South Dakota
March Madness: South Dakota State, UConn can both call upon deep benches as they meet in 2nd round
If South Dakota State and UConn played in March Madness last season, neither team would have many options to summon players off the bench because neither had much dept due ot injuries.
What a difference a year makes. The two teams will meet on Monday night with a spot in the Sweet 16 at stake.
South Dakota State’s starters averaged from 28 to 31 minutes per game while UConn’s top six players were on the court for at least 30 minutes per game.
Heading into the second-round game, nobody from second-seeded UConn is averaging at least 30 minutes per game while 10 players for the Jackrabbits see more than 10 minutes per contest.
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“I’ve gotten so used to not having a full complement of players that I had forgotten that coaching is hard,” UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said. “A lot of coaches have to make decisions on what’s my lineup going to look like. I haven’t had to make that decision in four years. I haven’t had to sub in four years. So, I haven’t had any (ticked) off players in four years. Everybody plays 40 minutes and they all love life.”
KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade started for a UConn team that reached the 2024 Final Four. With Azzi Fudd back after being limited to two games a season ago and Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen earning a starting role, they now come off the bench.
“Coming off the bench, you kind of emphasize that when you do when you go into the game, change the game when you are in there,” said Shade, who had 20 points in a first-round win over Arkansas State. “Just being a spark off the bench is something we take very seriously.”
South Dakota State guard Madison Mathiowetz (3) reacts in the second half against Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) Jessica Hill/AP
South Dakota State head coach Aaron Johnston tightened the rotation up a bit in the NCAA opener with Oklahoma State as he went with mostly a seven-player rotation for the 10th-seeded Jackrabbits. He can go deeper into his bench if he wants to give the favored Huskies a different look.
“Rotations every year are always different just based on injuries, who’s available, things like that,” Johnston said. “So this year’s team, it’s worked out. We do have a lot of depth just because of things we’ve dealt with over the past couple years. We’ve had several players returning this year who have been starters for us at some point in their career.”
“I think we have the talent. We have the depth where we can go into our bench and feel like it’s really productive. But at the same time, we’ve got key players that really have to be on the floor and have to play well, too.”
Minnesota Stars Reunited In Storrs
When the NCAA women’s basketball bracket came out, the four Minnesota natives on the South Dakota State team took a few seconds to wonder what it would be like to go up against Minnesota basketball prodigy Paige Bueckers and the 11-time national champion UConn Huskies in the second round of the March Madness bracket.
They will get their wish.
“Paige Bueckers is an incredible player and we are excited to battle it out with them,” said South Dakota State guard Madison Mathiowetz, who didn’t play against Bueckers in either high school or AAU but could see plenty of her Monday night. “I watched in her AAU passing through the gym and on TV growing up. She is somebody who has put a lot of time into basketball.”
South Dakota State senior forward Kallie Theisen had plenty of games against Bueckers in high school. Now, they will meet one last time in what will be Bueckers’ final home game at UConn.
“I have had quite a few matchups with her over the years,” Theisen said. “It is fun to play her on college basketball’s biggest stage. It has come a little full circle.
“People are really drawn to her, she has been a great player since high school and she has a lot of eyes on her at all times and she handles it really well.”
So why are there so many girls’ basketball players from Minnesota who make an impact at high-profile programs?
“I attribute it a little to the cold weather and wanting to be inside,” Bueckers said. “I always found myself at the gym and I am sure a lot of people can say the same thing.
“It is great for the state of Minnesota, I have always said Minnesota is a basketball state. Everybody knows it as a hockey state but for us to play on this stage and in March Madness, it is everything you dream of as kids.”
South Dakota
SD Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Nov. 29, 2025
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 29, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Nov. 29 drawing
19-22-30-32-59, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 29 drawing
04-08-09-34-39, Lucky Ball: 13
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from Nov. 29 drawing
01-15-18-21-46, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Nov. 29 drawing
11-13-20-21-28
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
South Dakota
Is South Dakota State vs New Hampshire football on TV today? Live stream, FCS playoffs preview
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The NCAA FCS College Football Playoffs get underway today as the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (8-4) take on the New Hampshire Wildcats (8-4) in a first round showdown. This game is streaming only, and won’t be on regular broadcast TV. Kickoff takes place on Saturday, November 29 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. MDT) with a live TV broadcast only with ESPN Plus.
• You can watch New Hampshire vs. South Dakota State football streaming live on ESPN+ (now called ESPN Select) today.
Is the South Dakota State vs New Hampshire NCAA FCS college football playoff game on TV today, or streaming only?
When: Saturday, November 29 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. MDT)
Where: Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, SD
TV channel: This game is not available on traditional broadcast TV, and is only streaming on ESPN’s live sports streaming platforms available on the ESPN App with one of the “ESPN Select” or “ESPN Unlimited” subscription plans. (This is the streaming service formerly known as ESPN Plus. Here’s a look at the breakdown of ESPN streaming plans, what they cost and include.)
