(KSEE/KGPE) –Scott Bemis chats with Bulldog defenders Jadon Pearson and Michael Jordan Jr. in our Ultimate Insider Segment ahead of Fresno State’s trip to the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl on Dec. 27. Ultimate Insider is brought to you by FFB Bank.

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BLACKSBURG, Va. (WJHL) – East Tennessee State (ETSU) women’s basketball couldn’t sustain its early momentum Sunday afternoon, falling 73-55 to Virginia Tech.

The Lady Bucs came out firing, outscoring the Hokies 16-10 in the opening quarter behind six points and two boards from sophomore guard Carmen Richardson. But Virginia Tech found its rhythm shortly afterward, using a strong second half to pull away.

Senior forward Meghan Downing showed out on the glass, grabbing a season-best 12 rebounds. Downing’s five rebounds in the third quarter also marked the most by any Buc in a single frame this season.

Junior guard Daniela Lopez led ETSU in scoring for the second time this year, finishing with 14 points.

Thirteen Bucs saw the floor as ETSU totaled 55 points, 38 rebounds and nine assists.

ETSU women’s basketball returns home to Brooks Gymnasium where they’ll take on Gardner-Webb on Thursday, Dec. 18, for their final game of 2025.

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Dec. 13—JAMESTOWN — After the University of Jamestown men's basketball team pulled off a 71-70 win over the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the UJ women entered Harold Newman Arena with enthusiasm and energy — ready to complete the sweep.

UMD took all of the Jimmies' energy away.

The Bulldogs defeated UJ 82-36 on Saturday afternoon, to drop the Jimmies' record to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in conference. Head coach Thad Sankey and company will be back in action on Wednesday at the University of Minnesota-Crookston. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

From the opening tip, the Bulldogs were in control.

The Bulldogs surged out to a 7-0 lead to start the ball game but Jessika Lofstrom got the Jimmies back within four with an outside shot at the 6:51 mark of the first quarter. In the next seven minutes, the Bulldogs added 15 points to their score while the Jimmies added three on a shot from Samantha Paulsen. Lofstrom led the Jimmies in first half scoring with five points.

As the game went on, it was clear the Jimmies were simply outmatched.

The Jimmies committed 14 turnovers and only shot 25 percent from the floor and 20 percent from deep in the first half. The home team capitalized on one of two shots from the line. UMD was 53.3 percent shooting and 35.7 percent from deep. At the line, the visitors went 3-for-5. UMD out-rebounded the Jimmies 28-18

At the half, UMD led 40-15.

"As soon as No. 23 was loosening us up with cuts and No. 11 gets in rhythm, and then No. 42 is getting deep paint touches — that's a hard combo," Sankey said in a postgame interview with Jamestown's 107.1 FM. "That's a hard combo for everybody to guard but we have to be able to take at least one of those things away.

UMD's No. 23, Claire Bjorge was responsible for seven points and four assists, while No. 11, Myra Moorjani, cracked into double-digits with 10 points and nabbed three rebounds, three assists, two turnovers and one steal. No. 42, Lexi Karge, was the Bulldogs' leading scorer with 16 points. She also grabbed four rebounds.

In the third quarter, the Bulldogs put up 13 points in the time it took for the Jimmies to score one point. With just over five minutes to play, Paulsen got the Jimmies' first two-point bucket of the half on a breakaway.

Quarter No. 4 was the Jimmies' best of the night — matching UMD's 16 points scored. Daviney Dreckman was the team's leading scorer with nine points while Paulsen finished with seven. As a team, the Jimmies were 15-for-57 shooting and 4-24 from 3-point range. The team recorded 20 turnovers and 28 total rebounds.

"We take the steps we need to take as a team with great effort," Sankey said. "These learning processes hurt. Tonight hurt. Unless we come back and get back on course, great effort doesn't really matter — it doesn't really matter. ... The learning opportunity for us is the difference between wanting to be good and working to be good. We have a lot of work to do to be good."

