Denver, CO
South Dakota State men explode offensively in win over Denver
BROOKINGS — Much has been made this year of the parity in Summit League men’s basketball, and how that parity (or, more cynically, lack of a prominent team) would make it even more imperative than usual for teams to come to the conference tournament with momentum.
South Dakota State took a big step towards building that late-season momentum on Thursday night, playing perhaps their best game of the season in a 97-70 rout over Denver at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits dominated early and late, jumping out to a 14-0 lead, pushing it to 27-7, then, after Denver fought back to make it a game by halftime, dominated the later stages of the game to convincingly defeat a Pioneers squad that beat SDSU 99-80 earlier this year in Colorado.
“I know we got kicked pretty good up there at their place,” said Jacks coach Eric Henderson. “They got us pretty good and we needed to have more intention to start our offense from inside. I think in our last meeting we had like two post touched in the last 10 minutes of the game. We had great purpose tonight of making sure we started our possessions inside the paint and that allowed us to get some good shots.”
Matt Mims had a career-high 21 points and Zeke Mayo added 20 as the Jacks shot a blistering 57 percent from the floor and made 12-of-28 3-pointers to improve to 16-12 on the year and 9-4 in Summit League action.
Denver fell to 15-14, 6-8.
“We knew we were gonna have to bring it tonight,” Mims said. “Denver is a great team. We knew it was gonna be a group effort and something that would help us was playing with that energy and effort we know we’re capable of. That helped us win the game.”
So did defense, as SDSU held the Pioneers to 43 percent shooting and a 7-of-26 effort from deep. Summit League scoring leader Tommy Bruner had 21 points for Denver, but with a 3-of-11 effort at the line and five turnovers, the Jacks were happy with how they contained Denver’s explosive guard.
“We know he’s a great player and coming into this game there was some extra motivation from what he did to us when we went down there,” Mayo said. “It was a team effort — it wasn’t just one guy’s job. He’s a great player and he made some shots but I thought we did a fantastic job on him.”
Charlie Easley had 15 points for SDSU while William Kyle had 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Kalen Garry added 10 points. Touko Tainamo had 22 points to lead the Pioneers.
SDSU will host St. Thomas on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Women keep rolling
The Jackrabbit women extended their winning streaks on Thursday night with a 73-65 win over Denver at Hamilton Gymnasium.
It was SDSU’s 15th win in a row and their 44th consecutive Summit League regular season win. The Jacks improve to 21-5 on the year and 13-0 in conference play.
They had to work a little harder for it than they’re used to, as DU trimmed a 17-point SDSU advantage down to four with 2:10 to play, but five consecutive free throws in the final minute by SDSU kept them on top.
Paige Meyer had 17 points and eight rebounds for SDSU while Mesa Byom had 16 points, eight boards, four assists and two blocked shots. Brooklyn Meyer and Madison Mathiowetz had 16 points each. Jordan Jones had 21 points to lead the Pioneers.
SDSU shot 59 percent from the floor but struggled at the free-throw line, connecting on just 15-of-27 from the stripe.
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.
Denver, CO
Colorado boasts two of the best coffee shops in the Americas, according to new ranking
Denverites looking for a stellar cup of Joe don’t need to travel far to savor the flavor of excellent coffee.
That’s according to The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops, a website that rates global hospitality establishments where coffee lovers can find better brew. The website recently announced its 2026 list of the best coffee shops in North America, Central America and the Caribbean and two local companies made the list.
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters came in at No. 43, while Queen City Collective Coffee ranked No. 61. Not bad for a list that includes must-hit destinations in places like Guatemala and Costa Rica, which are known for their exports of coffee beans.
The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops decided the ranking through a mix of nominations and voting by both the public and experts. Places were evaluated based on the quality of coffee served, barista expertise, ambiance, sustainability practices, and innovation among other criteria, according to the website.
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters, which came on the scene in 2013, helped usher the so-called fourth wave of coffee locally, which focuses on honoring the beans’ agricultural roots and using techniques like pour-over to extract more flavor from each brew. The company started with a wholesale roastery and retail shop in Lakewood before expanding to Arvada through a merger with another company called Two Rivers, and later to Westminster. In 2022, Food and Wine magazine named Sweet Bloom’s Westminster locale the best coffee shop in Colorado.
