two in the fourth, and blew the game open with six in the eighth. Weller (2-0) allowed one run on four hits and three walks, while striking out three in five innings of work. Saenz had a pair of hits, a double and triple, and a sacrifice fly to drive in the four runs. Graduate rightfielder Jesse Velders also drove in a pair of runs in the victory. GAME 2: USI senior first baseman Patrick McLellan hit a two-run home run in the opening frame to lead the Screaming Eagles to a 4-1 victory in the nightcap. After McLellan’s first-inning blast, the Penguins scored once in the fourth to narrow the gap to 2-1. USI would seal the victory with a pair of runs in the sixth when senior catcher Micajah Wall doubled in junior second baseman Parker Martin and scored on a single by junior designated hitter Collin Senior for the eventual 4-1 victory. On the mound, junior right-hander Eben Hansen started and led seven USI hurlers in the nightcap. Hansen (1-0) picked up the win, going three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks. He also struck out two batters. USI junior right-hander Trey O’Neil finished the game and picked up his first save of the season by striking out three of four batters in the ninth. Up Next for the Screaming Eagles: USI is scheduled to be on the road for five straight games. The road swing starts at Missouri Tuesday for a 6 p.m.; continues with a three-game series at Southern Illinois March 13-15; and concludes at Bellarmine March 17 at 1 p.m. (CT). Missouri is 14-2 after posting a 10-0 win over Illinois-Chicago this afternoon in Columbia, Missouri. The Tigers have won 12-straight and are 9-0 at home this season. Tuesday’s matchup between USI and Missouri will be the first in baseball. =================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL USI CLINCHES OVC SERIES WIN WITH SUNDAY DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball opened its home and Ohio Valley Conference schedule on Sunday with a doubleheader sweep over Tennessee State University, winning 10-4 in the series opener before a 6-5 walk-off winner in nine innings in the second game at USI Softball Field. USI Softball (5-14, 2-0 OVC) snapped a five-game losing streak with the series-opening win, while Tennessee State (0-12, 0-2 OVC) remained winless after Sunday’s games. The Screaming Eagles got rolling early in the series opener, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman outfielder Katelyn Marx, sophomore first baseman Grace Huffman, and junior outfielder Kate Satkoski each recorded RBI hits in the inning, while junior Angelia Davis drove in a run on a sac fly. After Tennessee State answered with three runs in the top of the second to pull back within one, 4-3, USI responded with another four-spot in the bottom of the third. As part of the four-run third, Davis notched an RBI single for her second RBI of the game. Leading 8-3, the Screaming Eagles tacked on another run in the fourth, off Davis’ third RBI of the contest, and another run in the fifth on an RBI single by Marx to grab a 10-3 advantage. USI limited the Tigers to one run in the late innings to seal the game-one victory. The Screaming Eagles totaled seven hits in the series opener. Marx led with two hits and also collected a pair of RBIs. Davis finished with a three-RBI performance. In the pitching circle, sophomore pitcher Kylie Witthaus (2-4) had a solid outing to earn the win, going 5.1 innings with six strikeouts and allowing only two earned runs off eight hits. Tennessee State’s Kristian Holder (0-5) suffered the loss in the start for the Tigers, lasting only 2.1 innings and surrendering six runs, five earned. In game two, USI jumped out to a 4-0 lead through five innings of action, and freshman pitcher Anna Kemp made the start for the Eagles and was in cruise control. Kemp and USI faced some adversity in the sixth inning when Tennessee State cut the lead in half, 4-2, with a two-run home run. Then, in the top of the seventh inning, the Tigers continued to rally and scored three runs to go in front, 5-4. However, the Screaming Eagles battled back themselves, scoring the tying run after getting runners on base and crossing home plate on a passed ball. The game went into extra innings for USI’s first extra-inning game of the season. After stranding a runner at third in the bottom of the eighth inning, USI capitalized on its opportunity in the bottom of the ninth inning. Following back-to-back one-out singles by freshman infielder Jadyn Tinsley and Satkoski, freshman infielder Abbey Booher placed a ball into the left-center gap to score Tinsley from second base and give USI a 6-5 walk-off victory. It was Booher’s first career walk-off hit. USI had 11 hits in game two. Huffman, junior catcher Alyssa Mumaw, and Tinsley each had two-hit games at the plate. Tinsley also scored three runs. Satkoski registered a three-hit performance. Booher ended up with two RBIs, including the game-winning RBI knock. Kemp took a no-decision following a strong start, striking out five and allowing only two earned runs in 6.2 innings of work. Freshman pitcher Elly Robbins (2-5), who came in relief of Kemp in the seventh inning, picked up the win. Robbins struck out three in the final 2.1 innings. For the Tigers, starting pitcher Chelsi Ervin also took a no-decision after giving up three runs in four innings pitched. Tianna Salcido (0-6) was dealt the loss after allowing three runs in 4.1 innings in relief. The OVC series between the Tigers and Screaming Eagles from USI Softball Field concludes Monday at Noon. The game can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com. ================================================================== VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OPENS MVC TOURNAMENT THURSDAY VERSUS DRAKE Valparaiso (0-31, 0-20 MVC) 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament Game #32 – March 12, 2026 – 8:30 p.m. vs. Drake (11-19, 10-10 MVC) Xtream Arena (5,100) – Coralville, Iowa Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team heads to the 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament as the tournament’s 11th seed and will face sixth-seeded Drake in the opening round. The Beacons will have to win four games over four days to claim the tournament title. Previously: The regular season came to an end for Valpo Saturday afternoon at the ARC, as the Beacons dropped a 100-68 decision to the visitors from Murray State, which had already secured the MVC regular season title entering the day. Playing the final home game of her collegiate career, Fiona Connolly surpassed her career best with a game-high 23 points. Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+ – Brad Wells and Jacqui Kalin Radio: WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) – Eli Conklin and Paul Oren Streaming Audio: TuneIn app Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-31 at Valpo, 1st season; 180-99 [.645] overall, 9th season): Courtney Boyd was named the ninth head coach of the Valparaiso University women’s basketball program on April 4, 2025. A national championship-winning head coach and player, an NAIA National Coach of the Year, and a two-time conference Coach of the Year, Boyd has won 20 or more games in seven of her first eight seasons as a head coach. She spent the last two seasons at the helm of the Quincy University program after six seasons as head coach at Clarke University, leading the latter program to the NAIA national title in 2022-23. Series Notes: Drake leads the all-time series with Valpo, 20-3, including two wins this season – a 66-56 victory at the ARC in January and a 79-68 win in Des Moines last month. Milana Nenadic scored a team-high 18 points off the bench in the game at Valpo, while in the most recent meeting, Fiona Connolly scored a game-best 20 points. @ValpoWBB… …versus Murray State – Back-to-back jumpers from Fiona Connolly had Valpo within 12-10 with 3:16 to play in the opening quarter. – The Racers ended the period on a 14-4 run to lead 26-14 10 minutes into the game. – Valpo nicked the deficit down to 10 points twice early in the second quarter, but on the second time, Murray State came out with a 12-0 spurt over the next three minutes to extend its lead. – The Racers held a 55-28 lead at halftime and an 87-48 advantage at the end of the third quarter. – Connolly scored 10 points in just four minutes of play in the final period, a quarter which featured extended run for both teams’ benches and was highlighted by the first career 3-pointer for Bella Swedlund in her final career home game. – Playing in her final career home game, Connolly hit the 20-point mark for the sixth time this year as she led all players with 23 points — in the process surpassing her previous career best of 22 points, set early last month at the ARC versus Southern Illinois. – Connolly was efficient with her shots, hitting 7-of-12 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range — setting a career best for triples in a game — and 5-of-6 from the foul line. – Milana Nenadic reached double figures as well with 13 points and paced the Beacons with nine rebounds. – Playing in her final collegiate home game, Mikayla Huffine tied her career best with six rebounds and tied for team-high honors with three assists. – Autumn Dibb came off the bench with a season-best eight points, including the first two 3-pointers of her collegiate career. – Not only did Swedlund connect from the 3-point line for the first time in her collegiate career, she also set a career high with three rebounds and came up with her first collegiate steal. – Valpo shot at a 34.7% clip from the field and was 10-for-29 from 3-point range — matching its second-highest total of made triples in a game this year. Murray State finished shooting 43.4% from the floor and was 11-for-33 from the 3-point line. – The Beacons committed just 12 turnovers, tied for their second-fewest in a game this season. …versus Belmont – The first half of the first quarter was a one-possession game the entire way, with Belmont holding a slim 11-10 lead at the halfway mark. – Valpo outscored the Bruins 7-2 in the second five minutes of the opening period, as Allia von Schlegell scored five and Kamryn Winch had a putback basket to give the Beacons a 17-13 lead after 10 minutes. – Valpo led by as many as seven points in the second quarter and still held a 33-31 advantage with 1:20 to play in the half after another basket from Winch. – Belmont scored seven straight points in the final 65 seconds of the half to take a 38-33 lead into the locker room. – The Bruins pushed their lead to 10 points with 6:43 to play in the third quarter before a 9-2 Valpo run — featuring five points from Fiona Connolly and buckets from Milana Nenadic and Kayla Sullivan — brought the Beacons within 49-46 with 3:11 remaining in the period. – Belmont led 57-50 entering the fourth quarter. Valpo was still within eight points over three minutes into the final period before the Bruins went on a 15-1 run to pull away. – Nenadic scored in double figures for the 11th time this season and paced Valpo for the sixth time as she scored her 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The redshirt junior also tied for team-high honors with her 10 boards to record her third double-double this season. – Valpo’s two leading scorers on the season, Connolly and von Schlegell both struggled from the field Thursday, but helped make up for it with their work at the foul line. Connolly hit 7-of-8 from the stripe as she finished with 15 points while also grabbing five rebounds and tying her best in the Valpo uniform with five assists. – von Schlegell was a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line and finished with nine points. – Led by the aforementioned duo’s work at the charity stripe, the Beacons hit at an 85.7% clip (18-for-21) from the foul line — the team’s second-best free throw percentage of the