South Dakota
UC Irvine beats South Dakota State to close Cancun Challenge
CANCUN, Mexico — Jurian Dixon scored 13 points and Andre Henry had 11 to lead a balanced effort as UC Irvine beat South Dakota State, 64-52, on Wednesday night in the Cancun Challenge.
Kyle Evans had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Anteaters (4-4), who survived turning the ball over 20 times and ended their three-game losing streak at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
Elijah Chol had 10 points and seven rebounds, while Tama Isaac also scored 10 points (seven on free throws) and all-tournament selection Derin Saran contributed six points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“It was a good bounce-back game for us,” said Evans, who was named the player of the game. “We wanted this game badly and wanted to leave Cancun with a win. I thought we moved the ball well today, making one or two more passes. Offensively we took a big step tonight and I think it showed.”
UCI shot 38.8% from the floor but outrebounded SDSU 42-33 and made 21 of 28 free throws, including a 20-of-24 showing in the second half.
Trey Buchanan finished with 12 points and two steals to lead the Jackrabbits (4-4), who shot a season-worst 31.7% from the field, 4 for 23 from 3-point range and went 10 for 17 at the free-throw line. Jaden Jackson added eight points and six rebounds, and Joe Sayler also scored eight points.
UCI held a 29-22 halftime lead and extended its advantage when the Jackrabbits went ice cold after the break. SDSU scored just two points in the first 10 minutes of the second half as UCI built a 39-24 lead with 10:43 left.
A thunderous two-handed dunk from Evans started an 11-6 run, then after four consecutive free throws by Isaac and two by Harrison Carrington, Evans added two more from the stripe and Henry hit a 3-pointer to give the Anteaters their largest lead at 52-36 with 5:15 remaining.
UCI held a 58-43 lead with 1:39 left before the Jackrabbits scored six unanswered points to get within nine points. Dixon made a pair of free throws before an SDSU 3-pointer cut it to an eight-point margin with 46 seconds left, but that was the end of the threat.
UP NEXT
UCI plays at San Jose State on Sunday at 2 p.m., its last game before Big West Conference play begins next Thursday (Dec. 4) with a home game against UC Riverside.
South Dakota
Republican businessman Toby Doeden advances to primary runoff in South Dakota governor’s race
Republican businessman Toby Doeden has advanced to a runoff in South Dakota governor’s race, NBC News projects.
Gov. Larry Rhoden, who replaced Kristi Noem last year when President Donald Trump nominated her to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was battling with Rep. Dusty Johnson and former state House Speaker Jon Hansen for a second spot in the July 28 runoff. The primary will go to a runoff because no candidate eclipsed 35% of the vote.
Trump did not issue an endorsement in the race. Doeden branded himself on his campaign website as “a total political outsider who’s tired of the government’s failure to deliver on its promises” and one of Trump’s “fiercest supporters.”
Rhoden, a former lieutenant governor, agriculture secretary and lawmaker, campaigned on property tax cuts and lowering crime in his bid for a four-year term.
Johnson is the state’s lone representative in the House, where he previously was chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus. Hansen, who was elected to the South Dakota House in 2010, held several leadership positions before he became speaker.
The Republican nominee will be the favorite to win the general election in the solidly red state this fall. A Democrat has not served as governor in South Dakota since the 1970s, and Trump carried the state by 29 points in 2024.
News
Agronomist: eastern South Dakota crops hit and miss
An agronomist in eastern South Dakota says corn and soybeans are hit and miss as the growing season begins.
Steven Zemlicka with AgTegra Cooperative tells Brownfield, “We’ve got corn anywhere from V1 all the way up to V4. Biggest stuff’s maybe touching V5. Corn’s coming right along, looks pretty good. A little bit of hail here too, but I don’t think it’s going to be much of an issue. Stands for the most part are pretty good, pretty solid.”
Zemlicka says soybean emergence has been slow due to the wet, cool conditions, and there are a few fields that still need planted.
“People were still working on planting soybeans when we got the recent rain.”
He says recent rain totals ranged from a half inch to as much as four inches in the northeast part of South Dakota; the southern part of the state has been drier.
South Dakota’s corn is rated 61 percent good to excellent, with soybean conditions rated 57 percent good to excellent, according to USDA’s first condition ratings of the season.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The South Dakota Community Foundation is encouraging nonprofits to apply for funding this June.
Beth Massa and Ginger Niemann joined us live with what you need to know before applying.
Watch the full interview above.
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