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Winston, Ward Guide No. 8 Michigan Past No. 14 Ohio State, 86-77

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cassius Winston came alive in the second half and Nick Ward supported efficiently and No. 8 Michigan State defeated No. 14 Ohio State 86-77 in Big Ten action on Saturday.

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Winston scored 18 points of his 25 points in the second half and dished out four of his five total assists in that period as well for Michigan State (13-2, 4-0 Big Ten) to win its fourth straight in conference action.

Nick Ward had 21 points, 14 points in the first half, to go with seven rebound for the Spartans, while Matt McQuaid added 12 points in the road win for Michigan State, which was winning its eighth straight.

Kaleb Wesson had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the way for Ohio State before fouling out late in the second half.

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The Buckeyes (12-2, 2-1) closed the first half on a 15-5 run to take a 43-36 half-time lead, but fell into foul trouble and failed to fend off the visitors after the break.

C.J. Jackson had 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in the first half for Ohio State, but spend most of the second half on the bench and only added a single steal to his overall stats after the interval.

Michigan’s Winston knotted the score at 55-55 with a layup with 12:17 to play in the game before Xavier Tillman made a pair of free throws to give the travelers a four-point, 64-59 lead with nine minutes to play.

However, Ohio State wouldn’t go away and came back to even the score at 64 all with a three-pointer from Duane Washington Jr. and an Andre Wesson’s layup with just under eight minutes left.

Both teams then exchanged buckets in the closing minutes of the game before the Spartans pulled away in the final three minutes to hand the Buckeyes their second defeat of the season and first in Big Ten play.

Big Ten College Football Standings Going Into Week 13

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COLUMBUS, OH, Sporting Alert – The Big Ten football standings and statistics ahead of the final week on the regular season schedule.

Big Ten Stats: 2016 Standings | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Statistics (PDF)

With three teams ranked in the AP top 25 latest poll and two in the recent College Football Playoff rankings, the upcoming weekend will be vital for several of the conference powerhouses.

Michigan and Wisconsin are the respective leaders in the Big Ten division and both programs have a very good chance to play in the league championship game.

The Wolverines control their own destiny in the Big Ten East Division, while the Badgers control the West Division.

A win for both teams this coming weekend would see them clashing in the conference tournament game and a possible place in the college football playoff semi-final.

Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are all locked in a three-way tie in the East, with the trio holding 7-1 records.

The Buckeyes (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) and Wolverines (10-1, 7-1) will meet in a high-quality clash, while the Nittany Lions (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) are hosting Michigan State (3-8, 1-7).

Rutgers is sitting last in the division with a 0-8 record, while overall, the Scarlet Knights are 2-9.

They will close out the regular season schedule at Maryland.

In the West, Wisconsin and Nebraska are sitting on 6-2 conference records and 9-2 marks overall for the season.

The Cornhuskers are at Iowa this coming weekend, while the Badgers will entertain Minnesota (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten).

Indiana (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) travels to Purdue (3-8, 1-7).

Purdue sits last in the West Division.

Heading the weekend fixtures, Penn State is on a seven-game winning streak, while Wisconsin is on a five-game winning streak.

Also with a highlighted winning streak entering this weekend is Ohio State.

NOTE: Ohio State is ranked No. 2 in the College Football and AP Top 25 rankings, Michigan State is No. 3 in the CFP rankings, while Penn State is No. 8.

Big Ten Conference College Football Week 7 Schedule, Stream

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COLUMBUS, OH, Sporting Alert – The Big Ten Conference 2016 college football schedule for Week 7 on Saturday, October 15.

High on the list of teams on the schedule for the weekend are No. 2 Ohio State and No. 10 Nebraska, while Michigan State will try to stop its current three-game skid.

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The highlighted clash in the Big Ten Conference in the seventh week of action is unquestionably the battle between the undefeated Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) and No. 8 Wisconsin (4-1, 1-1).

Saturday’s encounter is slated for Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI, with the kick-off time being 8:00pm and broadcasting live on ABC and streaming live on WatchESPN.

The Buckeyes are coming off a 38-17 win over Indiana in Columbus, on Saturday, while the Badgers were beaten 14-7 by Michigan in their last fixture.

For more reasons than one, a victory this weekend is essential for both teams in their push for a College Football Playoffs spot and both coaches will certainly want their respective team to keep lingering in the conversation.

At the same time, though, Wisconsin, which retained its No. 8 ranked spot, despite its defeat, needs a win slightly more than Ohio State after losing to the Wolverines in Week 6.

“You hope to earn that right to be in those conversations,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said Tuesday.

The Badgers must make a big impression on the College Football Playoffs committee this weekend.

It is the first meeting between these two programs since 2014, when Ohio State battered Wisconsin 59-0 and tallied 558 total yards in the win.

Tenth-ranked Nebraska travels to Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN, to take on Indiana live at 3:30pm on ABC, ESPN2 and WatchESPN.

The Cornhuskers (5-0) were on a bye in Week 6 after securing their fifth successive win of the season with a 31-16 positive result over Illinois on Oct. 1, and they will be eager to get back on the pitch and take advantage of any slip-up by those ranked above them.

At the same time, while the likes of Ohio State, Wisconsin and Nebraska are hunting CFP places, a struggling Michigan State is trying to come to grip with what has happened in the last three weeks.

The Spartans (2-3), who ranked No. 12 at the start of the season, began the campaign with two wins, but have since lost three in a row, which left coach Mark Dantonio re-evaluating his team’s quarterback position, with starter Tyler O’Connor currently in the spotlight.

Dantonio is trying to figure out what is going on.

“I understand it’s very difficult to win,” he said. “I also understand when you have these types of situations, you’ve got to dig yourself out of the hole and you got to have one focus and that’s the next game, the next moment.

Audio: Listen to your Big Ten coach’s Week 7 Teleconference

“You have to make sure the players are not being bombarded. I know they’re being bombarded outside of this football building, but that the football building becomes a sanctuary for them.”

Come Saturday, Michigan State will host Northwestern with the hope of ending the slump.

In other Big Ten Conference 2016 college football game in Week 7, Illinois is at Rutgers in Piscataway, NJ, live on ESPNEWS, while Purdue plays hosts to Iowa at West Lafayette on ESPN2.

Check out the group standings

Big Ten Conference 2016
Week 7 Schedule
Saturday, October 15

Iowa at Purdue West Lafayette, IN 12:00 pm ESPN2, WatchESPN
Illinois at Rutgers Piscataway, NJ 12:00 pm ESPNEWS, WatchESPN
Nebraska at Indiana Bloomington, IN 3:30 pm ABC (ESPN2), WatchESPN
Northwestern at Michigan State East Lansing, MI 3:30 pm BTN
Ohio State at Wisconsin Madison, WI 8:00 pm ABC, WatchESPN

Updated NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Scores: Mar. 14

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NASHVILLE, TN (Sporting Alert) — The following are the scores and results from the NCAA men’s top 25 basketball tournament games that took place on Saturday, March 14.