season. – Winch matched Nenadic as she grabbed 10 rebounds in 15 minutes of action off the bench — her fourth double-figure effort on the boards this season. The pair of posts became the first Valpo players to both snag at least 10 boards in the same game since Amber Lindfors pulled down 15 rebounds and Dani Franklin 11 March 3, 2017 against Youngstown State. – Valpo shot 28.8% from the field for the game and hit 7-of-23 from 3-point range, while Belmont hit at a 35.1% clip from the floor and was 9-for-33 from the 3-point line. The Bruins’ field goal percentage was tied for second-lowest by a Valpo opponent this season. …looking ahead – With a win on Thursday, the Beacons would face third-seeded Illinois State on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. …at neutral sites – Thursday’s game is the third neutral-site game of the season for Valpo, as the Beacons played games at Cleveland State against Radford and St. Bonaventure over the Thanksgiving holiday. – Valpo has won just one of its last 10 neutral-site games, dating back to the 2021 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament. ….and @ValleyHoops – Valpo is in its ninth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. – Valpo was picked outside the top-four of the MVC preseason poll, as the Valley released only the top four selections. – The Valley finished last season ranked seventh in the NET, matching the conference’s highest NET/RPI ranking in Valpo’s time as an MVC member (2020-21). @DrakeWBB – The Bulldogs enter the MVC Tournament at 11-19 on the season and earned the sixth seed for the tournament with a 10-10 record in Valley play. – Drake had won five of its last six games before succumbing to a late run from UNI in the regular season finale Sunday. – Abbie Aalsma averages a team-best 15.1 points/game, while Anna Becker contributes 11.5 points/game as well. – The Bulldogs are playing on Thursday at the MVC Tournament for the first time since 2022. A Look Back at the Drake Games …66-56 loss at Valpo on Jan. 18 – Valpo led throughout the first quarter, ending the period with an 18-14 edge. – The Beacons’ lead was 22-16 with 6:42 to play in the second quarter before Drake ended the half on a 17-3 run to lead 33-25 at intermission. – The Bulldogs led by as many as 14 in the third quarter before Valpo closed to within 54-45 with 10 minutes remaining. – The Beacons cut the deficit to four points with 6:51 to play before Drake extended back to a 12-point lead. – Valpo got back within 62-55 with 2:08 to play – the Beacons got two more stops in a row on the defensive end to give themselves a chance to inch even closer, but a pair of great looks right at the rim on the offensive side didn’t fall. – Milana Nenadic paced Valpo with 18 points and tied for team-high honors with five rebounds. – Kayla Sullivan and Kayla Preston both scored in double figures as well, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively. – Valpo’s two leading scorers on the season — Fiona Connolly and Allia von Schlegell — were limited to single digits, one of just four times that has happened this year. – Valpo shot just 32.1% from the floor, but the Beacons were 7-for-19 from 3-point range. Drake shot 41.1% from the field, but was just 5-for-19 from beyond the arc. …79-68 loss at Drake on Feb. 19 – Drake was the team which started on the front foot, as the Bulldogs led 12-5 just 3:02 into the ballgame. – But the Beacons exploded over the next few minutes offensively, scoring on eight consecutive offensive possessions and putting up 21 points. Five different players hit 3-pointers during the stretch, which saw Valpo go up by seven points with 2:15 to play in the period on a layup from Fiona Connolly. – Another drive and finish by Connolly in the final 40 seconds closed the scoring in the opening frame, as Valpo held a 28-21 lead. – An 11-1 run for the Beacons pushed the lead to 41-26 with three minutes to play in the half. – Valpo carried a 46-34 lead into the locker room at halftime. – Kayla Sullivan connected from deep 1:19 into the third quarter, restoring Valpo’s largest lead at 15 points. – Drake went on a 14-2 run over the next six-plus minutes to cut Valpo’s lead to three points, where it remained at the end of the quarter, as the Beacons were in front 56-53. – The Bulldogs scored on back-to-back possessions early in the fourth quarter to take their first lead since the first quarter with 8:18 to play, but Valpo responded with a 9-1 run, and when Kamryn Winch connected on a foul-line jumper with 5:22 to play, the Beacons led 65-58. – That proved to be Valpo’s last point for over four and a half minutes, as Drake scored 17 in a row to take the lead for good. Abbie Aalsma started the key run with back-to-back triples following Winch’s basket. – The 28-point first quarter was Valpo’s highest scoring quarter of the season. – The Beacons led at halftime for the third time this year and after three quarters for the first time. – For the second time this season, four Beacons scored in double figures, led by a game-best 20 points from Connolly. – Milana Nenadic tallied 14 points and paced Valpo with seven rebounds. – Allia von Schlegell scored in double figures with a 12-point night, while Sullivan reached double digits with 11 points, including a season-high three 3-pointers. – Valpo shot 36.4% from the field and was 10-for-33 from 3-point range — its second-highest total of triples this year. