The Indiana all-stars held home court against Kentucky on the final night of this year’s annual all-star basketball rivalry series between the neighboring states.
Both the Indiana boys and girls teams were victorious in Saturday night’s games, which were played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, the home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.
Flory Bidunga powers Indiana boys to victory
On Friday night, the Kentucky boys all-stars scored their biggest win against Indiana in more than 25 years.
On Saturday, Indiana ensured that this year’s series would be split with a narrow 92-89 victory.
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Indiana was led by its Mr. Basketball, future Kansas Jayhawk Flory Bidunga. The 6-foot-9 former UK basketball recruit, went for 31 points and 15 rebounds. He also blocked six shots. Those were all game highs.
In Friday night’s game — which Kentucky won 103-82 — Bidunga was called for a technical foul while celebrating a dunk and subsequently fouled out of the game midway through the second half.
Other Indiana standouts from Saturday night’s game in Indianapolis included Purdue-bound Jack Benter (16 points), Northwestern-bound K.J. Windham (13 points), Eastern Kentucky-bound Micah Davis (11 points), Butler-bound Evan Haywood (10 points) and IU Indianapolis-bound Keenan Garner (nine points and 11 rebounds).
Kentucky was led for the second straight night by Oldham County’s Max Green, who will be playing in college at Holy Cross. After he exploded for 36 points on Friday, Green followed that up with a team-high 25 Saturday.
Green was joined in the double-digit scoring club for Kentucky by Seneca’s Quel’Ron House, a future Jacksonville State player who had 24 points, and Lyon County’s Travis Perry, who is Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball. Perry, an incoming UK basketball player, had 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field.
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Perry, the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky boys high school basketball history, was a perfect 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.
Three Kentucky boys all-stars didn’t play in Saturday’s game: Warren Central’s Kade Unseld (Western Kentucky), Christian Academy-Louisville’s Jackson “BB” Washington (Florida Gulf Coast) and Hopkinsville’s Antonio Williams (Three Rivers College).
Indiana leads the all-time boys series over Kentucky 104-46. Kentucky hasn’t swept Indiana in the two-game series since 1986, and Kentucky has just four wins in the boys series since 1998.
FINAL
WOW!!! What a game. Kentucky comes up three points short of their first sweep since 1986.
— Kentucky All-Stars (@KYAllStarGame) June 9, 2024
Indiana girls complete sweep of Kentucky
In the girls’ contest, Indiana completed a sweep of Kentucky with a 66-64 victory on Saturday. Indiana had three girls score in double figures in the contest.
Indiana Miss Basketball Chloe Spreen (who is going to Alabama) led the way with 19 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field.
Juliann Woodard (who is Michigan State bound) added 15 points, including a perfect 11-for-11 night from the free-throw line. Woodard, a 6-foot forward who scored 23 points in Friday night’s Indiana victory at Lexington Catholic High School, had a double-double with 13 rebounds.
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Faith Wiseman (who will play at Indiana) contributed 10 points to the winning cause.
On Saturday, Kentucky was led by Sacred Heart’s Reagan Bender, who is going to Louisville. Bender had a game-high 21 points, which included 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Kentucky’s Shaelyn Steele, a 5-foot-6 guard from Russell who scored 25 points on Friday night, went for 17 points in Saturday’s game.
Boyd County’s Jasmine Jordan (who is going to the University of Rio Grande in Ohio) had 12 points and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.
Kentucky’s Miss Basketball, Pikeville’s Trinity Rowe (who will play at Southern Mississippi), didn’t play in Saturday’s game. Rowe logged 34 minutes in Friday night’s game at LexCath, which was the most among all Kentucky players in that game.
Indiana now leads Kentucky in the girls series 55-41.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After more than a week since its last game, Indiana returns to action Sunday against Winthrop at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
This marks the Hoosiers’ last of 11 nonconference games before resuming Big Ten play on Jan. 2 for the remainder of the regular season. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Indiana most recently defeated Chattanooga 74-65 on Dec. 21 in Bloomington, where Mackenzie Mgbako and Malik Reneau scored a team-high 14 points apiece. Following the win, coach Mike Woodson said the team would have a few days off before resuming practice on Thursday evening. Indiana enters Sunday’s game with a 9-3 record and a desire to clean up recent defensive shortcomings.
“Definitely the defensive side is the side we need to focus on the most and keep working at that and getting better,” Reneau said after the Chattanooga game. “But I feel like this break will help us out and clear our minds and we’ll come back ready to work and get ready for Big Ten play.”
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Here’s a full breakdown of the Winthrop Eagles.
Key players
Winthrop Eagles forward Kelton Talford (4) drives against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Myles Stute (10) at Colonial Life Arena. / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Key departures
2024-25 schedule (10-4)
Head coach: Mark Prosser
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Prosser has a 65-45 overall record and a 32-18 record in Big South play in his fourth season at Winthrop. In Prosser’s first season, the Eagles won the Big South south division title with a 14-2 conference record, but they finished in fourth place the following two seasons. Before his head coaching stint at Winthrop, Prosser coached Western Carolina for three seasons, going 37-53 overall and 18-35 in the Southern Conference. He was also an assistant coach at Winthrop from 2012-18, following one season as Brevard College’s head coach. Previous jobs include assistant coaching positions at Wofford and Bucknell. He played at Marist from 1998-99, then became a student assistant after an injury. Prosser, 46, was born in Wheeling, W.V.