Where to watch streaming live on TV, or online: You can watch a live stream of this game for less than $12 on ESPN Select (It’s just $11.99/month or $119.99/full year subscription, and you can cancel anytime. Just choose the “ESPN Select” plan in the drop down to sign up for the cheapest version of the service.).
- The best deal: If you sign up for ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/month), you will get all of the ESPN networks and services, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN+, ESPN on ABC, SEC Network+, ACC Network Now and ESPN3.
South Dakota
‘The very best in humanity’: How a stranger gave a South Dakota boy new life
When her infant son began showing signs of jaundice following a full-term, healthy pregnancy, Sarah Beckstrom soon began a journey from fear, anger and sadness to eternal appreciation for a perfect stranger.
But the Mitchell mother and LifeSource, the region’s primary organ procurement organization that helps connect donors and recipients like baby Charlie — now a healthy and active teenager — say continued education around organ donation is necessary to ensure more families can feel what the Beckstroms have for the last decade.
“He was just not thriving. He couldn’t absorb, you know, milk. He was just kind of a not content child,” Beckstrom recently said in an interview with The Dakota Scout, recalling the early signs of the rare genetic liver condition — alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency — that threatened her son’s life before his first birthday.
State apologizes, but can’t explain missing evidence in prison overdose case
Charlie was placed on the organ waiting list at 7 months old. Three months later, the call came.
A 13-year-old donor had died, and his liver was a match.
Today Charlie is also 13 — a healthy, energetic one. But for Beckstrom, joy exists alongside grief — for the family who lost their child and ultimately saved hers.
“It was kind of like I wrote the donor’s family after, which was probably one of the most emotionally challenging, difficult things I’ve ever done,” she said. “That circle wasn’t closed for me. And I’m like, okay, I need to do more. Because they gave him a second chance at life.”
That’s why Beckstrom became a LifeSource ambassador, sharing Charlie’s story in hopes of encouraging more people to check the “yes” box on their driver’s license. The organization oversees the donation system across Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota — responding around the clock when someone dies under circumstances that allow organ donation, supporting families, coordinating recovery and transporting organs to recipients.
“When I think about people who say yes to donation, who put donor on their driver’s license, I think that’s the very best in humanity because they’re helping another person,” said Susan Mau Larson, chief administrative officer for LifeSource.
Only about 1 percent of deaths occur in a hospital while the patient is on a ventilator, the criteria that’s typically required for organ donation. But in recent years, medical innovations have helped expand the donor pool nationwide. Perfusion devices can preserve organs longer. The federal HOPE Act allows organ donation between HIV-positive donors and recipients. Broader medical criteria are also increasing the number of viable transplants. Nationally, transplants have risen by about 50 percent over the past decade.
Surgeons say the emotional weight of the process is shared in operating rooms across the country.
Dr. Hassan Turaihi, who performs one or two organ transplants a month at Sanford Health, says the work is both devastating and beautiful.
“Thousands of people are waiting for a second chance at life… a functional heart, a healthy liver, or a working lung,” he said. “Their lives are on pause desperately hoping for a miraculous call so organ donation is a miracle. It’s the ultimate sacrifice.”
Up to eight people can benefit from a single donor — two kidneys, a heart, lungs, eyes, corneas, pancreas, small bowel and a liver, which can be split to help two patients.
“When I go in for those organ donations, it’s sad to hear the story of family and the donor who made the ultimate sacrifice, but at the same time you know you’re giving someone else the ability to have a new life and new chapter,” Turaihi said.
LifeSource leaders say South Dakota has long had one of the highest donor-registration rates in the nation. But in recent years the rate has slipped from about 60 percent to 57 percent. Mau Larson attributes the decline to national misinformation — claims that organs are lost in transit, that families feel pressured or that the process lacks oversight.
She pushed back on those narratives, emphasizing the accountability and transparency built into every step of the system.
The organization is also working to improve culturally responsive outreach, particularly among American Indian communities. Tribal engagement across South Dakota, including partnerships with Native chaplains and respect for beliefs surrounding keeping the body intact, are initiatives Mau Larson credits with donor rates staying strong in the state.
Data from the federal Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network show the number of American Indians receiving transplants in South Dakota was five in 2023, eight in 2024 and seven in 2025. The state has two kidney-transplant programs, but patients needing other organs — including hearts or livers — typically travel to Minnesota or Colorado. Meanwhile, the number of American Indian deceased donors in South Dakota fluctuated from six in 2023 to two in 2024 and five in 2025.
LifeSource operations are nationwide. In a three-state region that covers South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota, that means retrieval teams traveling frequently by air. Transporting organs involves specialized handling protocols, and recent federal changes have streamlined airline procedures and TSA requirements.
Despite ongoing budget negotiations in Washington, Mau Larson said LifeSource has avoided disruptions.
LifeSource leaders say they are grateful for South Dakota’s long record of donor registrations, and they continue answering questions for anyone unsure about what saying “yes” really means.
“We’re talking about helping another person,” Mau Larson said. “That’s the very best in humanity.”
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