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were 43.3% from the floor, including 8-for-18 from the 3-point line. Valpo in the Postseason – After winning its first game in its first three appearances at the MVC Tournament, Valpo has dropped its first game in each of the last four seasons. – The Beacons last played on Friday in 2022, when they earned a spot directly in the quarterfinals as the six seed. – This is just the third time since joining the MVC that Valpo has opened the conference tournament against a team it lost twice to in the regular season – Valpo defeated Indiana State to open the 2019 tournament after two regular-season losses, while most recently, UIC earned a 25-point win at the 2023 tournament opener after edging the Beacons by a combined three points in two regular season matchups. – This year sees Valpo return to its familiar 8:30 p.m. time slot to open the tournament, as the Beacons also opened the 2022 and 2023 tournaments with an 8:30 p.m. game. Going back further, Valpo opened with the last game of the day in 2021 (a 7:30 p.m. tip), while its first game for the canceled 2020 tournament was slated for 8:30 p.m. as well. 500 and Counting for Fiona – With her final point late in the fourth quarter Feb. 28 against Illinois State, Fiona Connolly tallied the 500th point of her collegiate career. – Connolly scored 53 points over two seasons at La Salle and scored 109 last year as a junior before exploding this year, scoring 366 to date. – She has led the Beacons in scoring 12 times and has scored in double figures 19 times this year, including six games of 20+ points – highlighted by a career-best 23-point effort in the regular season finale versus Murray State. – Connolly’s points/game average has jumped from 3.5 ppg last year to 12.6 ppg this season – that 9.1 ppg jump ranks 64th nationally (among players who have played at least 15 games in both seasons) and third in the MVC (among players in the Valley both seasons). – It is the second-biggest jump by a Valpo player in the Her Hoops Stats era (since 2008-09), behind only Addison Stoller, who went from 3.3 ppg in 2017-18 to 12.8 ppg in 2018-19 for a 9.5 ppg jump. Closing Strong – Connolly has been making the most of the last few weeks of her collegiate career. – The senior was limited to eight points against Evansville Feb. 5, her seventh consecutive game in single digits as her scoring average dropped to 10.9 points/game. – Since then, Connolly has scored at least 11 points in all eight games, averaging 17.1 points/game in that stretch. – She has hit the 20-point mark four times in those eight games, including the two highest-scoring games of her career – 23 in the regular-season finale against Murray State and 22 at home versus Southern Illinois. A Quick 20 – Connolly scored a game-high 20 points at UNI despite playing just 19:09 in that contest due to foul trouble. – It is the second time this year the Beacons have had a 20-point scorer play fewer than 20 minutes, as Milana Nenadic did so in 19:15 at Iowa State back in November. – Before this season, Valpo had just three players accomplish the feat in the last 22 years. – Connolly and Nenadic had been the only two MVC players to accomplish the feat this season, until Haven Ford scored 20 in 19:55 at the ARC last Saturday. Allia’s Big Day(s) – Freshman Allia von Schlegell averaged 12.4 points/game in MVC play, but took it to another level in Valpo’s home game against Southern Illinois. – von Schlegell’s 29 points bested her previous career high of 19 points by 10, as she established a career high for field goals made and matched her career best for 3-pointers made. – von Schlegell scored the most points by a Valpo freshman since Ali Saunders scored 32 against UAB Nov. 21, 2022. It also matched the most points by an MVC freshman this season. – 15 of von Schlegell’s points came in the fourth quarter alone as she outscored SIU in the final period. It is the most points in a single period by a Valpo player this season. – Even more impressively, von Schlegell scored those 29 points while not committing a single turnover in 35 minutes of action. She is one of just five D-I freshmen this year with a game with 29 or more points and no turnovers. The Freshman Fills It Up – von Schlegell has made a big impact in her rookie season. – She has scored in double figures 18 times this year – 12 times, von Schlegell has dropped at least 15 points – the most 15+ point games by a Valpo freshman since Dani Franklin hit the 15-point mark 12 times in the 2014-15 season. – von Schlegell currently ranks third among MVC freshmen in scoring (11.3 points/game) and is second in 3-pointers made (61). – She ranks 59th nationally in freshman scoring and is tied for 14th among freshmen nationally in 3-pointers made. – von Schlegell scored in double figures six times in nonconference action, tied for seventh-most in program history by a freshman in nonconference games since Valpo joined the North Star Conference for the 1987-88 season. – Notably, the six players ahead of von Schlegell on that list all went on to earn All-Freshman/Newcomer Team honors and closed their time at Valpo among the top-12 in program history in career scoring. Freshman Scoring Leaders – von Schlegell is one of just nine freshmen in program history to score at least 300 points as a rookie and has put herself in position to challenge Valpo’s freshman scoring record. – Sarrah Stricklett scored 377 points as a rookie in 1996-97, a mark which von Schlegell enters Thursday 28 points back of: 377 – Sarrah Stricklett, 1996-97 365 – Dani Franklin, 2014-15 351 – Debbie Bolen, 1989-90 349 – Allia von Schlegell, 2025-26 331 – Tabitha Gerardot, 2010-11 329 – Meredith Hamlet, 2015-16 326 – Jeanette Gray, 1999-2000 322 – Ali Saunders, 2022-23 302 – Jasmyn Walker, 2014-15 – Notably, every player on this list was an All-Freshman/Newcomer Team honoree in their respective season. Nenadic’s Night – It was truly a night to remember for Milana Nenadic at Illinois State Jan. 15, coming off the bench to deliver 34 points on 16-of-25 shooting. – The 16 field goals made broke the program record for baskets in a single game, as the previous mark was shared at 15 by Deb Lahti (Feb. 19, 1983 vs. Carthage) and Lyn Swanson (Feb. 8, 1986 at Carthage). – Nenadic is tied for ninth among NCAA D-I players this season for field goals in a game. – Nenadic’s 25 field goal attempts are tied for eighth-most in a single game in Valpo history. – The junior now shares fifth