Category: News
Chicago Bears’ 2026 opponents are set. Here’s who they will play.
With the NFL regular season wrapping up Sunday, the Chicago Bears’ 2026 opponents are set. Dates and times won’t be announced until May, but the Bears already know who they will be playing at home and on the road.
Home opponents
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Philadelphia Eagles
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Jacksonville Jaguars
Road opponents
Lions
Packers
Vikings
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Seattle Seahawks
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
The Bears will have nine home games and eight away games in 2026. With nine home games, it’s possible the NFL could target one of them for an international game. The Bears last played overseas in 2024 in London.
In addition to facing their NFC North rivals both home and away, the Bears will play all four NFC South and AFC East teams.
As winners of the NFC North, the Bears also will play the first-place teams from the NFC East (Eagles), NFC West (Seahawks) and AFC South (Jaguars).
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/chicago-bears-2026-schedule-opponents/
Hundreds march in silence to honor victims of Swiss bar fire that left 40 dead
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Hundreds marched in silence Sunday to honor the victims of the New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, which left 40 dead and many severely injured.
Somber mourners, many with reddened eyes, filed silently out of the chapel to organ music after the hourlong Mass at the Chapelle Saint-Christophe in Crans-Montana. Some exchanged hugs before marching up a hill to Le Constellation bar.
Many hundreds of people walked in the dense snaking procession in the bright sunlight past shuttered stores. Up on the mountain overlooking the town, snow machines sent plumes of white flakes into the air.
At the top of the street, in front of Le Constellation — which is still largely shielded from view by white screens — the swelling crowd stood in near total silence, some weeping.
Then they broke out into sustained applause for the rescue teams and police who rushed to the scene of horror, their hands in gloves and mittens against the cold. Mourners and well-wishers deposited bouquets at a makeshift memorial piled with flowers, cuddly toys and other tributes. Some firefighters wiped their eyes too.
‘They went there to party’
“Through this tragic event, I believe we must all remember that we are all brothers and sisters in humanity,” Véronique Barras, a local resident who knows grieving families, said. “It’s important to support each other, to hug each other, and to move forward towards light.”
Cathy Premer said her daughter was out celebrating her 17th birthday on New Year’s Eve when she called in the early hours of the morning to say she was stuck because Le Constellation was cordoned off.
“For the young — but even for adults — it’s hard to understand things that seem inexplicable,” she said. “They went there to party, it’s a destination for Dec. 31, it’s very festive, there were people of many nationalities … and it all turned into a tragedy.”
In the crowd, Paola Ponti Greppi, an 80-year-old Italian who has a house in Crans-Montana, called for safety checks in bars. “We need more safety in these places because it’s not the only place like this. Why didn’t the town do the proper checks? For me that’s terrible.”
A Mass for the victims
During the Mass, the Rev. Gilles Cavin spoke of the “terrible uncertainty” for families unsure if their loved ones are among the dead or still alive among the injured.
“There are no words strong enough to express the dismay, anguish, and anger of those who are affected in their lives today. And yet, we are here, gathered because silence alone is not enough,” he said.
In the crowded pews, a grieving woman listened intently, her hands clasped tightly and sometimes clasping rosary beads, as speakers delivered readings in German, French and Italian.
Forty people died and 119 were injured in the blaze that broke out around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday at Le Constellation bar. Police have said many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s.
By Sunday evening, Swiss authorities had identified all of the 40 fatalities.
A grieving mother
One of the victims was 16-year-old Arthur Brodard, whose mother had been frantically searching for him.
“Our Arthur has now left to party in paradise,” a visibly shaken Laetitia Brodard said in a Facebook story posted on Saturday night, speaking to a camera. “We can start our mourning, knowing that he is in peace and in the light.”
Brodard’s frenzied search for her son reflected the desperation of families of the young people disappeared during the fire, who did not know whether their loved ones were dead or in the hospital.
Swiss authorities said the process of identifying victims was particularly hard because of the advanced degree of the burns, requiring the use of DNA samples. Brodard also had given her DNA sample to help in the identification process.
In her Facebook post, she thanked those who “testified their compassion, their love” and to those who shared information as she anxiously searched and waited for news of her son. Other parents and siblings are still waiting in anguish.
