“THE SCOREBOARD”
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INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL THURSDAY
BELIEVE CIRCLE CITY 78 MTI KNOWLEDGE 27
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 59 EASTERN (PEKIN) 36
DANVILLE 68 CASCADE 66
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 51 EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 50 OT
GARY WEST 86 LAKE STATION 63
GREENSBURG 74 SOUTH DECATUR 62
GUERIN CATHOLIC 41 INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI 37 OT
INDIANA DEAF 68 LEGACY CHRISTIAN 51
INDIANAPOLIS RIVERSIDE 67 CHRISTEL HOUSE 44
INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE 70 INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON 56
LAVILLE 49 WHITKO 43
LAPEL 78 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 77
MARQUETTE CATHOLIC 60 JOHN GLENN 38
MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) 59 TECUMSEH 41
OAK HILL 72 MARION 65
PENDLETON HEIGHTS 60 DELTA 40
SOUTH PUTNAM 54 OWEN VALLEY 30
UNIVERSITY 70 KIPP INDY LEGACY 48
HOOSIER CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
WEST LAFAYETTE 69 LOGANSPORT 54 1ST
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INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL FRIDAY
ALL TIMES EASTERN
ANDERSON AT KOKOMO 7:30 PM
ANDREAN AT MUNSTER 8:00 PM
ARGOS AT NORTH JUDSON 7:30 PM
AVON AT NOBLESVILLE 7:30 PM
BARR-REEVE AT NORTH POSEY 8:00 PM
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE AT NEW ALBANY 7:30 PM
BEECH GROVE AT TRITON CENTRAL 7:30 PM
BLUFFTON AT BELLMONT 7:30 PM
BOONE GROVE AT HEBRON 8:00 PM
BORDEN AT CLARKSVILLE 7:30 PM
BREMEN AT CONCORD 7:45 PM
BROWNSBURG AT HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 7:30 PM
CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN AT SETON CATHOLIC 7:30 PM
CARMEL AT WARREN CENTRAL 7:30 PM
CARROLL (FLORA) AT TAYLOR 7:30 PM
CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) AT HOMESTEAD 7:30 PM
CASCADE AT GREENCASTLE 7:30 PM
CASTON AT OREGON-DAVIS 8:00 PM
CENTER GROVE AT COLUMBUS EAST 7:30 PM
CHARLESTOWN AT SALEM 7:30 PM
CLINTON CENTRAL AT TRADERS POINT CHRISTIAN 7:30 PM
CLINTON PRAIRIE AT TRI-CENTRAL 7:30 PM
COLUMBIA CITY AT NORTHRIDGE 7:45 PM
COLUMBUS NORTH AT BLOOMINGTON NORTH 7:30 PM
COWAN AT MONROE CENTRAL 7:30 PM
CRAWFORDSVILLE AT SPEEDWAY 7:30 PM
CROTHERSVILLE AT CRAWFORD COUNTY 7:30 PM
CULVER AT TRI-TOWNSHIP 7:30 PM
DECATUR CENTRAL AT PERRY MERIDIAN 7:30 PM
DEKALB AT GARRETT 7:30 PM
EAST CENTRAL AT GREENFIELD-CENTRAL 7:30 PM
EASTBROOK AT MISSISSINEWA 7:30 PM
EASTERN GREENE AT SHAKAMAK 7:30 PM
EASTERN HANCOCK AT UNION (MODOC) 6:00 PM
EASTSIDE AT ANGOLA 7:30 PM
ELKHART AT SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON 7:30 PM
EMINENCE AT MEDORA 7:30 PM
EVANSVILLE BOSSE AT EVANSVILLE HARRISON 8:00 PM
EVANSVILLE DAY AT EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 7:00 PM
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL AT VINCENNES LINCOLN 8:00 PM
EVANSVILLE NORTH AT CASTLE 8:00 PM
FAIRFIELD AT CHURUBUSCO 7:30 PM
FISHERS AT ZIONSVILLE 7:30 PM
FOREST PARK AT PRINCETON 8:00 PM
FORT WAYNE DWENGER AT FORT WAYNE NORTHROP 7:45 PM
FORT WAYNE LUERS AT FORT WAYNE NORTH 7:30 PM
FORT WAYNE WAYNE AT FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 7:30 PM
FOUNTAIN CENTRAL AT NORTH VERMILLION 7:30 PM
FRANKLIN AT PLAINFIELD 7:30 PM
FRANKLIN CENTRAL AT WESTFIELD 7:30 PM
FRANKLIN COUNTY AT CONNERSVILLE 7:30 PM
FRANKTON AT ALEXANDRIA 7:30 PM
FREMONT AT CENTRAL NOBLE 7:30 PM
FRONTIER AT ATTICA 7:30 PM
HAMMOND NOLL AT EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL 8:00 PM
HAMMOND SCIENCE & TECH AT WASHINGTON TWP. 8:00 PM
HANOVER CENTRAL AT KANKAKEE VALLEY 8:00 PM
HENRYVILLE AT WEST WASHINGTON 7:30 PM
HERITAGE HILLS AT TELL CITY 8:00 PM
HIGHLAND AT HOBART 8:00 PM
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN AT LAKE STATION 8:00 PM
INDIANA MATH & SCIENCE AT PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY 7:30 PM
INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS AT PURDUE ENGLEWOOD 7:30 PM
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL AT BEN DAVIS 7:30 PM
INDIANAPOLIS HERRON AT MONROVIA 7:30 PM
INDIANAPOLIS RITTER AT BREBEUF JESUIT 7:30 PM
INDIANAPOLIS ROOTED AT IRVINGTON PREP 7:30 PM
JASPER AT BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 7:30 PM
JAY COUNTY AT NORWELL 7:30 PM
JEFFERSONVILLE AT EVANSVILLE REITZ 8:00 PM
JENNINGS COUNTY AT BATESVILLE 7:30 PM
KOUTS AT BOWMAN ACADEMY 8:00 PM
LAKE CENTRAL AT CROWN POINT 8:00 PM
LAKELAND AT PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 7:30 PM
LAKELAND CHRISTIAN AT EASTERN (GREENTOWN) 7:30 PM
LAKEWOOD PARK AT SOUTH ADAMS 7:30 PM
LAPORTE AT PORTAGE 8:00 PM
LEBANON AT MARION 7:30 PM
LEO AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER 7:30 PM
LINTON AT NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) 7:30 PM
MACONAQUAH AT MANCHESTER 7:45 PM
MADISON-GRANT AT LAPEL 7:30 PM
MARTINSVILLE AT WHITELAND 7:30 PM
MERRILLVILLE AT MICHIGAN CITY 8:00 PM
MILAN AT HAUSER 7:30 PM
MITCHELL AT EDGEWOOD 7:30 PM
MOORESVILLE AT GREENWOOD 7:30 PM
MUNCIE BURRIS AT MORRISTOWN 7:30 PM
MUNCIE CENTRAL AT NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) 7:30 PM
NEW HAVEN AT HERITAGE 7:30 PM
NEW PALESTINE AT MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) 7:30 PM
NEW PRAIRIE AT SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 7:30 PM
NORTH HARRISON AT PROVIDENCE 7:30 PM
NORTH KNOX AT BLOOMFIELD 7:30 PM
NORTH MONTGOMERY AT SHERIDAN 7:30 PM
NORTHEAST DUBOIS AT LOOGOOTEE 7:30 PM
NORTHEASTERN AT WINCHESTER 7:30 PM
NORTHVIEW AT TERRE HAUTE NORTH 7:30 PM
NORTHWESTERN AT BLACKFORD 7:30 PM
NORTHWOOD AT FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK 7:30 PM
OAK HILL AT ELWOOD 7:30 PM
OPH (ILL.) AT DUGGER UNION 7:30 PM
PARK TUDOR AT IRVINGTON PREP 7:30 PM
PARKE HERITAGE AT SEEGER 7:30 PM
PERRY CENTRAL AT PAOLI 8:00 PM
PHALEN ACADEMY AT CULVER ACADEMY 7:30 PM
PIKE AT LAWRENCE NORTH 7:30 PM
PIONEER AT WINAMAC 7:30 PM
PURDUE ENGLEWOOD AT INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA 7:30 PM
RICHMOND AT LAFAYETTE JEFF 8:00 PM
RISING SUN AT SOUTH RIPLEY 7:30 PM
RIVERTON PARKE AT SOUTH VERMILLION 7:30 PM
ROCHESTER AT PERU 7:45 PM
ROCK CREEK ACADEMY AT BROWN COUNTY 7:30 PM
RUSHVILLE AT OLDENBURG ACADEMY 7:30 PM
SEVEN OAKS AT INDIANA DEAF 6:00 PM
SEYMOUR AT INDIAN CREEK 7:30 PM
SHELBYVILLE AT DELTA 8:00 PM
SHENANDOAH AT NEW CASTLE 7:30 PM
SHOALS AT ORLEANS 7:30 PM
SILVER CREEK AT CORYDON CENTRAL 7:30 PM
SOUTH BEND ADAMS AT MISHAWAKA MARIAN 7:30 PM
SOUTH BEND RILEY AT PENN 7:30 PM
SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH) AT NEW WASHINGTON 7:30 PM
SOUTH DEARBORN AT LAWRENCEBURG 7:30 PM
SOUTH KNOX AT WASHINGTON 7:30 PM
SOUTH SPENCER AT SOUTHRIDGE 8:00 PM
SOUTHERN WELLS AT NORTH MIAMI 7:45 PM
SOUTHMONT AT FRANKFORT 7:30 PM
SOUTHPORT AT TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 7:30 PM
SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) AT AUSTIN 6:00 PM
SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE) AT NORTH DECATUR 7:30 PM
SOUTHWOOD AT NORTHFIELD 7:45 PM
SULLIVAN AT CLOVERDALE 7:30 PM
SWITZERLAND COUNTY AT JAC-CEN-DEL 7:30 PM
TIPPECANOE VALLEY AT HUNTINGTON NORTH 7:30 PM
TRI AT CENTERVILLE 7:30 PM
TRI-COUNTY AT FAITH CHRISTIAN 7:30 PM
TRINITY ACADEMY AT BETHANY CHRISTIAN 7:30 PM
TRITON AT ELKHART CHRISTIAN 7:30 PM
UNION COUNTY AT UNION CITY 7:30 PM
VALPARAISO AT CHESTERTON 8:00 PM
WABASH AT WHITKO 7:45 PM
WALDRON AT VICTORY COLLEGE PREP 7:30 PM
WAPAHANI AT DALEVILLE 7:30 PM
WARSAW AT HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) 7:45 PM
WAWASEE AT FORT WAYNE SOUTH 7:45 PM
WES-DEL AT BLUE RIVER VALLEY 7:30 PM
WEST CENTRAL AT NORTH WHITE 7:30 PM
WESTERN BOONE AT ROSSVILLE 7:30 PM
WESTVIEW AT GOSHEN 7:30 PM
WESTVILLE AT MORGAN TWP. 8:00 PM
WHEELER AT KNOX 8:00 PM
WHITE RIVER VALLEY AT NORTH DAVIESS 7:30 PM
WHITING AT RENSSELAER CENTRAL 8:30 PM
WOOD MEMORIAL AT GIBSON SOUTHERN 8:00 PM
HOOSIER CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
TIPTON AT TWIN LAKES 8:00 PM 7TH
HAMILTON HEIGHTS AT LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 7:30 PM 5TH
WESTERN AT BENTON CENTRAL 7:30 PM 3RD
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INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD
SATURDAY SEMI-STATE MATCH-UPS
CLASS 4A
LAPORTE
10 AM CT | G1: NORTHRIDGE (20-7) VS. MCCUTCHEON (22-5)
12 PM CT | G2: CROWN POINT (23-4) VS. NORWELL (23-4)
8 PM CT | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
JASPER
10 AM ET | G1: FLOYD CENTRAL (23-3) VS. LAWRENCE CENTRAL (21-4)
12 PM ET | G2: CENTER GROVE (26-0) VS. EVANSVILLE REITZ (21-2)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CLASS 3A
LOGANSPORT
10 AM ET | G1: BELLMONT (22-3) VS. CULVER ACADEMIES (22-5)
12 PM ET | G2: CONNERSVILLE (20-7) VS. FAIRFIELD (20-6)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
SOUTHPORT
10 AM ET | G1: WASHINGTON (22-4) VS. JENNINGS COUNTY (19-6)
12 PM ET | G2: NORTHVIEW (20-6) VS. RONCALLI (25-3)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CLASS 2A
FRANKFORT
10 AM ET | G1: LAPEL (22-4) VS. BREMEN (23-2)
12 PM ET | G2: WHITKO (25-1) VS. OAK HILL (22-3)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
GREENCASTLE
10 AM ET | G1: HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (19-8) VS. PARKE HERITAGE (19-7)
12 PM ET | G2: EASTERN (PEKIN) (18-7) VS. NORTH KNOX (19-6)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CLASS 1A
HUNTINGTON NORTH | TICKETS
10 AM ET | G1: NORTH MIAMI (18-8) VS. ELKHART CHRISTIAN (22-4)
12 PM ET | G2: FREMONT (26-2) VS. MONROE CENTRAL (21-2)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
CHARLESTOWN
10 AM ET | G1: EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN (19-6) VS. BORDEN (22-4)
12 PM ET | G2: GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (16-10) VS. TINDLEY (17-5)
8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER
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INDIANA WRESTLING
STATE FINALS
FRIDAY, FEB. 20, 2026
SESSION 1
1:30 PM ET – GATES OPEN
2:30 PM ET – PARADE OF CHAMPIONS
2:45 PM ET – PRESENTATION OF COLORS AND NATIONAL ANTHEM
3 PM ET – FIRST ROUND WEIGHT CLASSES 150 – 285
6 PM ET – FIRST ROUND WEIGHT CLASSES 106 – 144
SATURDAY, FEB. 21, 2026
SESSION 2
8 AM ET – GATES OPEN
9 AM ET – QUARTERFINALS BEGIN WITH SEMIFINALS TO FOLLOW
FIELDHOUSE CLEARED OF ALL SPECTATORS FOLLOWING SEMIFINALS
SESSION 3
3:30 PM ET – GATES OPEN
4:30 PM ET – CONSOLATION MATCHES
7 PM ET – INTRODUCTIONS OF STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PARTICIPANTS
APPROX. 7:24 PM ET – PRESENTATION OF COLORS AND NATIONAL ANTHEM
7:30 PM ET – STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES BEGIN
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INDIANA STATE WRESTLING ASSOCIATION: https://www.iswa.com/
INDIANA MAT: https://indianamat.com/
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MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES
WRIGHT STATE 85 IU INDY 73
SOUTHERN INDIANA 77 WESTERN ILLINOIS 70
CAL STATE FULLERTON 93 UC DAVIS 92
UC RIVERSIDE 93 CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD 65
UC IRVINE 69 LONG BEACH STATE 58
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WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES
#22 NORTH CAROLINA 66 VIRGINIA TECH 63 OT
TEXAS A&M 82 #21 TENNESSEE 74
#11 OKLAHOMA 71 #24 GEORGIA 67
#9 DUKE 83 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 65
#13 IOWA 83 PURDUE 74
#4 TEXAS 93 ARKANSAS 62
#3 SOUTH CAROLINA 76 #25 ALABAMA 57
#7 LSU 78 #17 OLE MISS 70
#2 UCLA 82 WASHINGTON 67
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MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES
#1 MICHIGAN STATE 4 NOTRE DAME 2
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MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES
#13 OHIO STATE 3 #8 BALL STATE 0
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 3 NORTHERN KENTUCKY 0
#11 LINDENWOOD 3 #12 MCKENDREE 2
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COLLEGE WRESTLING SCORES
LOCK HAVEN 34 STATE 3
GEORGE MASON 32 GARDNER WEBB 14
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DIVISION 1 COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
#2 TEXAS TECH 12 FRESNO STATE 2
#4 OKLAHOMA 6 CAL STATE FULLERTON 5
#4 OKLAHOMA 10 SAN DIEGO STATE 2
#11 UCLA 23 AUBURN 1
#14 OREGON 2 #13 TEXAS A&M 1
#13 TEXAS A&M 11 #14 DUKE 5
AUBURN 10 #14 OREGON 5
#14 DUKE 9 HAWAII 6
#19 OKLAHOMA STATE 5 TEXAS STATE 0
#22 SOUTH CAROLINA 8 #23 WASHINGTON 1
#25 VIRGINIA 14 MARYLAND 1
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST 4 OREGON STATE 3
GEORGIA TECH 16 CHARLESTON 0
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST 12 UC SAN DIEGO 5
CALIFORNIA 14 UC SAN DIEGO 1
OREGON STATE 4 NEVADA 2
GEORGIA TECH 5 GEORGIA STATE 2
TULSA 8 TARLETON STATE 7
NORTH CAROLINA 13 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 0
TEXAS STATE 7 KANSAS CITY 6
SOUTH FLORIDA 6 ST. JOSEPH’S 2
RUTGERS 6 KANSAS 5
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 7 BYU 2
UTAH VALLEY 9 VALPARAISO 7
TULSA 4 TARLETON STATE 3
SAM HOUSTON 7 HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 3
GRAND CANYON 7 SAN DIEGO 0
NORTH CAROLINA 10 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 0
LOUISIANA TECH 3 LOUISIANA MONROE 2
BYU 8 HAWAII 0
UNLV 11 VALPARAISO 6
CAL STATE FULLERTON 8 RUTGERS 5
ARIZONA – STANFORD POSTPONED
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DIVISION 1 COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 12 CINCINNATI 11
OREGON 18 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 1
GRAND CANYON 12 OKLAHOMA STATE 8
UCONN 6 ARIZONA 4
HAWAII 7 WICHITA STATE 6
OMAHA – BYU CANCELED
UTAH – UC SAN DIEGO CANCELED
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DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
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DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES
DENVER 15 TOWSON 11
CALIFORNIA 14 OREGON 9
KENNESAW STATE 11 GARDNER WEBB 6
BROWN 15 HOLY CROSS 5
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NBA SCORES
HOUSTON 105 CHARLOTTE 101
CLEVELAND 112 NEW JERSEY 84
ATLANTA 117 PHILADELPHIA 107
WASHINGTON 112 INDIANA 105
DETROIT 126 NEW YORK 111
TORONTO 110 CHICAGO 101
SAN ANTONIO 121 PHOENIX 94
BOSTON 121 GOLDEN STATE 110
ORLANDO 131 SACRAMENTO 94
LA CLIPPERS 115 DENVER 114
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NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
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NHL SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED (OLYMPIC BREAK)
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WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES
ATLANTA 3 COLUMBUS 1
INDY 3 DALLAS 0
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NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES
NBA
NBA ROUNDUP: PISTONS DOMINATE KNICKS TO CAP SEASON SWEEP
Cade Cunningham totaled 42 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds as the Detroit Pistons pulled away in the second half and completed a season sweep of the host New York Knicks with a 126-111 victory on Thursday.
Detroit won the three meetings by a combined 84 points, improving its regular-season winning streak vs. New York to six games. The Knicks had won the previous 16 matchups between the teams.
Cunningham made 17 of 34 shots and posted his third 40-point game of the season. Paul Reed filled in for Jalen Duren (NBA suspension) and contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as the Pistons won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 points and eight assists. Karl Anthony-Towns added 21 points and 11 rebounds as New York lost for the third time in five games.
Hawks 117, 76ers 107
Jalen Johnson recorded 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as Atlanta continued its dominance of host Philadelphia to end a three-game losing streak.
Atlanta won despite 43.2% shooting from the field and a 10-of-32 showing (31.2%) from 3-point range. CJ McCollum chipped in with 23 points off the bench for the Hawks, who improved to 3-0 against the 76ers this season.
Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points on 8-of-23 shooting for the Sixers, while VJ Edgecombe contributed 20 points and nine rebounds. Andre Drummond notched 10 points and 14 rebounds for the hosts, who were without Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (suspension) and lost their third straight.
Cavaliers 112, Nets 84
Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points and James Harden had 16 points and nine assists as host Cleveland dominated Brooklyn, extending its winning streak to six and at one point holding its largest lead of the season.
Jarrett Allen posted 15 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, which led from wire to wire for the second straight game and has won 11 of its last 12. Dennis Schroder made two free throws late in the third quarter to put Cleveland up 102-59, its biggest margin of the season.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 14 points and Ochai Agbaji had 13 points off the bench for Brooklyn, which shot 34.5% from the field. Danny Wolf collected 11 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Rockets 105, Hornets 101
Kevin Durant poured in 35 points on 14-for-20 shooting as Houston fended off host Charlotte for a victory in the first game after the All-Star break.
Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points and Alperen Sengun and Reed Sheppard both scored 13 points for the Rockets, who benefitted from 16 Charlotte turnovers. Houston has won five consecutive road games.
The Hornets had won 10 of their previous 11 games, but they had too many rough patches that prevented them from sweeping the season series. Grant Williams cranked in 20 points. LaMelo Ball, playing a day after he was involved in an automobile accident, had 11 points in 31 minutes, making one of his six 3-point attempts.
Spurs 121, Suns 94
Stephon Castle scored 20 points as San Antonio dominated short-handed Phoenix in Austin, Texas, to win its seventh straight game.
Victor Wembanyama added 17 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and four assists for the Spurs, who led by 12 at halftime before opening the gap to 29 in the third quarter.
Jalen Green’s 26 points led the Suns, who have dropped two straight. Devin Booker missed the second half due to right hip soreness, and Phoenix was without Grayson Allen (ankle) and Dillon Brooks (league suspension).
Wizards 112, Pacers 105
Bub Carrington, Jaden Hardy, Anthony Gill and Kadary Richmond each scored 13 points as Washington beat visiting Indiana.
The Wizards finished with seven double-figure scorers while snapping a three-game losing streak. Washington forced 23 turnovers to help win the first of back-to-back matchups against the Pacers.
