BROOKINGS — In 15 non-conference games, Oscar Cluff made clear he’ll be a handful this year for South Dakota State’s opponents.

In Thursday’s Summit League opener against the Denver Pioneers, Cluff sent a definitive message to the conference. He’ll be more than a handful. He’ll likely be one of the most unstoppable big men the league has ever seen.

Cluff had 30 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Jacks to a 91-70 rout of the Pioneers, going 11-of-14 from the floor and 7-of-8 at the line, even hitting his only 3-point attempt of the night.

That offensive dominance from the 6-foot-11 Australian helped the Jacks put this one on ice early, as a 21-4 run helped SDSU take a 42-19 lead into the break. Denver briefly got hot in the second half to cut a 27-point deficit to 12, but it was too little too late as the Jackrabbits start their conference slate at 1-0.

“There’s a lot of talk around the Summit League — what teams are gonna be good or bad,” Cluff said. “I think today was a statement game for us. We’re trying to let everyone know who we are.”

Owen Larson added 12 points and Matthew Mors and Stony Hadnot 11, as the Jacks outshot Denver 52 percent to 35 and had a gargantuan 53-24 edge on the glass.

The Pioneers were just 6-of-30 from the floor in the first half, shooting themselves out of it. The Jacks defense certainly had a hand in the bricklaying.

“We kept ’em out of the paint and we were challenging them on the arc,” said Jacks coach Eric Henderson. “Their guards are dynamic and we did a great job of keeping them out of the pint and making them shoot challenged shots. And then we got first-shot rebounds, which enabled us to play with great pace.”

Meanwhile SDSU’s offense faced little resistance as Cluff controlled the middle.

“He was incredible,” Larson said of Cluff. “We knew we had a height advantage and they had a couple bigs out, so he really got after it and right from the get-go he was terrific. When you’ve got him down low you can go to him and if they double him he’ll share it, because he’s very unselfish. And if it’s 1-on-1 he’s gonna get a bucket.”

The supporting cast was strong as well. Larson was 4-of-6 from 3-point range and had five rebound and four assists, while Joe Sayler had eight points and 10 rebounds and Kalen Garry had nine points and four assists. In 13 minutes off the bench, Damon Wilkinson had eight points and five boards.

Nicholos Shogbonyo had 18 points for Denver while Sebastian Akins had 17.

The Jacks (10-6, 1-0) are off this weekend, with their next game set for Wednesday at St. Thomas. The Tommies defeated North Dakota State on Thursday in Fargo. A big win for them, but Cluff will certainly present them with a unique challenge.

“His efficiency is off the charts,” Henderson said of Cluff. “He didn’t even play 25 minutes and did what he did. He impacts the game in big ways. He’s a physical presence, obviously, but the skill he has is very much underrated. He makes everyone around him better, he’s unselfish and tonight he was amazing.”

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.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Local South Dakota authorities are warning that an attack like what happened in New Orleans on New Year’s Day could happen anywhere.

For any major event in Sioux Falls, the city’s police department plays a key role in keeping people safe.

Public Information Officer Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Department said they participate in the planning of those events. A committee of different departments in the city comb over any areas of concern, and work with organizers to put on safe events.

“There’s an incredible amount of resources that goes into planning, and trying to make sure that everybody’s going to be safe,” Clemens said.

But that doesn’t mean people still shouldn’t be paying attention at all times. Nationally, Tom Mynsberge, the president of Critical Incident Management, said people need to be aware at all times of their surrondings, especially if they’re at an outdoor event.

“You can make yourself a victim by not being aware of your surroundings, what might be coming up behind you, and not being able to hear it because you had your noise-canceling earphones in, that’s what they’re for. Not really a good idea anymore in public areas when you’re out there and exposed. Give yourself a defensive posture, or at least a chance when something like this happens,” Mynsberge said.

Clemens said even though they put that much time and resources into planning for major and crowded events, he said that doesn’t mean they can stop everything from happening.

“We can do the planning on our side. We can set up barricades, we can have officers stationed at different areas. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen. We’re just trying to prevent it from happening, trying to mitigate it. But we still want people to have a plan, and have an idea of what to do in case there’s an issue,” Clemens said.

He said the one thing the public can do to keep things safe is to come up with an exit plan in case anything happens. That means identifying exits and talking to the people you’re with where to meet up.

“Just because things are going fine and you’re having fun, whatever the event may be, doesn’t mean that something bad couldn’t happen. So if people just kind of have a plan, what to do, where to go, just making sure that things are the way they seem. If they see something out of the ordinary, we want people to call police or call 911 right away,” Clemens said.

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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 1, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 1 drawing

06-12-28-35-66, Powerball: 26, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 1 drawing

07-15-17-39-40, Lucky Ball: 16

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Jan. 1 drawing

01-02-08-14-30, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Jan. 1 drawing

06-18-20-27-35

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.