Bar managers face a criminal investigation
Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation of the bar managers.
The two are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire, the Valais region’s chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, told reporters Saturday. The announcement of the investigation did not name the managers.
Regional police said Sunday there were no legal grounds so far that would require the managers to be held pending the legal process. They have not been deemed to be a flight risk.
Investigators have said they believe festive sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.
Authorities are looking into whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. The investigation also centers on other safety measures on the premises, including fire extinguishers and escape routes, and whether previous work at the site was up to code.
“Initial witness accounts cited a fire that spread quickly, generating a lot of smoke and a huge wave of heat,” the police statement Sunday said. “Everything happened very fast.”
Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced a national day of mourning for the victims on Jan. 9.
France’s Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said 17 patients have received care in France, out of a total of 35 transferred from Switzerland to five European countries. Other patients were planned to be transferred to Germany, Italy and Belgium.
Associated Press journalists Kostya Manenkov in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw contributed to this report
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/march-honor-victims-swiss-bar-fire/
Chinese Social Media Explodes: US Invasion Of Venezuela A ‘Template’ For Move On Taiwan
Chinese Social Media Explodes: US Invasion Of Venezuela A ‘Template’ For Move On Taiwan
A fascinating new report by Bloomberg on Sunday has observed a huge uptick in Chinese social media users weighing in on the decades-long Taiwan independence crisis, in relation to President Trump’s weekend overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“Trump’s operation against the Venezuelan strongman shot to the top of China’s Weibo late Saturday, with the topic gaining some 440 million views on the X-like platform,” Bloomberg reports. “Many commentators were quick to make comparisons between the fate of the South American nation and that of the self-ruled democracy Beijing has vowed to claim.”
Like the long building military showdown between the United States and Venezuela, Taiwan has been a flashpoint in mainland China’s shadow. It is ‘small’ in comparison with China’s population and military might. But the situation is an inversion, with Washington having long armed Taiwan to the teeth.
This fact is obvious enough to spark an avalanche of commentary, with Bloomberg citing one Weibo post and thread (among many) which said “I suggest using the same method to reclaim Taiwan in the future” – in reference to Beijing’s designs on ‘reuniting’ the self-ruled island with the mainland.
Another user said, “The US imperialists’ lightning raid on Venezuela to capture Maduro and his wife provides a perfect blueprint for our military to launch a surprise attack on Frog Island and seize [Taiwanese President] Lai Ching-te” – which utilized a popular derogatory term for Taiwan.
China has joined Russia in demanding the immediate release of Maduro, with the foreign ministry staying it was “deeply shocked” by the “blatant use of force against a sovereign state.”
The same report features the perspective of former diplomat Ryan Hass:
“I don’t expect today’s events in Venezuela will dramatically shift Beijing’s calculus on Taiwan,” Ryan Hass, a former US diplomat and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, wrote on X. “Beijing hasn’t refrained from kinetic or other actions on Taiwan out of deference to international law and norms.”
“Privately, I expect Beijing will emphasize to Washington that it expects to be given the same latitude for great power exemptions to international law that the US takes for itself,” he added, citing China’s operations in the South China Sea, where it has territorial disputes with US allies and other regional neighbors.
Indeed under Trump it is a new day. Not only does he “speak the truth out loud” – no longer merely hiding behind platitudes like “spreading democracy” in the name of the “rules-based order”, he unapologetically just invades countries he doesn’t like (as the foray into Caracas makes clear).
The US has long condemned Moscow of doing just this (in Ukraine, or in Georgia over a decade ago). The Kremlin has reacted this weekend to the Venezuela intervention by saying “just watch the double standards in motion.”
Beijing without doubt is signaling the same thing. It is asking essentially: if the US can do this in its own backyard (invade a small ‘nuisance’ country), then why can’t China do the same?
Time to watch the double standards in real time.
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) January 3, 2026
Tyler Durden
Sun, 01/04/2026 – 16:20
Week 18 photos: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions
Photos from the Chicago Bears’ Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on Jan. 4, 2026.