Jarace Walker led Indiana with 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Rookie Taelon Peter had a career-high 16 points as the Pacers’ two-game winning streak ended.
Raptors 110, Bulls 101
Brandon Ingram scored 31 points to fuel visiting Toronto to a victory over Chicago.
Ingram added eight rebounds and six assists to help the Raptors defeat the Bulls for the second time this month. Scottie Barnes logged 14 points and nine rebounds for Toronto, which benefited from 23 turnovers by Chicago to pick up its eighth win in 12 games.
Anfernee Simons scored 20 points and Isaac Okoro added 16 for the Bulls, who saw their losing streak extend to seven. Tre Jones recorded 12 points and six assists and Josh Giddey had five and five in their returns from their left hamstring injuries.
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MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
PREZ CHARLIE BAKER STILL WANTS TO AD AT-LARGE BIDS TO NCAA TOURNAMENT
NCAA president Charlie Baker rolled out the red carpet ahead of the Selection Committee exercise to set the top 16 seeds in the men’s tournament field this weekend and couldn’t help but dream of a bigger dance.
Baker and members of the Selection Committee are running their annual bracket stacking drill to be released Saturday with the public finding out where the NCAA sees the top 16 seeds in the tournament at this stage of the season.
The field will not increase in size in March. The men’s and women’s tournament field remains at 68 for 2026. But 2027 could bring a boost in field size to 72 or more, Baker has said.
“I think there’s some very good reasons to expand the tournament, so I would like to see it expand,” Baker said on Thursday in a session with select media, as detailed by tournament TV partner CBS, a network making headlines about coverage — and non-coverage — of news events and interviews. “You have to remember that some of the folks we’re talking to are going through some pretty interesting corporate conversations of their own. And I think for us, we accept and acknowledge that, but we’re still talking.”
Debate remains around how to structure a bracket growing by as many as eight spots. Baker said the number of at-large bids awarded — currently 36 — is not enough. But he doesn’t want to fiddle with the 32 at-large bids going to conference and conference tournament champions to satisfy the “bubble” teams that might be labeled the “last four out” on Selection Sunday.
“It puts some other really good teams that probably might belong there,” Baker said of the push to increase at-large bids. “But it also protects the AQs, right? Because I don’t want to end up in a situation where people say we need to do something about the AQs because we’re keeping too many good teams out of the tournament.”
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WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: TEXAS A&M EXTENDS NO. 21 TENNESSEE’S SLIDE
Ny’Ceara Pryor and Fatmata Janneh had double-doubles and Texas A&M upset No. 21 Tennessee 82-74 on Thursday night in Knoxville, Tenn.
Pryor finished with 22 points and 10 assists, Janneh produced 17 points and 12 rebounds and Lemyah Hylton scored 12 for the Aggies (11-11, 4-9 SEC), who took command with a 16-2 spurt to start the third quarter that generated a 63-44 lead.
Texas A&M scored the first 10 points of the game, but held just a five-point halftime lead before the blitz that triggered a 22-9 scoring edge in the third quarter.
Senior forward Janiah Barker posted a career-high 29 points with 10 rebounds, Zee Spearman scored 14 and Talaysia Cooper had 11 to pace the Volunteers (16-9, 8-5), who never led while losing their third straight game.
No. 22 North Carolina 66, Virginia Tech 63 (OT)
Nyla Harris had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Tar Heels over the Hokies in Blacksburg, Va.
Harris made two free throws to give North Carolina (22-6, 11-4 ACC) the lead for good with 1:27 left in overtime as it bounced back from a 72-68 loss at Duke on Sunday that ended an eight-game winning streak. Elina Aarnisalo added 13 points, Lanie Grant scored 12 and Indya Nivar had 10.
Carys Baker had 15 points and eight rebounds, Samyha Suffren scored 15 and Carleigh Wenzel added 14 for Virginia Tech (20-8, 10-6), which had two game-tying 3-point attempts blocked in the waning seconds before missing a third at the buzzer.
No. 11 Oklahoma 71, No. 24 Georgia 67
Aaliyah Chavez scored 27 points and the Sooners never trailed in holding off the Bulldogs in Athens, Ga.
Sahara Williams added 11 points for Oklahoma (20-6, 8-5 SEC), which scored the first nine points of the game and built a 37-27 halftime lead.
Mia Woolfork had a career-high 29 points with nine rebounds for Georgia (20-7, 6-7), which shot just 2 of 15 from 3-point range. Dani Carnegie scored 14 points and Trinity Turner added 10.
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OLYMPIC WOMEN’S HOCKEY
US NETS WOMEN’S HOCKEY GOLD WITH OT WINNER OVER CANADA
MILAN — United States women’s ice hockey tasted revenge sweeter than maple syrup as they came from behind to beat defending champions Canada 2-1 to win gold in an overtime thriller at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday.
Megan Keller netted the winner to dethrone their archrivals in an instant classic, sealing a spine-tingling affair and bringing a roar of American joy that echoed throughout Santagiulia Arena.
The U.S. looked headed for more disappointment after losing to their hated foes four years ago, as they were kept off the scoreboard and trailing late in the third period.
But captain Hilary Knight played the hero one more time in her fifth Olympics, tying it to take the tight-checking Games decider to three-on-three sudden death hockey, where Keller went around defender Claire Thompson and slipped the puck past Canadian goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens to clinch a third Olympic gold for the U.S. women.
The game gave fans yet another classic chapter in the sport’s greatest rivalry, and the packed stands offered dueling chants of “Canada!” and “USA!” from puck drop.
ROOK-TO-KNIGHT SENDS GAME TO OT
The Americans were the favorites after handing Canada their first-ever Olympic shutout 5-0 in the group stage, but fears of a one-sided final were soon dispelled as Desbiens put on a lights-out performance through the first period.
The U.S. had a prime chance to break the impasse with a power play at the start of the second. Instead, the crafty Canadian squad flexed its muscle as Laura Stacey gathered the puck in the neutral zone, charged forward and sent it across for Kristin O’Neill, who made a nifty backhand move to score the short-handed goal.
Behind for the first time in the tournament, the U.S. could not find a way past Desbiens until they pulled their goalie for an extra skater with just over two minutes left in regulation.
Knight redirected a shot from Olympic rookie Laila Edwards for their desperation first goal, breaking the all-time U.S. women’s goals record at the Winter Olympics in the process.
“She’s been a part of every historic moment since she’s been a part of this team. For her to get that goal was obviously most important for our team but also just a huge honor for her to break that record,” said Kelly Pannek, Knight’s teammate on their 2018 gold medal-winning group.
“It’s something we all want for her.”
This was the third time in the last four Games that the two sides have battled into overtime in an Olympic final, and the crowd held its breath before Keller finished off the Canadians with just over four minutes gone in overtime.
“Everything happened fast,” Desbiens said of the score that just squeaked over the line. “I’ll see that one for a long time.”
U.S. goalie Aerin Frankel also proved up to the test, ultimately turning aside 30 of 31 shots the Canadians sent her way.
With their coach John Wroblewski weeping tears of joy behind the bench, the American team erupted in celebration, and the Canadian side could only stand by grimly ahead of the medal ceremony, as fans danced to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA.”
It marked the once-dominant Canadians’ eighth successive loss to the Americans.
RED, WHITE AND THE CANADIAN BLUES
The Canadians had long had the upper hand on the United States, with five Olympic golds. But cracks in the ice beneath their feet were beginning to show before they even stepped into the rink in Milan.
The United States won the world championship last year before sweeping the Canadians in the four-game Rivalry Series in November and December, leaving Canada fans with a queasy feeling just weeks before the Games were set to begin.
As American youth triumphed over Canadian experience on Thursday, U.S. fans can allow themselves to dream of more hardware to come, with several collegiate players on the team having yet to reach the professional ranks.
The U.S. was playing in its seventh Olympic championship game, having missed just one since the women were added to the program in 1998.
Switzerland took the bronze medal earlier on Thursday with a 2-1 overtime win over Sweden.
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GOLF
AARON RAI ON TOP, RORY MCILROY 1 BACK AT RAIN-DELAYED GENESIS
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Aaron Rai of England held a one-shot lead at the Genesis Invitational on Thursday at Riviera Country Club despite being unable to complete his round during a rainy and windy day.
Rai was at 6 under par through 16 holes before the rain-delayed opening round was halted by darkness. He can still pad his opening-round advantage Friday morning when play resumes at 7 a.m. local time.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy shot a 5-under-par 66 and was tied with Jacob Bridgeman for second place. Ryan Fox of New Zealand was alone in fourth place at 4 under as the tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods, returned to the Los Angeles area.
The signature event was relocated south to Torrey Pines last year following a devastating wildfire in Pacific Palisades in January 2025.
A morning rain shower delayed play three hours, with many in the field unable to finish their opening rounds. Windy conditions proved to be a challenge the remainder of the day.
McIlroy, a 29-time winner on the PGA Tour, opened his round at 3 under through four holes before the rain delay. He moved to 5 under with a birdie at No. 11, lost a shot with a bogey at No. 16 and moved back to 5 under with a birdie at the par-5 17th.
“I’ve started to just really enjoy this style of golf,” McIlroy said about the wet, windy and cool conditions. “If you had asked me 10 years ago, I didn’t enjoy these conditions, but it’s been a shift in mindset and maybe just a continuation of trying to build upon the skill set that I have. Then when it does get to conditions like this, I’m a lot more prepared.”
Bridgeman, who is in his third season on the PGA Tour without a victory, had an erratic start to his round with an eagle 3 at No. 1 and a double bogey at the long par-3 fourth hole. He then went 5 under through a stretch of 10 holes starting at No. 8.
“I’ve never really had any success on the West Coast in my career, but I think I’m starting to understand more of how to play out here and be a little more confident with it,” said Bridgeman, a South Carolina native. “We never played out here in college, I never played in junior golf out here. So really my (first time) coming out for the West Coast was as a pro. I’m starting to get a little more comfortable.”
Collin Morikawa, a Los Angeles-area native who won last week at Pebble Beach, opened in a seven-way tie for fifth place at 3 under.
“Nice to get off to a good start and kind of be around the lead,” Morikawa said. “This course is going to play very different, I think, the next three days, not quite with the softness and speed of the greens but just score-ability with the wind being down.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler struggled in the opening round for the third consecutive week and was at 5 over par through 10 holes.
Defending champion Ludvig Aberg of Sweden opened tied for 44th place at 1 over par, while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama was tied for 12th place at 2 under. Matsuyama won the tournament the last time it was played at Riviera in 2024.
CHANETTEE WANNASAEN SURGES TO SHARE OF FIRST-ROUND LEAD AT HONDA
Chanettee Wannasaen is tied atop the leaderboard of her home-country tournament with Japan’s Nasa Hataoka after the opening round of the Honda LPGA Thailand on Thursday in Pattaya, Thailand.
Wannasaen was effective throughout a 7-under-par 65 opening round, racking up nine birdies against two bogeys. She finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th and hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation at the Siam Country Club Old Course.
“Today, I played really well on the approach shot,” Wannasaen said. ” … It’s pretty fun and I have a lot of memory in this course.”
After a bogey on the par-4 2nd hole, Hataoka played bogey-free over the final 16 holes. That included three birdies in the final five holes, overcoming making just 14 of 18 greens in regulation by requiring just 26 putts.
It’s the second time in as many LPGA events this season that Hataoka has had at least a share of the first-round lead. She led after the opening round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in late January at 6 under.
“Today was a good start,” Hataoka said. “I think my tee shot and iron shot pretty well today. That’s why I was able to make so many birdie chances today.”
There’s little separation between a large pack at the top of the leaderboard. South Korea’s Somi Lee and Hye-Jin Choi as well as Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh are tied for third at 6 under. Dryburgh holed out for an eagle on the par-5 10th — her first hole in her first LPGA event back after becoming a mother seven weeks ago.
After that, 10 players are tied for sixth at 5 under. That clump of competitors shooting 67 includes world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who is competing on her home course.
First playing in this event at 14 years old and now on the eve of her 23rd birthday, Thitikul was bogey free at 5 under, securing a pair of sand saves.
“Just grateful for everything that I really put the work in and it just pay off,” Thitikul said, reflecting on her career after the first round. “And then also I think they should be happy on not just me doing, but all the Thai girls doing out there on the Tour.”
There are eight Thai golfers competing in this year’s event. Ariya Jutanugarn is also tied at 5 under, and Pajaree Anannarukarn is one of 10 golfers tied for 16th at 4 under. After shooting 1 over on the front nine, Anannarukarn surged back into contention with five birdies on a bogey-free back nine.
Angel Yin, who won the 2025 event, is tied for 26th at 3 under after the opening round.
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INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES
INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL
HENDERSON TRANSFERS TO CARMEL
Joshua Henderson is leaving University and enrolling at Carmel. Henderson is averaging 19.3 points per game and 7.1 rebounds. Henderson is the son of former IU standout Alan Henderson. University played in the 2A state title game last season.
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NFL
BEARS’ POTENTIAL MOVE TO INDIANA TAKES STEP FORWARD AS EFFORT TO BUILD STADIUM IN ILLINOIS LINGERS
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears’ potential move to Indiana took another step forward on Thursday when a key committee approved a plan to create an agency that would help get a stadium built.
The Indiana House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee passed a bill establishing a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium by a 24-0 margin. The Bears are looking at a tract of land near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Ind.
“The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” the team said in a statement. “We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.”
Republican Gov. Mike Braun and lawmakers in Indiana have been aggressive in trying to lure the founding NFL franchise across the state line amid a yearslong effort to build an enclosed stadium in Illinois. The Bears did not mention Illinois in their statement.
The Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday morning on a bill that would allow the Bears and any other developer of a large enough project to negotiate long-term property tax rates with local taxing bodies. But that got canceled.
“Illinois was ready to move this bill forward,” Matt Hill, a spokesman for Gov. JB Pritzker posted on X. “After a productive three-hour meeting yesterday, the Bears leaders requested the (Illinois General Assembly) pause the hearing to make further tweaks to the bill. This morning, we were surprised to see a statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois.”
The Bears’ focus for a new home had fluctuated between a tract of land they own in Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront, and then back to the suburb.
They have said they plan to pay for the stadium construction on the site of a former racetrack about 30 miles northwest of their longtime home at Soldier Field, though they would need assistance to complete the project.
According to a team consultant report released in September, they are seeking $855 million in public funding for infrastructure in order to build a stadium in Arlington Heights that could host Final Fours and Super Bowls. The Bears were also hoping the Illinois legislature would pass a bill last October to freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects such as the stadium that would have allowed them to begin construction in 2025. But that didn’t happen.
In September 2022, the Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site.
Their focus moved toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Kevin Warren was hired as president three years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago’s Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.
Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention back to Arlington Heights, citing “significant progress” with local leaders.
Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears have never owned their stadium, whether playing at Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970 or Soldier Field since then.
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INDIANA PACERS
GAME REWIND: PACERS 105, WIZARDS 112
The Indiana Pacers ended a week-long hiatus from game action on Thursday night with a matchup against the Washington Wizards. Washington is just below the Pacers in the Eastern Conference standings, and back-to-back contests between the two teams on Thursday and Friday make for a fiery return from the All-Star break.
The Pacers were within five points of the Wizards with under a minute to play after trailing by as many as 17 points over the course of the evening. Taelon Peter and Ben Sheppard hit critical 3-pointers to bring Indiana close to the Wizards, 110-105, but the Pacers couldn’t finish the comeback and fell to Washington, 112-105.
Indiana opened the contest with a 7-0 run behind Jay Huff’s individual hot start. Huff knocked down a 3-pointer to open scoring, then converted two free throws to put Indiana up by seven.
Tristan Vukcevic’s seven points powered the Wizards back from the early deficit, and tied the game at 13 points by the halfway point of the first quarter.
Huff led Indiana through the first 12 minutes as he scored seven points, but the Pacers hit just 32 percent of their looks through the first frame. Washington took advantage of that cold spell and carried a two-point lead into the second quarter, 26-24.
A crafty floater from Kam Jones and a triple from Kobe Brown helped Indiana recapture the lead at the midpoint of the second frame, 38-37.
Anthony Gill and Will Riley were both productive off the Washington bench – they scored six points each – but Micah Potter matched their output for the Blue and Gold. Huff remained Indiana’s leading scorer throughout the first half as he recorded 11 points and four rebounds, and Vukcevic had a game-high 12 points for the Wizards.
Indiana committed 10 turnovers throughout the first half to Washington’s six, but each team allowed seven points off their respective turnovers. The Pacers improved their shooting to 36 percent in the first half after a cold start, but the Wizards still led by 12 points at the halftime break, 59-47.
Huff hit the 1,000 career points mark with his 11 first-half points.
Sheppard hit a rhythm in the third quarter as Indiana surged to cut the deficit down to single digits. He had seven points in the frame by the six-minute mark after converting two layups and a corner 3-pointer. The Pacers still trailed, 68-60.
Jarace Walker also scored seven points in the quarter as the Pacers got within two points of the Wizards, but ultimately trailed by eight heading into the fourth, 88-80.
Walker opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back breakaway dunks to bring Indiana within four, 88-84. Peter followed that with his third triple of the evening, and the Pacers were down just three points, 90-87.
Walker earned the lead for Indiana as he converted two free throws near the midpoint of the fourth quarter, 97-96, and grabbed his career-high 13th rebound shortly afterwards.
Washington scored 14 straight points after Walker’s free throws, and the Wizards led the game 110-97 with under three minutes remaining to play. Walker stopped the run with a turnaround shot, but the Pacers still trailed by double digits as the clock dwindled, 110-99.
Peter and Sheppard dropped in back-to-back 3-pointers to cut that lead back down to five points with under a minute to play. The clock ran out on the Pacers, however, and they fell to the Wizards, 112-105.
Walker had a spectacular night for the Blue and Gold despite the loss – he recorded a game-high 19 points, a career-high 13 rebounds, and seven assists. Washington had four players score 13 points to lead them in scoring.
Indiana lost the game in the margins – the Pacers committed 23 turnovers that led to 30 Wizards points and allowed 10 offensive rebounds. Washington committed just 10 turnovers, and Indiana scored 14 points off those turnovers.
The two clubs will rematch on Friday night at 7:00 PM ET back in Capital One Arena.
Inside the Numbers
Washington outscored the Pacers in the paint, 56-30.
The Pacers won the rebound battle, 49-46.
Jarace Walker set a career high for rebounds (13) and tied his career high in assists (7).
Taelon Peter scored a new career-high 16 points and grabbed a career-high five rebounds.
Jay Huff scored his 1,000th career point in the first half.
You Can Quote Me on That
“This has been one of the victories of this season, is his development. [He’s] being put into these situations where he becomes one of the lead guys, has to make plays, defend, rebound, get to put the ball in the basket. I mean, when you come in as the eighth pick three years ago, and you’re imagining what the NBA is like, and you have the ups and downs that he had the first two years, and now he’s really getting his footing. I mean, this is what it’s all about. This is the growth that we’re looking for with young players.” – coach Rick Carlisle on Jarace Walker’s growth
“He’s done well in these games. He’s got a scorer’s, shooter’s, mentality. I mean, a missed shot doesn’t bother him one bit. And that’s how you’ve got to be. You’ve got to have a real short memory for misses and a long memory for makes, and he certainly seems to be one of those guys.” – Carlisle on Walker’s mentality as a scorer
Stat of the Night
The Pacers committed 23 turnovers that led to 30 Wizards points.
Noteworthy
The Wizards lead the season series with the Pacers, 2-1. One contest remains between the two teams – Friday night at Capital One Arena.
Jay Huff surpassed the 1,000 career points mark with his 15 points on Thursday.
Kam Jones left Thursday’s game at halftime with a back injury.
Aaron Nesmith exited Thursday’s game with an ankle injury.
Up Next
The Pacers will remain in Washington for a second straight game against Bub Carrington and the Wizards on Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 PM ET.
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT WIZARDS
Game Preview
The Pacers (15-41) and Wizards (15-39) will meet for the second time in as many nights when they face off on Friday night in Washington. The Wizards prevailed 112-105 in the first half of the back-to-back set on Thursday at Capital One Arena.
Indiana rallied from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter and led at several points in the fourth quarter, including 97-96 with under six minutes to play. But the Wizards reeled off 14 unanswered points to seize control of the contest and withstood a late charge from the Blue & Gold to walk away with the win.
The Pacers performed admirably considering they only had 10 players available on Thursday and only eight in the second half after Aaron Nesmith (ankle) and Kam Jones (back) both exited with injuries. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam is away from the team for personal reasons and not expected to return until Sunday’s game against Dallas.
In Siakam’s absence, third-year forward Jarace Walker stepped up and had one of the best all-around games of his career. The 22-year-old recorded his second career double-double, scoring a team-high 19 points, pulling down a career-best 13 rebounds, and tying his career high with seven assists.
Rookie guard Taelon Peter also had a strong showing, scoring a career-best 16 points while going 5-for-11 from 3-point range.
But turnovers ultimately did Indiana in on Thursday. The Pacers coughed the ball up 23 times, which the Wizards converted into 30 points on the other end. Conversely, the Pacers only managed 14 points off 10 Washington turnovers.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Andrew Nembhard, G – Ben Sheppard, F – Kobe Brown, F – Jarace Walker, C – Jay Huff
Wizards: G – Bub Carrington, G – Tre Johnson, F – Kyshawn George, F – Bilal Coulibaly, C – Tristan Vukcevic
Injury Report
Pacers: Kam Jones (sore lower back), T.J. McConnell – questionable (sore right hamstring), Micah Potter – questionable (left ankle sprain), Johnny Furphy – out (right ACL tear), Tyrese Haliburton – out (right Achilles tendon tear), Aaron Nesmith – out (right ankle sprain), Pascal Siakam – out (personal reasons), Obi Toppin – out (right foot stress fracture), Ivica Zubac – out (left ankle sprain)
Wizards: Anthony Davis – out (left finger sprain), D’Angelo Russell – out (not with team), Alex Sarr – out (right hamstring strain), Cam Whitmore – out (right shoulder deep vein thrombosis), Trae Young – out (right knee MCL sprain/quad contusion)
Last Meeting
Feb. 19, 2026: The Wizards used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 112-105 win over the Pacers in the first of two straight games at Capital One Arena.