on Valpo’s single-game scoring chart with Dani Franklin, who dropped 34 at Stetson Nov. 12, 2016. Those two are the only Valpo players to score at least 34 in a game since 1992. Nenadic’s 34 points are the most by a player coming off the bench in program history. – Nenadic’s previous career best was 20 points earlier this year while facing All-American Audi Crooks at Iowa State. – Nenadic is just the fourth MVC player in the last nine seasons with at least 16 baskets in a game, and joins a few pretty solid players in that department — Drake’s Katie Dinnebier, Belmont’s Destinee Wells and Murray State’s Katelyn Young. – Nenadic went on to score 18 points later that weekend against Drake and was named MVC Newcomer of the Week Jan. 19 for her efforts, becoming Valpo’s first MVC weekly award winner in over four years. A Jump in Production – Nenadic has taken advantage of her playing time this year to rank third on the team with 9.4 points/game and lead the Beacons with 5.4 rebounds/game. – She has scored in double figures 12 times, including a pair of efforts of at least 20 points, and has tallied at least 10 boards four times. – In her first three collegiate seasons (two at Maine, one at Idaho State), Nenadic played just 29 minutes over 11 games, scoring eight points and pulling down nine rebounds. – In the Her Hoop Stats era (since 2008-09), Nenadic’s 291 points this season are the most by a D-I player who did not score a single point in at least five games played the previous season. – Nenadic’s 9.4 points/game this year have come in just 18.0 minutes/game – the highest scoring average of any D-I player who averages 18 minutes or fewer. Gobbling Up the Boards – Kamryn Winch needed just 15:18 of playing time last Thursday versus Belmont to pull down 10 rebounds, the fourth time this year she has reached double digits on the glass. – It was the second time she’s reached double figures in less than 16 minutes, as at UIC, she matched her career high with 12 rebounds while playing just 13:10. – Winch is the only Valpo player to record 10+ boards while playing less than 16 minutes against a D-I opponent since at least 2002-03 – Sylwia Zabielewicz tallied 10 rebounds in 14 minutes in November 2009 against Indiana Tech. – Winch is the only MVC player and one of just three nationally with multiple such games this season. – You have to go back to the 2019-20 campaign and Missouri State’s Emily Gartner to find the last MVC player with multiple such games in the same season. Gaining Experience on the Fly – Valpo has traversed this season with a roster which was very inexperienced at the D-I level prior to this year. – The Beacons lost their top four scorers and five players in all from last season to graduation or transfer – a group which played a combined 3,887 minutes in 2024-25. – Then take into account the Beacons have been without the services of Maci Rhoades and Raeven Raye-Redmond all season, a pair who have combined for 1,934 D-I minutes in their respective careers. – That leaves six active players who had a total of 2,042 D-I minutes entering the season – basically the equivalent of two seasons worth of minutes for a regular player. Shifting Starters – For the first time this season, Valpo has utilized the same starting lineup – Huffine, von Schlegell, Connolly, Sullivan and Nenadic – in more than four consecutive games, as this quintet has started seven straight. – The Beacons have used 10 different starting lineups this year. – Ten different players have been a part of at least one starting five this year, with only one – Huffine – starting every game. All ten have started at least three games apiece. – The Beacons have not used the same starting lineup in more than four consecutive games this season. The Tall and the Short – This year’s Valpo roster features recent extremes on both ends of the height spectrum. – Mor Shabtai and Mikayla Huffine both are listed at 5-4, making them the shortest Valpo players since 5-3 Rashida Ray (2007-11). – On the flip side, Kamryn Winch and Milana Nenadic both check in at 6-3, making them the tallest Valpo players since 6-5 Nicole Johanson (2018-19). International Flavor – Valpo has a trio of international players on its 2025-26 roster: sophomore Mor Shabtai (Israel) and transfers Milana Nenadic (Ontario, Canada) and Kennedy Sproule (Manitoba, Canada). – Prior to Shabtai’s arrival last year, the Valpo program hadn’t had an international player since Sharon Karungi (Uganda) roamed the paint from 2013-15. Sister Act – For the third straight season, the Beacons have a pair of sisters on their roster, as freshman Nuala Connolly joins senior sister Fiona on this year’s squad. – The last two years featured identical twins Nevaeh and Saniya Jackson. – Before that, the last set of sisters to suit up together in the Brown and Gold were the trio of Hamlet sisters: Annemarie (2013-16) overlapped with both older sister Elizabeth (2013-14) and younger sister Meredith (2015-19). Timely Note Distribution – Over the last few years, it’s been this SID’s goal to get his MVC Tournament notes in the hands of the broadcast talent/crew and media as quickly as possible. – This year’s effort has been thwarted slightly by the trio of regular season finales on Sunday – a departure from previous years, when the regular season wrapped on Saturday (and let the record show the vast majority of this year’s notes were completed by 7:15pm Saturday). – Distribution of this year’s first set of tournament notes is expected early evening on Sunday – here’s how that compares to his previous distribution times in his time as Valpo WBB SID: – 2025 – Sunday, 11:45am – 2024 – Saturday, 9:15pm (Notably, Valpo’s first two opponents were already set after the penultimate set of games, allowing him to prepare tournament notes ahead of the regular season finales) – 2023 – Monday, 6:02pm – 2022 – Tuesday, 3:54pm (Team’s first game was on Friday) – 2021 – Tuesday, 11:42am – 2020 – Wednesday, 