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A young Indiana team could have folded after a demoralizing Game 1 loss to the Heat. Instead, the Pacers came out strong in Game 2 to tie their series at 1-1, writes Ian Thomsen.

HOOVER, Ala. - A berth in Sunday's SEC Tournament championship game is on the line for Mississippi State Saturday afternoon at the Hoover Met when the 13th-ranked Bulldogs (43-16) take on top-ranked SEC champion Vanderbilt (50-8) in a mid-afternoon matchup in Hoover, Ala. The game follows a 12 p.m. Arkansas-LSU matchup and is expected to start at approximately 3:30 p.m.

ATHENS, Ga. – Adding to the program's most successful season in its history, the Mississippi State women's golf team completed play in the NCAA Championships and No. 6 Ally McDonald finished tied for 10th at the par-72, 6,372-yard UGA Golf Course.

CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Will Rogers Stampede has been a major stop in the Prairie Circuit in the four decades the ProRodeo circuit system has been in place.

On Friday night at Will Rogers Round Up Club Arena, the circuit’s stars shined brightly. Bareback rider Caine Riddle of Vernon, Texas; saddle bronc rider Wade Sundell of Coleman, Okla.; and steer wrestler Shane Henderson of Winfield, Kan., all to the leads in their respective events on the opening night of Claremore’s rodeo. They’ll have to wait out the results from the remaining two performances, set for 7:45 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Caine Riddle

“They changed stock contractors this year, and it gives everybody a bit more of a chance to win,” said Riddle, the No. 19 cowboy in the world standings who won the Will Rogers Stampede in 2011. “I drew at the top of the herd, and I rode good and felt good.”

Riddle scored 81 points Carr Pro Rodeo’s Outa Sight, an 8-year-old paint mare that has been selected to perform twice at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

“This is a good rodeo,” he said. “I’ve been here six or seven times and have been successful at it.”

Riddle is joined by Henderson as a former Claremore champion – in fact, Henderson has earned the bulldogging title twice. He grappled his steer to the ground in 4.2 seconds and is five-tenths of a second faster than the second-place cowboy, Matt Reeves of Cross Plains, Texas.

Wade Sundell

“This is one of the better circuit rodeos we have,” said Henderson, a four-time Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo qualifier. “The money always helps. That’s a big bonus. It’s a really good goal to get to our circuit finals, and this is a big stepping stone to get to that.

“I think we’ve got the best cowboys and cowgirls in ProRodeo in our circuit.”

That includes Sundell, an Iowa-born cowboy who is competing in the Oklahoma-Kansas-Nebraska region for the first time in his career. He rode Carr Pro Rodeo’s Social Call for 83 points.

“Pete (Carr) said he was just a young horse and that I needed to give him some reign,” said Sundell, who has finished in the top five in the world standings each of the past three years. “It worked out good; I’m winning first, so I can’t complain.

Friday’s ride marked the first time in Sundell’s career that he had ridden in Claremore. In addition to winning the elusive world title, he hopes to qualify for the Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo.

“Every time I nod my head, I’m trying to be 90 or nothing,” Sundell said. “I just need to stay healthy, and this is the best I’ve felt in a long time. Everybody better look out, because I’m coming from the back door.”

Will Rogers Stampede
Claremore, Okla.
May 24-26
Leaders through first performance
Bareback riding: 1. Caine Riddle, 81 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Outa Sight; 2. (tie) Tyler Pasour and Luke Creasy, 75; no other qualified rides.

Steer wrestling: 1. Shane Henderson, 4.2 seconds; 2. Matt Reeves, 4.7; 3. Royce Johnson, 4.9; 4. (tie) Teddy Johnson and Jason Thomas, 5.3; 6. (tie) Alan Frierson, Ryan Swayze and Tommy Cook, 5.4.

Tie-down roping: 1. Trent Creager, 8.6 seconds; 2. Jared Kempker, 9.5; 3. (tie) Blake Deckard and Jerome Schneeberger, 9.9; 5. Jeff Miller, 10.5; 6. Cody McCartney, 10.7; 7. Colby Dorsey, 11.2; 8. Scotty Shelton, 11.5.