Bub Carrington scored five of his 13 points during that run. The trio of Anthony Gill, Kadary Richmond, and Alondes Williams each added 13 points off the bench for Washington, while Bilal Coulibaly and Tristan Vukcevic added 12 points apiece.
Jarace Walker led Indiana with 19 points, a career-high 13 rebounds, and seven assists in the loss. Taelon Peter added a career-best 16 points off the bench, while Jay Huff and Ben Sheppard each tallied 15 points.
Noteworthy
The Pacers are 3-6 on the season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
This is the first time in franchise history that the Pacers have played the same opponent on the road for two consecutive nights.
The Wizards are 2-1 against Indiana this season. With a victory on Friday, Washington would win the season series with the Pacers for the first time since they swept all three meetings in the 2020-21 season.
Kam Jones (sore lower back) and Aaron Nesmith (right ankle sprain) were unable to play in the second half on Thursday night due to injuries. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Nesmith would be unavailable Friday, while Jones’ status is to be determined.
Pacers center Jay Huff surpassed 1,000 career points on Thursday.
Broadcast Information (Where to Watch and Listen to Pacers Games >>)
TV: FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)
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INDY IGNITE
KEEP ON SWEEPIN’ ON: IGNITE DOWN DALLAS IN THREE SETS
FRISCO, Texas (February 19, 2026) – The Indy Ignite are on fire and continue blazing the pace in Major League Volleyball. Tonight, it was the Dallas Pulse who fell victim to the attacking Indy style, the Ignite triumphing by scores of 25-20, 26-24 and 26-24.
It marked the second straight sweep to victory for the Ignite, extended their current win streak to three matches and made them a perfect 3-0 this season against Dallas. Indy moved its record to a league-leading 9-2 while the Pulse’s hopes to tie the Ignite at the top fell short as Dallas dropped to 7-4.
The close nature of the set scores bore truth to just how tight this match was between the top teams in the standings. The Ignite never led by more than four points in the opening set before scoring four of the final five to win it. Indy recovered from a 12-7 deficit in set two and never led by more than two, with a Leketor Member-Meneh service ace clinching it in overtime.
The third set saw the Ignite pull away from a 20-20 tie to go ahead 24-21 before they squandered three match points. Dallas’ 13th service error of the night put Indy back on the precipice and middle blocker Lydia Martyn sealed the victory with a smashing kill on a Pulse overpass.
“I don’t even remember it!” Martyn admitted in the post-match news conference. “I was excited to win. Our team comes in and we work so hard at practice and to see certain things like overpass kills – we trained in practice and worked on them – so it’s cool to finally see them show up in the game. I got a couple tonight, actually.”
Ignite head coach Lauren Bertolacci said a point of emphasis was limiting the success of Pulse outside hitters Mimi Colyer and Sofia Maldonado Diaz. Mission half accomplished. Colyer was held to eight kills in 29 attempts. Maldonado Diaz, the reigning MLV Player of the Week, scored 18 kills on 35 attempts. Still, it wasn’t enough.
“A big focus for us was to be able to slow down Mimi and Sofia a little bit,” Bertolacci said. “I think we achieved one of those two and that’s it. It gives us a chance to get some transition points and do our own offense. We were not perfect tonight but we were very gritty and we did a good job in that aspect, and we were able to end up taking a win in a very close game.”
Outside hitter Member-Meneh led what was again a balanced Indy attack. She scored 14 points on 11 kills, two aces and a block. Martyn finished with 10 points (seven kills, two blocks, one ace), outside hitter Anna DeBeer had nine points (eight kills, one block) and opposite hitter Camryn Hannah eight points (seven kills, one block).
“Just staying aggressive,” Member-Meneh said of the Ignite offense. “At the end of the day, we want to attack their block and that’s just what my mindset was: attack, attack, attack and put the pressure on them.”
She was also just as proud of her team’s defense. Indy registered 45 digs in the three-setter, led by libero Elena Scott’s 13, setter Mia Tuaniga’s nine and five each from Member-Meneh, DeBeer and middle blocker Blake Mohler.
“It’s hard to talk about (defense) because it’s just so normal,” Member-Meneh said. “Elena’s everywhere. I feel very confident in our defense playing next to her. It’s something that we practice and we focus on every day, so it’s strange when we’re not doing it – not necessarily a surprise when we are doing it.
“I don’t think tonight was our best defensive night, which says a lot about our team, but at the end of the day our goal is to keep getting better. The end of the year is when we want to be our best and we’re slowly working toward that.”
The Ignite head to Atlanta to take on the Vibe at 6 p.m. ET Saturday, with the livestream available on WTHR+ and the MLV YouTube channel. Atlanta won at Columbus tonight to move to 5-5. Indy returns home March 1 to take on Omaha at 2 p.m. ET, with tickets available at IndyIgniteVB.com
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INDIANA SWIMMING AND DIVING
CLARK, SHACKELL FIRST TITLES LEAD FOUR-MEDAL NIGHT
MINNEAPOLIS – Indiana women’s swimming and diving freshmen Liberty Clark and Alex Shackell captured their first-career individual Big Ten Championships, leading the Hoosiers to a four-medal night on Thursday (Feb. 19) at the 2026 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Jane K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
The momentous evening pushed Indiana into second place in the team standings with 398 points.
Shackell led a two-medal finish in the 100-yard butterfly, as junior Miranda Grana – the reigning champion in the event – took bronze. Touching in 49.95, Shackell broke the program record, surpassing Grana’s previous mark by six hundredths. Shackell now owns the school standards in both butterfly events.
Clark dethroned the reigning Big Ten 200-yard freestyle champion – Michigan’s Stephanie Balduccini – with a confident, wire-to-wire win. The freshman went sub-1:41 for the first time in her career, touching in 1:40.84. That time makes her the 14th fastest in the event all-time and the No. 10 American. Program record holder Anna Peplowski won the NCAA 200 free title last season as a senior with a 1:40.50.
Indiana set another program record in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a 1:26.20, good for a silver medal finish. Clark and Shackell led off the relay with splits of 21.48 and 21.69, and seniors Mya DeWitt and Kristina Paegle followed up with splits of 22.08 and 20.95. Paegle’s anchor ranked second-fastest in the field.
“Great night for the Hoosiers,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “Outstanding efforts by Alex Shackell and Liberty Clark winning the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle. We had a solid relay to end the night, and we’re excited to get back to work tomorrow morning.”
Juniors Macky Hodges and Reese Tiltmann gave Indiana maximum points from the 400-yard IM consolation final. Hodges dropped personal bests twice on the day with a 4:09.12 in the prelim and a 4:06.63 in the final to place ninth. Tiltmann followed with a 4:07.72 to come in 10th.
Three divers scored on the first day of diving. Junior Ella Roselli was the last of eight divers to qualify for the 1-meter springboard A final but improved to sixth in the championship to provide 24 points. Freshman Kaylee Bishop made her conference meet debut with a 15th-place finish, and Lily Witte placed 20th in the preliminary to score points as a C finalist.
“Ella led the team today with another A final added to her list of accomplishments,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “I am so proud of how she mentally took on the challenge today.
“It was great to see freshman Kaylee (Mini) Bishop handle the pressure and fight her way into the B-final. She showed her experience in diving under pressure. There are over 60 girls in the preliminary events today and tomorrow. I look forward to seeing the entire team get a handle on this event.”
TEAM SCORES
1. Michigan – 517.5
2. Indiana – 398
3. Ohio State – 390
4. Wisconsin – 384
5. USC – 296
6. Minnesota – 290
7. UCLA – 255
8. Northwestern – 202
9. Nebraska – 184.5
10. Rutgers – 171.5
11. Purdue – 164
12. Iowa – 149
13. Illinois – 114.5
14. Penn State – 106
RESULTS
100 BUTTERFLY
1. Alex Shackell – 49.95 (Program Record, Big Ten Champion, NCAA Cut)
3. Miranda Grana – 50.69 (Big Ten Bronze, NCAA Cut)
17. Chiok Sze Yeo – 52.52 (Personal Best, NCAA Cut)
19. Mya DeWitt – 52.76 (Personal Best, NCAA Cut)
24. Amelia Bray – 52.99
400 IM
9. Macky Hodges – 4:06.63 (Personal Best, NCAA Cut)
10. Reese Tiltmann – 4:07.72 (Personal Best, NCAA Cut)
200 FREESTYLE
1. Liberty Clark – 1:40.84 (Big Ten Champion, Personal Best, NCAA Cut)
6. Grace Hoeper – 1:43.99 (Personal Best, NCAA Cut)
12. Kristina Paegle – 1:45.21 (NCAA Cut)
100 BREASTSTROKE
16. Jonette Laegreid – 1:01.14
24. MacKenna Lieske – 1:02.36
1-METER DIVING
6. Ella Roselli – 282.75 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
15. Kaylee Bishop – 263.65 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
20. Lily Witte – 242.35
200 FREESTYLE RELAY
2. Liberty Clark, Alex Shackell, Mya DeWitt, Kristina Paegle – 1:26.20 (Big Ten Silver, Program Record, NCAA Cut)
UP NEXT
The 2025 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships resume Friday for day three of four. Athletes will compete in the 100 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 500 freestyle, 50 freestyle, 3-meter diving and 400 medley relay with preliminaries beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Finals are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
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INDIANA WRESTLING
NO. 21 INDIANA TO HOST RIVALRY MATCH VERSUS PURDUE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– The annual rivalry on the mat between Indiana and Purdue will take place on Friday (Feb. 20) night at 7 p.m. in Wilkinson Hall.
The Hoosiers (8-5) and Boilermakers (9-6) started wrestling against each other back in 1923 with this year’s matchup being the 106th in the series history. Indiana leads the all-time series 56-46-3.
NEBRASKA REWIND:
-Indiana got off to a fast start with No. 14 Jacob Moran (125) scoring on a barrage of takedowns in a 19-4 tech fall win over Kaul Lauridsen to put Indiana up 5-0.
-Nebraska ended up winning the remainder of the matches, finishing victorious in the nine remaining bouts.
-Despite the lopsided finish, Indiana battled well against the Cornhuskers in a handful of matches, with four of them finishing in close decisions.
-Joey Buttler (149) did not have enough time to work with in the third period, scoring a late takedown to draw close against No. 20 Chance Lamer, but losing in a 5-3 decision.
-No. 18 Tyler Lillard (165) fell just short in a 10-8 decision against No. 7 LJ Araujo. After trailing 7-0 early, Lillard picked up two third period takedowns.
PURDUE PREVIEW:
-The annual in-state rivalry should be another good battle on Friday night in Wilkinson Hall. Indiana carries an 8-5 mark going into the dual while Purdue is 9-6.
-The Hoosiers have won the last three meetings in the series after Purdue won the previous 12.
-The 2023 edition snapped Purdue’s winning streak. Indiana trailed early, but came back to win 17-16 in West Lafayette.
-In the 2024 and 2025 battles, Indiana has won definitively, combining for a final score of 47-20.
-The Boilermakers, like the Hoosiers have seven ranked wrestlers. They include: No. 31 Greyson Clark (141), No. 30 Gavin Brown (149), No. 28 Stoney Buell (157), No. 3 Joey Blaze (165), No. 16 Brody Baumann (174), No. 26 James Rowley (184) and No. 30 Ben Vanadia (197).
-Blaze finished as the NCAA runner-up last year at 157 lbs. as a true sophomore. Blaze, Clark, Baumann and Hayden Filipovich all were NCAA qualifiers in 2025.
-In the conference slate, Purdue has defeated Maryland and Michigan State.
-In the non-conference duals, Purdue topped Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Buffalo, Northern Illinois, American, Davidson and Rider.
LINEUP CONTINUITY:
-Indiana’s routine dual lineup consists of seven Hoosiers who made multiple starts at that weight class in 2024-25.
-Jacob Moran (125), Henry Porter (141), Tyler Lillard (165), Derek Gilcher (174) and Gabe Sollars (197) each are in at least their third season as a starter.
-Moran and Gilcher are the longest tenured wrestlers on the team and have been with the program since the 2020-21 season.
IN THE HOME STRETCH:
-This weekend is the last of the regular season for the Hoosiers.
-The Hoosiers will finish the dual schedule against rival Purdue on Friday (Feb. 20) before their last regular season competition in the Patriot Last Chance Open hosted by George Mason on Sunday (Feb. 22).
-The postseason is just a few weeks away as the Big Ten Championships will be held at Penn State from March 7-8. The NCAA Championships will be in Cleveland from March 19-21.
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INDIANA BASEBALL
BASEBALL CENTRAL: JACKSONVILLE BASEBALL CLASSIC
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After opening at No. 11 North Carolina, head coach Jeff Mercer and the Indiana Baseball team will continue to test itself early in the season. The Hoosiers are headed to Florida for the Live Like Lou Jacksonville Baseball Classic, presented by D1 Baseball and Peak Events. The round-robin invitational will pit IU against No. 2 LSU (Friday), UCF (Saturday) and Notre Dame (Sunday).
Through the first two trips of the year, IU is one of three Big Ten schools (Michigan, Michigan State) to play only teams from power four conferences on the weekend. Mercer made the schedule by design with the goal to put his team in tough environments away from home.
Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny continues to swing a hot bat in the early portion of the season. He is hitting .364 with four hits and five runs through four contests. He slugged a pair of home runs in a midweek win over Bradley and has walked five times compared to just one strikeout. Denny has also played exceptional defense, splitting his time behind the plate and in right field.
IU will begin the weekend with a familiar face on the mound, opening with graduate student southpaw Tony Neubeck on Friday against LSU. This will be his second career appearance against the Tigers. Back in 2022 at Missouri, the southpaw tossed six innings of three-run baseball. To this date, that is still the second-longest outing of his collegiate career.
Behind its starting pitching, IU has found great success over the last several years with long relievers. Graduate student Gavin Seebold and junior Jackson Yarberry have the makings of the next stars in that role for the Hoosiers. Seebold worked 3.2 scoreless frames against North Carolina on opening weekend and is one of several options for a high-leverage role this year.
Friday’s (Feb. 20) first pitch against No. 2 LSU is scheduled for 2 p.m. at VyStar Ballpark. Contests against UCF (Feb. 21 – 4 p.m.) and Notre Dame (Feb. 22 – 11 a.m.) round out a busy weekend of baseball. All three games will be streamed on D1Baseball.com with IU’s radio call carried at iuhoosiers.com.
Gameday Info
vs. #2 LSU (Friday, February 20th – 2 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3Ofxz35
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/3ZJZ1bx
vs. UCF (Saturday, February 21st – 4 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3Ofxz35
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/3ZJZ1bx
vs. Notre Dame (Sunday, February 22nd – 11 a.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3Ofxz35
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/3ZJZ1bx
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Jacksonville Classic
• Friday: LHP Tony Neubeck, Gr. (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
• Saturday: TBD
• Sunday: TBD
Leading Off
BIG WEEKEND AHEAD: This will be the third time in the last five seasons (2022 – Round Rock, 2024 – Frisco) that IU plays in one of the D1 Baseball/Peak round-robin events. The Hoosiers have won one game in each of those two events, including a victory over No. 25 Dallas Baptist in 2024.
TOUGH AB: Sophomore utilityman Hogan Denny has been a great bat at the top of IU’s order this year. Entering the weekend, he has a .611 on-base percentage. He has four hits, five walks and has been hit by two pitches. He had his first career multi-home run game on Tuesday vs. Bradley.
ON BASE MACHINE: Sophomore third baseman Will Moore has been everything you want in a leadoff hitter for the Hoosiers. He has reached base safely in 22-straight games dating back to last year. He has five base hits and two walks during his first four games of the season.
SEEING SEEBOLD: IU ran graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold into the game on Saturday afternoon at No. 11 North Carolina with a chance to win the game. He went 3.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and has the making of a high-leverage, long-relief option for the Hoosiers.
BIG TESTS: Head coach Jeff Mercer is one of three conference skippers (Michigan, Michigan State) to play only Power Four competition on the opening two weekends. When it’s all said and done, IU will have played four games against top-25 teams before the month of February is over.
YOUNG KIDS: Freshman outfielder Cal Gates became the 12th true freshman position player to start a game for head coach Jeff Mercer at IU on opening weekend. He played in all three games and scored one run. A true freshman has started a game on opening weekend in seven of eight of Mercer’s seasons.
Scouting the Opponent
LSU
• The defending national champions are off to another blistering start this season. LSU slugged its way to a 5-0 start with three wins over Milwaukee and midweek wins over Kent State and Nicholls. The Tigers have hits 12 home runs in the early going with four being hit by Jake Brown.
• Casan Evans had a slow start on Opening Day but has the makings of the next Friday ace for the Tigers. Gavin Guidry has appeared twice out of the bullpen for LSU and has tossed 4.1 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and zero walks. Eight different pitchers have already thrown twice this year.
UCF
• The Golden Knights are off to a 3-1 start to the season following a dominant sweep of Siena on opening weekend. UCF had a chance to put away Miami (Fla.) on Tuesday evening before a rough ninth inning extended an eventual loss. UCF opens its weekend against Notre Dame on Friday.
• UCF’s offense slugged its way past Siena on its home field to begin the season. DeAmez Ross is hitting .471 with eight hits, six runs scored, a home run and five RBIs. He’s one of four starters to all be hitting .400 or better this year. Vanderbilt transfer, and Indiana native JD Rogers, is hitting .333 with nine walks.
Notre Dame
• After losing the season opener, Notre Dame responded quickly to take a series at Florida Atlantic last weekend. Mark Quatrani is leading a potent offense, hitting .556 on the young season. Jayce Lee and Bino Watters are both hitting above .370 and have the two home runs for the Fighting Irish this year.
• Notre Dame has allowed just nine earned runs on the season. Indiana native Caden Crowell started last Saturday and threw three scoreless frames. He was anchored with four innings out of the bullpen from Xavier Hirsch. Notre Dame racked up 23 strikeouts from its pitching staff against Florida Atlantic.
Inside the Series
LSU
• The series between these two teams actually dates back to 1926. IU and LSU played twice that year with one of the games resulting in a tie. Since then, they have played a pair of series in 2020 and 2008 – both won by the Tigers.
UCF
• This will be the first meeting in baseball between IU and UCF. Of the current Big 12 programs, it is the 12th different one that IU will have played. Arizona State and Houston are the lone programs that haven’t played the Hoosiers.
Notre Dame
• Despite residing in the same state, Notre Dame and IU have played just three times this century. All of those matchups came at Victory Field in Indianapolis in the Chris Lemonis era. All-time, Notre Dame has a commanding 65-33-1 lead. The first matchup between the sides came all the way back in 1901.
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INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA BASKETBALL GAME NOTES – GAME 27 AT NO. 7/7 PURDUE
Opening Tip
• Indiana University will take on in-state rival Purdue, the seventh-ranked team in the country, at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 20, inside Mackey Arena. Gus Johnson (PxP), Steve Smith (Analyst), and Allison Williams (Sideline) will be on the call for FOX.
• Purdue (21-5, 11-4 B1G) is under the direction of 21st-year head coach Matt Painter, the second-longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten behind Michigan State’s Tom Izzo (31 years). The Boilermakers will be ranked entering the game for the 11th-straight matchup.
• All American senior guard Braden Smith has averaged a team-best 14.9 points to go with 8.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game.
• Senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn had added 13.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per night, while senior guard Fletcher Loyer has scored 13.4 points per outing with a team-best 66 made 3-pointers.
Game Information
Feb. 20, 2026 • 8 PM ET
Mackey Arena (14,876) • West Lafayette, Ind.
TV: FOX (Gus Johnson, Steve Smith, Allison Williams)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Series History: Indiana trails, 94-126
Last Meeting: IU 72, PUR 67 on Jan. 27, 2026, in Bloomington
Series History
• For the 222nd time, Indiana and Purdue will take to the hardwood for an in-state rivalry that dates back to March 1, 1901. The Hoosiers last won in Mackey Arena on Feb. 25, 2023, behind a career-high 35 points from Jalen Hood-Schifino.
• Indiana earned the first signature win of the Darian DeVries era with a 72-67 result when the two rivals squared off on Jan. 27, 2026, in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson (19 points) and junior guard Nick Dorn (18) combined for 37 points and six made 3-pointers in the win.
Last Time Out
• Indiana (17-9 8-7 B1G) fell at No. 8/7 Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 15, at the State Farm Arena in Champaign by a score of 71-51. The Hoosier defense held Illinois to its lowest point total in a Big Ten Conference game, its fewest points in a home game, and its second lowest scoring output of the season.
• Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson led the IU offense with 21 points, his fifth-straight game with 20-plus points, and three rebounds. The Sam Houston State transfer has tallied at least 20 points in 10 league games this season.
• Redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries added 13 points, while senior forward Sam Alexis chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds.
Big Ten Brilliance
• Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson has averaged 24.2 points per night in Big Ten Conference play this season. He has shot 48.2% (123-of-255) from the floor, 39.9% (53-of-140) from the 3-point line, and 90.1% (64-of-71) from the free throw line in league play.
• The Sam Houston State transfer has scored 15-plus points in 13 conference games, has scored at least 20 points 10 times, added a 32-point night against No. 10 Nebraska (Jan. 10), posted 33 points at USC (Feb. 3), torched the nets for 41 points against Oregon (Feb. 9), and went for a career-best 44 points against Penn State (Dec. 9).