Fans tailgate before the Chicago Bears play the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field Sunday Jan. 4, 2026 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
From left Bill Aslanides and Tom Pappas wear Bears chains while tailgating before the Chicago Bears play the Detroit Lions during the quarter at Soldier Field Sunday Jan. 4, 2026 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Clarence Griggs grills while tailgating before the Chicago Bears play the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field Sunday Jan. 4, 2026 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
From left, Jennifer Fales and Jamie Binder wear pink sweaters and mustaches while tailgating before the Chicago Bears play the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field Sunday Jan. 4, 2026 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams walks to the locker room wearing Ben Johnson’s high school jersey before playing the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field Sunday Jan. 4, 2026 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/week-18-photos-chicago-bears-detroit-lions/
Edith Renfrow Smith, part of Northwestern’s ‘SuperAgers’ study, dies at 111
Edith Renfrow Smith, the first Black woman to graduate from Grinnell College in Iowa and a longtime Chicago schoolteacher, remained mentally sharp well past 100, becoming the subject for medical researchers studying what they called “SuperAgers.”
Smith, 111, died Friday. She had been a resident of Chicago.
Edith Renfrow was born in Grinnell, Iowa, on July 14, 1914, the fifth of six children. Her grandparents, George Craig and Eliza Jan Craig, were born into slavery. Her father was a hotel chef.
The Renfrows were one of the only African-American families in Grinnell at that time, and her parents stressed the importance of
education for all of their children.
“My mother insisted that education was the only thing that could not be taken away from them,” Smith told National Public Radio’s Scott Simon in 2023.
Smith graduated from Grinnell College in 1937 — 91 years after the college was founded — with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, becoming the first Black woman ever to graduate from the small liberal arts college and the 11th Black graduate of the college to that point.
While at Grinnell, Smith met Amelia Earhart when the famed aviator visited the campus.
“She was one of the celebrities that came to Grinnell to talk to the students,” Smith told National Public Radio in 2023. “And she was just like another one of us. It was a delightful visit.”
She married Harry Smith in 1940. The couple moved to Chicago’s South Side, and Smith worked at a South Side YWCA, at the University of Chicago and as a secretary to Ald. Oscar DePriest. She began a 22-year teaching career at Ludwig Van Beethoven Elementary School at 25 W. 47th Street on the South Side, retiring in 1976.
Jazz great Herbie Hancock lived across the street from the Smiths while growing up.
“(Edith) was a very sophisticated lady, and she and my mother hit it off very well,” Hancock told the Tribune in 2024. “My mother was
always looking at things like art and culture and those things, and in the neighborhood, there weren’t a whole lot of people looking at
that.”
Hancock credited Smith with introducing him to Grinnell College, from which he graduated.
“She talked about Grinnell being a great college for academics, and it made me think that Grinnell would be a really nice thing to do, it’d be a new experience because I’d never lived in a small town and I didn’t know anything about corn, and let’s see what happens,” Hancock said. “I’m happy I went there — it really changed my life, (because) it was where I really decided I wanted to be a jazz musician.”
In retirement, Smith was a longtime volunteer at the Art Institute of Chicago. As she reached her late 90s in the 2010s, she began drawing interest from researchers from Northwestern and from the news media, both of which were intrigued by Smith’s keen, vivid memory and her strong cognitive functioning.
She participated in Northwestern medical school’s 2017 study of “SuperAgers” that showed what was obvious to Smith: Social connections keep one sharp.
“I’m just a person who likes people,” she told the Tribune in 2017. “When you like people, you communicate.”
Edith Renfrow Smith works during an arts and crafts class Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, at Bethany Retirement Community in Andersonville. Smith died Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, at 111. She was one of the “SuperAgers,” a group studied by Northwestern that is made up of elderly adults with the cognitive abilities of much younger adults. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
And that love of people extended to strangers, as well. At one retirement community where she resided, Smith was one of nine people assigned to welcome new residents and to try to help make them feel at home.
“I have a smile for everybody,” she told the Tribune in 2018. “I try to learn someone’s name as soon as they come in.”
In 2018, Smith appeared on NBC’s “Today” show, and three years later, she appeared in a PBS program, “Build a Better Memory Through Science.”
Grinnell awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2019, named a library after her in its Black Cultural Center, and named a student art
gallery for her in another campus building in 2021. And in 2024, a residence hall building at Grinnell was named for her. Smith — at age 110 — was on hand for its dedication ceremony, in September 2024.