Among the winners on the day were No. 1 Kentucky, No. 13 Iowa State and No. 6 Wisconsin. Defending national champions Connecticut also picked up a victory on the day.

Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky Wildcats players celebrates after the win

In the SEC semifinal, the top-ranked Wildcats (33-0, 18-0 SEC) extended their undefeated season run with a dominating 91-67 victory over Auburn at Bridgestone Arena, in Nashville.

Willie Cauley-Stein scored 17 points, seven rebounds and had three block shots to lead the way for Kentucky, which moves into the SEC title game where they will face No. 21 Arkansas.

Andrew Harrison collected 15 points, while Trey Lyles, Aaron Harrison and Devin Booker all finished with 12 points in the victory for the Wildcats, who went 27-for-48 (56.3 percent) from the field.

Kentucky, which out-rebounded Auburn 39-25, led 47-29 at halftime.

“It was a good game, a hard-fought game and we played well,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said.

Antoine Mason scored 23 points and Malcolm Canada added 16 to lead the way for the Tigers (15-20, 4-14 SEC).

”We obviously knew we had our hands full,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. ”For our guys, we were undersized and undermanned, but we’ve been that way all along.

“I’m just proud of the way my guys competed.”

Over at the United Center, in Chicago, Wisconsin responded from a slow first half to outscore Purdue 41-16 after the interval to setup a 71-51 victory to roll into the Big Ten tournament final.

Bronson Koenig shot 7-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range for 19 points to pace the Badgers (30-3, 16-2 Big Ten).

Sam Dekker ended with 15 points and eight rebounds and Nigel Hayes supported well with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals for the sixth-ranked Wisconsin, which won five straight.

Star forward Frank Kaminsky chipped in with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.

Only A.J. Hammons, who scored 10 points, reached double-digits in scoring for the Boilermakers. He also had seven rebounds and three blocks in the defeat.

Michigan State will face the Badgers in the Big Ten final after upsetting No. 8 Maryland (27-6, 14-4 Big Ten) 62-58 in their semifinal contest.

Travis Trice connected on three of his five three points attempts and went 7-of-13 from the field to score 20 points for the Spartans (23-10, 12-6 Big Ten). Branden Dawson finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in supporting role for Michigan State

No. 13 Iowa State rallies from a 17 point deficit to defeat No. 9 Kansas 70-66 to secure its second straight Big 12 tournament title.

Georges Niang scored 19 points and four other players scored in double figures for the Cyclones.

Abdel Nader added 13 points, while Jameel McKay finished with 11 points and eight boards and Monte Morris collected 11 points and six assists for Iowa State (25-8, 12-6 Big 12), which trailed 37-23 at halftime.

Kansas (26-8, 13-5 Big 12), which won the conference regular season title, was led by Wayne Selden Jr.’s game-high 25 points and Frank Mason III’s 13 in the defeat.

The Cyclones, who went on a 17-2 run in the early part of the second half, scored 47 points as a team after the interval.

“We got down 17, and they were still talking and positive in the huddle,” Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. “And that’s a great sign, when your guys can stick together through adversity.”

In other tournament results on Saturday, No. 4 Villanova routed Xavier 69-52 to win the Big East tournament crown for the first time since 1995.

Dylan Ennis was the top contributor with 16 points and six boards, with Josh Hart finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (32-2, 16-2 Big East), who head into the NCAA Tournament with a 15 game winning streak.

Outside of the top 25 ranked teams, defending NCAA national champions Connecticut squeezed out a 47-42 victory over Tulsa in the American tournament semifinal.

Ryan Boatright scored 21 points and six rebounds, Rodney Purvis added 11 points and Daniel Hamilton grabbed 12 rebounds with five assists for UConn (20-13), which closes on 14-1 run.

Top 25 Games: NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Scores

(1) Kentucky 91, Auburn 67
(4) Villanova 69, Xavier 52
(5) Arizona 80, Oregon 52
(6) Wisconsin 71, Purdue 51
Michigan St 62, (8) Maryland 58
(13) Iowa State 70, (9) Kansas 66
(11) Notre Dame 90, (19) North Carolina 82
(20) SMU 69, Temple 56
(21) Arkansas 60, Georgia 49
Virginia Commonwealth 93, (24) Davidson 73

Other NCAA Division I Game Scores

Albany 51, Stony Brook 50
Hampton 82, Delaware St 61
Georgia St 83, UL Lafayette 79
UAB 73, Middle Tennessee 60
Harvard 53, Yale 51
Dayton 56, Rhode Island 52
Georgia Southern 44, UL Monroe 43
Connecticut 47, Tulsa 42
Wyoming 45, San Diego St 43
Texas Southern 62, Southern 58
Buffalo 89, Central Michigan 84
Eastern Washington 69, Montana 65
Stephen F. Austin 83, Sam Houston St 70
New Mexico St 80, Seattle 61
UC Irvine 67, Hawaii 58

NCAA Top 25 Scores and Tournament Results: Mar. 13

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CHICAGO, IL (Sporting Alert) — The Results and scores from the NCAA DI Men’s Basketball tournaments on Friday.

Sixth-ranked Wisconsin Moves On

No. 6 Wisconsin muscled off a very determined Michigan side for a 71-60 victory in their BIG TEN Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal fixture at the United Center on Friday.

Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky (R) in action. Linked Photo

Sam Dekker posted 17 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals and had one block shot for the Badgers, who got a double-double from reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, Frank Kaminsky.

Kaminsky, who was 6-of-12 from the field finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the win for Wisconsin (29-3, 16-2 Big Ten), which advances to the tournament semi-finals.

Both teams were locked at 55-55 with 5:12 left in the contest before the Badgers closed on a 17-6 run in addition to collecting important stops on defense to setup the win.

Kaminsky revealed that the team had to grind out some challenging times during the game, but finding their rhythm again was the key difference in the last five minutes.

“We had a lot of energy (down the stretch),” Kaminsky told reporters. “We knew we had to get stops on defense and make plays on offense and once we did that we were ok.”

Wisconsin, which led 31-26 at halftime, was winning for the fourth straight time.

Zak Irvin scored 21 points and 11 rebounds for Michigan (16-16, 8-10 Big Ten). The sophomore guard, who is averaging 14.0 points per game, was scoring 20 or more points for the fifth time this season.

“Zak Irvin had a hell of a game. He was making everything I felt like,” Kaminsky said about the Wolverines’ guard.

“When a player is going like that it’s tough to stop them.”

Ricky Doyle added 12 points off the bench and Spike Albrecht finished with 10 in the defeat for the Wolverines, who went 51.9 percent (27-of-52) as a team from the floor.

Bronson Koenig had 12 points for Badgers, who shot 49-percent (25-of-51) from the field as a team, while Nigel Hayes ended with 11 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

Wisconsin plays the winner of the clash between Penn State and Purdue in Saturday’s the Big Ten tournament semifinals.

Wildcats Stay Perfect

Also on Friday, No. 1 Kentucky (32-0, 18-0 SEC) beat Florida 64-49 to remain undefeated this season, while booking a place in the SEC tournament quarterfinals.

Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds and Aaron Harrison finished with 13 points to lead the Wildcats, who will face Auburn in SEC semifinal on Saturday.

Jon Horford scored 15 points to pace the Gators (16-17, 8-10 SEC) with Eli Carter adding 11 in the defeat.

“They outrebounded us a little bit, but the difference in the game was the free throw line,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan.

“Twenty-three attempts to our five was a huge factor in the game. … If you take away the free throw line, it’s pretty consistent all the way through.”

Dame Down Blue Devils

Elsewhere on the night, No. 11 Notre Dame jumped all over No. 2 Duke in the early goings and then maintained their efforts throughout the game for a 74-64 win and advanced to the ACC tournament final for the first time.

The Fighting Irish (28-5, 14-4 ACC), which led 41-26 at halftime, were paced by Bonzie Colson, who scored 17 points and five rebounds off the bench, while shooting 5-of-9 from the field.

Demetrius Jackson finished with 15 points and five assists and Jerian Grant ended with 13 points and seven boards in the win for Notre Dame.

Jahlil Okafor had a big night of 28 points, eight rebounds and two blocks and Justise Winslow added 11 points and 11 boards for Blue Devils (29-4), who had their 12-game winning streak snapped.

With the win, Notre Dame moves on to play No. 19 North Carolina in Saturday’s ACC championship game.

North Carolina (24-10, 11-7 ACC) stunned No. 3 Virginia (29-3, 16-2 ACC), 71-67 at the Greensboro Coliseum, with Justin Jackson scoring 22 points and Marcus Paige adding 14 points and five assists.

Malcolm Brogdon led the Cavaliers with 25 points, while Anthony Gill and London Perrantes each had 12 in the defeat for the ACC regular season champions.

NCAA Top 25 Game Scores and Tournament Results

(1) Kentucky 64, Florida 49
(11) Notre Dame 74, (2) Duke 64
(19) North Carolina 71, (3) Virginia 67
(4) Villanova 63, Providence 61
(5) Arizona 70, UCLA 64
(6) Wisconsin 71, Michigan 60
(8) Maryland 75, Indiana 69
(9) Kansas 62, (16) Baylor 52
(13) Iowa State 67, (15) Oklahoma 65
Oregon 67, (17) Utah 64
(20) SMU 74, East Carolina 68
(21) Arkansas 80, Tennessee 72
Xavier 65, (23) Georgetown 63
(24) Davidson 67, La Salle 66
Wyoming 71, (25) Boise State 66

OTHER NCAA TOURNAMENT SCORES

Purdue 64, Penn State 59
Temple 80, Memphis 75
Virginia Commonwealth 70, Richmond 67
Auburn 73, LSU 70
Southern 68, Alabama St 66
Middle Tennessee 53, UTEP 50
Stephen F. Austin 91, Northwestern St 79
UL Lafayette 53, Texas State 43
Delaware St 63, North Carolina Central 57
Dayton 75, St. Bonaventure 71
Central Michigan 75, Toledo 66
UAB 72, Louisiana Tech 62
Tulsa 59, Houston 51
Eastern Washington 91, Sacramento St 83
Hampton 75, Norfolk St 64
UL Monroe 77, South Alabama 59
Sam Houston St 70, Texas A&M-CC 67
Rhode Island 71, George Washington 58
New Mexico St 57, CSU Bakersfield 53
Buffalo 68, Akron 59
Michigan St 76, Ohio State 67
Connecticut 57, Cincinnati 54
Hawaii 65, UC Davis 58
Texas Southern 90, Prairie View 77
Georgia 74, South Carolina 62
Montana 61, Northern Arizona 59
Seattle 69, UMKC 63 Score
San Diego St 56, Colorado St 43
UC Irvine 72, UC Santa Barbara 63

Top 25 NCAA Men’s Basketball Scores on Feb. 28

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (Sporting Alert) — Melo Trimble and Dez Wells combined for 32 points and No. 14 Maryland picked up a 66-56 victory over Michigan on Saturday to continue their impressive late season form.

Trimble, who went 3-of-4 from 3-point range, led the way for Maryland with 19 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Wells was 6-of-11 from the floor and finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists.

The Terrapins (24-5, 12-4), who close out the first half by scoring 12 straight points and took a 30-21 lead at halftime, never trailed after the interval, despite Michigan starting the second half strongly.

Zak Irvin and Spike Albrecht reached scored 15 points to lead the Wolverines (14-14, 7-9), who were losing for the sixth time in seven games.

The win saw Maryland, which upset No. 5 Wisconsin earlier this week, going unbeaten at home in Big Ten league action this season, while completing their home fixtures with an impressive 18-1 record.

The only defeat on home turf this season came on December 3 against the then-No. 7 Virginia, which is now ranked second in the country.

The Terrapins were 44.7 percent from the floor on 21-of-47 shooting, while going 50 percent on 11-of-22 from 3-point range.

Michigan shot 19-of-52 from the floor for 36.5 percent and was only 5-of-21 from long-range in the defeat.

The Wolverines will next face Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Tuesday night, while Maryland will travel to take on Rutgers on the same night.

Also on Saturday, at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida, No. 17 Louisville eased to an 81-59 victory over a struggling Florida State.

Wayne Blackshear grabbed 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks and Montrezl Harrell added 16 points and four boards for the Cardinals (23-6, 11-5 ACC), who won three straight.

Anton Gill was also a useful contributor for the travelers after he hit all five of his shots from the floor, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points in the win.

Quentin Snider scored 11 points and Terry Rozier chipped in with an all-round performance of 10 points, nine assists and six steals for Louisville, which shot 31-of-64 for 48.4 percent on the day.

Montay Brandon scored 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting and pulled down five rebounds and Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Devon Bookert each added 12 points for the Seminoles (15-15, 7-10 ACC), who struggled to take care of the ball throughout the game and ended with 21 turnovers.

Boris Bojanovsky had 11 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals off the bench for Florida State, which dropped three games in a row, including two at home.

OTHER TOP 25 WINS

Meanwhile, there were also wins on the day for No. 1 Kentucky, No. 4 Duke and No. 6 Villanova.

However, BYU upset No. 3 Gonzaga,  No. 12 Iowa State were stunned by Kansas State, while No. 22  Virginia Commonwealth were beaten by Dayton.

Top 25 Games and Results on Feb. 28

(1) Kentucky 84, (18) Arkansas 67
(2) Virginia 69, Virginia Tech 57
BYU 73, (3) Gonzaga 70
(4) Duke 73, Syracuse 54
(6) Villanova 78, Xavier 66
(7) Arizona 63, (13) Utah 57
(8) Kansas 69, Texas 64
(11) Wichita St 74, (10) Northern Iowa 60
Kansas St 70, (12) Iowa State 69
(14) Maryland 66, Michigan 56
(15) North Carolina 73, Miami (FL) 64
(16) Oklahoma 67, TCU 60
(17) Louisville 81, Florida St 59
(19) Baylor 78, (20) West Virginia 66
Dayton 59, (22) Virginia Commonwealth 55
(23) Butler 67, DePaul 53
Boise State 56, (24) San Diego St 46 Box Score

Uthoff, White leads Iowa over No. 20 Ohio State: Box Score

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Josh Oglesby
Iowa guard Josh Oglesby after the win: Hawkeyes Photos.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sporting Alert, Box Score) — Iowa used a big first half and some solid team work down the stretch in their 71-65 upsetting victory over No. 20 Ohio State at Value City Arena, in Columbus, on Tuesday.