• His scoring average of 24.2 points per game in league play is on pace to be the highest by a Hoosier in Big Ten games since George McGinnis (29.9) during the 1970-71 season.
• Wilkerson is top five among Big Ten players in total points (363), points per game (24.2), made 3-pointers (53), and 3-point shooting percentage (37.9%) in league play.
Long-Distance Calls
• Indiana has averaged 10.2 made 3-pointers per game, which is fourth in the Big Ten and 32nd nationally. The Hoosiers have buried 10 or more triples in 17 games. In those contests, IU holds a record of 12-5 and averaged 86.6 points per game.
• The Hoosiers have made 266 shots from behind the 3-point line this season, the sixth most in program history. The program record of 345 was set during the 2015-16 season when IU made 9.9 triples per contest.
• Fifth-year senior Lamar Wilkerson is 18th nationally and second in the Big Ten with 3.3 made 3-pointers per game. Redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries (2.7) is fourth in the B1G.
• Junior guard Nick Dorn (2.1) is 11th in the league. The Elon transfer has made 51-of-132 attempts (38.6%) from long range this season. He has made at least one triple in 17 games.
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PURDUE SWIMMING AND DIVING
WOROBEL WINS BRONZE ON 1-METER AT BIG TENS
MINNEAPOLIS – Avery Worobel won bronze in 1-meter diving, medaling on a springboard for the second year in a row, to headline Thursday at the Big Ten Championships for Purdue Women’s Swimming & Diving.
The Boilermakers registered top-3 times in team history in both the 200 freestyle (1.29.78) and 200 medley relays (1:37.37). The 200 free relay team posted the program’s fastest time since the 2013 Big Ten Championships, coming up just .08 hundredths shy of the program record that has stood since 2011. The 200 medley relay team accounted for the program’s fastest time since setting the school record at the 2019 Big Ten Championships.
Worobel paired the 3-meter silver medal she won as a freshman last season with a bronze on 1-meter Thursday. She joined Casey Matthews (2009-10) as Purdue’s female divers to medal at Big Tens in each of her underclassman seasons. Worobel is also the first Boilermaker since Emily Bretscher (2020-21) to medal on a different springboard in consecutive seasons.
The Purdue women have won a diving medal at Big Tens for nine consecutive seasons dating back to 2018.
Daryn Wright joined Worobel in the 1-meter championship final Thursday, finishing in fifth place for her fifth consecutive top-5 showing at Big Tens dating back to winning bronze on platform at the 2024 conference championships when Purdue hosted. The senior is also 10-for-10 in career top-10 finishes at Big Tens.
Senior Kaitlin Simons also scored on 1-meter with a 22nd-place finish in the prelims, joining Wright as four-year scorers at Big Tens. The Boilermakers accounted for 55 team points on 1-meter.
Worobel improved on her prelim score by 30.6 points in the final (319.10). Wright improved on her prelim list by 20.8 points in the final (305.75). Worobel had the top-scoring dive of round 2 (58.50) of the final and posted four scores of 50-plus.
Lara Phipps and Hannah Hill swam on both relays that moved into the top 3 in team history. They teamed up with Abby Marcukaitis and Meghan Sharma on the 200 medley, Ana Rojas and Ava Fasano on the 200 free.
Individually, Rojas moved into seventh place in team history with a lifetime best of 53.42 in the 100 butterfly. Keira Kask was close behind, posting a lifetime best of 53.66 to move into eighth place on the program’s all-time leaderboard.
Caitlin Hurley qualified for the C final of the 200 free to account for a scoring finish in the event.
The Big Ten Championships continue Friday with swimming prelims at 11 a.m. ET, diving prelims at 1 p.m. ET and the finals session at 6 p.m. ET.
TEAM SCORES THROUGH THURSDAY
1.) #4 Michigan 517.5
2.) #6 Indiana 398
3.) #11 Ohio State 390
4.) #15 Wisconsin 384
5.) #12 USC 296
6.) #25 Minnesota 290
7.) #22 UCLA 255
8.) Northwestern 202
9.) Nebraska 184.5
10.) Rutgers 171.5
11.) Purdue 164
12.) Iowa 149
13.) Illinois 114.5
14.) Penn State 106
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PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE RALLY COMES UP SHORT VS. #13 IOWA
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A first quarter deficit proved too much to overcome, as the Purdue women’s basketball team fell 83-74 to No. 13/12 Iowa on Thursday night at Mackey Arena.
Purdue (12-14, 4-11) trailed the Hawkeyes (21-5, 12-3) by 15 points after the first quarter, before outscoring the visitors 60-54 over the final 30 minutes. Purdue shot 41.5% from the floor and went 7-of-22 in the final three quarters.
Nya Smith knocked down a trio of 3-pointers to lead Purdue with 19 points on the night. The sophomore added five rebounds, five assists and a steal. Kiki Smith also hit three 3-pointers to score 17 points.
Tara Daye tallied 15 points and finished three rebounds shy of a double-double. Kendall Puryear was an efficient 6-of-7 from the floor for 12 points with seven rebounds.
For the game, Purdue shot 42.4% from the floor and went 7-of-25 from behind the arc. The two sides matched in the rebound battle 30-30, but Purdue flipped 10 offensive rebounds into 11 points, while Iowa managed just three on six second-chance opportunities.
Purdue outscored Iowa off turnovers with 17 points on 19 miscues compared to Iowa’s 14 points on 13 turnovers.
The Hawkeyes opened a 26-point lead at the 4:36 mark of the second quarter after hitting their seventh triple of the first half. Purdue tried to claw back over the final 24:36, outscoring Iowa by 17 points. Nya Smith hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start a 13-6 run that cut the gap to 19 at the break.
After Iowa extended its lead back out to 22 to open the third, the Boilermakers went on an 11-point run with four points coming from Daye. Purdue went 8-of-15 from the field with a pair of triples in the third to win the frame 20-15.
Down 14 heading into the fourth, the Boilermakers brought the game within 11 points three times, before Iowa halted momentum with a run to extend the gap back to 15 points.
The Hawkeyes put four players in double figures, led by Ava Heiden’s 21-point, 13-rebound double-double.
NOTES
• Purdue trails the all-time series with Iowa 41-40.
• Nya Smith matched her career high with five assists.
• Lana McCarthy posted a team-best plus-minus of five in 21 minutes of work.
• Kiki Smith reached 100 3-pointers in her career with her trio.
• Hila Karsh finished with four assists for her eighth game this year with four or more helpers.
• Purdue finished with 10 steals for the eighth time this year.
• The Boilermakers shot 48.8% over the final 23:37 of the game.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will hit the road for their penultimate game away from Mackey Arena for a 1 p.m. start on B1G+ against No. 14 Maryland.
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PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
#7 PURDUE HOSTS INDIANA FRIDAY ON FOX PRIMETIME
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
[7 / 7] Purdue (21-5, 11-4) vs. Indiana (17-9, 8-7)
Saturday, February 20, 2026 | 8 p.m. ET
West Lafayette, Ind. | Mackey Arena (14,876)
TELEVISION: FOX (Gus Johnson, Steve Smith, Allison Williams)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
PURDUE’S NUMBERS
• Overall: 21-5 | Big Ten: 11-4
• Home: 11-3 | Away: 7-2 | Neutral: 3-0
• Q1: 8-5 | Q2: 2-0 | Q3: 9-0 | Q4: 2-0
• NCAA NET: 8 | KenPom: 8
• Off. Eff.: 2nd | Def. Eff.: 27th
• NCAA SOS: 4 | KenPom SOS: 6
THE SCENE SETTER
• Facing Indiana in the middle contest of a three-game homestand, the No. 7-ranked Purdue men’s basketball team continues its grueling conclusion to the regular season, hosting the Hoosiers for the 223rd meeting between the two schools. The Boilermakers are looking to split the season series with Indiana for the second straight season after falling in Bloomington in late January.
• Following the contest with Indiana, Purdue closes its homestand against No. 15 Michigan State on Thursday, Feb. 26.
THE SERIES
• Purdue and Indiana will meet for the 223rd time in series history, with Purdue holding a 128-94 series advantage.
• The series is the most-frequently played rivalry among original Big Ten members, but is now behind Washington vs. Oregon (318) and UCLA vs. USC (265) among all Big Ten rivalries.
• The Boilermakers have won 16 of the last 22 contests dating to the 2013-14 season.
• However, Indiana is 5-4 against the Boilermakers in the last nine meetings back to the 2021-22 season.
• Purdue will be facing Indiana as a ranked team for the 11th straight meeting. In Mackey Arena, Purdue is 17-4 as a ranked team against the Hoosiers.
• Purdue has won nine of the last 10 meetings against Indiana in Mackey Arena.
• Indiana hasn’t scored 80 points against Purdue in a span of 21 games, dating to Feb. 16, 2013 (Indiana win, 83-55).
NEWS AND NOTES
• Looking to rebound from its fifth loss of the season, Purdue welcomes in rival Indiana to close out the season series with the Hoosiers on Friday night.
• Indiana is one of three Big Ten home-and-home series the Boilermakers have this season. According to BracketMatrix.com, Purdue is the only Big Ten team to face three likely NCAA Tournament teams in its two-plays (Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin).
• Purdue is one of just five teams in America with at least eight quad-1 victories (Duke – 10; Michigan – 10; Arizona – 10; Purdue – 8; Florida – 8).
• Purdue is 19-5 in the first three quads, the second-most wins in the first three quads nationally (Michigan – 23; UConn – 19). Purdue’s two quad-4 games are tied for the fewest in the country (Michigan, Alabama, Boise State).
• Of Purdue’s remaining five games, two of them are currently quad-1 contests (Michigan State, Ohio State). The others are right on the cusp of being quad-1 (Indiana – 34; Wisconsin – 35; Northwestern – 77).
• Purdue continues to play one of America’s toughest schedules, owning the sixth-most difficult schedule in America. In the last three seasons, Purdue’s strength of schedule has ranked 6th (2025-26), 8th (2024-25) and 2nd (2023-24).
• Purdue ranks in the top 30 nationally in assist / turnover ratio (1st), offensive efficiency (2nd), assists per game (3rd), turnovers per game (10th), field goal percentage (21st), scoring margin (21st), rebound margin (21st), 3-point percentage (26th) and defensive efficiency (27th).
• Purdue has been ranked in 74 straight AP Top 25 polls, the second-longest streak in the country behind Houston (121). Purdue has been in the top 10 in 73 of the last 95 polls.
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PURDUE SOFTBALL
BOILERS HEAD TO GEORGIA TECH, GEORGIA STATE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Boilers head to their third preseason trip of the year on the campuses of Georgia Tech and Georgia State this weekend from Feb. 20-22.
Purdue will take on the College of Charleston, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State as a part of the I-75 Tournament in Atlanta, Ga.
The Boilers will begin the tournament with two games on Feb. 20 taking on the College of Charleston at 11:00 a.m. and Georgia Tech at 1:30 p.m. est. The Boilers will take on the College of Charleston again on Feb. 21 at 1:30 p.m. before heading to Georgia State for a 6:00 p.m. est matchup. The tournament will end on Feb. 22 with a sole game against Georgia Tech at 12:00 p.m. est.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 20 – Purdue vs. College of Charleston – 11:00 a.m. ET
Friday, Feb. 20 – Purdue at Georgia Tech – 1:30 p.m. ET (ACCNX)
Saturday, Feb. 21 – Purdue vs. College of Charleston – 1:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 21 – Purdue at Georgia State – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, Feb. 22 – Purdue at Georgia Tech – 12:00 p.m. ET (ACCNX)
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The College of Charleston Cougars are 7-4 to start the 2026 season. The Cougars have played all 11 games at home so far, with this being their first out-of-state tournament in 2026. The College of Charleston has earned victories over George Mason, Siena, St. John’s, Central Michigan, Western Carolina, UCONN, and UPENN to start the preseason. In addition to taking on Georgia Tech and Purdue, the Cougars will also play Yale in the I-75 tournament.
Georgia Tech has begun the season an even 6-6. The Yellow Jackets picked up back-to-back run rule victories over Villanova to begin the season before falling to No. 16 Alabama in two games. Georgia Tech also picked up convincing wins over Marshall and Kennesaw State. The team battled to a 5-1 loss with No. 5 Florida to end their trip in Gainesville in week two.
Georgia State is also an even 5-5 on the season. The Panthers defeated Drexel, Austin Peay, West Georgia, and Bellarmine to begin the season with a perfect 5-0 start. In the second tournament of the year, the Mardi Gras Mambo, the Panthers did not come away with a win, falling to Southeastern Louisiana, Northwestern State, Nicholls, Sam Houston, and LA Tech.
SERIES HISTORY
Purdue and the College of Charleston have only met once in their histories, back in 2016. It has been ten years since they last met, with Purdue picking up the 5-3 victory at a neutral site in Clearwater, Fla.
Purdue leads the series against the Yellow Jackets. The teams have played in four games, with the first dating back to 2005. Since losing the first game in 2005, the Boilers have won the last three matchups, one in 2009, and back-to-back in 2016.
Georgia State and Purdue have met twice in their histories. The Boilers fell 4-1 in the initial meeting back in 1998, but took the victory in 2011, narrowly, 5-4.
For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball).
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PURDUE BASEBALL
PURDUE AMONG ELITE FIELD AT ROUND ROCK CLASSIC
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Purdue (2-2, 31-23 in 2025) at the Round Rock Classic
Friday, Feb. 20 to Sunday, Feb. 22 / Stream via D1Baseball.com
Dell Diamond / Round Rock, Texas
Friday at 3 p.m. ET: Purdue vs. #20 Southern Miss (3-1, 47-16 in 2025)
Saturday at 2 p.m. ET: Purdue vs. Baylor (4-0, 33-22 in 2025)
Sunday at Noon ET: Purdue vs. #11 Oregon State (3-1, 48-16-1 in 2025)
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Cole Van Assen (Jr, RHP) vs. USM’s Colby Allen (Sr, RHP)
Saturday: Zach Erdman (Sr, LHP) vs. BU’s Ethan Calder (Sr, LHP)
Sunday: Jarvis Evans (Sr, LHP) vs. OSU’s Eric Segura (Jr, RHP)
SERIES HISTORY
vs. Southern Miss
• All-Time: USM leads 3-1
• Last Meetings: USM swept a 3-game series (February 2019 in Hattiesburg)
• First Meeting: Purdue 10, USM 9 (March 2012 in Auburn, Ala.)
vs. Baylor
• All-Time: Baylor leads 3-0
• Last Meetings: Baylor swept a 3-game series (February 2008 in Waco)
vs. Oregon State
• Sunday’s Game is the First Meeting
ROUND ROCK, Texas – Purdue Baseball closes out its season-opening 11-day road trip in Texas with one of its stiffest tests of the season, taking the field at another Triple-A ballpark and squaring off against three elite programs at the Round Rock Classic.
The Boilermakers play No. 20 Southern Miss, Baylor and No. 11 Oregon State at Dell Diamond this weekend. The four teams are combined 12-4 this season and were all 30-game winners a year ago, posting a combined 159-77 (.674) mark. Oregon State and Southern Miss hosted NCAA Regionals in 2025 and the Beavers qualified for the College World Series for the eighth time.
Purdue is 40-12 in neutral-site action dating back to the start of the 2022 campaign – with 46 of those games played in Sugar Land, Texas (19) or Holly Springs, N.C. (27). The Boilermakers return to Dell Diamond for the first time since squaring off against Nebraska to open the unique conference-only 2021 campaign. Similar to last weekend when Aaron Manias delivered the game-winning hit in a do-or-die spot Saturday in Sugar Land, Purdue’s first victory of 2021 was via a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth.
Led by Zach Erdman’s eight shutout innings in Saturday’s victory, the Boilermakers’ weekend rotation played a pivotal role in the series win vs. Portland to open the season. Cole Van Assen also went unscored upon over four innings and has now worked 13 2/3 innings over three appearances without allowing an earned run at Constellation Field. Jarvis Evans surrendered only four hits over five innings Sunday in his Purdue debut.
COMBINED TOTALS FOR VAN ASSEN, ERDMAN & EVANS IN SUGAR LAND
• 17 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 16 K, 0.88 WHIP, .183 B/Avg
Erdman was the only starting pitcher in the nation to work eight innings during the opening weekend. Erdman’s game score of 83 from his gem (8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K) was good for second nationally, behind only Lamar’s Chris Oliver (6 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 14 K, game score 86). Erdman lost out on Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors after USC’s Grant Govel struck out 10 over six no-hit innings (game score 81). As a native Texan, Erdman pitched his first three collegiate seasons at Texas Tech but did not face Baylor while he was a Red Raider.
HEAD COACH CONNECTION
• Purdue’s Greg Goff and Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander go way back. Goff was the pitching coach at Delta State, an NCAA DII program in Mississippi, when Ostrander was a student-athlete at DSU. When Goff made the move to DI as an assistant at Southeast Missouri State for the 1997-98 school year, Ostrander replaced him as the DSU pitching coach. Goff later hired Ostrander as the pitching coach at Louisiana Tech in the fall of 2015. Together, Goff and Ostrander led Louisiana Tech to an NCAA Regional berth in 2016, LaTech’s first since 1987. Goff was hired as the head coach at Alabama in the summer of 2016, but Ostrander opted to remain in Ruston for one more season before becoming the pitching coach at Southern Miss in the summer of 2017. Ostrander succeeded the retiring Scott Berry as USM’s head coach in the summer of 2023.
• In the first-ever Purdue-Southern Miss game in March 2012 on the middle day of a four-team tournament hosted by Auburn, current Purdue assistant coach Barrett Serrato connected for a three-run homer in a seven-run seventh inning as the Boilermakers rallied for a 10-9 victory after trailing 9-3. Purdue’s 2012 team went on to win a team-record 45 games and a pair of Big Ten titles along with hosting an NCAA Regional in Gary, Ind.
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NOTRE DAME HOCKEY
IRISH FALL IN BATTLE AT #1/1 MICHIGAN STATE
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The University of Notre Dame hockey team battled No. 1/1 Michigan State to a 4-2 loss Thursday night inside Munn Ice Arena. A late second period goal on the powerplay proved to be the difference maker in a tightly contested game while an empty net goal by the Spartans sealed the Irish squad’s fate.
The Spartans pressed the Irish end early but it was Notre Dame that would record the first official shot on goal as Brennan Ali and Dashel Oliver caught the Spartans on a change and raced up ice with Danny Nelson in tow.
MSU took the early lead shortly after when a shot from the slot beat Nicholas Kempf stick side to make it a 1-0 game at 3:07 of the game.
The Irish responded just over two minutes later after a face-off deep in the offensive zone was won by Pano Fimis. The initial shot from the point rang wide but Carter Slaggert outmanned a Spartan defender along the boards to set up Dashel Oliver for his first collegiate goal.
MSU was called for the first infraction of the night at 7:16 of the opening frame and the Irish saw the powerplay get to work early. Despite chances on the man-advantage, the Irish were unable to convert and play resumed at full strength just under halfway through the first frame.
The Spartans were called again, this time for hooking, at 11:06 of the first period but the powerplay was short-lived as the Irish were called for holding just 38 seconds later. Just 14 seconds after played resumed with four skaters a side, the Irish were called for holding the stick and faced a four-on-three challenge for 1:22 before killing off the remainder of the penalties down two men.
ND was successful on the kill and returned to full strength in a knotted game, 1-1, with six minutes to play in the first.
The game remained even through the final minutes of the period as the teams skated to the locker rooms in the 1-1 tie through 20 minutes played, despite a pair of chances for the Irish in the waning seconds.
MSU nearly had the Irish trailing early in the second stanza when a shot rang off the crossbar less than 60 seconds after play resumed. A hooking call on the Irish at 2:05 of the frame gave MSU another powerplay opportunity and they capitalized just 35 seconds in to make it a 2-1 game as a tic-tac-toe play beat a diving Kempf top shelf.
The Spartans were called for a hold at 4:38 of the second and the Irish powerplay unit hopped back over the boards. Cole Knuble fired a pass from Paul Fischer on net and it dinged the bar but the official emphatically waved off the goal and play continued. The Irish continued to pressure the Spartan net but play would not be frozen for over a minute, allowing for the Irish to challenge the Knuble shot. At the next stoppage, the Irish called for a review and it was determined the puck had crossed the goalline and the clock was reset to 4:44 in a 2-2 game.
The two teams skated even to the first media break of the frame where the Irish saw another powerplay chance after a roughing call behind the net sent a Spartan to the box for two minutes. A hooking call on the Irish negated the final 17 seconds of the ND powerplay opportunity and the score remained stagnant, 2-2, as both teams managed to kill off their respective penalties.
A collision in the crease midway through the second period sent Kempf to the locker room to be further evaluated and Luke Pearson took over between the pipes for the Irish. Less than a minute after taking over the Irish crease, it was Pearson who was run over and was slow to get up as the Spartans were called for roughing at 13:50 of the stanza.
The Spartans managed to kill off the minor and the game was still knotted 2-2 late in the frame before the Irish were called for a hold with 3:36 to play in the period. The Irish looked to have escaped the penalty unscathed but a shot from MSU with two ticks left on the kill beat Pearson through the five-hole and it was a 3-2 game.
Despite outshooting the Spartans through the first 40 minutes played, 28-25, the Irish headed to the locker room trailing by a goal as they prepared for the third period.
The two teams skated even in the third, with the Irish searching for the equalizer while outshooting the top-ranked Spartans, 11-3, through the first 15 minutes of the frame.
After an icing call against the Spartans sent play back into the Irish offensive end, ND called timeout to draw up their final comeback push at 17:24 of the third.
The Irish came out of the timeout with the extra attacker poised at the point leading MSU to use their timeout before play resumed. The Spartans nearly capitalized on the empty net after an errant pass deep in their zone trickled into the neutral zone but Paul Fischer stole the puck back and set the Irish offense back up in a race up ice.