University of Minnesota-Duluth 82, University of Jamestown 36

UMD 22 18 26 16 — 82

UJ 6 9 5 16 — 36

UMD — Lexi Karge 16, Maria Counts 11, Myra Moorjani 10, Karly Jusczak 8, Claire Bjorge 7, Ashley Fritz 7, Lexi Karlen 7, Drew Johnston 6, Lilly Radcliffe 3, Vanessa Bickford 3, Gabrielle Kirchner 2, Keagan McVicker 2. Totals: 32-60 2FG, 12-27 3FG, 6-9 FT, 11 fouls. 3-pointers: Counts 3, Moorjani 2, Bickford 1, Johnston 2, Fritz 1, Karlen 1, Jusczak 1, Radcliffe 1.

UJ — Daviney Dreckman 9, Samantha Paulsen 7, Jessika Lofstrom 5, Halle Crockett 4, Hali Savela 3, Kiara Jangula 3, Alexa Ham 2, Allie Berns 2, Haidyn Crockett 1. Totals: 15-57 2FG, 4-24 3FG, 2-4 FT, 14 fouls. 3-pointers: Lofstrom 1, Dreckman 1, Jangula 1, Paulsen 1.

After a historic season, the Kutztown Golden Bears fall just short of playing for the NCAA Division II football championship game.

Kutztown lost to Harding 49-20 Saturday afternoon at Andre Reed Stadium in the NCAA Division II semifinals.

It was a season of success for the Golden Bears, as they recorded the winningest season in school history with 14 wins, captured their third consecutive PSAC championship, and advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second time in the last three years.

The sting of defeat was a new feeling for this year’s Golden Bears, but it came on a day when the Bison simply outplayed them in below-freezing temperatures.

As for the Bison (15-0), their season continues as they travel to McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, to face Ferris State in the NCAA Division II Championship on Dec. 20 at 4 p.m.

Ferris State (15-0) has won three titles in the past four seasons, including the 2024 championship, when the Bulldogs defeated Valdosta State 49–14.

They have dominated those title games, winning by an average score of 49–15 and establishing themselves as a true powerhouse in recent years. Earlier in the day, Ferris State defeated Newberry at home, 49–17.

It was an unusual sight for the Golden Bears defensively as they faced a Wing-T, triple-option offense, one that was historically dominant this season.

The Bison broke the single-season team rushing record with 6,308 yards and counting, eclipsing the all-division college football mark of 6,160 yards set by themselves in 2023.

The Golden Bears had no answers, as Andrew Miller, a Harlon Hill Trophy finalist and the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year, rushed for 157 yards and four touchdowns to lead his team to victory.

The Bisons scored at will on the ground, completing just one pass for 20 yards in the game. Braden Jay and Cole Keylon also posted dominant performances. Jay rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Keylon, the quarterback, added 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Harding quarterback Cole Keylon rushes for a 10-yard touchdown against Kutztown University during a 49-27 victory over the Golden Bears in an NCAA Division 2 semifinal at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)

For Kutztown, the offense struggled after scoring 50 or more points in each of its first three playoff games. Judd Novak, also a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, threw his first interception of the season in the third quarter, putting the Golden Bears in a 28–7 deficit with eight minutes remaining.

The redshirt junior completed 20 of 37 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came with seven minutes left when the game was essentially decided. On the ground, Novak rushed for 125 yards on 12 carries, including a 74-yard touchdown run.

Kutztown University’s Judd Novak runs for a 74=yard touchdown during a 49-27 loss to the Bisons in an NCAA Division 2 semifinal at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)

Lake Taylor High School wins the Class 3 state football championship over Kettle Run High School at Liberty University, Dec. 13, 2025.

Dec. 13—The snarky reaction to the news is that Washington State University has just hired Kirby Moore as its next "interim" football coach.

After all, impermanence has been the recent reality.

But nobody needs a reminder of recent coach defections in these early moments of excitement for Cougar fans.

From the outside, Friday's hiring of the former Missouri offensive coordinator looks like a victory for the Cougars.

There lies the hope.

Consider it especially commendable considering there's a new corps of administrators pulling the levers of power in Pullman. They managed to get it done quickly, without any unproductive flirtations and rejections coming to light.

Those things hurt, and almost always give off the feeling that you ended up settling for a second or third choice.