Strengths
Winthrop has benefited from continuity, which has become rare in today’s era of college basketball. Its four leading scorers from last year returned, and they’re leading the Eagles in scoring again this season, averaging double-digit points. All four are seniors in at least their second seasons at Winthrop under Prosser.
That core includes a pair of 6-foot-7 forwards, Kelton Talford and K.J. Doucet. Both are efficient scorers, shooting over 55% from the field. Talford is the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading shot blocker. He leads the Big South with 52 offensive rebounds and 101 free throw attempts. Indiana will have to keep him off the glass and foul line. Doucet can stretch the floor at 41.7% from 3-point range, creating a dynamic one-two punch in the front court.
Guards Kasen Harrison and Nick Johnson round out Winthrop’s veteran quartet. Harrison does the vast majority of scoring from 2-point range, and he’s the team’s assist leader at 3.3 per game. Johnson is fourth on the team in scoring, but he’s plenty capable at 11 points per game. He led the Eagles with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting in their most recent win over Mercer.
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As a team, Winthrop ranks 17th nationally at 87.2 points per game and plays at the nation’s fifth-fastest tempo. The Eagles lead the nation with 32.1 free throw attempts per game. nationally. Indiana has struggled to rebound the ball in a few games this year, and it faces a formidable challenge in that area Sunday against a Winthrop team that ranks 17th nationally with 41.9 rebounds per game. Winthrop also averages 8.9 steals and has an opponent turnover percentage of 21.7%, 33rd in the country, placing an emphasis on Indiana taking care of the ball.
Winthrop Eagles guard Nick Johnson (10) dribbles against Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Weaknesses
Indiana’s significant height advantage could offset the effectiveness of the 6-foot-7 duo of Talford and Doucet. Both players are having good seasons, but they haven’t faced a front court trio quite like Indiana’s 7-foot center Oumar Ballo and 6-foot-9 forwards Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako. Winthrop’s leading shot blocker is 6-foot-10 center Tai Hamilton, but he plays just 9.9 minutes per game. Lacking height and shot blockers inside, Winthrop may have to play Hamilton more than usual.
Though Winthrop is among the nation’s top-20 in scoring average, it has not been efficient. The Eagles shoot just 30.9% from 3-point range, which ranks 297th nationally. They get to the free throw line more than anyone, but they haven’t taken advantage of that as they shoot just 66.8% from the line, 302nd nationally. Baker and Jones lead the team with 30 and 25 3-pointers made, respectively, but both shoot below 35% from beyond the arc.
Winthrop Eagles head coach Mark Prosser speaks with guard Kasen Harrison (11) at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati. / Carter Skaggs/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Season and game outlook
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Winthrop was picked to finish second in the preseason Big South poll and received one first-place vote. The Eagles rank 184th overall on KenPom, ninth-best out of Indiana’s 13th opponents this season. They should be in the mix for a Big South title in Prosser’s fourth.
Indiana is predicted to win Sunday’s game 89-74 and is given a 92% chance of victory by KenPom. The Hoosiers’ defense has struggled in several games this season, and they’ll have to be sharp to slow down a fast-paced, high-scoring – though not particularly efficient – Winthrop offense. It’s a game Indiana should win comfortably in its final tune-up before facing Big Ten opponents the rest of the way.
Wisconsin Badgers (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) at Indiana Hoosiers (9-3, 1-0 Big Ten)
Bloomington, Indiana; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Indiana takes on Wisconsin after Shay Ciezki scored 20 points in Indiana’s 90-55 victory over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.
The Hoosiers have gone 6-1 in home games. Indiana averages 72.0 points and has outscored opponents by 10.2 points per game.
The Badgers are 1-0 against Big Ten opponents. Wisconsin is 2-0 in one-possession games.
Indiana scores 72.0 points, 10.6 more per game than the 61.4 Wisconsin gives up. Wisconsin scores 8.0 more points per game (69.8) than Indiana allows to opponents (61.8).
The Hoosiers and Badgers match up Saturday for the first time in conference play this season.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Yarden Garzon is shooting 41.4% and averaging 14.2 points for the Hoosiers.
Serah Williams is scoring 20.0 points per game and averaging 12.3 rebounds for the Badgers.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hoosiers: 8-2, averaging 71.4 points, 30.8 rebounds, 16.7 assists, 6.2 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.0 points per game.
Badgers: 8-2, averaging 66.4 points, 33.6 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 60.8 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A northern Indiana couple found a million-dollar Powerball ticket on Christmas Day in between the seats of their car.
The couple on Thursday drove from their home in Kendallville to the downtown Indianapolis Hoosier Lottery office to claim their prize five hours before their ticket expired.
“It was an emotional day for the both of us,” the couple told the Hoosier Lottery in a press release, which did not identify the pair.
The couple purchased the ticket at the Kendallville Finish Line convenience store located at 620 Professional Way in Kendallville.
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The lottery says, after the couple learned the million dollars was unclaimed, they began their search.
The ticket matched all five numbers from the June 29 drawing.