MSU would eventually find the back of the empty net at 18:41 of the third to make it a 4-2 contest and send Pearson back to the Irish crease. That score would hold through the final horn as the Irish fell to the top-ranked Spartans Thursday evening.
GOALS
Dashel Oliver evened the score 1-1 at 5:10 of the first period when his shot in the slot beat MSU’s Trey Augustine in the crease. After a face-off draw won by his classmate Pano Fimis back to Axel Kumlin at the point, who rang a shot towards net. Kumlin’s shot whistled wide and it was Carter Slaggert who gathered it along the boards, fighting off the Spartan defender before chipping the puck over to Fimis in the far circle. There, he found his linemate in Oliver alone in the slot where he buried his shot.
The Irish powerplay unit got to work in the second period with Danny Nelson lining up at the dot to take the draw. The captain won the face-off and fed a pass back to Paul Fischer at the point who connected with Cole Knuble for a shot on net. Knuble celebrated momentarily but play continued as the official behind the net waved off the shot and the two teams would continue to skate for nearly the remainder of the penalty. A frozen puck by Augustine late on the Irish powerplay gave way for Notre Dame to challenge the Knuble shot and after a brief review it was a tie game as his shot was deemed to hit the crossbar before the back of the net and bouncing back out into the paint for play to continue.
KEY STATS
Skating in his 100th collegiate game, Cole Knuble tied the game partway through the second period as his shot from the near circle hit the back of the net for the powerplay tally.
With his first period lamp lighter, Dashel Oliver has his first collegiate goal with the Irish. The freshman picked up a pass from Pano Fimis, burying his first shot attempt of the night to even the score up 1-1 at 5:10 of the first.
The Irish netminders combined for 27 saves in the contest with Kempf registering 18 stops between the pipes before missing the latter half of the game following a collision in the crease. Luke Pearson came into the game in relief of the injured starting goalie and boasted a .900 save percentage in the final 25:44 of play.
UP NEXT
The Irish and Spartans meet in their final regular season contest of the 2025-26 year Friday evening for a 6pm puck drop. The series finale is set to air on Big Ten Network.
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NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ALL IRISH IN BLOWOUT ROAD WIN OVER WAKE FOREST, 78-54
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – For the second straight game, the Fighting Irish never trailed, this time in a 78-54 win over Wake Forest inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Thursday evening.
Notre Dame improves to 17-9 on the season and 9-6 in ACC play with just three games remaining in the regular season.
Hannah Hidalgo had a game-high 26 points in the win while shooting 10-of-20 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. She also added five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block to complete her performance.
KK Bransford played her best game since returning from injury on Feb. 1 scoring 13 points on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting from the floor to go along with four rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Iyana Moore scored 11 points and Cassandre Prosper chipped in 10 to help the Irish record the lopsided victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish scored the first 10 points of the contest, as four different players connected on the team’s first five attempts in the opening 3 minutes of play to force an early timeout from Wake Forest.
The hosts then settled into the game and scored the next seven points to cut the Notre Dame advantage to three at 10-7. The Irish then finished the opening 10 minutes of action by scoring six of the final eight points of the first frame to take a 16-9 lead into the second quarter.
The Demon Deacons trimmed the Irish lead to three at 24-20 with just under 3 minutes left in the half.
Notre Dame finished the second stanza with a flurry, as Moore, Hidalgo and de Jesus each hit a three-pointer to go along with a layup from KK Bransford to take a 35-23 lead into the halftime break.
Hidalgo pulled the strings for Notre Dame in the first half, scoring 16 points and adding four assists to carry the Irish offense.
The Irish came out of the intermission locked in and pushed the lead to 20 points at 47-27 just over 5 minutes into the half to take complete control of the game.
Notre Dame’s lead grew to as many as 27 off a three-point make from Gisela Sanchez before Wake Forest scored the final six points of the third quarter to make the score 56-35 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
The Fighting Irish lead never dipped below 17 points in the final frame as the Irish coasted to a 78-54 victory on the road in Winston-Salem.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
Notre Dame’s transition game was devastating on Thursday, as the Irish outscored Wake Forest 27-0 in fast break points.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
Notre Dame remains unbeaten against Wake Forest, improving to 14-0 in the all-time series.
Notre Dame finished with 17 steals, marking the 20th time the team has recorded double-digit steals in a game this season and 10th time it has finished with 15 or more steals.
The Irish never trailed for the duration of the 40 minutes, marking the 13th time the Irish have accomplished the feat this season.
Notre Dame finished well around the rim, converting 15-of-16 layup attempts on the evening.
Hidalgo recorded 26 points, marking the 19th time this season and 70th time in her career with 20 or more points, which is a program record.
Hidalgo has finished in double figures in the scoring column in all 93 games of her career, the longest streak in program history.
Vanessa De Jesus recorded a career-high six steals in the victory..
Malaya Cowles tied her career high for blocks in a game with three, the most she has recorded during her season at Notre Dame.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish remain on the road, traveling to Dallas to take on SMU at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 22. The game will air on ACCN.
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NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH SET FOR LIVE LIKE LOU JAX BASEBALL CLASSIC
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team is set to compete in the Live Like Lou Jax Baseball Classic from February 20-22 at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville, Florida. The Irish take on the University of Central Florida, Louisiana State University and Indiana University in the three-day round robin weekend.
| Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Location | Probable Starters | Watch |
| Feb. 20 | 6:00 PM | UCF | VyStar Ballpark – Jacksonville, Fla. | RHP Jack Radel vs. RHP Braden Smith | D1Baseball |
| Feb. 21 | 12:00 PM | LSU | VyStar Ballpark – Jacksonville, Fla. | LHP Caden Crowell vs. RHP Cooper Moore | D1Baseball |
| Feb. 22 | 11:00 AM | Indiana | VyStar Ballpark – Jacksonville, Fla. | TBA vs. TBA | D1Baseball |
LIVE LIKE LOU JAX BASEBALL CLASSIC
- The Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic is an early-season NCAA Div I college baseball tournament that takes place annually each year on the second weekend of the college baseball season at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville, Florida.
- The event hosts four NCAA Div I Baseball teams in a round-robin format over three days resulting in two games per day for a total of six games.
- Peak Events strives to exemplify the #BestOutsideOfOmaha brand at all Peak Events-owned events by providing the best tournament experience for both the attending fans and participating teams second only the the College World Series in Omaha.
THE MATCHUPS
- The Irish lead the all-time series against UCF by a 4-3 margin.
- The Notre Dame vs. LSU series is tied 5-5 as this marks the first neutral-site contest between the two programs.
- Notre Dame holds a 68-34-1 lead all-time against in-state foe Indiana.
- Indiana is one of nine teams the Irish have faced 100 or more times in program history, joining Detroit Mercy (discontinued team), Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, Valparaiso, Western Michigan and Wisconsin in the century-plus club.
LAST TIME OUT
The Irish took games two and three at Florida Atlantic University during opening weekend to take the series against the Owls.
- Feb. 13 – The Irish struck first against the Owls when Jamie Zee drove in Noah Coy from second base with his first career hit and RBI in his first collegiate at-bat. FAU, however, put up seven unanswered runs in a 7-1 final on opening night.
- Feb. 14 – Notre Dame put the first eight runs on the scoreboard and never looked back in a 14-1 win over FAU to set up a Sunday rubber match showdown. Bino Watters and Jayce Lee each had three hits with a solo homer apiece. Xavier Hirsch posted a career-high six strikeouts and picked up the relief win for the Irish.
- Feb. 15 – After a scoreless four innings to start the game, the Irish put a pair of runs on the scoreboard in the fifth. Notre Dame tacked on a four-run eighth and a run in the ninth for a 7-1 win to capture the series. Bino Watters tallied his second three-hit game of the weekend, and Ty Uber earned the pitch-count win on the bump in his first start in an Irish uniform.
TOP TALENT
The Irish have six players listed in the D1baseball.com Preseason rankings by position.
- Sophomore Bino Watters was the 17th ranked first baseman.
- Junior Jack Radel was 29th on the starting pitchers list.
- Junior Mark Quatrani was 49th on the catchers list.
- Graduate student Drew Berkland was 63rd on the outfielders report.
- Sophomore Oisin Lee came in at 74th on the relief pitchers list.
- Junior Davis Johnson was listed at 132nd in the outfielder rankings.
Additionally, Notre Dame had representation on the D1Baseball Impact Freshman List as Caden Crowell came in at No. 9 on the ranking.
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BUTLER SWIMMING AND DIVING
BUTLER SITS IN FIFTH AFTER DAY TWO OF BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Butler swim team finished day two of the BIG EAST Championships in Ocala, Florida on Thursday. The Bulldogs currently sit in fifth place with 224 points. Day three of the BIG EAST Championships will begin tomorrow at 10 a.m.
500 Free
Kayla Wright – 11th place – 4:57.90 – New school record
Caitlin Herring – 15th place – 5:03.86 – posted a time 5:00.96 in prelims
Sam Tomic – 22nd place – 5:08.27 – posted a time of 5:07.65 in prelims
Sophia Amendola – 24th place – 5:17.67 – posted a time of 5:13.68 in prelims which was a season best
200 IM
Kate Schilling – 4th place – 2:01.25 in A Final – reset her own school record in the event
Carolie Zimner and Sadie Brown went 1-2 to win the C-Final
Zimner – 17th place – 2:05.27 season best time
Sadie Brown – 18th place – 2:05.77 season time
50 Free
Ava Whittaker – 19th place – 24.24 – posted a 24.16 in prelims which marked a season best time
200 Free Relay 6th place 1:35.98
Ava Whittaker – 24.22 lead-off
Caroline Zimner – 23.65
Elizabeth Naylor – 23.97
Caitlin Herring – 24.14
Women Team Scores after day 2
Villanova 621
UConn 522
Georgetown 496
Xavier 288.5
Butler 224
Seton Hall 216
Providence 189.5
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BUTLER SOFTBALL
PREVIEW: BUTLER HEADS TO WESTERN KENTUCKY FOR HILLTOPPER CLASSIC
DATE: Friday, Feb. 20 – Sunday, Feb. 22
LOCATION: Bowling Green, Ky. / WKU Softball Complex
LIVE STATS: butlersports.com (statbroadcast)
LIVE VIDEO: N/A
The Butler softball team heads south for the Hilltopper Classic this coming weekend where it will play five games vs. three opponents: Detroit Mercy, Western Kentucky, and Western Michigan. The Bulldogs are coming off a three-game series sweep at Tennessee State.
Bulldog Bits
at Tennessee State
Makena Alexander was named BIG EAST Player of the Week after batting .857 over three games, going 6-for-7 with a triple and a home run and producing six RBIs. She also drew six walks.
Hailey Conger batted .667 with two doubles and six RBIs. She also stole four bases.
Katie Petran was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after pitching a complete-game shutout for the Bulldogs in game two, winning 11-0. In 5.0 innings, she allowed only three hits, struck out six, and did not yield any walks.
With a first-inning bunt single in the afternoon’s first game, Cate Lehner produced the 200th hit in her Butler career. This broke Butler’s program record, surpassing Amy Hyerczyk who had attained 199 from 2005-2008. Lehner finished the day at 202.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Detroit Mercy (1-4, 0-0 Horizon League)
Series history: Butler leads, 41-30
The Titans have a win over Drake. Losses came to DePaul (2), Valparaiso, and Western Illinois.
Hitting leaders: #21 Fluker (.455) 5H, 2B, 3B, 3RBI | #23 Ketola (.333) 2H, 4SB | #10 Hallman (.250)
Pitching leaders: #13 Flynn (1-2) 13.0-IP, 4.85 ERA, 10K | #0 Schultz (0-1) 13.1-IP, 5.78 ERA, 14K | #27 Dietlin (0-1) 4.1 IP,
17.77 ERA, 1K
Western Kentucky (6-3, 0-0 CUSA)
Series history: WKU leads, 3-0
The Hilltoppers have wins over Eastern Illinois (2), Georgia Southern, and Army along with a loss to Iowa. WKU split games
with UNC Greensboro and Mercer.
Hitting leaders: #24 Blanton (.433) 13H, 4SB | #16 White (.360) 9H, 3HR, 7RBI | #22 Stinson (.355) 11H, 4-2B, 6RBI
Pitching leaders: #25 Wood (3-0) 18.2-IP, 1.87 ERA, 14K | #11 Houge (3-1) 23.2-IP, 2.96 ERA, 19K | #17 Smith (0-2) 12.2 IP,
3.32 ERA, 17K
Western Michigan (5-4, 0-0 MAC)
Series history: Tied, 1-1
Western Michigan has wins over Dayton, Morehead State, Presbyterian, and Le Moyne. Losses came to South Alabama (2)
and UAB. The Broncos split games with Jacksonville State
Hitting leaders: #9 Malartsik (.444) 8H, 3RBI, 3SB | #22 Duncan (.379) 11H, 3-2B, 3-3B, 3HR, 15 RBI | #2 Tighe (.321) 9H,
3-2B, 2-3B, 7RBI
Pitching leaders: #33 Geyer (1-1) 25.1-IP, 3.32 ERA, 23K | #24 Potts (3-2) 19.2-IP, 6.76 ERA, 20K
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IU INDY SWIMMING AND DIVING
IU INDY TOPS PODIUM IN TWO EVENTS ON DAY TWO OF #HLSD CHAMPIONSHIPS
INDIANAPOLIS – Another impressive day in the pool for the IU Indy men’s and women’s swim and dive teams saw 22 individual student-athletes compete in the finals sessions with two earning individual titles, including a Horizon League Championship record time.
The Jags opened the meet with the 500 free. Bella Tufts took eighth in the women’s race with a time of 5:03.31. On the men’s side, Nathan Rariden took sixth (4:24.56) while Youssef Magdy earned eighth (4:26.08). Jack Gallob earned ninth (4:27.53) and Luke Parsons earned 16th (4:41.04).
The women’s team put two in the finals of the 200 IM. Chloe Yerkes took eighth (2:08.64) while Victoria Surdyka competed in the consolation finals earning ninth overall (2:05.19).
In the prelims session, the men’s team put five swimmers in the men’s 200 IM. Logan Kelly clocked a 1:45.91 to take second while Grayson Tidwell finished in third (1:46.71), Isaac Wilson took fifth (1:48.39) and Noah VanZuidam took eighth (1:49.54). Zach Drotar placed tenth overall with a time of 1:49.70.
Next up was the 50 free. On the women’s side, Luca McGee earned fifth with a time of 23.11 while Tori Barnet earned 13th with a time of 23.91.
For the men’s team, Yassin Abdelghany threw down a new Horizon League Championship record time in the prelims at 19.12, then smashed that record in the finals session with an NCAA qualifying time of 18.91. With the record time, he took the Horizon League 50 free title and punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships.
Hugo Arteaga earned fifth with a time of 20.01 while Shane Tebeest took seventh with a time of 20.02.
After the heart-racing pace in the 50 free, the men’s dive team took to the boards for the 1-meter event. Sebastian Otero defended his title to stay undefeated in the 1-meter event in the Horizon League, becoming a four-time champ with a score of 400.20. Blake VanderJeugdt followed right behind him in second at 357.40. Evan Butcher took fifth (276.90) and Gavin Day took sixth (263.80). Declan Taylor finished in 11th with a score of 228.80.
The night concluded with the 200 free relay. The women’s relay team of Bella Tufts, Addy Hirsbrunner, Grace Sharp and Tori Barnet took fourth with a time of 1:33.87. The men’s team of Abdelghany, Arteaga, Kelly and Tebeest made with podium in second with a time of 1:18.10.
After day two, the men’s team holds a slight lead in first with 320.5 as Oakland is closely behind at 292. On the women’s side, the Jags sit in third at 179.5.
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BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MVB FALLS TO NO. 13 OHIO STATE
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ball State men’s volleyball team suffered its first blemish in conference play, falling in straight sets on the road against No. 13 Ohio State (20-25, 23-25, 27-29).
Opposite Ryan Louis and outside Patrick Rogers each captured their 10th double-digit kill performances of the season, as Louis led the Cardinals (12-2, 4-1 MIVA) with 13 while Rogers added 12. Rogers also posted a team-high seven digs.
Jacob Surette totaled seven kills on nine attempts, hitting a team-best .667. Surette tallied Ball State’s sole service ace of the contest in the final set.
Setter Lucas Machado guided the Cardinals to a .330 hitting percentage, totaling 34 assists with three blocks and five digs.
Junior Braydon-Savitski Lynde matched Machado’s block total while contributing six kills on a .556 clip.
Ball State remained competitive in set two after seeing the first go in the Buckeyes (8-4, 3-1 MIVA) favor. The Cardinals out hit Ohio State with a .433 hitting percentage to claim 17 kills, compared to 12 kills on .417 hitting from the host. Down the stretch, Ball State gave up a two-point advantage as Ohio State went on a three-point run, giving up a kill to the Cardinals before ending up two sets ahead at the hands of the Buckeyes’ Stanislaw Chacinski.
The Cardinals saw a four-point lead at 12-8 in the third set before Ohio State gained control with five straight points, three of those due to consecutive Ball State errors. The Cardinals fought back to maintain a three-point lead at 21-18, but Ohio State managed to climb back, ultimately finishing the set 27-29.
Ball State looks to bounce back at Regents Hall when it visits Northern Kentucky Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.
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BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL HOSTING AKRON FRIDAY NIGHT AT WORTHEN
The Ball State men’s basketball team returns home to host Akron on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.
Dave Ryan and BJ Taylor will be on the CBS Sports Network broadcast, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio call on WMUN 92.5 FM / 1340 AM and on the WMUN app. Links to both broadcasts, tickets and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State (8-18, 3-10 Mid-American Conference) rallied with a 9-0 scoring run to start the second half on Tuesday night at Ohio but fell 69-57.
Akron (21-5, 12-1 MAC) won 90-73 at Western Michigan on Tuesday and 99-92 at home against UMass last Friday for a two-game winning streak. The Zips stand at second place in the conference standings entering Friday night’s contest at Worthen Arena.
Head coach John Groce is in his ninth season leading Akron, who was picked to win the conference regular season and tournament championships in the MAC preseason poll.
The Zips lead the league and rank among the nation’s top teams in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78, No. 11 in NCAA Division I), assists per game (19.1, No. 7), free throw shooting (77.3 percent, No. 22) and 3-pointers made per game (10.9, No. 14) while also pacing the MAC in field goal percentage defense (42.6). Akron is second in conference and eighth nationally in scoring offense at 89.9 points per game.
Senior guard Tavari Johnson leads the league in scoring with 20.3 points per game while averaging the fourth-most assists per contest (5.2) in the MAC. Fellow senior Amani Lyles averages 14.6 points (13th in the MAC) and 7.3 rebounds (fifth) on the season.
Ball State remains home to play UMass in the first matchup at Worthen Arena with the Minutemen since they joined the conference ahead of the 2025-26 season.
CLOSE CLASHES WITH THE ZIPS: The last six games between the Cardinals and Zips have resulted in no more than a 10-point margin of victory, including three games that were within five points.
Akron took the last two matchups at Worthen Arena by five (87-82 on Feb. 25, 2025) and four points (80-76 on Jan. 9, 2024) after a 70-63 Ball State win on Jan. 6, 2023.
BARNES GETTING GOING: Devon Barnes scored a team-high 17 points on Tuesday night at Ohio, putting up 15 of those in the second half on 6-for-7 shooting from the field including 3-for-3 from distance.
The guard out of Hinesville, Ga., has went for double figures in three consecutive games, upping his season average to 9.2 points per game. Barnes shoots 36.1 percent (22-61) from 3-point range and averages 10.1 points a game in conference play.
COPELAND CAN REBOUND: Freshman forward Preston Copeland contributed seven points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday at Ohio, tallying five of those points and seven boards in the second half.
The game was the second for Copeland this season with double figures in rebounds following a 16-board performance in a win vs Le Moyne on Nov. 30.
TV CHANGES GAME DAY: Friday night’s game against Akron was originally scheduled for the following day but was picked up by CBS Sports Network. The contest will be the second of the season at Worthen Arena on the network.
The Cardinals topped Ohio 76-71 on Jan. 16 in another Friday night conference contest aired on CBSSN in Muncie.
MILESTONES MET: Senior guards Devon Barnes and Juwan Maxey hit career scoring milestones in their respective NCAA Division I careers on Saturday against Kent State.
Barnes joined the 1,000-point club on a free throw late in the first half, and Maxey made a layup early in the second half to hit the 500-point mark.
MAXEY MAKING SHOTS: Juwan Maxey made two 3-pointers and scored eight points on Saturday against Kent State, draining multiple triples in three consecutive games for his second such stretch of the season.
The guard made two in the Feb. 7 win at Louisiana Monroe and three last Wednesday vs Buffalo. Maxey had three straight games with 3+ triples at the Lafayette Classic in late November. The senior has now made at least one 3-pointer in five straight games.
BENCH GETTING BUCKETS: Led by Kayden Fish’s 17 points at Louisiana Monroe, the Ball State bench scored more than half the team’s points with 38 in the win against the Warhawks.
Davion Hill added 14, and Juwan Maxey chipped in seven for the team averaging the fourth-most bench points per game in the MAC (25.7).
SUCCESS OVER THE SUN BELT: Ball State’s win at Louisiana Monroe on Feb. 7 clinched the Cardinals’ first sweep of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, which is in its third season.
A 75-64 win over Louisiana in the season opener was the first leg in the two-game event. Ball State is now 3-0 at home and 1-2 on the road in the Challenge and was one of only three MAC teams to win on Saturday against Sun Belt opponents.
The Cardinals became the first team in the series history with the Warhawks to win on the road, as both teams entered the contest 2-0 at home for a 2-2 split.
LOT OF LEADING SCORERS: Only three teams in NCAA Division I (George Washington, Tarleton State and VCU) feature more different leading scorers in games this season than Ball State’s eight.