The visitors scored 15 of the opening 20 points in the first half and then build a solid lead to take a double digit 43-31 lead at halftime.

Jarrod Uthoff hit 4 of 6 three-pointers to score 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Aaron White added 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the way for the Hawkeyes (10-4), who opened league play with victory over one of the Big Ten Conference favorites.

“Anytime you beat a team of this caliber, it’s in many ways an unbelievable standard we’ve set,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery after beating the hosts.

“They’ve had a great run, they’ve been unbelievably consistent, they keep winning, and I have the utmost respect for Coach (Thad) Matta and what he’s built at multiple schools.”

Sam Thompson paced the Buckeyes (11-3) with 17 points and three steals, while D’Angelo Russell finished with 13 points, four assists and four rebounds. He, however, struggled from the field after going just 4 of 18 in shooting.

Marc Loving added 10 points and six rebounds in the defeat for Ohio State, which payed for the slow start.

“It was a home opener and we have to come out better,” Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said. “We have to come out with more fire and be ready to play.

“We can’t dig ourselves into a hole like that again.

“There is a trend there. I don’t know why that is though. I think we’re missing some momentum things that we have to get figured out.

“The starts have got to start getting better for us. Seventeen points in the first four minutes is not acceptable.”

Despite trailing by 12 points during the game, the Buckeyes battled back to trim the lead to three points when Russell hit a three pointer to cut the gap with 3:28 remaining.

“When Russell hit the three to cut it to three, someone needed to make a play, and (Josh) Oglesby was phenomenal,” McCaffery said of Oglesby, who finished with eight points and made the two point jumper to quiet down the crowd after Russell’s shot.

“That’s what good teams need to do.”

While the Hawkeyes scored late key buckets, the home side failed to take advantage of the travelers’ multiple turnovers.

Iowa will host Nebraska on Jan. 5 in their next fixture, with Ohio State entertaining Illinois on Saturday.

Official Basketball Box Score
Iowa vs Ohio State Buckeyes
12/30/14 1:00 pm at Columbus, Ohio (Value City Arena)

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VISITORS: Iowa 10-4, 1-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
20 Uthoff, Jarrod...... f  6-11   4-6    2-2    3  4  7   2  18  5  2  1  0  36
30 White, Aaron........ f  5-10   0-2    8-10   3  6  9   1  18  2  2  1  0  37
34 Woodbury, Adam...... c  1-3    0-0    0-1    2  2  4   4   2  2  3  1  0  18
03 Jok, Peter.......... g  2-6    1-4    2-2    1  1  2   2   7  1  1  0  0  16
10 Gesell, Mike........ g  3-7    1-3    0-0    0  1  1   2   7  2  2  1  2  22
00 Olaseni, Gabriel....    2-3    0-0    4-4    2  2  4   4   8  2  2  0  0  18
02 Oglesby, Josh.......    3-6    2-5    0-0    2  1  3   1   8  2  0  0  0  27
05 Clemmons, Anthony...    1-4    0-2    1-4    0  5  5   2   3  0  1  0  0  19
24 Ellingson, Brady....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
25 Uhl, Dom............    0-0    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   1   0  1  0  0  0   6
   TEAM................                         1     1             1
   Totals..............   23-50   8-22  17-23  15 22 37  19  71 17 14  4  2 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-28 50.0%   2nd Half:  9-22 40.9%   Game: 46.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  5-11 45.5%   2nd Half:  3-11 27.3%   Game: 36.4%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 10-12 83.3%   2nd Half:  7-11 63.6%   Game: 73.9%    1


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HOME TEAM: Ohio State Buckeyes 11-3, 0-1
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
02 Loving, Marc........ f  4-10   2-6    0-1    3  3  6   3  10  1  2  0  1  31
12 Thompson, Sam....... f  6-11   1-4    4-4    0  1  1   2  17  2  2  1  3  35
23 Williams, Amir...... c  4-4    0-0    1-2    2  3  5   3   9  0  3  2  0  32
00 Russell, D'Angelo... g  4-16   1-8    4-4    2  2  4   4  13  4  0  0  0  32
03 Scott, Shannon...... g  2-7    0-1    2-4    1  3  4   2   6  6  2  0  1  31
01 Tate, Jae'Sean......    1-2    0-1    0-0    0  5  5   1   2  0  0  1  1  15
15 Williams, Kam.......    2-5    2-4    0-0    1  0  1   1   6  2  0  0  2  17
31 Lee, Anthony........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   4
55 McDonald, Trey......    1-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   1   2  1  0  0  0   3
   TEAM................                         2     2
   Totals..............   24-57   6-24  11-15  12 17 29  17  65 16  9  4  8 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-25 48.0%   2nd Half: 12-32 37.5%   Game: 42.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-11 36.4%   2nd Half:  2-13 15.4%   Game: 25.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-5  60.0%   2nd Half:  8-10 80.0%   Game: 73.3%    3

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Officials: DJ Carstensen, Pat Driscoll, Bill Ek
Technical fouls: Iowa-None. Ohio State Buckeyes-None.
Attendance: 15189
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Iowa..........................   43   28  -   71
Ohio State Buckeyes...........   31   34  -   65

Points in the paint-IOWA 20,OSU 30. Points off turnovers-IOWA 11,OSU 12.
2nd chance points-IOWA 13,OSU 9. Fast break points-IOWA 2,OSU 4.
Bench points-IOWA 19,OSU 10. Score tied-1 time. Lead changed-2 times.
Last FG-IOWA 2nd-01:35, OSU 2nd-01:20.
Largest lead-IOWA by 12 1st-16:02, OSU by 1 1st-19:12.

Updated: Week 14 College Football Top 25 Results, Box Scores

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MIAMI (Sporting Alert, Box Score) — No. 19 Ole Miss beat No. 4 Mississippi State to put a massive dent in the Bulldogs’ chances of staying in the College Football Playoffs runnings.

Junior running back Jaylen Walton ran for a 91-yard touchdown and a total of 148 yards to help Ole Miss to a 31-17 victory over Mississippi State in the highlighted college football top 25 game on Saturday.

“To win a rivalry game against a very good football team and reclaim the prize of this program in the Egg Bowl, it’s a priority we have every year,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said.

“To get that done tonight facing some adversity with injuries and other things, I’m so proud of our young men that put everything in the trash and prepare for this one with clear hearts, mind and eyes.”

Quarterback Bo Wallace, who was clearly not at his for the contest, found it difficult to connect with his teammates and completed just 13 of 30 passes.

Nevertheless, he still finish with 296 yards and ran for a score to help the Rebels (9-3, 5-3 SEC) to victory. Evan Engram caught five passes for 176 yards for Ole Miss, which recovered from last week’s 30-0 embarrassing shutout at Arkansas.

