South Dakota
South Dakota's Grace Larkins limited as UND women's basketball dominates Coyotes in 80-54 win
GRAND FORKS — When UND women’s basketball starters Walker Demers, Jocelyn Schiller and Nevaeh Ferrara Horne left the floor with a minute and a half left to play against South Dakota, the crowd of 1,800 at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center stood and cheered as the trio headed to the bench.
The fans watched the Fighting Hawks dominate South Dakota in an 80-54 win Wednesday night, UND’s largest win over the Coyotes since Jan. 15, 2005 – exactly 20 years ago – when the Hawks beat South Dakota 89-62 in Grand Forks.
“It’s obviously something that makes the Betty special,” UND coach Mallory Bernhard said. “We have a very loyal fan base. I feel like it’s our job to give them something to get on their feet about and get them excited. We’ve known for a long time that we have to get the wins, and we have to put a product on the floor that they’re proud to watch. Win or lose, just play our butts off, play hard, and play basketball the right way, and they’ll show up.
“I’m happy (the fans) got to see a night like tonight. I’m happy for our team, obviously, but we have some absolutely fantastic fans, and I hope they enjoyed tonight and keep coming out.”
UND led all 40 minutes of its 26-point win, its first over South Dakota since Feb. 4, 2023. The Hawks (8-10) have won two Summit League games over a four-day span, and are less than a week removed from a double-overtime loss to Oral Roberts.
“I think the fans are really starting to appreciate just what we’re doing out there,” Schiller said, “and I think the time we’re putting in behind the scenes is really helping, too. We’re shooting the ball better and less turnovers — taking care of the ball — so that definitely is helping.”
South Dakota, which has now won 15 of its last 17 games against UND, watched as the Hawks limited Coyotes star Grace Larkins to 14 points — her lowest total since scoring 12 at Wyoming on Dec. 15.
Larkins still ended with a double-double (13 rebounds) — her fifth-straight. But Larkins averaged 32.8 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game over her last five games entering Wednesday’s matchup.
She dropped 45 points against Omaha on Saturday, earning her both AP national player of the week and Ann Meyers Drysdale national player of the week honors.
“Defensively, I really liked our intensity,” Bernhard said. “I thought we did a great job — Grace Larkins is obviously someone who can put up some pretty big numbers. I thought we did a really good job trying to contain her, especially off that flat screen, which we had a little bit of trouble with this last weekend. It felt like a team effort on both sides of the ball, and really loved the fight from our team.”
Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
Demers, who transferred to UND this spring after two seasons at South Dakota, played her former team for the first time, putting up seven points and 13 rebounds.
“I got a lot of questions asked before the game, like, ‘Are you nervous?’” she said. “I was like, ‘Why would I be?’ I have an amazing team behind me, and I was excited more than anything. That (win) was just the best feeling.”
Mikayla Aumer led UND with 17 points, and Schiller added 14. Ferrara Horne had 12 points off 4-for-6 3-point shooting.
Fatima Ibrahim’s double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) came off a 5-for-7 shooting night.
One month ago, on Dec. 17, UND hosted Mayville State. The Hawks trailed by three points at halftime before coming back to win.
Four days later, the Hawks traveled to Wyoming and scored just three points in the final quarter of a 73-41 loss.
But “something definitely clicked with our team,” after that game, Bernhard said. UND has gone 3-1 over the last four games, signaling a change of direction for a team that struggled in the first half.
“Everyone wants instant gratification,” Bernhard said. “That’s just not the reality, so it’s nice to have nights like tonight where they do get to see a little bit of the fruits of their labor. I really just love the mindset our team has right now. Our record maybe isn’t glamorous to a whole lot, but I don’t think they’re being dissuaded from putting in the work and continuing to fight to see if our team can get better.”

Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
South Dakota
SD Lottery Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 10, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 10 drawing
16-21-30-35-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 10 drawing
03-27-43-45-49, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life 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.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
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
Trading property tax for sales tax: Legislature moves forward with parts of homeowner relief package
PIERRE — Two pieces of a property tax reduction package prepared by South Dakota’s legislative leadership and the executive branch are moving forward, but one bill failed during votes on Monday as lawmakers began the final week of the annual legislative session.
The House of Representatives voted
42-27
in support of
Senate Bill 245
, which would pull future revenue from a scheduled sales tax increase from 4.2% to 4.5% next year into a relief fund for homeowner property taxes, and use nearly $56 million in one-time money to seed the fund before the sales tax increase.
