MONDAY SPORTS, MARCH 23, 2026
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan is headed to the NAIA women’s basketball semifinals after an 82-77 win over top-seeded Bethel (Tenn.) Saturday night in Sioux City. Rylee Rosenquist delivered a career performance, scoring 40 points on 12-of-18 shooting and going 15-for-18 at the free-throw line to lead the Tigers. Dakota Wesleyan trailed entering the fourth quarter but outscored Bethel 23-15 down the stretch, closing the game on a 17-5 run. Taliyah Hayes hit the go-ahead three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining, and Rosenquist sealed the win with four straight free throws in the final seconds. Avery Broughton added 21 points, while Emma Yost had 12 points and eight assists for the Tigers, who improved to 29-6. Bethel was led by Micah Hart’s 35 points. No. 2 seed DWU will play No. 1 seed Marion (Ind.) on Monday at 8 pm in the semifinals. No. 1 Dordt and No. 3 Dakota State will play in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. The winners will play for a national championship on Tuesday in Sioux City.
— Dakota Wesleyan softball won a pair of extra innings games at home on Saturday, defeating Hastings 3-2 in 10 innings and 3-2 in eight innings. The Tigers improved to 20-11 on the season and 3-1 in the GPAC. DWU will be at the College of St. Mary on Friday for a doubleheader at 3 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan baseball lost both games of a doubleheader at Hastings on Friday, 16-0 and 10-7. The Tigers, 11-11 on the season and 2-4 in the GPAC, will be at Morningside on Tuesday for a doubleheader at 2 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— The South Dakota State women’s basketball season came to an end Friday, falling 72-54 to sixth-seed Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. The Jackrabbits finish 27-7 on the year. Senior Brooklyn Meyer led SDSU with 29 points, tying the school’s NCAA Tournament single-game scoring record, and added seven rebounds in her final game. Emilee Fox chipped in 14 points, hitting four of five 3-pointers. Washington, led by Avery Howell’s 30 points and nine rebounds, built a halftime lead of 38-24. Washington lost to No. 3 TCU on Sunday night 62-59 in overtime.
— South Dakota State softball took two out of three games over the weekend at USD. The Jackrabbits on the first two games, 4-0 and 9-0, before the Coyotes won on Sunday 8-6. SDSU 17-20 on the season and 2-1 in the Summit League, host North Dakota for a three-game series starting on Friday at 4 pm. USD will be at St. Thomas for a three-game series this weekend starting Friday at 2 pm.
— South Dakota State baseball took two out of three over the weekend vs. North Dakota State, defeating the Bison on Saturday 13-5 and again on Sunday 11-1. SDSU, 7-17 overall and 2-4 in the Summit League, will be at Creighton on Wednesday for a single game at 6 pm.
— South Dakota State’s run at the NCAA Wrestling Championships came to an end on Saturday in Cleveland, with the Jackrabbits eliminated during Session 3. Moses Espinoza-Owens was the lone SDSU wrestler to pick up a win, earning a 6-3 decision in the second consolation round. His tournament ended in the next round. Brady Roark was eliminated after an 11-6 loss to returning national champion Vincent Robinson, while Cael Swensen dropped a 5-3 decision. At 197 pounds, Bennett Berge lost via technical fall.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD women’s basketball defeated Northern Colorado 80-60 in the second round of the WNIT on Sunday in Vermillion. After falling behind 9-0, the Coyotes outscored Northern Colorado 21-4 throughout the rest of the first quarter. Angelina Robles finished with a game-high 21 points. USD will host Pepperdine in the WNIT Round of 16 on Thursday at 7 pm.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— The Minnesota Twins have finalized their starting rotation, with Mick Abel earning the final spot after an impressive spring. Abel posted a 2.00 ERA over 18 innings, striking out 23 and walking just three, helping him secure a rotation spot over Zebby Matthews, who was optioned to Triple-A. Joe Ryan will start Opening Day on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles. The rotation also includes Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober, and Simeon Woods Richardson, with Pablo López sidelined for the season following Tommy John surgery.