Armoni Zeigler (eight), Davion Hill (five), Devon Barnes (three), Kayden Fish (two), Joey Hart (two), Elmore James IV (two), Juwan Maxey (two), and Preston Copeland (one) have all led the Cardinals in scoring in at least one game this season.
WINNING WITH DEFENSE: Ball State’s 58-53 win against Northern Illinois on Jan. 24 was the first time the Cardinals have won a game scoring fewer than 60 points since Dec. 21, 2022 against Georgia Southern (58-54).
The last time the program had won a conference game without reaching the 60-point mark was Feb. 16, 2019 vs Akron (57-56).
HILL TO THE HOOP: Guard Davion Hill scored or assisted on the final 11 points in Ball State’s win against Northern Illinois on Jan. 24, finishing the game with team bests in points (18), rebounds (eight) and assists (three).
The strong finish came a game after the Williamsport, Pa., native drove to the lane and finished through contact for the game-winning and-one in Ball State’s 68-67 win at Central Michigan on Jan. 21.
Hill now leads the team in average points overall (12.7 per game) and in MAC play (14.5) for the Cardinals.
TURNOVER TALK: Ball State committed only eight turnovers in the Jan. 24 triumph vs Northern Illinois a game after limiting giveaways to a season-low five in the win at Central Michigan.
Seven giveaways was the previous season-low on four separate occasions before the game with the Chippewas, and Ball State is the top conference team in turnover margin (+2.5) and taking care of the ball (9.6 turnovers per game) against MAC foes. The Cardinals also give away the second-fewest turnovers per game in the league overall for the full season (10.7).
Ball State kept control of the ball at Bowling Green, giving up only 10 turnovers to a team that averaged more than 16 turnovers forced per game entering the contest for the sixth-most in NCAA Division I. The Cardinals have had 13 games so far this season with 10 or fewer giveaways.
CARDINALS CLAMPING DOWN ON DEFENSE: Ball State leads the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (70.0 points per game) and ranks second in fewest fouls committed per game (15.7) and third in steals per game (7.7) through the season’s first 26 contests.
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BALL STATE BASEBALL
BASEBALL IN CHARLESTON FOR FOUR-GAME SWIG & SWINE CLASSIC STARTING FRIDAY
The Ball State baseball team heads down to Charleston, S.C., to play four games in three days at the Swig & Swine College Classic at Shipyard Park.
The Cardinals play two against Merrimack (Noon on Friday and 10 a.m. on Sunday) sandwiched around contests against George Mason (Noon) and Seton Hall (4 p.m.) on Saturday.
Roen Elbert will be on the call for digital radio broadcasts for each game, while HiCast Sports Network provides a single camera video stream. A seven-day pass is available to purchase for $21.99, while a monthly pass with up to four streams can be purchased for $32.99. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State (3-1) beat St. John’s on Friday and Saturday and Stetson on Saturday to begin its season-opening weekend in Deland, Fla., but fell to Minnesota in Sunday’s finale.
Ball State went 36-22 (21-9 Mid-American Conference) last year for a third-place finish in the MAC. The Cardinals lost five All-MAC performers but return two-time First Team selection Keegan Johnson to headline the pitching rotation. Ball State’s 2026 roster features 23 newcomers and 15 returners.
Head coach Rich Maloney entered his 21st season at Ball State and 31st overall as a head coach with 1,024 career wins.
Score updates for each game will be posted to the team account on X (@BallStateBB), and schedule updates will be communicated on the website and team social media platforms.
BALIUS BATS AND RUNS: Senior Gavin Balius led the Cardinals in hits (five) and stolen bases (three) during the opening weekend to help Ball State start the season 3-1.
The Flushing, Mich., native stole two bases and scored two runs including the game-winning tally in Friday’s 4-3 win against St. John’s. Balius followed that up with a two-run single among two hits and a steal in Saturday’s 8-2 win over the Red Storm.
PRODUCTIVE PITCHING: The Ball State pitching staff got impressive performances from multiple Cardinals on Friday and Saturday in Florida, allowing the team to limit opposing offenses to only eight runs total through the first three games of the season.
Senior John Chambers struck out five in 5.0 shutout frames out of the bullpen to earn the win on Friday before Brendan Garza (five strikeouts in 5.0 innings of one-run ball) and Owen Quinn (three strikeouts in 2.2 scoreless innings) teamed up to help Ball State beat St. John’s again on Saturday. Alex Burden (one run in 6.0 innings) and Jeremy Jones (one run in 3.0 frames) fired six punchouts each in Saturday night’s 5-2 win at Stetson.
CARDINALS BACK IN CHARLESTON: Ball State is set to play at the Swig & Swine Classic at Shipyard Park for the fifth straight season. The Cardinals have posted a 10-5 record at the event in the last four seasons including 2-1 last year.
BATTLES WITH THE BIG EAST: A total of six games against teams from the Big East Conference are on this year’s schedule including the two wins against St. John’s last weekend and Saturday’s matchup with Seton Hall. The games against the Red Storm were the first in program history, and the Cardinals have faced the Pirates only once prior, in a 7-1 win on March 6, 2004.
DEFENSIVE DYNAMOS: Ball State finished the 2025 season with the fourth-best fielding percentage in NCAA Division I at .983 (only 34 errors in 1,993 opportunities).
The Cardinals concluded the regular season with the top fielding percentage in the country (.984) but got passed up in the postseason. Ball State had two errors for a .986 fielding percentage in the four games to start the season.
K IS FOR KEEGAN: Junior Keegan Johnson is a two-time First Team All-MAC selection and most recently posted a 7-3 record and 75 strikeouts in 14 starts during his sophomore campaign.
The left-handed hurler received MAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year and Top MAC Draft Prospect accolades leading up to the season from the D1Baseball online publication along with being named a Top-200 starting pitcher nationally (No. 167).
NEW LOOK OFFENSE: Balius is the lone returning Ball State hitter with more than 100 at bats last season. Balius produced a .303/.343/.407 slash line in 178 at bats while tallying a team high 22 steals in 2025.
Senior Ben Giovannetti (90 at bats) and junior Max Kalk (46) are the next two Cardinals with the most times to plate last season. Senior Brett Griffiths (40 at bats) and sophomores DJ Scheumann (25), Brayden Huebner (23) and John Colligan (19) will look to get more experience swinging the bat in their second seasons at Ball State.
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INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
FLAMES PULL AWAY LATE, DEFEAT SYCAMORES IN THURSDAY NIGHT BARNBURNER
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Clemisha Prackett recorded her eighth double-double of the season Thursday night, with four other Sycamores scoring in double figures, but the Blue and White came up short in the final quarter to fall 95-80 to UIC inside Hulman Center.
Tierney Kelsey led the Sycamores with 19 points, seven assists and two steals, while Samiyah Briggs followed closely behind with a season-high 16 points. Prackett added 12 points and led the team with 10 rebounds. Kayla Smith and Jayci Allen both record 10 points a piece.
Indiana State briefly led in the first quarter, but UIC went 7-for-10 from behind the arc in the opening half to remain in front for the majority of the first 20 minutes. The Trees were within two possessions for most of the first three quarters, and closed the gap to two points in the fourth, but the visitors pulled away for good with a 15-2 run late in the final period.
First Half
Kelsey opened the scoring for the Trees with a fast break three, followed quickly by another three in transition from Briggs. The Sycamores and Flames traded baskets throughout the frame, resulting in three different ties throughout the opening minutes. UIC went on a 9-4 run to go up five with less than a minute remaining in the quarter, but Briggs hit a buzzer-beater to pull the Blue and White within 28-25 after one.
The Flames opened the second quarter on a 10-3 run to build their lead to 10, their largest of the game in the half. Kelsey quickly responded with an and-one driving layup to end the visitors’ scoring streak as the halfway point of the quarter neared. The Sycamores cut UIC’s lead down to 40-38 following a trio of Kayla Smith free throws with 3:27 left in the period. Allen tacked on a trey minutes later to pull the Sycamores within a point at 46-45 with just over a minute left. The Flames responded with their own three, before Briggs hit a pair of late free throws to make it 49-47 at the half.
Second Half
The Flames opened the half on a 11-4 run, pushing their advantage back out to nine. Prackett and Kelsey connected on layups to bring the Sycamores back within five near the midway point of the period. The Sycamore defense held UIC scoreless from the field for nearly four minutes in the latter half of the frame, giving up just two free throws, but the Blue and White were unable to pull ahead. The teams traded seven points apiece to end the quarter with UIC ahead 68-62, with Briggs scoring five of the Sycamores’ seven.
Early treys from Smith and Allen had the Sycamores in business early in the fourth, as Indiana State cut UIC’s lead down to a pair less than two minutes into the frame. The Trees remained within two possessions for the first half of the quarter, before UIC finally pulled away with a 15-2 run. Late baskets from Kennedy Claybrooks, Kelsey and Ruth Sodipe gave the Sycamores their highest-scoring output since New Year’s Day, but the Blue and White dropped their fifth straight game by a 95-80 margin.
News and Notes
Samiyah Briggs recorded a season high of 16 points in Thursday’s game, knocking down multiple threes for the seventh time this season.
Clemisha Prackett recorded her team-leading eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Prackett ranks in the top five in the MVC in double-doubles despite starting just five games this season.
Tierney Kelsey tied her season and career high in assists with seven in Thursday’s game, with the sophomore guard also accomplishing the feat Nov. 14 at Western Kentucky.
Kayla Smith scored in double figures for the first time since Jan. 15 vs. Belmont, finishing Thursday’s game with 10.
Jayci Allen recorded her sixth straight game with double-digit scoring off the bench, finishing with 10 and knocking down multiple threes for the fifth consecutive contest.
Camariyana Tavares recorded her first start as a Sycamore in Thursday’s game, finishing with two points, four rebounds and a steal in 20 minutes of action.
Thursday’s lineup (Briggs, Claybrooks, Kelsey, Smith, Tavares) was the Sycamores’ eighth different starting lineup combination this season.
All eight players who were available for the Sycamores in Thursday’s game found their way onto the scoresheet.
Thursday’s game was the fifth game this season where five Sycamores scored in double-figures, the last one being vs. Evansville on Jan. 18.
Indiana State played Thursday’s game without two starters in Da’Naria Washington and Amerie Flowers.
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INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
INDIANA STATE CONTINUES OPENING ROAD TRIP AT SNOWBIRD BASEBALL CLASSIC
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Indiana State continues its 12-game road trip to open the 2026 season this weekend at the Snowbird Baseball Classic as the Sycamores take on Miami (Ohio), Brown, and UMass Lowell over February 20-22 in Port Charlotte, Fla. and Centennial Park.
The Sycamores will open the weekend against Miami on Friday night at 7 p.m. under the lights, before taking on Brown at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Indiana State wraps up the weekend on Sunday afternoon against UMass Lowell with first pitch set for noon.
All games will be streamed live via FloCollege and FloBaseball, while live stats will be available at the link on GoSycamores.com.
Recapping Wednesday Night
Indiana State battled No. 23 Miami (Fla.) to a standstill over the first six innings on Wednesday night at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
The Sycamores responded to the Hurricanes’ 2-0 lead in the fourth inning with a two-run rally of their own in the fifth as Jorge Cartagena (walk, stolen base), Emil Estrella (RBI double), and Nick Sutherlin (RBI single) tied the game up.
Miami broke the game open over the final three innings with a pair of home runs in the 6-2 win.
Indiana State utilized eight pitchers on the mound with Ty Brooks drawing his second start of the 2026 season on the bump. Brooks worked 2.0 scoreless innings before turning the ball over to the bullpen in the third.
Spencer Johnsen, Colby Morse, Hunter Small, Aaron Moss, and Breyllin Suriel all saw their second action of the season on the mound, while Brady Banker and Emil Estrella both made their 2026 debuts on the bump.
Carter Beck, Emil Estrella, and Jeremy Martinez all had multi-hit games for Indiana State as the Sycamores matched the Hurricanes hit-for-hit in the contest. Beck recorded his first triple of the season, Estrella his third double.
The Sycamores ran on the Hurricanes defense with Jorge Cartagena, Carter Beck, Eddie Alonso, and Andrew Ortiz all recording steals in the game
Early Season Spotlight
Emil Estrella continues to pace the Indiana State offense early as the senior utility player has a team-high .375 batting average after hitting safely in all four games in 2026. He leads the team with three doubles overall.
Eddie Alonso is also hitting above the .300 mark on the year going 3-for-10 with hits against Manhattan, Wake Forest, and Miami.
Nick Sutherlin (Manhattan) and Jorge Cartagena (N.C. State) both homered to provide Indiana State’s power bats in the lineup over the opening weekend as the duo both connected on two-run shots in their respective games.
Nick Sutherlin has taken the early RBI lead on the year with five so far on the season, including three in the season opener against Manhattan. He’s driven in at least one run in three of the four games this year.
Carter Beck has reached base in all four games so far this season and picked up his first multi-hit game on Wednesday against Miami. He’s added a triple and a pair of stolen bases on the year.
Seven Sycamores have started every game in the lineup so far in the 2026 season with Emil Estrela, Nick Sutherlin, Carter Beck, Caden Miller, Jeremy Martinez, Jorge Cartagena, and Nomar Garcia regulars to date for Coach Archuleta early.
Indiana State has posted a 6.62 team ERA over 34.0 innings on the mound with 15 different pitchers seeing time. Ty Brooks (1-0, 2.57 ERA) is the team leader in innings (7.0) with two starts on the year, while Carson Seeman and Jack Armstrong have 0.00 ERAs over multiple relief appearances.
Indiana State at the Snowbird Baseball Classic
The Sycamores have been familiar to Port Charlotte, Fla. and the Snowbird Baseball Classic since making the trip back in the 2014 season.
Indiana State has been a near annual participant in the event taking part in the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 season over the last decade.
Last season, the Sycamores played a three-game series against Northeastern over February 22-23.
The Sycamores fell to the Huskies in the first two games, 7-0 and 5-0, before topping Northeastern in the finale, 5-4.
Over the years, Indiana State has lined up against Michigan State, Marshall, Iowa, Ohio State, BYU, Pittsburgh, Kent State, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Connecticut at the facility.
Sycamores Against the Field
Indiana State is taking on Miami (Ohio), Brown, and UMass Lowell over the three-game weekend in Port Charlotte.
The Sycamores are most familiar with Miami having lined up against the Redhawks 14 times over their respective program histories, dating back to the inaugural contest in 1980 in Terre Haute. Indiana State is 9-5 all-time against Miami and enters the weekend on a five-game winning streak after last topping the Redhawks 17-12 on May 13, 2008.
Indiana State has never lined up against Brown with Indiana State and the Brown Bears setting up for their inaugural contest on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
The Sycamores have also never faced UMass Lowell before in program history and will take on the River Hawks on Sunday at noon.
About the RedHawks
Miami (Ohio) is 3-0 early on the year after sweeping the weekend at Southern in Baton Rouge, La. The RedHawks won by scores of 11-1 (8), 10-3, and 15-2 (7) in the sweep.
Evan Appelwick led the Miami offense with a .500 batting average and three home runs over the weekend, while adding six runs scored and eight RBIs.
Dominic Krupinski was also among the team’s leaders with a .429 average with two doubles and a homer while scoring six and driving in six.
The RedHawks ran wild at Southern with 15 stolen bases in 17 chances.
The Miami pitching staff posted a 2.25 ERA over 24.0 innings on the weekend with Carson Byers (1-0, 1.69 ERA), Clayton Burke (1-0, 3.60 ERA), and Zac Sohosky (0-0, 3.60 ERA) drawing the weekend starts.
Overall, Miami posted a 28:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Head Coach Brian Smiley is a long-time former Indiana State assistant coach after working with the Sycamores for 14 seasons from 2009-23.
Assistant Coach Miguel Rivera is a former Indiana State player and assistant, and was a key part of the Sycamores’ 2023 run to the NCAA Super Regional.
About the Brown Bears
Brown opens the 2026 season this weekend at the Snowbird Baseball Classic as the team embarks on a 40-game schedule.
Brown was selected eighth overall in the Ivy League Preseason Poll, but return a breadth of experience with 30 returners to the roster under first year head coach Frank Holbrook.
The team returns nearly 81 percent of its innings from 2025 with Junior Ryan Oshinskie returning as the anchor in the starting rotation. He earned First Team All-Cape League honors with a 1.93 ERA over 13 appearances.
The offense is paced by reigning Ivy League batting champion and two-time First Team All-Ivy honoree Mika Petersen as the senior centerfielder is coming off a year where he posted a .355 batting average with 54 hits and nine doubles.
Across the infield, Second Team All-Ivy League selection DJ Dillehay is the headliner with a team-high six home runs and 30 RBIs. Also returning is rising sophomore standout Christian Butera who led all Ivy League rookies with a .303 batting average.
About the River Hawks
UMass Lowell enters the weekend with a 1-2 overall record after taking on Morehead State this past weekend in Winchester, Ky. The River Hawks took the season opener, 7-4, before falling by scores of 3-2 and 22-10.
Rowan Masse led the team with a .375 batting average over the weekend and posted a .615 on-base percentage after reaching base eight of his 13 plate appearances. Carlos Martinez is also hitting above the .300 mark at .308 with a team-high two doubles and six RBIs.
Three different UMass Lowell players homered over the opening weekend with Martinez, Sean O’Leary, and Jorge Burgos all going deep.
UMass Lowell hit .208 as a team from the plate over the opening weekend.
The River Hawks pitching staff posted a 10.08 ERA over 25.0 innings against Morehead State. Alfred Mucciarone, Brian Foley, and Noal Geisler all earned starts on the mound over the first three games.
Putting in the Miles
Indiana State is putting the miles on the rewards card over the first month of the season as the Sycamores make trips to Puerto Rico, Miami, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, and The Bahamas, before returning home for their 2026 home opener at Bob Warn Field on March 4 against Lindenwood.
Mileage from the Opening Trip (February 11 – March 1)
Terre Haute, Indiana to Ponce, Puerto Rico – 1933 miles
Ponce, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida – 1030 miles
Miami, Florida to Port Charlotte, Florida – 197 miles
Port Charlotte, Florida to Fort Myers, Florida – 32 miles
Fort Myers, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas – 301 miles
Nassau, Bahamas to Terre Haute, Indiana – 1,300 miles
From Terredise to Paradise
Two weeks after the Sycamores head to Puerto Rico, Indiana State is back overseas as the Sycamores head to The Bahamas to take on Penn State University at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium.
The series between Indiana State and Penn State will be held over February 27-March 1 and are the first-ever NCAA Division I baseball games to be played in The Bahamas.
Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium, located on the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, opened in 2022 and features a synthetic grass field, team locker rooms and executive suites. The venue also played host to the 2022 Caribbean Baseball Cup.
Indiana State Baseball Season Tickets on Sale Now
Season tickets for the 2026 Indiana State baseball season are now on sale as the Sycamores head into their second season under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. The Sycamores will play 21 home games inside Bob Warn Field this season, starting on March 4 against Lindenwood.
Reserved chairback season tickets can be purchased for $110. General admission season tickets will go on sale as well with adult ($75), seniors ($55), and youth ($40) tickets also being available for purchase. There will be a $5 surcharge added to those wanting tickets printed.
The Sycamores have teamed up with Pacesetter Sports and the Spirit Shop for the third consecutive season for a season ticket deal. Fans will receive a $50 Pacesetter gift card for each $110 reserved chairback season ticket, $35 gift card for each $75 general admission season ticket, $25 gift card for each $55 senior general admission ticket, and $20 gift card for each $40 youth season ticket sold.
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PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL COLLECTS FIRST WIN AT NORTHERN KENTUCKY
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball team collected their first win at Northern Kentucky, coming in three sets (28-26, 25-23, 27-25), on Thursday night (Feb. 19).
The Norse took advantage of their first home match hosting the Mastodons, jumping out on an early 6-1 run to claim the lead. Once the ‘Dons got acclimated they managed to take over the lead at 15-14 following a 6-1 scoring stretch of their own. Despite Northern Kentucky’s .423 hitting percentage in the set, the Mastodons held onto their narrow lead and won the extended set 28-26.
Both teams showed off their offensive arsenal in the second set, the ‘Dons hitting .500 and the Norse with .600. Purdue Fort Wayne claimed a 15-14 lead at the media break and never gave up the lead through the frame, taking the third 25-23.
Northern Kentucky threatened the Mastodons early, taking a 12-10 lead after a 6-2 run. Haven Wankerl put the ‘Dons back on top with back-to-back service aces. Purdue Fort Wayne fended off the attacks of the Norse, who hit .417 in the frame, even through an extended set. The Mastodons eventually took the third set at 27-25, hitting .400 in the final set.
Both sides finished with with hitting percentages over .400, .424 for the ‘Dons and .471 for Northern Kentucky.
Logan Muir (16), Owen Banner (13) and Carlo Huisden (11) all finished with double-digit kills.Hunter Hopkins notched 44 assists in the win. Andrew Mayer dug out six attacks in the three sets.
Purdue Fort Wayne moves to to 8-3 on the year, 3-1 in MIVA play. Northern Kentucky falls to 3-7 for the season, 0-3 in MIVA play. The Mastodons will travel to No. 13 Ohio State on Saturday (Feb. 21).
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EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
ACES TO WELCOME 18TH-RANKED KENTUCKY FOR WEEKEND SERIES
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will host an SEC team for a weekend series for the first time in program history this weekend, welcoming 18th-ranked Kentucky to Charles H. Braun Stadium. The series will begin on Friday with a 3 PM first pitch and conclude on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at Noon.