Plus, Moore comes from an estimable — and regional — lineage, with his father, Tom, a Washington state prep coaching legend at Prosser, and his brother, Kellen, in his first season as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Does that help with contacts and recruiting? Can't hurt.

Some fans voiced the hope that a new coach with ties to WSU, or to the region, would give him greater reason to put down roots in Pullman. Moore checks that box.

And if he is followed by the customary influx of portal additions seeking new opportunities with a coach they're accustomed to, they'll be athletes coming from an SEC school, not off FCS rosters.

Further, Moore's coaching history places him on a branch from the Chris Petersen coaching tree. Petersen's successes followed him from Boise State to the University of Washington; his reputation is as a principled winner.

Since Moore is the fourth head football coach hired since Mike Leach left in January, 2020, many Cougar fans might be skittish that coaches coming to Pullman are unlikely to stay on a long-term basis.

The two most recent have decamped for better money, and the one before that, what? Oh, yeah, the COVID thing. That's a lot of staff juggling.

Like the last two, Moore, 35 , is young and on the rise. That's surely a better option than bringing in an older warhorse and saddling him up for a last ride.

His style? A report from the Columbia Missourian, cited Moore's influence during an 11-win season in 2023, which included a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. The Tigers slipped to 8-4 this season, but the four losses were all to Top-10-ranked teams.

He will likely bring more of an offensive perspective to the job than the last two coaches, with experience on the defensive side of the ball, which should appeal to members of the fan base who long for the high-scoring excitement of the Mike Leach era.

And if he has success, Moore, too, will be attractive to predatory athletic directors whose coaches have failed, jumped ship for moneyed opportunities, or been indicted for scandalous behavior.

Those offended that WSU has become a springboard school for coaches and players will continue to face that reality.

It may be something that just has to be owned, and perhaps capitalized upon.

Right now, the Cougars have a history of lost quarterbacks, but they certainly should have earned considerable respect for having groomed and developed quarterbacks like Cam Ward and John Mateer, who brought wins and excitement to Pullman before cashing in on big-money deals at Miami and Oklahoma.

Why wouldn't a hot, rising quarterback want to give the Cougars a try? Every season being a new start with limitless opportunities.

Coaches, too. Jake Dickert jumped in for the evicted Nick Rolovich and righted the ship midway through the 2021 season. He was bright and personable and seemed happy in Pullman.

The most painful part of Dickert's departure might have been that he was lured away by Wake Forest, which, historically, would have seemed no better than a lateral move.

Jimmy Rogers' one season, going 6-6, was commendable in the way he managed to get an entirely new roster to be competitive. His 2025 Cougs were close against a couple powerful teams, which made some late mistakes only more painful in narrow losses.

It's happened to the Cougars before, of course. But, remember, two previous occasions of coaching turnovers led to long, successful tenures.

In the late '70s, Warren Powers and Jackie Sherill each left after only one season before Jim Walden put down roots for nine years.

Dennis Erickson stayed two years before leaving for Miami. Of course he did. He could — and did — win two national championships there. I'd argue that the WSU program was better for having had him.

And, after Erickson, Mike Price took over for 14 seasons, earning two Rose Bowl appearances.

We'll learn much more in coming days about Kirby Moore. But, initially, it feels extremely promising.

The most important goal, now, is building a winning program and recapturing the confidence of Cougar athletes and supporters.

Worries about keeping him around can be dealt with at some time down the road.

So, coach Moore, welcome to Pullman, where hope and reality might learn to occupy the same space.

Dec. 13—PULLMAN — Not long after losing its most successful coach in program history, Washington State's women's soccer team found a qualified replacement, hiring a proven winner from within the region who has a history in the NCAA Tournament.

Chris Citowicki, who guided Montana to four national tournament appearances in eight years leading the program, was named WSU's new head coach on Friday. The eighth coach in WSU program history, Citowicki replaces Todd Shulenberger, the program's winningest coach (113-67-34), who was hired Dec. 1 by Ole Miss.

Citowicki led Montana to five Big Sky regular-season championships — topping the conference in each of the past three seasons — and four conference tournament titles. The Grizzlies claimed the regular-season and conference tourney championships this year to advance to the NCAAs, where they fell to Washington in the first round.