Dak Prescott threw for 282 yards and a touchdown for Mississippi State (10-2, 6-2 SEC), who will more than likely be replaced in the CFP top four by No. 5 TCU, which hammered Texas 48-10 on Thursday night.

No. 3 Florida State (12-0, 8-0 ACC) stayed undefeated this season with another hard-fought victory over state rivals Florida.

Quarterback Jameis Winston had a career-high four interceptions, but threw two second quarter touchdown passes in the Seminoles’ 24-19 victory.

The win extended the defending national champion’s winning streak to 28 consecutive games.

Meanwhile, No. 1 Alabama survived the challenges of No. 15 Auburn on their way to scoring an exciting 55-44 victory in the highest-scoring Iron Bowl.

Blake Sims went 20 of 27 completed passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns, but threw three interceptions for the Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1 SEC). The quarterback also ran for the 11 yard go-ahead touchdown with 14:33 left in the fourth quarter.

Amari Cooper had 13 catches for an Iron Bowl record 224 receiving yards and three touchdowns, which include pulling down a 75-yard scoring pass from Sims.

Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall ended the contest with a school-record 456 yards passing and three touchdowns with one interception. He also collected another 49 rushing yards for a total of 505 yards, which was also a school record.

Sammie Coates had five catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers (8-4, 4-4 SEC) in the defeat, while Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon had 19 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

No. 16 Georgia Tech upset No. 9 Georgia 30-24 in overtime.

Harrison Butker made a 53 yard field goal on the final play of regulation and then Zach Laskey scored in overtime for the Yellow Jackets to take their first win in the series since 2008.

Laskey rushed 26 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns for Georgia Tech (10-2), which won its fifth straight game and setup an ACC championships clash with No. 3 Florida State at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 6.

Hutson Mason went 18 for 28 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown and one interception for the Bulldogs (9-3), while Malcolm Mitchell caught the ball seven times for 56 yards and a touchdown in the defeat.

Nick Chubb had 25 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown for Georgia, which dropped their third game of the season.

However, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 21 Clemson and No. 22 Louisville had no problems taking care of their respective challengers on the same day.

The Buckeyes stayed perfect in Big Ten Conference play with a 42-28 victory over Michigan.

Ezekiel Elliott scored two touchdowns, including a 44 yard run with 4:58 left and finished with 121 rushing yards for Ohio State (11-1, 8-0 Big Ten).

Quarterback J.T. Barrett also running for two scores before he was forced off the field with a lower leg injury.

Barrett completed 13 of 21 of his passes and threw for 176 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 89 yards on 15 carries for the Buckeyes, prior to leaving the game and replaced by Cardale Jones.

Elsewhere in the early kick-offs, No. 22 Louisville survived the challenge of Kentucky to secure a close 44-40 rivalry win, while No. 21 Clemson picked up a 35-17 result over South Carolina.

NCAAF Top 25 Scores

No. 1 Alabama 55, No. 15 Auburn 44 – Box Score
No. 2 Oregon 47, Oregon State 19 – Box Score
No. 3  Florida State 24,  Florida 19 – Box Score
No. 19  Ole Miss 31, No. 4  Mississippi State 17 – Box Score
No. 6 Ohio State 42, Michigan 28 – Box Score
No. 7  Baylor 48,  Texas Tech 46 – Box Score
No. 10  Michigan State 34,  Penn State 10 – Box Score
No. 12  Kansas State 51,  Kansas 13 – Box Score
No. 14  Wisconsin 34, No. 18  Minnesota 24 – Box Score
No. 16 Georgia Tech 30, No. 9 Georgia 24 (OT) – Box Score
No. 21 Clemson 35, South Carolina 17 – Box Score
No. 22 Louisville 44, Kentucky 40 – Box Score
No. 23 Boise State 50, Utah State 19 – Box Score
No. 25  Utah 38,  Colorado 34 – Box Score

Track and Field Athletes Bunch, Mostert Named Purdue’s Athletes of the Year

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Senior thrower Dani Bunch and junior sprinter and running back Raheem Mostert have been named Purdue’s Athletes of the Year for the 2013-14 school year.

They were selected by a vote of the athletics department administrators from a list consisting of each sport’s Most Valuable Player or similar designee.

Bunch (Mahomet, Ill.) and Mostert (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) will now represent the Boilermakers in the voting for the Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Year awards. The Big Ten winners will be voted on by a panel of conference media members and announced on the Big Ten Network on Monday, June 23.

Purdue’s last Big Ten Athlete of the Year winners were diver David Boudia in 2011 and golfer Maria Hernandez in 2009.

Bunch and Mostert complete the first track and field sweep of the awards since 1989 when Jamie McNeair, an All-American in the heptathlon, and Brian Kiser, a shot put specialist, were honored.

Mostert is the second men’s track and field athlete in a row to be honored, after All-American high jumper Geoff Davis won last year. Bunch is the first female track and field star to receive the award since 2002 when thrower and Big Ten javelin champion Serene Ross won.

Mostert is the fifth track and field athlete to be selected the Purdue Male Athlete of the Year, joining Davis (2013), Kiser (1989), Rod Woodson (1987) and Alvin McNair (1983). Woodson and McNair, like Mostert, were also two-sport athletes who competed in football in the fall.

Bunch is the ninth female winner to come from the track and field program, joining Ross (2002), Corissa Yasen (1995, 1996), McNeair (1989, 1990), Cathey Tyree (1987) and Yvonne Netterville (1985).

During the 2013-14 school year, Bunch was a three-time First Team All-American, with a third place finish in the weight throw and fifth in the shot put during the indoor season, and a fifth place finish in the shot put at the outdoor NCAA Championships over the weekend.

Bunch scored all 10 of the Purdue women’s points at the NCAA meet during the indoor season, good for 19th place in the country, and all four at the outdoor meet, which earned the women’s team a tie for 47th place.

Bunch won the Big Ten championship in the weight throw in March, the third of her career, to become the first Big Ten woman to win three weight throw titles in her career. The fifth-year senior was runner-up in the Big Ten in the shot put, indoors and out, and also scored in the hammer throw with a second place finish. She was named the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year for the indoor season and swept the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year and Big Ten Field Athlete of the Championships for the outdoor campaign.

Bunch broke the school records in the indoor and outdoor shot put, as well as in the weight throw. The was named the indoor Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week a conference record six times, including four in a row, which is also a Big Ten record for a field athlete.

She also was named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week for the outdoor season twice. She earned First Team All-Big Ten honors during the indoor season and was a second teamer outdoors.

Bunch and Mostert each ran away in the voting for Athlete of the Year.

Mostert joined the track team in January after football season ended, where he racked up 258 kick return yards and a touchdown. On the track, Mostert broke the Big Ten Championships record in the 200-meter dash and the school record in the 60-meter dash en route to a pair of indoor Big Ten titles.

He also ran on the school’s 4×400-meter relay team at the indoor championships and placed sixth, which brought his total to 23 of the team’s 61 points. He was named the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships.