The Senate supported
House Bill 1323
, which would reduce the number of petition signatures needed to force an election on a local government’s decision to levy property taxes beyond limits set by the state. The Senate passed the bill 19-15.
Both bills have to return to the opposite chamber for consideration of amendments.
The Senate rejected
House Bill 1253
, which would cap annual assessment growth for owner-occupied homes and commercial properties at 5% annually and reset assessments back to market value every five years. The bill failed with a 9-24 vote.
The bills are part of a broader,
five-bill legislative package
targeted at property tax relief.
Another bill
in the package, which would allow counties to implement a half-percent sales tax with proceeds going to homeowner property tax credits, is awaiting the governor’s signature after he proposed it and it received both chambers’ approval.
The legislative budget committee is scheduled to consider a fifth piece of legislation in the package on Tuesday.
The bill
would reduce maximum property tax levies for school districts.
Sales tax bill overcomes concerns about future budget needs
SB 245 would capture revenue from the impending sales tax increase to deposit into a “homeowner property tax reduction fund” meant to reduce property taxes levied by school districts. The Legislature and then-Gov. Kristi Noem reduced the state sales tax rate three years ago but scheduled the reduction to sunset in 2027.
House Speaker Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, told lawmakers on Monday that the bill would be an “investment in the people,” because it’ll give South Dakota homeowners more money to spend as they choose. Hansen, the bill’s sponsor and a candidate for governor, said that would lead to more spending and, therefore, more sales tax revenue. The state relies on sales taxes, while counties and schools rely on property taxes, and cities receive revenue from property taxes and sales taxes.
Some opponents said the legislation would favor wealthier, property-owning South Dakotans rather than lower-income renters.
(Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
Rep. Mike Weisgram, R-Fort Pierre, worried that automatically diverting future state revenue to reduce homeowner property taxes would come at the cost of other priorities, such as annual funding increases for state employees, Medicaid providers and public schools — which are known as the “big three” budget priorities. Lawmakers often
aim
to increase funding for the groups by 3% or inflation, whichever is less. An inflationary increase this legislative session would be 2.5%, according to the state Department of Education.
“We are just clawing to get 1.4% for the big three,” Weisgram said. “I don’t think any of us are proud of that.”
Hansen said the decision “is not an either-or” situation.
“We can help the property taxpayers in the state who desperately, desperately need it,” Hansen said, “and then I trust fully that this state is going to continue to grow and that we are going to be able to meet the needs of our core obligations of this state.”
The bill was introduced as an amendment to placeholder legislation last week, and it will head to the Senate for approval. The Senate narrowly rejected a
similar proposal
earlier this legislative session.
Senate approves lower signature threshold to force election on excess taxes
The version of House Bill 1323 that passed the Senate would set the number of petition signatures needed to force an election on an excess tax levy (often called an “opt-out”) for a local government at 2,500 or 5% of registered voters within its jurisdiction, whichever is less. The current threshold to refer decisions by a local government is 5% of registered voters in the district, without a 2,500 signature cap.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City, said it will still be difficult to refer decisions by a local government to voters.
“You’re talking dozens and dozens of volunteers, weeks of organized effort,” Howard said. “There’s not a lot of people that have been through that and can even organize that kind of effort. So it’s not a trivial bar.”
Because the bill was amended since it last appeared in the House, it’ll now go to the House for approval.
HB 1253 intended to provide South Dakota homeowners and commercial property owners predictable increases in their property assessments, which factor into property taxes they pay, over five year periods.
But opponents said the change would shift the property tax burden onto farmers and ranchers and surprise homeowners every five years when assessments would be re-based on market value, which could lead to double-digit increases in assessments.
This story was originally published on
SouthDakotaSearchlight.com.
______________________________________________________
This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.
South Dakota
Political Pulse: South Dakota Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff on data centers, property taxes and more
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – State Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff joined Political Pulse over the weekend.
Mehlhaff weighed in on property tax proposals, data centers, and effort to repeal the death penalty and speculation that Kristi Noem could run for Senate.
The interviewed was taped on Saturday.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2026 KOTA. All rights reserved.
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Pennsylvania6 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Detroit, MI5 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Miami, FL7 days agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project
-
Sports6 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death
-
Virginia7 days agoGiants will hold 2026 training camp in West Virginia
-
Culture1 week agoTry This Quiz on the Real Locations in These Magical and Mysterious Novels