Saddle bronc riding 1. Wade Sundell, 83 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Social Call; 2. Lance Wilson, 78; 3. Alan Frierson, 77; 4. Cody Goertzen, 74; 5. Blane Stacy, 72; 6. Clayton Zibell, 71.

Team roping: 1. A.J. Horton/Kyle Horton, 4.8 seconds; 2. Coleman Proctor/Jett Hillman, 5.2; 3. Andrew Ward/Reagan Ward, 5.4; 4. (tie) Joe Macoubrie/Dawson McMaster and Mike Bacon/Joseph Harrison, 5.8; 6. Casey Hicks/Cody Heflin, 5.9; 7. Gavin Foster/Derrick Jantzen, 6.1; 8. Spencer Griffith/Jacob Griffith, 6.2.

Steer roping: First round: 1. J. Paul Williams, 10.6 seconds, $888; 2. Joe Wells, 10.7, $735; 3. Jay Sellers, 10.8, $582; 4. Trevor Brazile, 11.4, $429; 5. J.P. Wickett, 12.2, $276; 6. Chuck Thomson, 12.8, $153. Second round 1. Bryce Davis, 9.8 seconds, $888; 2. J. Tom Fisher, 11.3, $735; 3. Landon McClaugherty, 12.7, $582; 4. Rocky Patterson, 13.6, $429; 5. Vin Fisher Jr., 13.7, $276; 6. Pecos Bill McNiel, 13.8, $153. Third round leaders: 1. Trevor Brazile, 9.7 seconds; 2. Cody Lee, 10.8, 3. Jake DeGeer, 11.0; 4. Chuck Thomson, 11.2; 5. Chet Herren, 11.6; 6. Vin Fisher Jr., 12.7; 7. Landon McClaugherty, 13.0; 8. C.A. Lauer, 13.1. Average leaders: 1. Vin Fisher Jr., 39.3 seconds on three runs; 2. Cody Lee, 41.2; 3. (tie) Rocky Patterson and J.P. Wickett, 43.2; 5. C.A. Lauer, 45.7; 6. Landon McClaugherty, 46.6; 7. Justin McKee, 70.7; 8. Trevor Brazile, 21.1 on two runs.

Barrel racing: 1. Christy Loflin, 16.99 seconds; 2. Cheyenne Kelly, 17.27; 3. (tie) Shelley Morgan and Gretchen Benbenek, 17.41; 4. 5. Sandi Brandi, 17.42; 6. Alexia Mehrle, 17.49; 7. Sally Young, 17.50; 8. Michele McLeod, 17.53; 9. Reann Zancanella, 17.56;  10. Tana Poppino, 17.57.+

Bull riding: 1. Guthrie Murray, 79 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Southern Fried; no other qualified rides.

The 2013 season is still looking for a no-hitter after Detroit's Anibal Sanchez lost his in the ninth vs. Minnesota. His night shows just how hard it is to get one, writes Cliff Corcoran.

We all know about the importance of contraception in preventing unwanted pregnancy -- in 2013 more women are aware of their reproductive options than ever before.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Friday, Mississippi State maintained it's momentum from Thursday as it punched four more tickets to the NCAA Track & Field nationals, slated for June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.

A Tennessee compounding pharmacy on probation has voluntarily recalled an anti-inflammatory steroid injection in at least 11 states after seven patients developed abscesses in North Carolina and Illinois, officials said Friday.

Don Mattingly isn't in immediate danger of being fired as manager of the last-place Los Angeles Dodgers, with team president Stan Kasten saying none of the players are asking for his dismissal, either.

The Senators were written off countless times this season and in the playoffs. Ultimately, it took Pittsburgh's relentless offense to finish Ottawa's unlikely run, writes Sarah Kwak.

URBANA, Ill. – Facing a top-five nationally-seeded doubles squad, the Mississippi State men's tennis doubles team of Jordan Angus and Malte Stropp battled from start to finish for a spot in the national quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the Bulldog duo fell short, dropping a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision to Virginia's 4th-ranked and No. 4 nationally seeded duo of Jermere Jenkins and Mac Styslinger on Friday.

PITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins expected desperation.