During the outdoor season, Mostert picked up two more conference championships, claiming the 100m and 200m crowns. He also ran the final leg of the team’s 4x100m relay, and took second just 0.02 of a second behind the winners, and the final leg of the fourth-place 4x400m relay team. Mostert was part of 33 of the team’s 79 points and was again named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships.

The junior qualified for the indoor NCAA Championships in the 60m and 200m dashes and picked up a pair of second-team All-America honors. He advanced to the outdoor NCAA Championships in the 100, 200m and 4x100m relay and picked up a pair of second team All-America honors, as well as an honorable mention nod.

During the season, he had an all-conditions best time of 10.15 seconds in the 100m, while his best wind-legal time was 10.28. After qualifying for the outdoor championships in three events, Mostert was named the Great Lakes Regional Men’s Track Athlete of the Year.

Big Ten Conference announced outdoor track awards

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Big Ten Conference announced its outdoor track season awards on Tuesday afternoon and a pair of Boilermakers was honored.

Dani Bunch was named the women’s Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year and the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Championships, while Raheem Mostert was tabbed the men’s Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships.

Bunch earned her 10th and 11th career Big Ten medals over the weekend after picking up a silver medal in the hammer throw and the shot put. She began the championships with the hammer throw on Friday in the rain. Despite entering with the sixth-best conference mark on the season, Bunch was just off her personal best and took second place with a throw of 58.25m (191-1).

On Saturday, she competed in the shot put and took second with a mark of 16.80m (55-01.50). She was one of four individuals to score in both events, though none of the other three place as high as she did in either event.

During the season, Bunch broke the school record in the shot put with a throw of 17.16m (56-03.75) to win the Drake Relays. She also took third at the Drake Relays in the hammer throw as she had a toss of 58.36m (191-6), which is her PR.

Over the course of the season, Bunch won six total events and had three runner-up finishes. She was named the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week two times during the season, the first two of her career, in consecutive weeks after winning the shot put at the Kentucky Relays and then after the Drake Relays, both at the end of April.

Bunch’s awards complete the sweep of career conference awards. She won the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Indoor Championships during the 2012 season, after winning the weight throw and taking second in the shot put.

This winter, she earned the Big Ten Indoor Field Athlete of the Year award after breaking the school record in the shot put and weight throw and leading the conference in both events for most of the season. She has been named the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week seven times during her indoor career, including six this season, and twice during outdoor season.

Mostert picked up the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Championships, his second this year after also winning the award during the indoor season. The indoor 60m and 200m Big Ten Champion was busy over the weekend winning the 100m and 200m dash titles, and helping the 4x100m relay team take second and the 4x400m relay team take fourth.

All four of those championship events took place on Sunday afternoon. Mostert earned 20 of the team’s 79 total points as an individual, and contributed to 13 more with the relay finishes, both in which he moved the relay team up at least two spots in his final leg.

Also announced were team Sportsmanship Award winners. The Purdue men’s winner was Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who won the hammer throw and took second in the shot put over the weekend. The women’s winner was BreAnna Smith who took second in the 800m and ran the final leg of the women’s school-record break 4x400m relay team which took second place and pushed the Boilermaker women into third place.

A full list of the Big Ten award winners can be found below.

Bunch and Mostert continue the season in a week and a half with the NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, Fla. Bunch will qualify in the hammer and shot put, while Mostert is expected to qualify in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and potentially could run in the 4x400m. The regional begins on May 29.

Men’s
Track Athlete of the Year
Mohammed Ahmed, Wisconsin

Field Athlete of the Year
Darrell Hill, Penn State

Freshman of the Year
Trevor Yedoni, Minnesota

Track Athlete of the Championships
Raheem Mostert, Purdue

Field Athlete of the Championships
Darrell Hill, Penn State

Coach of the Year
Mick Bryne, Wisconsin

Sportsmanship Honorees
George Wayda, Illinois
Nolan Fife, Indiana
Drew Clark, Iowa
Herman Washington, Michigan
Codi Mattix, Michigan State
Andrew Larsen, Minnesota
Travis Englund, Nebraska
Jackson Neff, Ohio State
Russell Hedrick, Penn State
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, Purdue
Charlie Foss, Wisconsin

Women’s 
Track Athlete of the Year
Erin Finn, Michigan

Field Athlete of the Year
Dani Bunch, Purdue

Freshman of the Year
Erin Finn, Michigan

Track Athlete of the Championships
Erin Finn, Michigan

Field Athlete of the Championships
Dani Bunch, Purdue

Coach of the Year
Beth Alford-Sullivan, Penn State

Sportsmanship Honorees
Kandie Bloch-Jones, Illinois
Ari Nelson, Indiana
Zinnia Miller, Iowa
Amber Smith, Michigan
Melanie Brender, Michigan State
Laura Docherty, Minnesota
Annie Jackson, Nebraska
Aaliyah Barnes, Ohio State
Laura Loht, Penn State
BreAnna Smith, Purdue
Lizzie Wendt, Wisconsin

BIG 10 Outdoor Track Championships – Final Day Recap and Results

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women wrapped up their best Big Ten Championships in 13 years, while the men finished with their best finish since 2009 at the Rankin Track and Field on Sunday.

Men’s Final Results | Women’s Final Results

It came down to the final event on each side, the 4×400-meter relay, and the women moved up to third, while the men claimed fifth with exciting finishes.

“We had our seniors really step up and compete in a big way today for us,” head coach Lonnie Greene said. “That is what gave us the extra ‘oomph’ we needed to get us to third, which is one of the better finishes we have had in a long time here.

“The efforts this group put in all weekend is what will help us get better and build towards getting to the next level.”

The women’s team was sitting in sixth place with 81 points heading into the mile relay, one point behind Iowa, two points behind Michigan State and four points behind Michigan. Taylor Morrison took the lead leg and put the Boilermakers out front with Penn State. Aarin Jones had the second leg and held the team’s position, before Kari Shoolbraid, the school’s 800m school record holder, took the baton. She ran a strong leg, but Purdue fell back and was in the upper half heading to the final leg. BreAnna Smith took the handoff and ran a smooth first 300m.

Down the final stretch, she jetted past two or three teams to take second place, edging Minnesota by 0.26 of a second. The Purdue team ran a time of 3:34.81 in front of screaming coaches, alumni, teammates and fans, to break the 27-year old school record of 3:35.35 held by Jamie McNeair, Cestie Rhule, Dawn Benedict and now-assistant coach Angela Goodman. The second-place finish earned the Boilermakers eight points for a total of 89, 52 more than at last year’s event, which edged Iowa and Michigan’s 86 and Michigan State’s 85.

“I looked at the scores going into the relay,” Greene added. “I told the women we had to keep Michigan at our back no matter what. We had to beat Iowa and Michigan State. I knew we had a better relay team than a lot of teams out there, so I told them that we just had to do what we have to do to secure third place and we did it.”