"He has a proven record of success and his dedication to developing student-athletes — not just as players, but as leaders, students, and members of our community — stood out immediately," WSU interim athletic director Jon Haarlow said in a statement. "He brings an infectious passion and energy that will resonate throughout our program. I have no doubt Chris will continue to elevate Cougar Soccer for many years to come."

Citowicki finished his Montana tenure with a 79-39-32 record. He was the Big Sky's coach of the year in 2023. Under Citowicki, the Grizzlies became the first team in Big Sky history to go unbeaten in conference play in back-to-back seasons (2023-24).

Montana also qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2018, 2020 and 2021. The Grizzlies were 0-4 in the national tourney under Citowicki. They lost to Shulenberger's Cougars in the first round in 2018 and 2021. But Montana got its first win over WSU this year, beating the Cougs 1-0 in September.

"I have been a huge fan of the Washington State program for a long time," Citowicki said via release. "To have the opportunity to step into that setting and represent WSU and Coug nation is a huge honor. The family and I cannot wait to move to Pullman and get started."

WSU has a history of soccer success, with 14 NCAA Tournament appearances — five in 11 years under Shulenberger. The Cougars advanced to the College Cup national semifinals in 2019. But the team has missed the NCAA Tournament in each of the past four seasons.

WSU went 16-12-11 over the past two years as an affiliate member of the West Coast Conference, finishing seventh in the league this year. The Cougs join the revamped Pac-12 next season.

Citowicki served as associate head coach at North Dakota before being hired by Montana in 2018. He was the head coach at Division III St. Catherine (Minnesota) from 2011-16. Citowicki assisted at D-III Augsburg (Minnesota) in 2010 after a couple of years as a grad assistant at D-II Bemidji State, from where he earned a master's degree in sports studies in 2008. He also spent eight years working with the Minnesota Olympic Development Program.

From Poland, Citowicki's family left the country when he was young and he spent most of his upbringing in Australia before enrolling at D-II Lock Haven in Pennsylvania, where he played a year of soccer.

Dec. 13—ROCHESTER — The Rochester Community and Technical College men's basketball team used a balanced effort to get past Minnesota North College-Hibbing 87-56 on Friday night.

RCTC moved to 5-6 with the win, while Hibbing is 2-10.

Tycen Vig led the Yellowjackets with 16 points. Carson Brown had 15 and Sam Hemrey came off the bench to score 14.

Charlie Morning and Josh Fiecke both had 10.

RCTC blistered from 3-point range, hitting 9 of 17 tries. Morning was 3-for-5.

Dec. 13—***

The winningest program in college football history would need a long run of mediocre to see that designation go away. It probably isn't going to happen to Michigan.

But firing its young coach two years in is a bad look. As is the mess left by Jim Harbaugh, who won a title then fled to the NFL ahead of the NCAA police.

Michigan will play Texas in the Citrus Bowl wit an interim coach, then move quickly to bring in the next guy.

It needs to a be a winner. One with with no off-the-field issues.

Matt Campbell would have been a great choice, but Penn State figured that out and hired him first Good call by the Nittany Lions.

Michigan would be thrilled if Marcus Freeman (a former Buckeye) would leave South Bend for Ann Arbor. But if the rising star makes a move it is most likely going to be to the NFL, where the transfer portal and NIL don't exist.

The school is unlikely to hire someone who has never been a head coach before. Too risky.

The repair work with will start immediately, with the team's recruits the first stop. The 2026 recruiting class has dropped six spots in a week, with the fall slide likely to continue.

If he is willing to listen, Alabama's Kalen DeBoer would be an ideal fit. He has made the College Football Playoff with two other programs.

He understands the Midwest and the Big Ten. He worked at Indiana, Southern Illinois and Eastern Michigan among his many stops.

Two years after replacing Nick Saban, if DeBoer is sick of hearing "That's not how Nick did it," he might be open to a move.

If Michigan lands DeBoer, it will challenge Ohio State and Indiana for Big Ten supremacy sooner rather than later.