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COLUMN: No. 16 Indiana women’s basketball shows its depth in close 77-71 victory over Illinois

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COLUMN: No. 16 Indiana women’s basketball shows its depth in close 77-71 victory over Illinois


No. 16 ranked Indiana women’s basketball picked up a win in its second conference game of the season against Illinois 77-71. 

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall was packed, even with students on break. All 11,600 fans were presented with an amazing game that ended with entertaining possessions and stellar offense that went down to the final seconds.  

Illinois came into Sunday’s game with a 6-5 record and without a Quad 1 or Quad 2 win. It was a perfect opportunity for the Fighting Illini to get a big win.  

The storyline coming into this one was the matchup of dominant forwards. Illinois senior forward Kendall Bostic and Indiana graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes were set to battle down low. Bostic finished nine-for-18 from the floor with 18 points in a tremendous effort for Illinois. Holmes put up a scintillating 30 points and seven rebounds. 

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Indiana’s performance proves that they do not need all five starters at their best in each game to win in the Big Ten. Fifth-year senior guard Sara Scalia and senior guard Sydney Parrish struggled Sunday, scoring a combined 7 points while going two-for-16 from the field.  

With Parrish and Scalia unable to produce their typical scoring outputs, senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil stepped into a rather unfamiliar role. Although she has regressed from 9.5 points per game last season to 7.8 this season, Moore-McNeil had her way Sunday. She scored 19 points, shooting seven-for-11. Moore-McNeil’s primary role this season has been to facilitate and get primary offensive playmakers in position to score, but Sunday’s performance proves she can score when relied upon. 

A part of the offensive game plan for Indiana this season has been having Holmes play the first five or so minutes of the game to diagnose the defense and then putting in sophomore forward Lilly Meister. Meister has excelled in her 11.6 minutes per game, averaging 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Sunday, Meister was beating out double teams under the basket early in the first half. She adds small bunches of points — like the 8 points she scored Sunday — in Holmes’ breaks on the bench. If Meister keeps up the pace, her freshness will be a key piece for Indiana in the Big Ten. 

Sophomore guard Yarden Garzon always has an effect on the game when she is on the floor. But Sunday, it wasn’t shooting — Garzon had five assists and six rebounds. While she was ultimately responsible for the dagger that sent the Illini home with the loss, her impact in facilitating the offense and rebounding the ball allowed the Hoosiers to notch their 10th consecutive victory. She finished with 12 points on four-for-seven shooting with two 3-pointers.  

With the win, a happy Indiana head coach Teri Moren took the podium postgame, addressing the packed Assembly Hall crowd.  

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“What a great crowd, I tell ‘em all the time, they get us to the finish line with their energy that they give us, they know when to cheer, they know when we need them the most,” Moren said. “We are so grateful they spend some of their New Year’s Eve Day with us and they are so important to the success that we had.” 

The Hoosiers now sit at 2-0 in the Big Ten, but as it is said all the time in college basketball, the road does not get any easier. The Hoosiers take on Michigan at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Bloomington with the game being televised on the Big Ten Network.

Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa), columnist Ryan Canfield (@_ryancanfield) and photographer Olivia Bianco (@theoliviabianco) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.





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Kelsey Mitchell winner completes Fever comeback against Mercury, without Caitlin Clark

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Kelsey Mitchell winner completes Fever comeback against Mercury, without Caitlin Clark


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PHOENIX — The Indiana Fever barely eked out of Mortgage Matchup Arena with a 92-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night on the second night of a back-to-back.

Caitlin Clark (rest) did not play after making her return on a minutes restriction on Wednesday against Los Angeles. Aliyah Boston, who missed the game against L.A. for precautionary reasons, finished with 19 points and eight rebounds against the Mercury.

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Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting, adding on eight assists. She hit the game-winning layup with 10 seconds left. Tyasha Harris finished with 15 points and five assists, including a stretch of nine of 11 Fever points to close the gap.

Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas had 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists, Kahleah Copper added 22 points and five rebounds.

Here’s what I liked and disliked, and what the win means.