The men were in a similar situation. They were tied for fifth place with Ohio State at 74 points apiece, and two points behind Penn State. Obokhare Ikpefan, Andrew Kendrick and Andre Peart ran the first three legs and the Boilermakers were at the back of their heat. Then Raheem Mostert, a 100m and 200m specialist, took the stick. He ran a smooth 300m, but was still at the back of the pack. Then came his favorite part: the home stretch.

Mostert blistered past all but two teams, Illinois and Nebraska, to take third in the heat and fourth overall with a time of 3:09.49, and earn the men five points. The finish was good enough to move one point ahead of Penn State, but the Buckeyes took third in the relay and fourth overall, edging Purdue by a point. The Purdue men finished with 79 points, 43 better than a year ago.

Mostert’s performance in the anchor leg of the 4x400m was made even more impressive by the fact that he had already ran in three championship events. The junior two-sport athlete began the day with the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay at 12:55 p.m. He took the baton from Eric Harris, after teammates Tyler Askew and Andrew Kendrick ran the first two legs, in the final 100m at the back of the pack. Mostert ran past at several teams, including Illinois, Michigan State and Ohio State in the final stretch, and came within just 0.03 of a second of gold medal-winning Iowa.

After the 4x100m, Mostert was back on the track at 1:55 for the 100m dash finals. He entered with the top qualifying time, 10.28 seconds, and was in the middle lane. Despite not starting as well as he would have liked, the Big Ten indoor champion in the 60m and 200m pulled away from the field in the final 20 meters to win by 0.15 of a second with a time of 10.30 seconds.

He didn’t have much time to celebrate.

Mostert took the track again at 2:42, just 47 minutes after the 100m. He was again in lane five after qualifying with the top 200m time, a mark of 20.75 seconds. Mostert led from gun to tape, pulling away at the end, with a time of 20.66 seconds to win his third medal, and second gold medal, of the day. Mostert’s time ranks fourth in program history, moving ahead of fellow two-sport star Jacques Reeves, and 29th in the country this season. He earned 20 points on his own, and was part of 13 more in the relays.

Purdue had huge performances across the board on Sunday, including a total of 11 individual medals and two relay medals.

The women’s triple jump kept Boilermaker fans on the edge of their seats as Nikki Nunn was in seventh and Cierra Brownwas in fifth heading into their final jumps. Nunn leapt a personal record 12.53m (41-01.50) on her last attempt to move up a spot to sixth. Brown went even bigger. She leapt an outdoor PR and the third-best jump in Purdue school history to climb onto the podium with a bronze medal finish. The excitement could be seen, and heard, around the track from Brown and event coach Chris Huffins. Nunn’s three points in the triple jump gave her a total of 13 points on the weekend, as she won the long jump on Saturday.

Purdue parked itself on the podium in the high hurdles as well. Ciana Tabb was first, as she hung with some of the best in the country and took third with a personal record time of 13.34 seconds, the second-fastest time in Purdue school history and the 29th best in the country. Brandon Winters also took the bronze as he fought his way to a time of 13.86 seconds. Winters didn’t get out to the start he wanted, but battled towards the end, including a dive across the finish line. He missed second place by 0.01 of a second.

Jessica Harter was a great story in the pole vault. The sophomore came in with a PR of 3.90m (12-9.50), which was 14thin the Big Ten. She left with a PR of 4.08m (13-04.50) and a bronze medal. Harter cleared her first two bars up to 3.83m (12-06.75) on her first attempt. Her first setback came at 3.98m (13-00.75), as she hit the bar on her first attempt. On her next try though, she got up and over to make it into the final 11. Her next jump would be one that she called the best jump of her life. On Harter’s first attempt at 4.08m (13-04.50), she barely grazed the bar on the way down, but it stayed up, giving her the clearance. The mark is the fourth-best in Purdue school history, and she is the first to crack the top five since 2010. Harter was one of just four to clear the bar, and ended up with a bronze medal.

“We had a great day on our home track,” Harter said. “I was hoping to maybe score a point or two. Third place was definitely a big surprise, but I did have a really good day which was super exciting. It was my first attempt at (4.08m/13-04.50) and I was just trying really hard to focus on taking advantage of every opportunity I had. That’s exactly what I did and it felt great. I swore the bar was going to fall. I really thought it was, but it was a really good jump. It was the best jump I’ve ever had.”

Purdue had multiple podium appearances in two events, the women’s 800m and the men’s shot put. Shoolbraid and Smith, two of the top three 800m runners in Purdue school history, entered the finals after each won their heat of trials on Saturday. In the finals, Smith and Shoolbraid led for most of the race, but Ohio State’s Katie Borchers stormed back in the last 200m. Smith and Borchers went back and forth down the homestretch and Smith came up just 0.01 of a second shy and earned the silver medal with a time of 2:05.18, a new PR. Shoolbraid was right behind Smith and took bronze after crossing in 2:06.57.

In the shot put, hammer throw champion Chukwuebuka Enekwechi and Purdue’s No. 2 all-time thrower Coy Blair stepped into the ring with some of the best in the country. Each had a strong open, as Blair led after one throw with a mark of 18.87m (61-11.00), and Enekwechi was second at 18.45m (60-06.50).

Both would get stronger throughout the competition. Blair moved up and claimed third place on his final attempt with a mark of 19.17m (62-10.75). Enekwechi used his fifth attempt for his best mark and launched the program’s new second-best mark, a distance of 19.38m (63-07.00), to claim second. Enekwechi finished the weekend with 18 points in two events.

Purdue also scored in a handful of other events, including the men’s and women’s 400m dashes, the men’s 800m, men’s 400m hurdles and women’s 5k. Blair Doney scored for the second time in as many days with a time of 16:24.21, good for the second-best time in Purdue school history. Her time earned her fifth place and four more points. Doney also scored on Saturday with a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, giving her a total of 12 points for the weekend.

Andrew Kendrick took seventh for two points in the men’s 400m with a time of 47.15 seconds. Jones was sixth in the women’s event with a PR time of 53.88 seconds, good for the fifth-fastest mark in program history. Kevin Griffith earned four points for his fifth-place finish in the men’s 800m. He finished with a time of 1:49.93.

The women’s finish was a near-unprecedented improvement from the 2013 championships. The Boilermakers climbed eight spots in one year with their 52-point improvement. The place improvement was the best in the conference, and the point improvement was second, behind only Iowa’s 55-point increase. The men’s team’s four-spot improvement was the best in the conference. Their 23-point bettering was tied for the best in the league with Illinois.

Purdue’s third-place finish on the women’s side was six spots better than Indiana, while the men’s fifth-place finish was three spots better than the Hoosiers. The Boilermakers wins over the Hoosiers add two points for the Old Gold and Black in the Governor’s Cup Race and officially clinch the plaque for Purdue by a margin of 12-8.

After the Big Ten Championships, the Boilermakers currently have 31 times or marks that rank in the top 48 in the region, which, if they hold up, will qualify them for the East Regional in Jacksonville, Fla., in two weeks. That number is up from last year’s 19 entries to the regional meet.

Purdue has the next week off before and will find out the official qualifiers prior to the regionals.

