Thursday December 19th Local Sports

TONIGHT:

AM-1490/96.7-FM KRIB, kribam.com — Clear Lake wrestling at Webster City with Algona — 7:00

IOWA CITY — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says the Hawkeyes are looking at ways to honor former coach Hayden Fry in next week’s Holiday Bowl as well as next season. Fry led Iowa to three Big Ten championships and three Rose Bowls in two decades as head coach.

Ferentz joined Fry’s staff prior to the magical 1981 season that resulted in a Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Ferentz says Fry’s turnaround at Iowa is one of the greatest accomplishments in college football.

Former Iowa quarterback Chuck Long says Hayden Fry was the same on the practice field as he was in public. Long was the Heisman trophy runner-up after the 85′ season that saw the Hawkeyes spend five weeks as the nation’s top ranked team and they finished with a record of 10-2.

In a 2017 interview with KGRN Long talked about his first meeting with Fry after being picked up at the Cedar Rapids Airport.

Fry died on Tuesday at the age of 90.

CEDAR FALLS — Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson says improvement on defense will help the Panthers take another step. UNI is 10-1 and returns to action on Sunday by hosting Marshall.

With a win on Sunday the Panthers would finish non-conference play with a record of 11-1.

Marshall is 4-6 and will be at home on Thursday night against Eastern Kentucky.

Jacobson says Marshall is aggressive on both ends of the court.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 34 points and the New Orleans Pelicans snapped their 13-game losing streak with a 107-99 road win against the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves. Jrue Holiday had 18 points and Lonzo Ball added 10 points, six rebounds and six assists off the bench for New Orleans, which was coming off a 108-101 overtime loss at home to Brooklyn a night earlier. Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota lost its seventh straight game after shooting 38% from the field. Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 27 points.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns missed the Timberwolves’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans because of a left knee sprain. Coach Ryan Saunders called Towns “day-to-day” with the injury. Minnesota hasn’t played since a 124-117 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 13 when Towns had 39 points and 12 rebounds in 35:15. In the fourth quarter, Towns went down hard after a missed dunk attempt while being guarded by Montrezl Harrell.