NAIA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
No. 1 Dordt vs. No. 3 Dakota State – 6 pm on Monday
Dordt defeated Dakota State 86-82 at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Nov. 11.
No. 1 Marion (Ind.) vs. No. 2 Dakota Wesleyan – 8 pm on Monday
Marion is 33-2 on the season and has won 16 games in a row. They advanced to the semifinals with a 73-43 win over No. 2 Campbellsville (Ky.) on Saturday.
NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND – SUNDAY
No. 9 Iowa 73, No. 1 Florida 72
No. 1 Arizona 78, No. 9 Utah State 66
No. 2 Iowa State 82, No. 7 Kentucky 63
No. 2 Purdue 79, No. 7 Miami 69
No. 2 UConn 73, No. 7 UCLA 57
No. 4 Alabama 90, No. 5 Texas Tech 65
No. 5 St. John’s 67, No. 4 Kansas 65
No. 6 Tennessee 79, No. 3 Virginia 72
NCAA TOURNAMENT SWEET 16 – THURSDAY
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas – 6:10 pm on CBS
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa – 6:30 pm on TBS
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas – 8:45 pm on CBS
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois – 9 pm on TBS
NCAA TOURNAMENT SWEET 16 – FRIDAY
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John’s – 6:10 pm on CBS
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama – 6:35 pm on TBS
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State – 8:45 pm on CBS
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee – 9:10 pm on TBS
— No perfect men’s NCAA Tournament brackets remain among the millions of entries in the ESPN bracket challenge and in contests tracked on the NCAA’s official website. The end came when No. 6 Tennessee beat No. 3 seed Virginia 79-72 in the 44th game of the tournament. The day started with two perfect brackets left in the ESPN contest and four on the NCAA’s official website. ESPN had 26.5 million entries and 36 million were tracked by the NCAA website.
NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND – SUNDAY
No. 1 Texas 100, No. 8 Oregon 58
No. 2 Michigan 92, No. 7 NC State 63
No. 2 LSU 101, No. 7 Texas Tech 47
No. 3 Duke 69, No. 6 Baylor 46
No. 3 TCU 62, No. 6 Washington 59 (OT)
No. 4 Minnesota 65, No. 5 Ole Miss
No. 4 North Carolina 74, No. 5 Maryland 66
No. 4 Oklahoma 77, No. 5 Michigan State 71
NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND – SUNDAY
No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 10 Virginia – 1 pm on ESPN
No. 1 UConn vs. No. 9 Syracuse – 5 pm on ESPN
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 9 USC – 7 pm on ESPN
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State – 9 pm on ESPN
NASCAR
— Tyler Reddick fought through mechanical issues and extreme heat to win Sunday’s NASCAR race at Darlington, giving 23XI Racing its fourth victory of the season. Driving for the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, Reddick overcame a battery issue and a malfunctioning cooling system to secure his 12th career win. The win continues a dominant start to the season for Reddick, who now has four victories in the first six races of the season, joining Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott as the only drivers to achieve that mark.
NBA
— Bones Hyland scored 23 points, while Jaden McDaniels had 19 as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Celtics 102-92 to snap an 18-game losing streak in Boston. The Timberwolves’ last win in Boston came in 2005. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 29 points. The loss left the Celtics just a half-game ahead of the New York Knicks in second place in the Eastern Conference.
— Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 16 rebounds as the New York Knicks beat the Washington Wizards 145-113 for their sixth straight victory. Josh Hart made all three 3-point shots and added 16 points as New York handed Washington its 16th straight loss. The Knicks scored 77 points in the second half, shooting 58% from the field and 53% from 3-point range. They also made 18 of 19 free throws
— Denver’s Nikola Jokic recorded his 35th triple-double of the season as both he and Jamal Murray scored 22 points as the Nuggets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 128-112. Jokic had 22 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists.