Due to her many years of volunteer work, Smith was inducted into the Chicago Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in 2009.
“Wake up every morning and thank the good Lord that you are alive and able to look at his wonderful world,” she told NPR in 2023.
Smith’s husband of 73 years, Henry, died in 2013. She is survived by a daughter, Alice.
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/edith-renfrow-smith-superager-obit/
Hollywood starts 2026 with ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ No. 1, as James Cameron’s sci-fi epic crosses $1B
NEW YORK — Hollywood kicked off 2026 with “Avatar: Fire and Ash” atop the box office for the third straight week and with hopes for a blockbuster-filled year after a disappointing 2025.
In three weeks of release, “Fire and Ash” has cleared $1 billion worldwide. The third chapter in James Cameron’s Pandora epic collected $40 million over its third weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
“Fire and Ash” is doing its biggest business overseas; it’s grossed $777.1 million internationally thus far. The Walt Disney Co. on Sunday trumped the $1 billion milestone as “cementing another monumental achievement for James Cameron’s groundbreaking franchise.”
But over the holidays, it wasn’t just about the weekend ticket sales. The whole week was a lucrative one for Hollywood, with most schools still out. What drove ticket sales, beyond “Avatar”? Sydney Sweeney, Timothée Chalamet and “Zootopia 2.”
The most sustained success over the holiday collider in theaters belonged to a movie that opened all the way back in November. Yet Disney’s “Zootopia 2” has had remarkable staying power. It landed in second place with $19 million, dipping a mere 4% from the previous weekend.
The animated sequel has amassed $1.59 billion in six weeks. That makes “Zootopia 2” Disney’s second highest grossing animated movie ever, trailing only 2019’s photorealistic “The Lion King” ($1.66 billion).
“The Housemaid,” the twisty thriller starring Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, also emerged as a holiday-season hit for Lionsgate. It collected $14.9 million over the weekend, giving it $75.7 million domestically over three weeks. It dipped only 3% from last weekend. Internationally, “The Housemaid,” which cost a modest $35 million to make, has added $57.3 million.
Just as Sweeney’s star power is propelling “The Housemaid,” so is Chalamet’s with “Marty Supreme.” The A24 release also held well in its third weekend, grossing an estimated $12.6 million. After two weeks of wide release, Josh Safdie’s frenetic table tennis tale has grossed $56 million in North America, passing the director’s previous film, “Uncut Gems” ($50 million worldwide).
Just about everything playing in theaters saw small drops from the previous weekend. Sony’s action comedy “Anaconda,” starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, dipped 31% to collect $10 million in second weekend. Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue” dropped only 17% in its second weekend with $5.9 million. The Hugh Jackman-Kate Hudson Neil Diamond cover band movie has earned $25 million domestically.
With “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and a wide variety of smaller hits, Hollywood started 2026 strongly. Overall sales were up 26.5% from the same weekend in 2025, according to data firm Comscore.
The movie industry is coming off a poor 2025, where domestic moviegoing continued to slide. U.S. and Canada ticket sales in 2025 amounted to $8.9 billion, a 2% increase from the year earlier, according to Comscore, but about 20% below pre-pandemic levels. That slight improvement was notably less than anticipated and was also boosted by higher ticket prices. Actual tickets sold declined from more than 800 million in 2024 to around 780 million in 2025.
The industry is now awaiting a potentially seismic shift with Warner Bros., one of the most theatrical-friendly studios, agreeing to sell to Netflix. That $83 billion deal awaits regulatory approval.
Yet studios are cautiously optimistic 2026 could be the best box-office year of the decade. A release slate filled with marquee franchises, including new “Toy Story,” “Avengers,” “Spider-Man,” “Super Mario Bros” and “Dune” movies, has raised hopes of a turnaround.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” $40 million.
2. “Zootopia 2,” $19 million.
3. “The Housemaid,” $14.9 million.
4. “Marty Supreme,” $12.6 million.
5. “Anaconda,” $10 million.
6. “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” $8.2 million.
7. “David,” $8 million.
8. “Song Sung Blue,” $5.9 million.
9. “Wicked: For Good,” $3.3 million.
10. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” $2.7 million.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/2026-avatar-fire-and-ash-box-office/
Detroit Tries To Balance Gas-Powered Profits While Staying Competitive With China’s EV Surge
Detroit Tries To Balance Gas-Powered Profits While Staying Competitive With China’s EV Surge
U.S. automakers are quietly pivoting back toward what they know makes money: large gasoline vehicles. Selling trucks and SUVs is now the fastest path to higher profits, especially as government pressure to push electric vehicles has weakened. Trying to maximize profits from gas cars while keeping pace in EV technology is proving extremely difficult, according to a new writeup from the Wall Street Journal.
Recent policy changes strongly favor gasoline models. Fuel-economy rules have been softened, penalties for missing targets have disappeared, EV tax credits have expired, and California can no longer impose its own emissions standards. EV momentum has cooled worldwide as well, with Europe, the U.K., and Canada also retreating from aggressive mandates. BloombergNEF projects U.S. EV sales will drop 24% in Q4 2025 from the year before.
Automakers are responding quickly. GM, Ford, and Stellantis have announced plans to emphasize gasoline vehicles, which deliver far better margins. Thousands of EV-factory jobs have been cut and several plants paused. As RBC’s Tom Narayan explains, “Even one quarter of mismatched production can result in billions of dollars of losses.”
Their caution is understandable. EV programs have been deeply unprofitable. Ford alone lost nearly $13 billion on EVs between 2021 and 2024, and now expects $19.5 billion in new charges, largely EV-related. Meanwhile, easing regulations are creating what Ford CEO Jim Farley calls a “multibillion-dollar opportunity over the next two years.” TD Cowen estimates profit gains of $4B for Ford, $3B for GM, and €1.4B for Stellantis from these regulatory shifts.
Publicly, the companies still claim commitment to EVs. GM CEO Mary Barra says “profitable electric-vehicle production” remains the firm’s goal, and Farley warns that Chinese rivals like BYD and Geely are the real competition. But reality is sobering: the Detroit Three together control less than 5% of global EV sales, while BYD, Geely, and Tesla hold nearly 40%.
WSJ writes that part of the problem is demand. Consumers have resisted expensive electric versions of large vehicles that don’t suit long-distance or commercial use. Ford now plans a smaller, cheaper electric pickup around $30,000 for 2027. GM is redesigning EVs to be lighter and more aerodynamic. Both companies are also trying to keep flexibility by producing EVs and gasoline cars in the same plants. As Barra put it, “we have the ability to flex back and forth between ICE and EVs.”
That flexibility, however, undermines efficiency. BloombergNEF’s Colin McKerracher argues that scale is essential for lowering battery costs, and John Murphy of Haig Partners notes that mixed production lines inevitably sacrifice efficiency.
Believing Detroit can dominate EVs now requires faith: that low-cost EVs can be built without massive scale, that U.S. firms can match the speed of Chinese rivals who release new models every 1.8 years versus 5.2 years for Western firms, and that Chinese automakers will stay out of the U.S. market indefinitely.
There is another path. Like U.S. oil companies that ignored renewables and doubled down on their most profitable business—with strong results—the Detroit automakers could lean into gasoline and hybrids. Hybrid demand is still growing and uses nearly the same supply chain as traditional vehicles. S&P Global Mobility expects global gasoline and hybrid sales to rise through at least 2032.
The danger is timing. The world could transition to EVs faster than expected, leaving U.S. automakers stuck behind. For now, though, profits from gas vehicles are simply too attractive to resist.
Tyler Durden
Sun, 01/04/2026 – 15:45
Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett gets his 23rd sack, breaking the NFL single-season record
CINCINNATI — Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 5:09 remaining during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Garrett sacked Joe Burrow for a 6-yard loss on first-and-10 at the Browns 45-yard line. Burrow was in the shotgun formation when he saw Garrett coming and went down.
Garrett came into the game needing one sack to surpass the mark of 22½ shared by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan in 2001 with the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt in 2021.
The sack in some ways was similar to Strahan’s record-breaking sack of the Green Bay Packers’ Brett Favre. Both players didn’t put up much of a challenge when they saw an oncoming pass rusher.
Garrett’s teammates celebrated his 23rd sack even though the Bengals tried to go no-huddle on the next play.