Series History
– Kentucky leads the all-time series, 12-10
– The teams have met each season since 2021, with the Wildcats winning all five meetings
– Evansville holds a 5-2 advantage over the Wildcats at home
– The last meeting in the River City came in 2007, with Evansville winning by a score of 5-4
Starting Strong
– In his first three years as an Ace, Max Hansmann was used primarily as a reliever, making 61 of 68 appearances out of the bullpen
– This season, Hansmann has transitioned to the starting rotation
– In his season debut last Friday at Kennesaw State, Hansmann tossed six innings of three-run ball, striking out a career-high six
Double Trouble
– Sophomore shortstop Drew McConnell enjoyed a hot start to the season, leading the Aces with a .364 batting average and a 1.098 OPS over Opening Weekend
– Three of McConnell’s four hits were doubles, including two doubles on Saturday against Marshall
– After starting 49 games as a freshman last season, McConnell was named the #9 2027 MLB Draft Prospect in the MVC by D1Baseball heading into 2026
Fresh Faces
– A number of newcomers made an impact in their first games as Aces
– Illinois transfer Reagan Reeder went 4-for-12 over Opening Weekend and hit his first collegiate home run
– Charlotte transfer Reid Haire also hit his first collegiate home run, coming in game one
– Freshman Ximi Baftiri started all three games at third base and collected three hits and two RBI
– Preseason MVC Freshman of the Year Wyatt Pennington started his career with an RBI double in his first at-bat while starting all three games at second base.
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SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
USI SNAPS STEAK, DEFEATS WIU, 77-70
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball snapped a losing streak with a 77-70 victory over Western Illinois Thursday evening at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles go to 6-21 overall and 3-14 in the OVC, while the Leathernecks are 5-23, 1-16 OVC.
USI and WIU battle back and forth through the 20 with the Screaming Eagles rallying from a seven-point deficit to regain the lead 30-29 at the intermission. USI surged with a 12-4 run in the final four minutes of the half, led by senior guard Cardell Bailey and senior forward Ola Ajiboye lead way with five points and four points, respectively.
The second half had WIU jumping into the lead and controlling the second half for nearly 16 of the 20 minutes. In the final four minutes, USI rallied with a 15-4 run, including a seven-of-seven from the stripe to finish out the 77-70 victory.
Junior guard/forward Amaree Brown scored eight of his team-high 18 points during the final push to the victory. Brown was five-of-11 from the field and eight-of-10 from the stripe in the win.
Ajiboye followed Brown in the scoring column with 12 points, hitting five-of-seven from the field and two-of-two from the stripe. Bailey rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, while junior forward Tolu Samuels grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Next Up For USI:
The Screaming Eagles continue the four-game road swing Saturday when they visit Eastern Illinois for a 3:30 p.m. contest.
The Panthers of EIU are 11-16 overall and 7-9 in the league after losing to Morehead State, 73-70, this evening at home. EIU is 2-2 over the last four games.
USI trails the all-time series with EIU, 5-4, following the Panthers’ 59-51 victory in overtime at Liberty Arena in January. The Panthers have won three of the last four versus the Screaming Eagles.
The remaining regular season games, in addition to Eastern Illinois, are at Morehead State February 24 and Little Rock February 28.
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SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
USI POUNDS OAKLAND, 18-9
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball pounded out 14 hits in rolling to an 18-9 victory over Oakland Thursday evening to start the Fairfield Inn Invitational at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 3-2 to start the season, while Oakland goes to 1-3.
USI wasted very little time in taking command of the game with an eight-run first inning to lead 8-0. The Screaming Eagles scored eight times on just four hits, while taking advantage of three walks and four hit batters to move runners around the bag.
The Grizzlies would respond in the top of the second, scoring five times to shrink the Screaming Eagles’ lead to 8-5. USI got the runs back in the bottom of the third with senior shortstop Clayton Slack driving in the first run with a sacrifice fly before graduate designated hitter Noah Foster and graduate rightfielder Jesse Velders singled in a run each to push the margin to 11-5.
Following an Oakland three-run rally in the fifth, USI sealed the game with four in the seventh and three in the eighth to cruise to the 18-9 win. Senior catcher Micajah Wall highlighted the four-run seventh with a two-run triple to right field.
Overall at the plate in the win, USI was led by Slack, Foster, and Wall with three RBIs each. Junior third baseman Parker Martin and senior first baseman Patrick McLellan followed with two RBIs each.
USI junior left-hander Trey O’Neil was the best Screaming Eagle on the bump and picked up the win in relief. O’Neil (2-0) blanked the Grizzlies through two innings, striking out four to get the win.
Up Next for the Screaming Eagles:
The Screaming Eagles and the Grizzlies continue the series Friday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at the USI Baseball Field. The series will conclude Saturday at 1 p.m.
The game that was originally scheduled for Sunday was moved to Friday due to the forecast of cold weather.
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SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
EAGLES FLY DOWN TO FLORIDA FOR FAU JOAN JOYCE CLASSIC THIS WEEKEND
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball travels south for five games this weekend at the Florida Atlantic Joan Joyce Classic in Boca Raton, Florida.
USI Softball (1-6) will face the University of Kansas (7-4) on Friday at 4 p.m. CT to open the weekend slate before taking on host Florida Atlantic (6-5) at 6:30 p.m. CT for the first of two matchups against the Owls during the Weekend. The Screaming Eagles will then square off against the University of Massachusetts (4-6) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT before a second meeting with FAU at 6:30 p.m. CT. USI concludes play on Sunday at 9 a.m. CT against Villanova University (0-10). The Eagles are meeting each opponent for the first time in program history.
USI is coming off a 1-2 mark at the University of Memphis 901 Classic last weekend. The Screaming Eagles opened the weekend with their first win of the season against the University of Missouri-Kansas City, 7-3. The Eagles came up on the wrong end in the final two games against Ball State University, 9-5, and the University of Evansville, 6-4. The final two games against Miami University (Ohio) and Memphis were canceled due to rain.
During last weekend’s Memphis 901 Classic, the top three of the USI batting order were top-notch. Senior outfielder Caroline Stapleton, freshman outfielder Katelyn Marx, and junior infielder Sydney Long combined to go 17-35 (.486). Stapleton led the way slugging with a double and a triple. Additionally, all three scored at least three runs, with Stapleton once again leading with six runs scored. Each also tallied an RBI.
On the season, Marx paces the Eagles with a .409 batting average. Long is second with a .333 batting average. Stapleton is right behind, hitting .320 with a team-high seven runs scored. Sophomore first baseman Grace Huffman is also hitting above .300 at .316 and has a team-best four RBIs.
On the pitching side, freshman pitcher Anna Kemp recorded her first career win in last Friday’s triumph against Kansas City. Kemp followed with a complete-game effort in Saturday’s game against Evansville. Kemp is 1-2 this season with 22 strikeouts in 22.2 innings of work.
While this weekend’s two games against Florida Atlantic can be seen through FAUSports.com, USI’s other three neutral games can be seen with a subscription through FloCollege, powered by FloSports. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
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SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
USI FALLS AT WESTERN ILLINOIS TO OPEN ROAD STRETCH
MACOMB, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball could not overcome a slow start and cold shooting on Thursday night, as the Screaming Eagles fell at Western Illinois University, 64-39, to begin a four-game road stretch in Ohio Valley Conference play.
With Thursday’s loss, USI Women’s Basketball (18-8, 12-5 OVC) moved into a tie for third place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings alongside Morehead State University with three games to play in the regular season. Meanwhile, Western Illinois (22-4, 14-3 OVC) maintained its first-place position, one game up on second-place Lindenwood University and two games ahead of USI.
On Thursday night, USI had a tough night shooting, going 25 percent (15-60) overall from the floor, with only two three-pointers made. The Screaming Eagles went 7-9 for nearly 78 percent at the free-throw line. Junior forward Chloe Gannon led USI in scoring with 11 points and had six rebounds.
Western Illinois shot for 45 percent (23-51) overall, 26 percent (5-19) from outside the arc, and 54 percent (13-24) at the foul stripe. The Leathernecks edged USI on the glass, 36-35, and had four players score in double figures.
Western Illinois got off to a fast start out of the opening tip, grabbing a quick 12-2 lead five minutes into the contest. Over the next two minutes, USI chipped away to pull back within four thanks to the combination of Chloe and Channah Gannon. With the pace slowing down a bit late in the first quarter, redshirt sophomore guard Kylee Dennis drained a three-pointer, as the Screaming Eagles trailed 17-11 at the end of the opening frame.
Dennis picked up where she left off from the first period and started the second quarter with another triple to bring USI within a possession of Western Illinois. Dennis finished with six points and six rebounds on the night. Following back-to-back layups by Chloe Gannon and junior forward Maddy Fay, the Eagles made it a one-point game, 19-18, with seven minutes left in the first half. However, USI’s offense stalled, as the Leathernecks ended the first half on a 15-3 run to lead 34-21 at halftime.
USI knocked down three field goals in the early minutes of the second half, cutting the deficit down to eight, 35-27. Western Illinois responded in the middle minutes of the third quarter and increased its lead to 16 by the three-minute mark of the third. With the game turning into a defensive grind, the Screaming Eagles found some momentum after Chloe Gannon ended the third quarter with a three-point play to make the score 47-34 going to the fourth quarter.
Gannon scored once again two minutes into the fourth quarter, but the Screaming Eagles ran into a cold spell from the floor in the middle of the period. While the defensive pace remained during the quarter, Western Illinois increased its lead to 20 points past the five-minute mark of the fourth and closed out the game from there.
The Screaming Eagles continue the road trip and look to bounce back on Saturday at 1 p.m. when USI visits Eastern Illinois University. Saturday’s game can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. There will be no radio coverage on The Spin 95.7 FM.
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VALPO SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL DROPS PAIR OF HIGH-SCORING GAMES TO OPEN UNLV REBEL CLASSIC
The Valpo softball team combined to put up 13 runs on 23 hits over its first two games at the UNLV Rebel Classic from Las Vegas Thursday evening, but large early deficits proved too much for the Beacons to overcome, as they fell 9-7 to Utah Valley and 11-6 to the host Rebels.
How It Happened – Utah Valley
A two-out grand slam capped a six-run first inning for the Wolverines, who added another run in the second.
Valpo started to cut into the deficit in the third, as Kaia Garnica (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) took advantage of an at-bat with the bases loaded and two outs and delivered a two-run single.
Utah Valley plated one in its half of the third to make it an 8-2 game.
Garnica had another run-scoring hit in the fifth with an RBI single, and later in the frame, Jenna Flessner (Washington, Ill./Washington) drew a bases-loaded walk to draw within 8-4.
The Wolverines scored one in the bottom of the sixth before the Beacons attempted a seventh-inning rally. Ava Goodman (San Diego, Calif./West Hills) went yard with a runner on base to pull to within 9-6. Later in the inning, Sophia Leitzen (Orfordville, Wis./Brodhead) connected on an RBI double with two outs to bring the potential tying run to the plate before a groundout ended the contest.
How It Happened – UNLV
Batting as the visitors for the second straight game, Valpo took advantage to jump out to a quick lead. Madison Vrastil (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) stole home on the back end of a double steal and Cadan Brinkman (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community [Campbell/Wofford]) picked up a run-scoring single to give the Beacons two in the top of the first
Much like the first game of the day, however, a multi-run homer capped a big crooked number for the home team in the bottom of the first. This time, it was a three-run round-tripper to put UNLV on top, 5-2. The Rebels then added three more runs in their next time at bat.
Valpo sliced the deficit in half in the top of the fourth, moving to within 8-5. Mack Gallagher (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East [MSU Moorhead]) registered an RBI single and Kim Rodas (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) brought home two with a single of her own.
UNLV scored three in the bottom of the fifth to pull back out to a six-run lead. Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) posted a pinch-hit RBI double in the sixth, but that was all the closer the Beacons would get.
Inside the Games
Valpo tallied seven walks in the Utah Valley game, its sixth game of the season with at least seven free passes.
The Beacons then racked up 14 hits versus UNLV, their second-highest total of the year and the fourth time they’ve been in double figures in the category.
Runners left on base hurt Valpo on Thursday, as it stranded eight in the two-run loss to UVU and then left 13 on against UNLV.
Garnica and Gallagher both reached base in both games Thursday, extending their respective on-base streaks to nine straight games to open the season.
The Beacons utilized 17 players in the batting order in the Utah Valley game, and the reserves took full advantage of their opportunities in that contest, as six of seven reached base at least once.
Highlights from the bench included Goodman hitting a two-run homer in her first collegiate plate appearance, Flessner going 1-for-1 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in her first collegiate action and Cici Wilson (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) drawing a walk and scoring two runs.
Garnica reached in all three of her plate appearances versus the Wolverines, going 2-for-2 with a walk and three RBIs.
Lopez started and took the loss in the circle against UVU, falling to 1-2 as she tossed the first four innings.
The top three in the Valpo order all had multi-hit games in the nightcap. Vrastil picked up two hits and scored two runs against the Rebels, and stole a base apiece in each of Thursday’s two games — the sophomore is now 8-for-8 on the season on the basepaths and 25-for-25 for her career.
Grace Hollopeter (Lake Village, Ind./North Newton [Purdue Fort Wayne]) tallied a pair of hits and scored a run against UNLV, while Gallagher reached three times, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Rodas reached base in five of her six plate appearances over the pair of games, including four times against the Rebels, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBIs and a run scored.
Brinkman also had a pair of hits versus UNLV and drove in one.
Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) started and took the loss in the circle, falling to 3-2 as she lasted just 1.1 innings. Goodman closed the night with 1.2 innings of shutout relief.
Next Up
Valpo (4-5) turns right around and plays twice more on Friday, facing Merrimack at 2 p.m. CT and Idaho State at 8 p.m. CT. Live video for both games will be available through the UNLV YouTube channel.
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VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BEACONS SUCCUMB TO LATE DRAKE RUN
The Valpo women’s basketball team used a hot shooting start to jump out to a double-digit lead in the first half Thursday evening in MVC action at Drake and still held the advantage past the halfway mark of the fourth quarter before a run by the Bulldogs gave the hosts a 79-68 victory.
How It Happened
Drake was the team which started on the front foot Thursday, 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 (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]).
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, capped by a 3-pointer by Milana Nenadic (Kitchener, Ontario/Cameron Heights [Idaho State/Maine]), pushed the Beacons’ 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 (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran North [State Fair C.C.]) 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 — including five points from Allia von Schlegell (Downers Grove, Ill./Nazareth Academy) — and when Kamryn Winch (Bonne Terre, Mo./North County [Maryville]) 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.
Inside the Game
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, including a 7-of-8 mark from the foul line. It was the senior’s fourth 20+ point game of the season.
Nenadic tallied 14 points and paced Valpo with seven rebounds.
von Schlegell scored in double figures for the 16th time with a 12-point night, while Sullivan reached double digits for the fourth time with 11 points, including a season-high three 3-pointers.
Sullivan also pulled down six rebounds and was matched by Autumn Dibb (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) in that department.
Mikayla Huffine (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran [Quincy/Iowa Western C.C.]) was one off her season best with six assists.
Valpo shot 36.4% from the field Thursday evening 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.
Next Up
Valpo (0-27, 0-16 MVC) has a week before its next game, as the Beacons will return to Iowa next Thursday evening to face UNI.
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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
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“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
On February 20 in …
1877 – International Association (minor baseball league) organizes.
1887 – First minor league baseball association organizes (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA).
1903 – Nick Young remains as National League baseball president as AG Spalding ends challenge.
1912 – Argentina beats the MCC in their inaugural cricket first-class fixture.
1923 – Christy Mathewson becomes president of Boston Braves.
1927 – Golfers in South Carolina are arrested for violating Sabbath.
1929 – Boston Red Sox announce they will play Sunday games at Braves Field.
1943 – Phil Wrigley and B Rickey charter All-American Girls Softball League.
1953 – August A Busch buys the Saint Louis Cardinals for US$3.75 million.
1953 – US Court of Appeals rules that Organized Baseball is a sport and not a business, affirming the 25-year-old Supreme Court ruling.
1954 – Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Serbin Golf Open.
1955 – Fay Crocker wins LPGA Serbin Golf Open.
1957 – Hughie Tayfield takes 9-113 versus England, 13 wickets for match.
1958 – Jockey Eddie Arcaro rides his 4,000th winner.
1958 – Los Angeles Coliseum Committee approves two-year pact allowing Los Angeles Dodgers to use facility.
1963 – End of the Test Cricket careers of Neil Harvey and Alan Davidson.
1963 – Willie Mays (San Francisco Giants) signs a record US$100,000 per year contract.
1971 – Boston Bruins’ Phil Esposito is NHL’s quickest to score 50 goals in a season.
1972 – First time Cleveland Cavaliers beat New York Knicks (111-109).
1972 – Ard Schenk becomes world champion skater.
1973 – 10th time New York Islanders shut-out – 4-0 versus Pittsburgh Penguins.
1974 – Gordie Howe comes out of retirement for US$1 million from Houston Aeros, WHA.
1975 – Leonard Baichan scores 105 on Test Cricket debut, versus Pakistan Lahore.
1976 – Muhammad Ali knocks out Jan Pierre Coopman in five rounds for heavyweight boxing title.
1977 – Judy Rankin wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic.
1978 – Jane Blalock wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic.
1981 – James Sanford equals 50 metre indoor world record (5.61 seconds).
1982 – New York Islanders win record 15th straight NHL game.
1983 – Roland Liboton becomes world champion cross-country cycling.
1985 – After defending his WBC flyweight championship, Sot Chitalada’s check for US$104,000 is stolen by a ringside pickpocket.
1986 – Los Angeles Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser is first to win a US$1 million salary by arbitration.
1988 – André Hoffmann skates world record 1500 metre (1:52.06).
1988 – Brian Boitano wins Olympics gold medal in figure skating.
1988 – Cornelia Oschkenat hurdles indoor world record 50 metre (6.58 seconds).
1988 – Kelly Hrudy’s 5th New York Islanders shut-out win against Hartford Whalers, 3-0.
1988 – Rob Druppers runs world record indoor 1000 metre (2:16.2).
1988 – Stefka Kostadinova high jumps indoor world record (2.06 metres).
1989 – Members of 1949 Oklahoma football team cancel an April reunion because of the deplorable conduct of Oklahoma players.
1992 – The English FA Premier League is officially formed.
1993 – Florida Marlins open their first spring training camp.
1993 – Lisa Walters wins LPGA Itoki Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open.
1993 – New York Islanders retire Billy Smith’s number 31.
1994 – Johann Olav Koss skates world record 10 km (13:30.55).
1997 – San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds signs record $22.9 million two-year contract.
1998 – Tara Lipinski wins Olympics figure skating gold medal.
2022 – Olympic flame extinguished at Beijing National Stadium, ending the 2022 Beijing Games.
2022 – At SAP Center in San Jose, California, USA, NHL regular season game: Vegas Golden Knights beats San Jose Sharks by score 4-1.
2022 – At Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, NHL regular season game: Minnesota Wild beats Edmonton Oilers by score 7-3.
2022 – At Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, USA, NHL regular season game: Arizona Coyotes beats Dallas Stars by score 3-1.
2022 – At Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, USA, NHL regular season game: Columbus Blue Jackets beats Buffalo Sabres by score 7-3.
2022 – At Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, NHL regular season game: New York Rangers beats Ottawa Senators by score 2-1.
2022 – At United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, NHL regular season game: Florida Panthers beats Chicago Blackhawks by score 5-2.
2022 – At UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, USA, NHL regular season game: Montreal Canadiens beats New York Islanders by score 3-2.
2022 – At PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, NHL regular season game: Carolina Hurricanes beats Pittsburgh Penguins by score 4-3.
Births of sports figures on February 20
1903 – Birth of Pierre Charles; Belgian heavyweight boxer.
1926 – Birth of Edgar Meuli; cricket player (opened New Zealand batting in Test versus South Africa 1953).
1926 – Birth of Robert Eugene Richards in Champaign, Illinois, USA; pole vaulter (Olympics-gold-1948, 1952, 1956).
1928 – Birth of Elroy Face; baseball pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates).
1934 – Birth of Bobby Unser; auto racer (1968, 1975, 1981 Indianapolis 500).
1938 – Birth of Jack Bicknell; WLAF head coach (Barcelona Dragons).
1940 – Birth of Jimmy Greaves; British broadcaster/soccer player.
1942 – Birth of Phil Esposito; NHL player/coach/general manager (Boston Bruins, New York Rangers).
1944 – Birth of Willem van Hanegem; Dutch soccer champion/coach (Feyenoord).
1949 – Birth of Eddie Hemmings; cricket off-spinner (immense England).
1951 – Birth of Phil Neal; English soccer player.
1959 – Birth of Bill Gullickson; US baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers).
1959 – Birth of Scott Evans Brayton; racing car driver.
1961 – Birth of Steve Lundquist; US swimmer (Olympics-2 gold-1984).
1962 – Birth of Adam Schreiber; NFL center/guard (Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants).
1963 – Birth of Charles Barkley in Leads, Alabama, USA; NBA forward (Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Olympics-gold-1996, All Star 1987-90).
1964 – Birth of Christian Ruuttu in Lappeenranta, Finland; hockey forward (Team Finland).
1964 – Birth of Jeffrey Allan Maggert in Columbia, Missouri, USA; PGA golfer (1993 Walt Disney).
1966 – Birth of Britt Hager; NFL linebacker (Denver Broncos, Saint Louis Rams).
1966 – Birth of Dennis Allen Mitchell in Cherry Point, North Carolina, USA; 100 metre/200 metre (Olympics-silver-1996).
1966 – Birth of Derek Lilliquist; US baseball pitcher (Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves).
1967 – Birth of Broderick Thomas; NFL linebacker (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys).
1967 – Birth of Chris Singleton; NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins).
1967 – Birth of Kurt Knudsen; US baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers).
1967 – Birth of Theresa Luke in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; rower (Olympics-1996).
1967 – Birth of Tom Waddle; NFL player (Chicago Bears/Cincinnati Bengals).
1968 – Birth of Bennie Goods; Canadian Football League defensive tackle (Edmonton Eskimos).
