Kansas
Summit League basketball: South Dakota State holds off Kansas City
BROOKINGS — Usually if a basketball team has a stretch in a game where they outscore their opponent 20-0, they’re going to win that game.
South Dakota State had a 20-0 run in the first half of their Summit League game against Kansas City on Thursday, and they did indeed secure a 75-66 win in front of 2,012 Frost Arena fans.
But the Kangaroos did not go quietly.
Trailing by 15 late in the first half after that huge scoring stretch by the Jacks and by 10 at the break, UMKC came out hot in the second half, cutting the Jackrabbit lead to three points eight minutes in and taking a 61-59 lead with 6:32 to go.
It was tied at 66 with 2:46 to go when Luke Appel expanded the range on his patented one-hander, sinking a left-handed hook to put the Jacks on top for good, starting a 9-0 run to close out the game and send SDSU to 5-1 in Summit League play (12-9 overall).
“I just knew the shot clock was running out,” said Appel, who made the game-winner after grabbing the rebound when his first attempt was blocked by UMKC’s Jeff Ngandu. “I had just got blocked again so I just had to get something up there.”
“It was a good shot,” teammate Charlie Easley nodded approvingly.
Matt Zimmer/Sioux Falls Live
After Matt Mims had made it a two-score game with a pair of free throws, Zeke Mayo, who struggled much of the night, made an aggressive drive through the lane for a layup that made it a six-point lead and put the Kangaroos away.
“You have to love conference games – there’s always gonna be some excitement and there was tonight,” said Jacks coach Eric Henderson. “(UMKC) got hot in the second half. They made some hard shots. I was proud of our guys showing resiliency and finishing the game.”
The Jacks started slow, as both teams were a little sleepy on offense in the early going. Then came the 20-0 run, in which the Jacks defense kept the Kangaroos (8-13, 2-4) out of the paint and their offense dominated by sending it in there. The only two 3-pointers they made all night — both by Mims — also came during the 20-0 stretch.
“Our urgency defensively was really good and we rebounded better during that stretch,” Henderson said. “They only had four paint touches in the first half. We got ‘er cookin’. When you’re able to get stops and play with good pace on the offensive end you’ve seen this team be pretty efficient.”
Matt Zimmer/Sioux Falls Live
Appel had 19 points to lead both teams, while Mims had 15. William Kyle had 13 points and seven boards and Easley had 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Mayo had nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The Jacks shot 49 percent to UMKC’s 36. SDSU outscored the visitors 17-3 at the line and 48-14 in the paint. The ‘Roos (who were led by Jamar Brown’s 17 points) were 15-of-38 from deep to SDSU’s 2-for-11, but ultimately SDSU’s dominance inside won out.
“Credit to (UMKC), they hit shots in the second half,” Easley said. “They started off hot and that’ll get you back in the game. They made it close — the next step for us is learning how to close games better.”
Women extend winning streak to eight
The Jackrabbit women picked up their eighth win in a row and improved to 6-0 in Summit League action with a 72-49 win over Kansas City at the Swinney Center in Kansas City.
Tori Nelson and Paige Meyer had 14 points each to lead the Jackrabbits (14-5 overall), with Nelson adding six rebounds, four assists and three steals and Meyer dishing a game-high five assists. Madison Mathiowetz had 12 points and five boards and Brooklyn Meyer added 11 points, seven rebounds and a whopping seven steals, a career-high.
No one scored in double figures for the Kangaroos, who shot 30 percent for the game and had 21 turnovers.
SDSU will return home to face Oral Roberts on Sunday for a 3 p.m. tip.
Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.
Out of all the former Oregon Ducks to play in the NFL this year, there’s a case to be made for quarterback Bo Nix having one of the biggest break out seasons. For the first time in over nine years, Nix helped lead the Denver Broncos to their first playoff appearance with a 31-7 Wild Card game loss against the Buffalo Bills.
Nix’s numbers for his inaugural season in the league are warranting many to campaign for the young quarterback to win “Rookie of the Year” accolades, with Nix joining fellow former Duck and Tampa Bay running back Bucky Irving as a finalist for the Pepsi Zero Rookie of the Year voting.
Amongst those campaigning for Nix to get his flowers, are those comparing his numbers to that of the regular season statistics for one of the best quarterbacks active in the league: Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.