The meet as a whole was one of the fastest in Rankin Track and Field history. The men broke nine facility records, while the women broke seven. Erin Finn of Michigan also broke two Big Ten Championships records, one in the 5k and one in the 10k.

Day Two Big Ten Championships Recap

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Boilermakers picked up three more medals on Saturday to bring the two-day total to five at the three-day Big Ten Championships. Purdue also qualified 14 entries for Sunday’s championship events, which begin at 10 a.m. ET at Rankin Track and Field.

Nikki Nunn won her first career Big Ten Championship on Saturday. The senior long jumper posted a mark of 6.24m (20-05.75) on her third attempt, which put her in first place heading to the finals. That didn’t give her any comfort though, as she admitted to reflecting back to the Big Ten Indoor Championships where most of the field hit their big jumps in the finals.

In the finals, Nebraska freshman Jazmin McCoy had her biggest jump with a mark of 6.11m (20-00.50) on her fourth attempt. Nunn anxiously waited by the pit after each jump to hear her competitors’ marks, just to have an idea of what she needed.

With just two jumps left, one by Iowa senior Zinnia Miller and the final by Nunn, Miller hit her biggest mark of the day, a distance that Nunn thought might have passed her, as she waited at the end of the runway for her final attempt.

“I didn’t know at that point if I had won, but I kind of didn’t want to know,” Nunn said afterwards. “I figured it would be best if I didn’t know. So, I decided to kind of go towards the pit, but then turned and ran back because I decided I didn’t want to know. I decided that I was just going to go for it, make a huge jump and just lay it all on the track, and it worked out.”

Miller’s mark was 6.20m (20-04.25), just an inch and a half behind Nunn’s third jump, so without knowing for sure, she had won her first Big Ten Championship. She ended up with a jump of 6.20m (20-04.25) of her own on her final attempt, but the gold medal was already hers.

“It feels amazing to win,” added Nunn. “This is all I really wanted, to win a Big Ten Championship and advance to nationals knowing that I can do something there. I am really excited.”

Nunn continued the streak of Purdue women scoring in the long jump at the meet, which now stands at 10-straight years. She also picked up her second medal, after winning a bronze a year ago, and became the third Purdue woman to win the event, joining Leah Kincaid (2008) and Leah Eber (2011, 2012). The Purdue women have now won the event three of the last four years, and four of the last seven.

Elsewhere around the track, Dani Bunch picked up her 11th career Big Ten medal and the second of the weekend. The fifth-year senior took second in the shot put after throwing 16.80m (55-01.50) on her final attempt to move up a spot. Bunch has scored 16 of the Purdue women’s 36 points so far. She now has won five gold and six silver medals for her career at Big Ten Championship events.

Blair Doney took advantage of her final Big Ten Championship by medaling in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Doney hung around the lead pack for the entire race and made a move to grab a hold of second place over the final 200 meters. The senior broke the previous facility record with a time of 10:11.50, breaking Amber Ferner’s 2004 record of 10:12.26, though the new record is now held by Michigan State’s Leah O’Connor, as she won with a time of 10:06.10.

“It felt incredible,” said Doney afterwards. “It was my goal all year to score in the steeple. I’ve been working for it basically since cross country season. To be able to actually get a medal is an incredible, incredible feeling.”

Hope Schmelzle also scored in the steeple despite coming into the event with the 13th-fastest time in the conference. Schmelzle ran most of the race toward the back of the lead pack and hovered around 10th place. Then came the final lap. Schmelzle turned on the jets a passed a handful of runners en route to a 8.92-second PR and a seventh-place finish. Schmelzle’s time of 10:23.38 ranks sixth in Purdue history, just 5.08 seconds outside the top five.

“I love the kick, I love the finish. It’s my favorite part,” Schmelzle said with a smile on her face. “We have been working on that in practice for the last couple weeks. Blair actually told me to keep the kick in mind. She reminded me that if I was feeling tired to channel those workouts and that’s what got me through there.”

Two other Boilermakers scored on Saturday. Jake Waterman delivered a fourth-place finish in the men’s steeplechase after using a kick of his own. Waterman was inside the top eight in the final lap, but powered his way into the top five down the homestretch.

The senior nearly caught Michigan’s Mason Ferlic at the line, but came up short by less than a step. Waterman finished with a time of 8:50.19, a personal record by 0.84 of a second and the third-fastest time in Purdue history. Ferlic was third with a time of 8:50.15, while Ohio State’s Jackson Neff won with a time of 8:47.86.

Caleb Fricke scored in the discus. The sophomore finished with a mark of 54.75m (179-07), which came on his first attempt. Fricke took sixth points and scored three points for the men.

The men currently sit in 10th with 18 points, but that number may be deceiving because they qualified several individuals into Sunday finals.

Raheem Mostert had a huge day on the track as he crossed the finish line first in three different races. First, he ran the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay team, also with Tyler Askew, Andrew Kendrick and Eric Harris. Mostert pulled away from the field down the stretch and posted a team time of 40.04 seconds to auto-qualify for Sunday’s finals. Next, he ran in the 100m dash in front of his track coach, Lonnie Greene, and football coach, Darrell Hazell. Mostert, running in lane nine, led from gun to tape with his best non-wind-aided mark of the season, a time of 10.28 seconds.

That time was 0.20 seconds better than Timothy Faust of Ohio State who took second in the heat and had the second-fastest overall time. Mostert wrapped up his day with the 200m dash.

He ran into a headwind of 0.9 meters per second, but still posted his fastest time of the season, crossing the line in 20.75 seconds. Not only did the time win the heat by 0.41 of a second and qualify him for the finals, but it also likely qualified him for the regional.

Purdue had a huge day in the high hurdles as well. Ciana Tabb set the tone, also running in lane nine, by running a 0.18 of a second PR to take second in her heat with the second-fastest time in school history. She ran a 100m hurdle time of 13.41 seconds. Brandon Winters then followed that up by running away with the 110m hurdle trials. Winters ran a 0.08 of a second PR with a time of 13.61 seconds. His time was the fastest overall on Saturday by 0.24 of a second. He will compete in Sunday’s finals from the middle lane.

Other Boilermakers to qualify through to Sunday include Aarin Jones in the women’s 400m dash, Eric Harris in the 100m dash, Andrew Kendrick in the 400m dash and Kevin Griffith in the 800m. Dan Porter and Tyler Wynn advanced to the 1,500m finals and Andre Peart auto-qualified for the 400m hurdles.

Two other Boilermakers moved on and won their heats by wide margins to do so. BreAnna Smith broke the facility record with a PR in the 800m. She posted a time of 2:06.25, a PR of 0.62 of a second, which moved her into third place all-time in the Purdue history books. The school record holder in the event, Kari Shoolbraid, ran away with the fourth heat. She cruised to a time of 2:07.41 to win her heat by nearly a full second.

The women’s team currently sits fourth with 36 points after the second day.

The final day of competition begins Sunday at 10 a.m. ET with the men’s javelin. The first Boilermaker to compete will beCierra Brown in the women’s triple jump at 11 a.m. Brown finished fourth in the indoor event at the conference meet.