1969 – Birth of [Touchdown] Tommy Vardell; NFL running back (Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions).
1970 – Birth of Bryan Robinson; defensive end (Saint Louis Rams).
1970 – Birth of Jeff Robinson; NFL defensive end (Denver Broncos, Saint Louis Rams).
1970 – Birth of Leo Stefan in Chelyabinsk, Russia; hockey forward (Team Germany).
1971 – Birth of Jari Litmanen; soccer player (Ajax).
1972 – Birth of Tom Gough; 200.5 pounds (91kg) US weightlifter (Olympics-14th-1996).
1973 – Birth of Vladimir Iiic; WLAF defensive end (Barcelona Dragons, Rhein Fire).
1974 – Birth of Katerina Kroupova in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia; tennis star (1994 Futures-Sofia-Bulgaria).
1975 – Birth of Brendan Witt Humboldt; NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals).
1975 – Birth of Ismael Kirui in Marakwet, Kenya; 5km runner.
1976 – Birth of Dave Scatchard in Hinton, Alberta, Canada; NHL center (New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks).
1977 – Birth of Sarah Ryan in Adelaide, Australia; swimmer (Olympics-1996).
1977 – Birth of Stephon Marbury; NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves).
1978 – Birth of Andrea Moody in Abbotsford, British Columbia; 4 x 100 swimmer (Olympics-1996).
1980 – Birth of Imanol Harinordoquy; French rugby player.
Deaths of sports figures on February 20
1937 – “Barlow” Carkeek, Australia cricket wicketkeeper (1912 series), dies.
1964 – R T Stanyforth, English cricket wicketkeeper (South Africa 1927-28), dies.
1994 – Manuel F “Garincha” dos Santos, soccer player (Brazil), dies at age 49.
On February 21 in …
1931 – Chicago White Sox and New York Giants play first exhibition night game.
1942 – US female Figure Skating championship won by Jane Vaughn.
1942 – US male Figure Skating championship won by Bobby Specht.
1951 – South Carolina House urges “Shoeless Joe” Jackson be reinstated.
1952 – Dick Button performs first figure skating triple jump in competition.
1953 – Longest collegiate basketball game (six overtimes); Niagara beats Siena 88-81.
1957 – Fort Worth Dodgers and Los Angeles Cubs “trade” minor league franchises.
1960 – Fay Crocker wins LPGA Lake Worth Golf Open.
1968 – American Major League Baseball announces a minimum annual salary of $10,000.
1969 – Ted Williams signs five-year contract to manage Washington Senators.
1971 – Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Sears Women’s World Golf Classic.
1973 – Chicago Black Hawks play record 262nd NHL game without being shut-out.
1974 – Tom Seaver becomes the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history when he signs a contract for US$172,000 per season with the New York Mets.
1980 – Hanni Wenzel is first Liechtensteiner to win Olympics gold (giant slalom).
1980 – Eric Heiden skates Olympics record 1500 metre in 1:55.44.
1982 – Beth Daniel wins LPGA Bent Tree Ladies Golf Classic.
1983 – Donald Davis runs one mile backwards in 6 minutes 7.1 seconds.
1983 – NBA San Diego Clippers begin a 29-game road losing streak.
1985 – Evert van Benthem wins 13th Friese 11 city skating race.
1985 – Largest NBA crowd to date: 44,970 (Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons).
1985 – Tim Raines is awarded a US$12 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator.
1986 – Tennis star Jimmy Connors fined US$20,000 and suspended for ten weeks.
1986 – In defiance of the Cincinnati Reds’ policy, Rollie Fingers refuses to cut off his handlebar mustache, and retires from baseball.
1987 – Cindy Rarick wins LPGA Tsumura Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open.
1988 – Gustafson skates world record 10 km (13:48.20).
1989 – Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Ueberroth to discuss his gambling.
1992 – Kristi Yamaguchi of US wins Olympics gold medal in women’s figure skating.
1993 – 43rd NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 135-132 (overtime) at Salt Lake City.
1993 – Sergei Bubka pole vaults world record indoor (6.15 metres).
1995 – Canadian Football League’s Sacramento Gold Miners become San Antonio Texans.
2022 – At Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, NHL regular season game: Vancouver Canucks beats Seattle Kraken by score 5-2.
2022 – At Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, NHL regular season game: Montreal Canadiens beats Toronto Maple Leafs by score 5-2.
2022 – At Scotiabank Saddledrome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, NHL regular season game: Calgary Flames beats Winnipeg Jets by score 3-1.
2022 – At Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, NHL regular season game: Carolina Hurricanes beats Philadelphia Flyers by score 4-3.
2022 – At TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, NHL regular season game: Boston Bruins beats Colorado Avalanche by score 5-1.
Births of sports figures on February 21
1883 – Birth of J M M “Mick” Commaille; cricket player (dual South African cricket/soccer representative).
1903 – Birth of Thomas Yawkey; baseball owner (Boston Red Sox).
1915 – Birth of Godfrey Brown in England; 4 X 400 metre runner (Olympics-gold-1936).
1937 – Birth of Ron Clarke in Australia; runner (held 19 world records).
1945 – Birth of Sudhir Naik; cricket player (Indian Test batsman in two Tests 1974).
1946 – Birth of Desmond Lewis; West Indies cricket batsman/keeper (average 86.33 in three Tests).
1951 – Birth of John Parker; cricket player (New Zealand batsman of 70s).
1954 – Birth of Ivo van Damme in Belgium; 800/1500-metre dash (Olympics-silver-1976).
1958 – Birth of Alan Trammell in Garden Grove, California, USA; infielder (Detroit Tigers).
1961 – Birth of Yobes Ondieki in Kenya; 10km runner (world record).
1963 – Birth of Michael Gostigian in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; pentathlete (Olympics-16th-1988, 1992, 1996).
1964 – Birth of Willie Pless; Canadian Football League linebacker (Edmonton Eskimos).
1965 – Birth of Jayson Meyer in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; hockey defenseman (Team Germany).
1965 – Birth of Keith Arthurton; cricket player (Charlestown, Nevis West Indies lefty bat).
1966 – Birth of Chris Donnels; US baseball infielder (Houston Astros).
1967 – Birth of Bas Roorda; Dutch soccer player (FC Groningen, NEC).
1967 – Birth of Leroy Russel Burrell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; long jumper (Olympics-1996).
1967 – Birth of Patrick Lodewijks; Dutch soccer player (PSV, FC Groningen).
1968 – Birth of Pellom McDaniels; NFL defensive end (Kansas City Chiefs).
1968 – Birth of Terry Allen; NFL running back (Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins).
1969 – Birth of Dean Noel; Canadian Football League full back (Hamilton Tiger Cats).
1969 – Birth of Petra Kronberger; Austrian alpine skier (Olympics-gold-1992).
1970 – Birth of Javier De La Hoya; Mexican/US baseball pitcher (Florida Marlins).
1970 – Birth of Marc Woodard; NFL linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles).
1970 – Birth of Michael Slater; cricket player (devastating Australia opening bat since 1993).
1970 – Birth of Patrick Pilloni; hockey forward (Team Austria 1998).
1970 – Birth of Will Moore; NFL wide receiver (New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars).
1971 – Birth of Arco Jochemsen; Dutch soccer player (SVDB, Vitesse).
1971 – Birth of Jeff Schmidt; US baseball pitcher (California Angels).
1971 – Birth of Jey Phillips; WLAF safety (Amsterdam Admirals).
1971 – Birth of Terry Mickens; NFL wide receiver (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31).
1972 – Birth of Karl DeWolf; hockey defenseman (Team France 1998).
1973 – Birth of Brian Rolston in Flint, Michigan, USA; NHL left wing (Olympics-1994, New Jersey Devils).
1973 – Birth of Les Gutches in Medford, Oregon, USA; 180.5 pounds freestyle wrestler (Olympics-1996).
1974 – Birth of Alexei Lojkin; NHL forward (Belarus, Olympics-1998).
1975 – Birth of Scott Miller in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; swimmer (Olympics-silver-1996).
1976 – Birth of Robin Confer; soccer forward (Olympics-1996).
1976 – Birth of Ryan Smyth in Banff, Alberta, Canada; NHL left wing (Edmonton Oilers).
Deaths of sports figures on February 21
1945 – Eric Liddell, Scottish runner (Olympics-gold 1924), dies at age 43.
1979 – Glendon Gibbs, cricket player (Test Cricket West Indies versus Australia 1955), dies.
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TV SPORTS
Friday, 2/20/2026
| OLYMPICS | TIME ET | TV |
| Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Ski Cross Qualifying | 4:00am | USA Peacock |
| Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Ski Cross Final | 6:00am | USA Peacock |
| Women’s Curling Semifinals | 8:05am | Peacock |
| Biathlon | 8:15am | USA Peacock |
| Speed Skating | 10:30am | USA Peacock |
| Men’s Hockey Semifinals | 10:40am | USA Peacock |
| Boblsed | 12:00pm | NBC Peacock |
| Men’s Curling: Bronze Match | 1:05pm | Peacock |
| Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Halfpipe Final | 1:30pm | NBC Peacock |
| Short Track | 2:15pm | USA Peacock |
| Men’s Hockey Semifinals | 3:10pm | NBC Peacock |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards | 7:00 PM | MNMT FanDuel Sports IND |
| Utah Jazz vs Memphis Grizzlies | 7:00pm | KJZZ FanDuel Sports MEM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets | 7:00pm | FanDuel Sports Ohio FanDuel Sports CHA |
| Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves | 7:30pm | ESPN FanDuel Sports North KFAA |
| Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks | 7:30pm | FanDuel Sports ATL FanDuel Sports Sun |
| Brooklyn Nets vs Oklahoma City Thunder | 8:00pm | YES FanDuel Sports OKC |
| Milwaukee Bucks vs New Orleans Pelicans | 8:00pm | FanDuel Sports MIL GCSN |
| Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers | 10:00pm | ALT Rip City |
| Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers | 10:00pm | ESPN FanDuel Sports SoCal Spectrum |
| MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Akron at Ball State | 6:30pm | CBSSN |
| VCU at Saint Louis | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Green Bay at Oakland | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Milwaukee at Detroit Mercy | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Princeton at Brown | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Indiana at Purdue | 8:00pm | FOX |
| Siena at Merrimack | 8:00pm | ESPNU |
| Bowling Green at Miami (OH) | 8:30pm | CBSSN |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA Tour: Genesis Invitational | 4:00pm | GOLF |
| LPGA Tour: LPGA Thailand | 10:00pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Ligue 1: Rennes vs PSG | 1:00pm | beIN Sports fuboTV |
| Bundesliga: Mainz 05 vs Hamburger SV | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Ligue 1: Brest vs Olympique Marseille | 2:45pm | beIN Sports fuboTV |
| Serie A: Sassuolo vs Verona | 2:45pm | Paramount+ |
| La Liga: Athletic Club vs Elche | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Liga MX: Tigres UANL vs Pachuca | 8:00pm | fuboTV |
| Liga MX: Puebla vs América | 10:06pm | VIX |
Saturday, 2/21/26
| OLYMPICS | TIME ET | TV |
| Bobsled: Four-Man First Run | 4:00am | USA Peacock |
| Freestyle Skiing: Mixed Team Aerials Final | 4:45am | USA Peacock |
| Cross-Country Skiing: Men’s 50km | 6:10am | USA Peacock |
| Ski Mountaineering: Mixed Relay Final | 7:30am | USA Peacock |
| Biathlon: Women’s 12.5km Mass Start | 8:15am | USA Peacock |
| Speed Skating: Men’s and Women’s Mass Start Finals | 9:00am | NBC Peacock |
| Speed Skating: Men’s and Women’s Mass Start Finals | 10:00am | NBC Peacock |
| Women’s Curling: Bronze Medal Game | 10:20am | USA Peacock |
| Bobsled: Two-Woman Third Run | 1:00pm | NBC Peacock |
| Men’s Curling: Final | 1:05pm | CNBCPeacock |
| Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Halfpipe Final | 1:30pm | NBC Peacock |
| Men’s Hockey: Bronze Medal Game | 2:40pm | USA Peacock |
| Figure Skating: Gala | 2:55pm | NBC Peacock |
| Bobsled: Two-Woman Final Run | 3:15pm | NBC Peacock |
| Figure Skating: Gala | 3:50pm | NBC Peacock |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Orlando Magic vs Phoenix Suns | 5:00 PM | NBATV AFSN FanDuel Sports FL |
| Philadelphia 76ers vs New Orleans Pelicans | 7:00pm | NBCS-PHI GCSN |
| Sacramento Kings vs San Antonio Spurs | 8:00pm | NBCS-CA KENS |
| Memphis Grizzlies vs Miami Heat | 8:00pm | FanDuel Sports MEM FanDuel Sports Sun |
| Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks | 8:30pm | ABC ESPN+ |
| MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Missouri at Arkansas | TBA | ESPN/2 |
| Tennessee at Vanderbilt | TBA | ESPN/2 |
| Creighton vs. St. John’s | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Florida at Ole Miss | 12:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Loyola Chicago at Saint Joseph’s | 12:00pm | ESPN2/U |
| East Carolina at Charlotte | 12:00pm | ESPN2/U |
| Florida State at Clemson | 12:00pm | CW |
| Rutgers at Minnesota | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Wake Forest at Virginia Tech | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| Cincinnati at Kansas | 1:00pm | CBS |
| North Carolina at Syracuse | 1:00pm | ABC |
| Mississippi State at South Carolina | 1:00pm | SECN |
| Chattanooga at The Citadel | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Binghamton at UMass Lowell | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas State at Louisiana | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UAlbany at UMBC | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Western Carolina at VMI | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Georgia Southern at App State | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Marshall at Coastal Carolina | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Xavier at Butler | 1:30pm | TNT |
| Navy at Army West Point | 1:30pm | CBSSN |
| Miami (FL) at Virginia | 2:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Penn State at Nebraska | 2:00pm | BTN |
| SIUE at Tennessee State | 2:00pm | ESPNU |
| Notre Dame at Pitt | 2:00pm | ACCN |
| Hofstra at Northeastern | 2:00pm | NESN+ |
| Dartmouth at Columbia | 2:00pm | SNY |
| Kansas City at North Dakota State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Duquesne at Dayton | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| San Jose State at Boise State | 2:00pm | MWN |
| Wagner at Saint Francis U | 2:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| LIU at Mercyhurst | 2:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| New Haven at Fairleigh Dickinson | 2:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| Central Connecticut at Chicago State | 2:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| Delaware at Middle Tennessee | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Samford at Mercer | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Le Moyne at Stonehill | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Davidson at Fordham | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Central Arkansas at FGCU | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Penn at Yale | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Harvard at Cornell | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Georgia Tech at Louisville | 2:15pm | CW |
| Kansas State at Texas Tech | 2:30pm | FOX |
| Rhode Island at La Salle | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Arizona at Houston | 3:00pm | ABC |
| UNLV at Air Force | 3:00pm | MWN |
| Arkansas State at ULM | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Utah Valley at UTA | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Old Dominion at Southern Miss | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Missouri State at FIU | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Ohio at Northern Illinois | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Washington at Maryland | 3:00pm | Peacock |
| West Georgia at Queens | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Valparaiso at UIC | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| North Dakota at South Dakota State | 3:00pm | Summit |
| Oklahoma State at Colorado | 3:30pm | TNT |
| Texas at Georgia | 3:30pm | SECN |
| Jacksonville State at Sam Houston | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| North Florida at Stetson | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Arizona State at Baylor | 4:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Oregon at USC | 4:00pm | FS1 |
| South Carolina State at Norfolk State | 4:00pm | ESPNU |
| Boston College at SMU | 4:00pm | ACCN |
| Monmouth at Charleston | 4:00pm | CBSSN |
| UNCW at Campbell | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Jackson State at Alcorn State | 4:00pm | SWAC TV |
| Longwood at Charleston Southern | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Delaware State at Morgan State | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| ETSU at UNCG | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Winthrop at High Point | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| James Madison at Georgia State | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Evansville at Murray State | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Utah at Abilene Christian | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Maine at New Hampshire | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| WKU at Liberty | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Troy at South Alabama | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Lindenwood at Tennessee Tech | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southeast Missouri at Little Rock | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Hampton at Stony Brook | 4:00pm | FloCollege |
| Morehead State at Western Illinois | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Radford at UNC Asheville | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Indiana at Eastern Illinois | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Houston Christian at Northwestern State | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| UTRGV at Southeastern Louisiana | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Presbyterian at USC Upstate | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Maryland Eastern Shore at Coppin State | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| West Virginia at TCU | 5:00pm | Peacock |
| Western Michigan at Central Michigan | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Washington at Portland State | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Utah Tech at Tarleton | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Michigan at Toledo | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UC Davis at UC Riverside | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| North Alabama at Lipscomb | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Louisiana Tech at Kennesaw State | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UConn at Villanova | 5:30pm | TNT |
| Temple at Wichita State | 6:00pm | ESPN2/U |
| Georgetown at Seton Hall | 6:00pm | FS1 |
| Alabama at LSU | 6:00pm | SECN |
| Stanford at California | 6:00pm | ACCN |
| San Diego State at Colorado State | 6:00pm | CBSSN |
| St. Bonaventure at Richmond | 6:00pm | WTVR |
| Grambling State at Southern | 6:00pm | SWAC TV |
| Southern Illinois at UNI | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Pepperdine at Oregon State | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Nicholls at Stephen F. Austin | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Loyola Marymount at San Diego | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UIW at East Texas A&M | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Buffalo at UMass | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Montana State at Idaho State | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| St. Thomas at Denver | 6:00pm | Summit |
| Duke vs. Michigan | 6:30pm | ESPN |
| Vermont at NJIT | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Kentucky at Bellarmine | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| New Orleans at Lamar | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Furman at Wofford | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Austin Peay at Jacksonville | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| North Carolina A&T at Elon | 7:00pm | FloCollege |
| Illinois at UCLA | 8:00pm | FOX |
| Illinois State at Bradley | 8:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Providence at DePaul | 8:00pm | FS1 |
| A&M-Corpus Christi at McNeese | 8:00pm | ESPNU |
| New Mexico at Fresno State | 8:00pm | CBSSN |
| Wyoming at Grand Canyon | 8:00pm | KTVK |
| Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Indiana State at Belmont | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| South Dakota at Oral Roberts | 8:00pm | Summit |
| Kentucky at Auburn | 8:30pm | ESPN |
| Texas A&M at Oklahoma | 8:30pm | SECN |
| Pacific at Gonzaga | 9:00pm | KHQ |
| UTEP at NM State | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Montana at Weber State | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UCF at Utah | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| CSUN at Long Beach State | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Cal State Fullerton at CSU Bakersfield | 9:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Saint Mary’s at Washington State | 10:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Utah State at Nevada | 10:00pm | FS1 |
| UC Santa Barbara at Hawai’i | 10:00pm | ESPNU |
| Santa Clara at San Francisco | 10:00pm | CBSSN |
| UC San Diego at UC Irvine | 10:00pm | Spectrum |
| Idaho at Sacramento State | 10:00pm | KMAX |
| Portland at Seattle U | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Iowa State at BYU | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| NASCAR Truck: Fr8 Racing 208 | 1:30pm | FS1 |
| Xfinity: Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 | 5:00pm | CW |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA: Genesis Invitational | 1:00pm | GOLF |
| PGA: Genesis Invitational | 3:00pm | CBS |
| LPGA Tour: LPGA Thailand | 10:30pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| La Liga: Real Sociedad vs Real Oviedo | 8:00am | ESPN+ |
| Serie A: Juventus vs Como | 9:00am | Paramount+ |
| Bundesliga: Wolfsburg vs Augsburg | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| Bundesliga: Union Berlin vs Bayer Leverkusen | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| Bundesliga: Bayern München vs Eintracht Frankfurt | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| Bundesliga: Köln vs Hoffenheim | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| EPL: Brentford vs Brighton & Hove Albion | 10:00am | Peacock |
| EPL: Aston Villa vs Leeds United | 10:00am | Peacock |
| EPL: Chelsea vs Burnley | 10:00am | Peacock |
| La Liga: Real Betis vs Rayo Vallecano | 10:15am | ESPN+ |
| Ligue 1: Lens vs Monaco | 11:00am | beIN Sports fuboTV |
| Serie A: Lecce vs Internazionale | 12:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Bundesliga: RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund | 12:30pm | ESPN+ |
| La Liga: Osasuna vs Real Madrid | 12:30pm | ESPN+ |
| EPL: West Ham United vs AFC Bournemouth | 12:30pm | Peacock |
| Ligue 1: Toulouse vs Paris | 1:00pm | beIN Sports fuboTV |
| MLS: St. Louis City vs Charlotte | 2:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Serie A: Cagliari vs Lazio | 2:45pm | Paramount+ |
| EPL: Manchester City vs Newcastle United | 3:00pm | Peacock |
| La Liga: Atlético Madrid vs Espanyol | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Ligue 1: PSG vs Metz | 3:05pm | beIN Sports fuboTV |
| MLS: Cincinnati vs Atlanta United | 4:45pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Liga MX: Atlas vs Atlético San Luis | 6:00pm | VIX |
| MLS: DC United vs Philadelphia Union | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Orlando City SC vs New York RB | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Real Salt Lake | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Liga MX: León vs Santos Laguna | 8:00pm | fuboTV |
| Liga MX: Necaxa vs Toluca | 8:00pm | VIX |
| MLS: Austin vs Minnesota United | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Dallas vs Toronto FC | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Houston Dynamo vs Chicago Fire | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Nashville SC vs New England | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Los Angeles FC vs Inter Miami | 9:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Liga MX: Cruz Azul vs Guadalajara | 10:00pm | VIX |
| MLS: Portland Timbers vs Columbus Crew | 10:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: San Diego vs CF Montréal | 10:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: SJ Earthquakes vs Sporting KC | 10:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
About The Author