Queen City Collective has certainly earned the popular vote among Mile High City coffee drinkers if the company’s expansion is an indication. Since opening its first retail location in 2018, in a spot shared with Novel Strand Brewing Co., Queen City has expanded to seven locations between Denver and surrounding suburbs, including Wheat Ridge and Aurora.
To see the full list of must-hit coffee shops across the globe, visit theworlds100bestcoffeeshops.com. For additional recommendations, check out our list of Colorado’s best coffee shops with picturesque patios and views.
Subscribe to our new food newsletter, Stuffed, to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox.
Denver, CO
Denver beekeeper says swarm season came a month early this year thanks to warm weather
DENVER (KDVR) — With the mild winter and warm start to spring, beekeepers are seeing swarms earlier in the year and expect the season to be longer than usual.
Gregg McMahan is a dispatcher for the Colorado Swarm Hotline. It’s usually his job to send a beekeeper to collect a swarm when someone calls, but on Sunday afternoon, he decided to handle one himself.
“Nice little swarm,” McMahan said. “It’s tricky, though, because it’s hanging on a fence.”
A warm winter and spring mean swarm season has begun four weeks early.
“Never seen it like this ever,” McMahan said.
This call is to a house on Denver’s east side. When McMahan arrived, he saw a swarm had taken up residence on the fence.
“Absolutely typical, it is on the small side,” McMahan said.
He got to work, first luring them into a box when he spotted a good sign.
“See all these girls, they got their butts up, they’re fanning their wings. That’s telling us the queens in here,” McMahan said.
With the queen in hand, the rest began to follow her into the box.
McMahan said two years ago, he had 400 calls like this. Last year, only 100, the Swarm Hotline was as unpredictable as the weather, which has caused bee activity earlier in the year than ever.
“It makes it hard on the bees, you know? Two days ago, I’m collecting swarms in the snow,” McMahan said.
Rescuing them is integral to Colorado’s ecosystem. McMahan hopes people give a beekeeper a call instead of spraying them or harming them in any other way.
“They do a phenomenal amount of pollination within this state. Not only our native flowers but all the other flowers that people bring in,” McMahan said.
Slowly but surely, the swarm left the fence and moved into the box. McMahan loaded them into his truck to deliver them to their new home.
“Westminster to the Stanley Lake Wildlife Refuge, so these girls will have lakefront property tonight,” he said.
As he wrapped up, McMahan’s phone was buzzing more than the bees. Just another call to start a swarm season, he thinks, could be a long one.
“This year I’m already 20 swarms deep, so I’m expecting way more than 100 this year,” McMahan said.
To have a bee swarm removed for free from your property anywhere statewide, the Swarm Hotline number is 1-844-SPY-BEES.
Denver, CO
Denver Nuggets Altitude broadcasts now being offered in Spanish for first time ever
For the first time in the team’s history, Altitude Sports is broadcasting Denver Nuggets home games in Spanish. Kroenke Sports and Entertainment announced it has contracted a team to broadcast its games in Spanish for the playoffs.
“I think that is what the public wanted,” said Ivan De La Garza, producer for the broadcast team.
A team of three people, two commentators and a producer, sit in a press box at the top of Ball Arena. Their commentary is then synced with the traditional Altitude broadcast video and shared on the Altitude Plus application.
“With the Nuggets winning in the last five years, there is a tremendous amount of following from Latino people trying to listen to and watch the games in Spanish,” said Andres Casas, color commentator for the broadcast.
Casas said he strives to bring the same energy fans get during soccer broadcasts into the basketball broadcasts.
“That excitement that gets you. We want people to feel they are at the game,” Casas said.
“It has been so amazing to be a part of the Spanish broadcast for the Nuggets. I have been a fan of the Nuggets for my whole life,” said Jena Garcia, play-by-play commentator.
Garcia said it has been a dream come true to help bring this broadcast to her community.
“I’ve always desired to hear a Spanish broadcast, just as a fan. To be a part of it is just incredible,” Garcia said.
Those working in the broadcast said they are honored to help expand the reach of the Nuggets and sports in accessing diverse communities.
“We love sports. We are passionate, we are loud. We like to get together and enjoy sports,” De La Garza said.
“The Nuggets have a huge following, especially on the Spanish side. So, it is great for them to be able to listen to what is going on, game by game, especially into the playoffs,” Casas said.
“It is just another step of access that they are getting to be a fan of basketball,” Garcia said.
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