8:48am (Team’s first scheduled game was on Friday before tournament was canceled due to COVID) =================================================================== SMALL INDIANA COLLEGE SPORTS WEB SITES UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/ MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/ INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/ EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/ WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/ FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/ ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/ ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/ DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/ HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/ MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/ HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/ OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/ IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/ IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/ PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/ INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/ ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/ GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/ HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/ VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index ========================================================= “SPORTS EXTRA” TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY 1897 The Cleveland Spiders sign Penobscot Indian Louis Sockalexis. Although the former Holy Cross star played only three seasons due to alcoholism, the fans, admiring his outstanding skills, refer to the team as the Indians, a name that will become official in 1915. 1922 Rogers Hornsby, coveted by John McGraw of the Giants, signs a three-year contract with Sam Breadon’s Cardinals. The 25-year-old second baseman, who will hit .404 over the three years of the deal, agrees to $18,500 per season, making him the highest-paid player in National League history. 1943 The Dodgers trade first baseman Babe Dahlgren to the Phillies for outfielder Lloyd Waner and infielder Al Glossop. Philadelphia’s new 31-year-old infielder will enjoy an all-star season during his only year in the City of Brotherly Love, hitting a solid .287 for the seventh-place team. 1948 “Golf is a game of coordination, rhythm, and grace; women have these to a high degree.” – BABE DIDRIKSON ZAHARIAS, commenting on women’s ability to play golf. Ted Williams accepts Babe Didrikson Zaharias’s challenge to compete in a driving contest at a local range. The former Olympic track star, turned golf champion, playfully teases the Red Sox superstar, giving him pointers when he slices most of his drives, while her shots go straight and usually go farther. 1960 The police find Arnold Johnson en route to his Palm Beach home after watching his A’s play a spring training intrasquad game, semi-conscious and slumped behind the wheel of his car. The 53-year-old club owner will die early tomorrow morning due to a cerebral hemorrhage. 1961 The Yankees announce the team will be leaving its spring training home in St. Petersburg to move to Fort Lauderdale by 1963. Also, the team owners encourage the new, yet unnamed, National League New York franchise to play its home games at the Polo Grounds rather than Yankee Stadium. 1963 Songwriters Ruth Roberts and Bill Katz introduce the official Met theme song, Meet the Mets, to the public. The tune will be modernized in 1984, adding Long Island, New Jersey, Brooklyn, Queens, Uptown, and Down, to the team’s East Side, West Side geographical realm. 1979 Bowie Kuhn, fearing legal consequences, gives female reporters access to major league locker rooms. The commissioner’s unpopular ruling makes the players uncomfortable in their once all-male domain. 1994 John Kruk will be diagnosed with testicular cancer after being hit in the groin by an errant pickoff throw from teammate Mitch Williams that breaks his protective cup. The Phillies’ first baseman/outfielder will fully recover after surgery, hitting .304 in 120 games with Philadelphia and the White Sox over the next two seasons. 1995 The major league owners vote unanimously, 28-0, at a West Palm Beach (FL) meeting to add their 13th and 14th expansion teams, officially granting Phoenix and Tampa Bay franchises. The new cities, selected over municipalities that included bids from Orlando and two by groups from Washington, DC, will be assigned leagues in January of 1997. 1995 Tampa Bay’s new expansion team will be known as the Devil Rays, a name that will prove unpopular due to its un-Christian reference after being selected from more than 7,000 entries submitted by the public. The club’s owner, Vince Naimoli, preferred his team be called the Sting Rays, but he refused to pay the $35,000 needed to buy the trademark from a club in the Hawaiian Winter League, which owned the nickname’s rights. 2005 Nikko Smith, Ozzie’s son, who will reach the third round of the American Idol talent show semi-finals, is voted off the popular reality show. Days later, the producers will ask the young entertainer back to replace contestant Mario Vazquez, prompting judge Paula Abdul to call him “The Comeback Kid” after his performance of West Side Story’s “One Hand, One Heart.” 2005 Current and former big-league players and baseball executives are issued subpoenas to appear on March 17 by the House Committee on Government Reform. The eleven ‘invitees’ to the congressional hearing on steroid use include Sandy Alderson, Jose Canseco, Donald Fehr, Jason Giambi, Rob Manfred, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, and Kevin Towers. 2006 At Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, a Cuban official attending Cuba’s 11-2 WBC win over the Netherlands confronts a person holding a “Down with Fidel” sign, an image seen by millions of television viewers, including those watching the contest in Cuba. The local police quickly intercede, taking Angel Iglesias to a nearby police station, where authorities remind Cuba’s National Institute of Sports vice president that Puerto Ricans enjoy the right to freedom of speech. 