When look at Nix’s and Mahomes’ numbers from both of their 2024 seasons, the similarities are glaring and in some ways favor Nix over Mahomes. In the passing game, Nix punched in a 66.3% completion percentage, whereas Mahomes clocked in with 67.5%. Nix came in third in the NFL for touchdowns with 29 total while Mahomes boasted 26. Both Nix and Mahomes almost mirrored each other for their pass ratings, with Mahomes at 93.5 and Nix at 93.3.
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Nix also threw 12 interceptions compared to Mahomes’ 11 interceptions this season. As for sacks, Nix was taken down 24 times with Mahomes being sacked 36 times.
For the rushing side of the game, Nix’s numbers compared to Mahomes showed the strength of the former Ducks’ ability to extend a play with his legs. Nix rushed for 430 yards off 92 carries in 2024, picking up four touchdowns. Mahomes got 307 yards off 58 carries with two touchdowns. Nix racked up two rushing fumbles compared to Mahomes’ single rushing fumble of the season.
This comparison between Nix and Mahomes shows serious promise for the Denver rookie quarterback, who earned NFL’s Rookie of the Month in October and also made the second most touchdown passes by a rookie in NFL history.
Ncaa Football Oregon Stanford Football Stanford At Oregon / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
From a two loss start to the regular season marked with several rookie mistakes, to shining as the clear future for the folks at Mile High, Nix had the clear support of his teammates the entire way. Nix was the first rookie to be named captain of the Broncos since 1967, and was the first rookie starter for the Broncos since the 1980’s with John Elway. Denver right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who has a long-storied history in the NFL, spoke about Nix’s intangibles that helped the former Duck step up to be a clear leader this season.
“I think once we got around him in the building for a week or two—a couple weeks in April—you’re like, ‘Oh man, this kid is made of the right stuff. Obviously, when you’re in shorts in April and May and doing OTA practices, you really can’t tell what kind of a football player he is really until we get into August, and when we put the pads on and all that kind of stuff,” McGlinchey said.
It’s clear with these direct comparisons to one of the best quarterbacks still playing today, that Nix has a bright future with the Broncos going forward.
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With their thrilling 27-25 win over the Ravens, the Buffalo Bills have advanced to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 2020.
Buffalo will travel to face Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m. with a trip to Super Bowl LIX on the line. This marks the 4th time in the last 5th seasons that the Bills and Chiefs will meet in the playoffs.
The Bills defense forced 3 turnovers in their victory over the Ravens in the AFC Divisional Game. Buffalo intercepted Ravens QB Lamar Jackson once, forced a fumble on Jackson and forced a fumble on TE Mark Andrews.
QB Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns and RB Ray Davis ran for his first career postseason TD.
The Bills and Chiefs met in Buffalo earlier this season with the Bills taking home a 30-21 win.
Kansas
Brooke Shields joined Donna Kelce — and became part of Taylor Swift’s entourage — at Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff game
Brooke Shields joined Donna Kelce and Taylor Swift in cheering for Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs at Saturday’s playoff game.
The actress was all smiles alongside the Kelce matriarch during the team’s game against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., per a photo posted to her Instagram Story.
Shields dolled up in pink-rimmed glasses and a red Chiefs jacket with Travis’ number, 87.
Donna, meanwhile, kept warm in a red flannel shirt underneath a black jacket.
“With @donnakelce! Let’s go @chiefs & @killatrav!!” the actress captioned the post.
Shields, 59, attended the game to promote her GSK and Thrive@50+ partnership to raise awareness for shingles in women over 50 years old.
“I’m in Kansas City to cheer on the Chiefs,” she said in a joint Instagram video with the brand, noting the “vibe for the game today is cozy yet chic.”
Donna, 72, also joined the campaign, saying in another video with the company that she takes care of her health so she can be there for her sons, Travis and Jason Kelce.
“And you know me, I’ll never miss a chance to support my boys,” she said.
While Shields wasn’t pictured with Swift, 35, at the game, the 14-time Grammy winner cheered on her beau from Travis’ VIP suite.
The “Lover” songstress showed up wearing $22,000 worth of Chanel, including a tweed jacket, zip-up romper and pearl belt.
She was joined by WNBA star Caitlin Clark, who was decked out in Chiefs red for the outing.
At one point during the game, Swift and Clark embraced while jumping up and down celebrating Travis’ touchdown in the fourth quarter.
After winning, Travis, 35, confessed he was feeling “22, baby” while chatting with a reporter in the locker room.
The NFL star’s comment was a nod to Swift’s 2012 track “22” from her “Red” album.
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