Myles Garrett of the Browns celebrates after breaking the NFL single-season sack record against the Bengals on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Cincinnati. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Garrett has sacked 51 players over his nine-year NFL career. Burrow is at the top of the list at 12 in 10 meetings.
The NFL did not start counting sacks as an official statistic until 1982. Mark Gastineau of the New York Jets had the record of 22 in 1984 until Strahan surpassed that late in the fourth quarter of the Giants’ 2001 season finale against the Packers. Favre went to the ground as Strahan was approaching to set the mark.
Watt tied the record during the final game in 2021 in Baltimore by taking down Ravens QB Tyler Huntley.
Garrett has recorded at least half a sack in 11 of 12 games, including Sunday. That includes a team-record five against the New England Patriots on Oct. 26, four against the Ravens on Nov. 14 and three one week later in Las Vegas.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/myles-garrett-nfl-sack-record/
Illinois women’s 11-game win streak ends with 81-75 loss to No. 24 Michigan State
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Kennedy Blair had 19 points, Rashunda Jones and Grace VanSlooten each scored 15 and No. 24 Michigan State ended Illinois’ 11-game winning streak with an 81-75 victory Sunday.
Blair made 4 of 10 shots and 11 of 12 free throws for the Spartans (14-1, 3-1 Big Ten), who have won six in a row. She added nine rebounds and seven assists.
VanSlooten hit 7 of 15 shots and grabbed nine rebounds. Jones sank both of her 3-point attempts and all five of her free throws. Emma Shumate hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 off the bench.
Berry Wallace and reserve Maddie Webber scored 22 apiece to lead the Illini (13-2, 3-1). Gretchen Dolan scored 12 but missed 12 of 16 shots. Destiny Jackson had 10 rebounds and six assists to go with six points.
VanSlooten had eight points and Jones sank two 3-pointers to help Michigan State take a 23-18 lead after one quarter.
Illinois took a 24-23 lead in the second quarter, but Blair made baskets on both sides of a Shumate 3-pointer as Michigan State followed with a 9-0 run to take control.
Jones hit a jumper to give the Spartans their largest lead at 54-39 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Wallace scored the next five points and added a 3-pointer as the Illini used an 11-4 run to cut it to 58-50 heading to the fourth.
Dolan scored in the paint and Webber hit from distance as Illinois scored the first five points to get within three. Juliann Woodard hit a 3-pointer and 3 of 4 free throws in a 10-3 spurt, and Michigan State stayed in front.
Up next
Illinois: Hosts No. 19 Ohio State on Wednesday.
Michigan State: Visits Washington on Thursday.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/illinois-michigan-state-womens-basketball-win-streak/
No. 18 Notre Dame women drop their 2nd straight ACC game, falling 82-68 at Duke
DURHAM, N.C. — Taina Mair scored 23 points, Toby Fournier added 20 and Duke defeated No. 18 Notre Dame 82-68 on Sunday, extending the Blue Devils’ winning streak to six games.
Mair’s season-high output was her most in two seasons. She made 7 of 12 shots overall, 4 of 4 3-pointers and all five of her free throws. She also had six rebounds and six assists. Fournier added seven rebounds and five assists.
Fueled by a 13-0 run, Duke’s 26-17 first quarter put Notre Dame in catch-up mode, and the Irish trailed by at least nine for the remainder of the half.
Hannah Hidalgo’s 3-pointer to open the third quarter got Notre Dame within 43-37. It was the only time over the final three quarters that Duke led by fewer than nine points. The Blue Devils responded with an 8-0 run and built a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter. They led 59-48 at the end of the quarter.
Mair scored nine points in the fourth quarter, and the unranked Blue Devils (9-6, 4-0 ACC) led by as many as 16 points in the final minute.
Delaney Thomas had 10 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season for Duke. Ashlon Jackson scored 13 points and Riley Nelson added 11.
Hidalgo had 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals for Notre Dame (10-4, 2-2). Cassandre Prosper scored 15 points, Iyana Moore had 12 off the bench and Malaya Cowles scored 10.
Notre Dame has lost two in a row in ACC play after a 2-0 start to the conference season.
Up next
Notre Dame: Hosts Boston College on Thursday.
Duke: Visits California on Thursday.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/notre-dame-duke-womens-basketball/