— Devin Booker scored 25 points as the Phoenix Suns snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors 120-98. Phoenix won its 40th game of the season, which is already a four-win improvement over last year with 10 games to play.
— Malik Monk scored 10 of his 32 points in the final five minutes as the Sacramento Kings held off the Brooklyn Nets 126-122. Monk made seven 3-pointers and went 9 for 9 from the line.
— Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is clear to play Monday night at Detroit after the NBA rescinded his 16th technical foul of the season. Doncic and Magic center Goga Bitadze each received a technical foul with 1:19 left in the third quarter of Los Angeles’ 105-104 win at Orlando on Saturday night. The players exchanged words while Doncic was at the free-throw line, and appeared to continue the conversation on the way down the court. The NBA has announced that the technical on each player had been rescinded. A 16th technical foul triggers a one-game suspension. The Lakers have won nine in a row going into the matchup with the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons.
The Class B Boys Basketball State Tournament at the Barnett Center in Aberdeen Saturday, March 21
No. 2 Freeman 61, No. 5 Castlewood 53 – State Championship
David Walter finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds for Freeman’s first state championship since 1975.
No. 6 Wall 58, No. 8 Lyman 55, 3rd Place
MJ Diehm had a game-high 22 points for Lyman in the loss, while Dawsen Volmer added 20 points.
No. 3 De Smet 56, No. 4 Aberdeen Christian 45, 5th Place
Slayten Wilkinson scored 18 points for De Smet,
No. 1 Viborg-Hurley 72, No. 7 Sully Buttes 53, 7th Place
Jake Austin finished with a game-high 25 points, including an 11-for-11 effort at the free-throw line. Brady Schroedermeier added 25 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, for Viborg-Hurley.
The Class AA Boys Basketball State Tournament in Rapid City – Saturday, March 21
No. 3 Huron 59, No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln 47 – State Championship
The title is Huron’s first since 2004 and caps a 20-4 season, while Lincoln finished 23-1. Blake Ellwein led Huron with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Myles Ellwein added 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Lincoln was led by Samuel DeGroot, who scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Brody Schafer added 14 points, but needed 14 shots to get there, and Sam Ericsson struggled with just three points on 1-of-12 shooting from three.
No. 2 Sioux Falls Roosevelt 76, No. 4 Harrisburg 72 – 3rd Place
Deondre Painter led the Rough Riders with 18 points off the bench. Justin Bilal added 16 points and knocked down four 3-pointers, while Memphis Bylander contributed 15 points and six rebounds.
No. 5 Watertown 64, No. 7 Brandon Valley 60 – 5th Place
Jack Mack led Watertown with 18 points, including 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. Carter Buisker added 16 points, knocking down three 3-pointers and going 7-for-8 at the foul line.
No. 9 Tea Area 63, No. 6 O’Gorman 51 – 7th Place
Gavin Shawd had a game-high 30 points to lead Tea.
The Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament in Rapid City – Saturday, March 21
No. 2 West Central 66, No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian 56 – State Championship
West Central (25-0) secured its third state title in school history and first since back-to-back championships in 2000 and 2001, while becoming the only undefeated boys or girls team in South Dakota this season. West Central never trailed, while shooting 56% from the field and 16-for-18 at the free-throw line. Connor Mebius led the way with 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting while adding eight free throws. Will Kuhl contributed 15 points.
No. 4 Hamlin 61, No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake 43 – 3rd Place
Boden Stevenson scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
No. 8 St. Thomas More 63, No. 7 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 40 – 5th Place
Wyatt Gylten led St. Thomas More with 17 points, knocking down four 3-pointers while adding 11 rebounds.
No. 5 Groton Area 61, No. 6 Stanley County 43, 7th Place
Karson Zak, Keegan Tracy and Ryder Johnson each scored 15 points for Groton.