2009 Alex Rodriguez undergoes an 80-minute arthroscopic surgical procedure to repair torn cartilage in his right hip. The Yankees’ third baseman, who will need a more extensive operation in the offseason, expects to return to the lineup in May. 2010 Amidst much hoopla, former San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg throws two scoreless innings against Detroit in his first exhibition start for the Nationals this spring. The recipient of the Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur baseball player in the nation was selected as the number one overall pick in last year’s draft, signing a record $15.1 million, four-year deal with Washington. 2011 A helicopter airlifts Luis Salazar from just outside Champion Stadium in Kissimmee (FL) to Orlando Regional Medical Center after he is struck in the face by a line drive pulled into the dugout by Brian McCann in the first inning of a Braves’ exhibition game. The 54-year-old minor league manager sustained a concussion and will lose his left eye due to the injury. 2014 Barry Bonds returns to the Giants as a special spring training instructor for the young Giants’ hitters, a role the organization believes will benefit the club for years to come. The much-maligned former superstar, who played his last major league game in 2007, has a 10-year personal services contract with San Francisco that has yet to commence. 2017 Kris Bryant (.292, 39, 102), who made $652K in his rookie year, becomes the highest-paid second-year player when he comes to terms with the World Champion Cubs on a contract reportedly worth $1.05 million. The Chicago third baseman’s deal surpasses the previous major league record of $1 million, set by the Angels for sophomore outfielder Mike Trout in 2014. 2017 “Major League Baseball’s greatest responsibility is to ensure that today’s youth become active participants in our game as players and fans. The MLB Little League Classic exemplifies our entire sport’s commitment to building a stronger connection between young people and the National Pastime” – ROB MANFRED, Commissioner of Baseball. Major League Baseball announces that Williamsport’s BB&T Ballpark, the second-oldest minor league ballpark in the United States (formerly known as Bowman Field, which opened in 1926), will host the first “MLB Little League Classic.” The regular-season game between the Cardinals and Pirates on August 20, originally scheduled for PNC Park, will be held in conjunction with the Little League World Series, which will be taking place at nearby Howard J. Lamade Stadium. 2019 Former infielder Alex Rodriguez and pop icon Jennifer Lopez get engaged after dating for two years. The couple will separate in 2021 before marrying, with J-Lo tying the knot a year later with movie star Ben Affleck, her fiancee in 2002. 2022 After being picked off first base in the second inning, University of Mississippi junior Peyton Chatagnier steals three bases on one play in a game against Alcorn State University. The 21-year-old second baseman swipes second with a head-first slide, takes third when the bag is left uncovered, and continues to a vacant home plate as the catcher leaves his position in an attempt to make a play at third. ========================================================= TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY On March 9 in … 1895 – Stanley Cup: Montréal Victorias awarded cup, as Queens University (Kingston Ontario) loses to Montréal AAA, 5-1. 1923 – NHL Championship: Montreal Canadiens outscore Ottawa Senators, 3-2, in two games. 1936 – Babe Ruth turns down Cincinnati Reds to make a comeback as a baseball player. 1946 – Ted Williams is offered US$500,000 to play in Mexican League, he refuses. 1947 – US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Gretchen Merrill. 1947 – US Men’s Figure Skating Championship won by Richard Button. 1949 – England beats South Africa by scoring 174 runs in 94 minutes. 1952 – Heinz Neuhaus wins Europe Heavyweight Boxing title. 1958 – George Yardley (Detroit Pistons) is first NBA player to score 2,000 points in season. 1964 – Creighton’s Paul Silas grabs Midwest record 27 rebounds against Oklahoma. 1971 – J M Noreiga takes 9-95 West Indies versus India at Port-of-Spain. 1972 – Players on Chicago White Sox vote 31-0 in favor of a strike, if necessary. 1976 – New York Islanders’ Glenn Resch’s 10th shut-out opponent-Saint Louis Blues 4-0. 1978 – World Ice Dance Championship in Ottawa Canada won by Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov (USSR). 1978 – World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Ottawa won by Irina Rodnina and Alexandr Zaitsev (USSR). 1978 – World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Ottawa won by Anett Potzsch (German Democratic Republic). 1978 – World Men’s Figure Skating Championship in Ottawa won by Charles Tickner (USA). 1979 – Bowie Kuhn orders Major League Baseball to give equal access to female reporters. 1980 – Joanne Carner wins LPGA Sunstar ’80 Golf Tournament. 1984 – Philadelphia 76ers block 20 Seattle SuperSonics’ shots tying NBA regulation game record. 1984 – Tim Witherspoon knocks out Greg Page in 12 rounds for heavyweight boxing title. 1986 – Juli Inkster wins LPGA Women’s Kemper Golf Open. 1989 – Roger Kingdom runs world record 60 metre hurdles indoor (7.36 seconds). 1993 – Pittsburgh Penguins begin NHL record 17 game winning streak. 1995 – Major League Baseball owners admit two new teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The teams will be assigned leagues in January of 1997. 1996 – Javed Miandad’s last international in Pakistan’s World Cup quarterfinal loss to India. 1996 – Jayasuriya hammers 82 off 44 balls (13×4 3×6) versus England in World Cup quarterfinal. 