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What I liked in the Indiana Fever’s win vs Phoenix Mercury

  • Early 3-point shooting: One of Boston’s main focuses this offseason was improving her 3-point shot, and it’s coming to fruition. She made two 3-pointers in the first quarter, helping lead the Fever to six total makes beyond the arc in the opening 10-minute period. Harris, starting in place of Clark, had two 3-pointers in the first quarter, as well, with Lexie Hull and Mitchell each making one. At the time, it was big for the Fever to maintain a lead.
  • Roaring back in the third quarter: Basketball is a game of runs, and the Fever embodied that. They led by 12 in the first, then trailed by four at halftime, then went on a 20-9 run over seven minutes in the third quarter to take a one-point lead by the end of the third. Mitchell was the one to lead that comeback, scoring nine points on 3-of-6 shooting along with three assists in that quarter. The third was crucial for the Fever not just to get back into the lead, but, especially on a back-to-back, to try and have the mental fortitude to close the game out.
  • Tyasha Harris coming in clutch: Harris’ role has expanded since Clark has been out (or limited), and she is making the most of her minutes. She scored nine points in the fourth quarter alone, including a 3-pointer with three minutes left to take the lead, then four straight points to give the Fever the lead again with 44 seconds left. She finished the game with 15 points and five assists, being the facilitator the Fever need while Clark recovers.

What I disliked in the Indiana Fever’s win vs Phoenix Mercury

  • Second-quarter slide: For the second straight game, the Fever held a double-digit lead in the first quarter then were trailing by halftime. The Fever allowed the Mercury to shoot 12 of 20 from the field in the second quarter (and 5 of 8 from 3-point range), completely negating the Fever’s six 3-pointers from the first quarter. Phoenix went on a 12-2 run over the final three minutes of the quarter, too, taking advantage of the Fever’s off the mark shots.
  • Silly mistakes: In a close game like this, every possession matters. And every mistake compounds. The Fever had a few in the second half, including a shot-clock violation from Harris where she wasn’t even in shooting motion yet, a defensive three-seconds foul from Aliyah Boston, a backcourt violation from Kelsey Mitchell, and another shot clock violation from Raven Johnson to start the fourth quarter. All of those mistakes gives Phoenix extra points or extra possessions. While the Fever ultimately won the game, it made it closer than it needed to be.

What the Indiana Fever’s win vs Phoenix Mercury means

Indiana (13-9) is a strong team offensively, but recently, the Fever haven’t been able to get out of their own way on defense. It showed in the runs they gave up to Phoenix, flip-flopping the lead and forcing the Fever to continue to play from behind. It worked out for Indiana this time around, finding what they needed when they needed it, but it won’t be sustainable long term.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.



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Attempted murder suspect arrested in Indianapolis for Bloomington shooting

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Attempted murder suspect arrested in Indianapolis for Bloomington shooting


BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — A Bloomington man was arrested Wednesday in Indianapolis on an attempted murder charge after police say he fired seven to eight rounds into a white GMC SUV occupied by three adults and four children last month in Bloomington before fleeing the area.

A news release issued Thursday from the Bloomington Police Department said members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s special weapons and tactics team took Kafern P. Johnson, 32, into custody near the intersection of West 84th Street and Allison Avenue in Indianapolis without incident.

The arrest came more than two weeks after the June 23 shooting in the 1000 block of North Summit Street. That’s in a residential area next to Crestmont Park in Bloomington.

Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch received 911 calls at 7:41 p.m. June 23 reporting gunfire in the area.

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Responding patrol officers and detectives determined Johnson had fired into the SUV following a verbal fight with the vehicle’s driver. Police said the dispute stemmed from an argument over a relationship.

No injuries were reported despite the number of people inside the vehicle.

Following his arrest, Johnson was taken to an IMPD facility for questioning and later booked into the Marion County jail. On Thursday morning, he was booked into the Monroe County jail.

The release said Johnson could face felony charges of attempted murder, criminal recklessness with a firearm, and pointing a firearm. No formal charges have yet been filed, according to online court records.

Bloomington police asked anyone with additional information to call 812-349-3324.

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This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.



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FAIRFIELD NATIVE AND HIS WIFE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR NEWBURGH, INDIANA HOME

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FAIRFIELD NATIVE AND HIS WIFE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR NEWBURGH, INDIANA HOME


Fairfield native, David K. Wells, 69, and his wife Aileen, were found dead inside their home in Newburgh, Indiana, Monday night. Warrick County Sheriff Michael Wilder said that deputies responded to the residence just before 8:00 p.m. after dispatch received a call around 7:40 p.m. from a friend of the family requesting a welfare check. When officers didn’t get an answer at the door, they entered through the back of the home and found the couple deceased. Officers cleared the home and waited for detectives to arrive. Investigators also obtained a search warrant to do a further examination of the residence. Authorities were able to notify family members and conduct interviews to gather additional information. Sheriff Wilder said investigators believe the couple had been dead for less than 24 hours before they were found. He also said there is no indication of any forced entry or an intruder. Sheriff Wilder has not made a formal determination as to what happened. Autopsies for the couple were scheduled for yesterday morning to help determine a cause. David Wells grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1975. He had a long career in television commercial production in Evansville and had more recently operated the Cigar! Cigar! tobacco store in Evansville.



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