1997 – Steve Elkington wins Doral-Ryder Golf Open. 2018 – (to March 18) The 2018 Winter Paralympics are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 2022 – At Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, NHL regular season game: Vancouver Canucks beats Montreal Canadiens by score 5-3. 2022 – At Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, NHL regular season game: Edmonton Oilers beats Washington Capitals by score 4-3. Births of sports figures on March 9 1887 – Birth of Phil Mead; cricket player (strong batsman for England pre- and post-WWI). 1915 – Birth of Pete Gray; one-armed outfielder (Saint Louis Browns). 1922 – Birth of Herbert P Douglas Junior in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; long jumper (Olympics-bronze-1948). 1927 – Birth of Jack Jensen; American baseball player (American League Most Valuable Player 1958). 1937 – Birth of Grahame Chevalier; cricket player (one Test for South Africa 1970, 0 and 0, 5-100). 1941 – Birth of Jim Colbert in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA; PGA golfer (1969 Monsanto Open). 1942 – Birth of Bert Campaneris; shortstop (Kansas City Athletics). 1944 – Birth of Geoff Arnold; cricket player (England medium-pacer in 34 Tests 1967-75). 1944 – Birth of Lee Irvine; cricket player (South African batsman, only Tests in 1970). 1950 – Birth of Danny Sullivan; Indy-car racer (over ten wins). 1952 – Birth of Iuliana Semenova in USSR; basketball (Olympics-gold-1976). 1955 – Birth of Teo Fabi; formula-1 Indy-car racer (rookie of year-1983). 1957 – Birth of Jeff Senior in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Australasia golfer. 1957 – Birth of Jon Engen in Oslo, Norway; US biathlete (Olympics-1994). 1963 – Birth of Kent Ferguson in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA; diver (Olympics-1992, 1996). 1963 – Birth of Terry Mulholland in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, USA; pitcher (Philadelphia Phillies). 1964 – Birth of Phil Housley in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; NHL defenseman (New Jersey Devils, Team USA Olympics-1998). 1965 – Birth of Benito Santiago in Ponce, Puerto Rico; catcher (Philadelphia Phillies). 1965 – Birth of Brian Bosworth; NFL quarterback (Seattle). 1966 – Birth of Louis Oliver; NFL safety (Miami Dolphins). 1967 – Birth of Curt Schreiner in Albany, New York, USA; biathlete (Olympics-1994). 1967 – Birth of Eric Flaim in Pembroke, Massachusetts, USA; short track skater (Olympics-1994). 1967 – Birth of Michael Kiselak; Canadian Football League corner (Toronto Argonauts). 1969 – Birth of Bryce Burnett; NFL/WLAF tight end (Denver Broncos, Barcelona Dragons). 1969 – Birth of George Nimako; Canadian Football League safety (Toronto Argonauts). 1969 – Birth of Mahmoud Abdul Rauf; NBA guard (Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets). 1971 – Birth of Bev Oden in Millington, Tennessee, USA; volleyball middle blocker (Olympics-1996). 1971 – Birth of Jiro Nihei; hockey goaltender (Team Japan 1998). 1971 – Birth of Lou Benfatti; NFL defensive tackle (New York Jets). 1971 – Birth of Sean Holcomb; NFL linebacker (New England Patriots). 1973 – Birth of David Prinosil in Olmutz, Czechoslovakia; tennis star (1995 ATP Newport). 1973 – Birth of Josh LaRocca; WLAF quarterback (Rhein Fire). 1973 – Birth of Troy Bailey; WLAF defensive end (Scotland Claymores). 1974 – Birth of Mark Harrity; cricket player (promising South Australia left-arm fast bowler). 1975 – Birth of Adonal Foyle; NBA center (San Francisco Warriors). 1975 – Birth of Roy Makaay; Dutch soccer player (Vitesse). 1977 – Birth of Radek Dvorak in Tabor, Czechoslovakia; NHL left wing (Florida Panthers). 1984 – Birth of Julia Mancuso, US Olympic medalist. Deaths of sports figures on March 9 1916 – Ken Hutchings, cricket player (exciting England batsman, WWI), dies. 1943 – Oskar Hêks, Czechoslovakian marathon runner/antifascist, dies in Auschwitz. 1947 – Stanley Jackson, cricket player (20 Tests for England 1893-1905), dies. ========================================================== TV SPORTS TODAY Monday, 3/9/26 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POOL PLAYTIME ETTVAustralia vs. South Korea6:00amFS1Israel vs. Dominican Republics12:00pmFS1Panama vs. Colombia12:00pmFS2Great Britain vs. Brazil1:00pmTubiPuerto Rico vs. Cuba7:00pmFS1Nicaragua vs. Venezuela7:00pmFS2U.S. vs. Mexico8:00pmFOXNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVPhiladelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers7:00 PMNBCS-PHIFanDuel Sports OhioMemphis Grizzlies vs Brooklyn Nets7:30pmYESFanDuel Sports MEMDenver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder7:30pmPeacockALTFanDuel Sports OKCGolden State Warriors vs Utah Jazz9:00pmNBCS-BAYKJZZNew York Knicks vs Los Angeles Clippers10:00pmPeacockMSGFanDuel Sports SoCalNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVLos Angeles Kings vs Columbus Blue Jackets4:00 PMFanDuel Sports WestFanDuel Sports OhioNew York Rangers vs Philadelphia Flyers7:00pmMSGSNNBCS-PHICalgary Flames vs Washington Capitals7:00pmSNMNMTUtah Mammoth vs Chicago Blackhawks8:30pmUtah16CHSNDetroit Red Wings vs New Jersey Devils9:00pmESPNESPN UnlimitedOttawa Senators vs Vancouver Canucks9:00pmESPN+SNMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVSWAC First Round2:00pmESPN+CAA Semifinal6:00pmCBSSNSouthland Quarterfinal6:00pmESPN+SoCon Championship7:00pmESPNSun Belt Championship7:00pmESPN2Horizon League Semifinal7:00pmESPNUBig Sky Quarterfinal7:30pmScrippsCAA Semifinal8:30pmCBSSNSouthland Quarterfinal8:30pmESPN+SWAC First Round8:30pmESPN+WCC Semifinal9:00pmESPNHorizon League Semifinal9:30pmESPN2Big Sky Quarterfinal10:00pmScrippSWCC Semifinal11:30pmESPN2SOCCERTIME ETTVLa Liga: Espanyol vs Real Oviedo3:00pmESPN+fuboTVFA Cup: West Ham United vs Brentford3:00pmESPN+fuboTV About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SUNDAY MARCH 8, 2026 THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 9
