THURSDAY SPORTS, DECMEBER 4, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels wrestling takes on Tea Area and Chamberlain in its first competition of the season. The triangular in Tea starts on Friday at 5 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics competes at the Pierre Invitational on Saturday.
— Mitchell Marlins girls hockey will be at Watertown on Friday, followed by a home game vs. Brookings on Saturday at Noon.
— Mitchell Marlins boys hockey plays at Huron on Friday, followed by a home game vs. Brookings on Saturday at 8 pm.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan volleyball lost to Concordia (Neb.) 3-2 at the NAIA National Volleyball Tournament in Sioux City on Wednesday night, (25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-9). Karly VanDerWerff led the Tigers with 20 kills, Kayleigh Hybertson had 45 assists and Lizzie Tyler finished with 35 digs. Ashley Keck led Concordia with 27 kills on 83 attempts, along with 29 digs. DWU took an early 5-2 lead in the fifth set, before Concordia reclaimed the lead at 8-7. The Tigers take on The Master’s University tonight at 7:30 pm as pool play continues in Sioux City.
— Dakota Wesleyan girls wrestling lost at Sioux Falls on Wednesday night 38-9 in its first dual of the season. DWU travels to Storm Lake, Iowa on Saturday for a tournament at 9 am.
— No. 14 Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball will be at Concordia on Saturday at 2 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball will be at Concordia on Saturday at 4 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State women’s basketball defeated Weber State on Wednesday night 87-56 as part of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. Brooklyn Meyer led five Jacks in double figures with 19 points and six rebounds. Maggie Hartwig had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. SDSU outrebounded Weber State 53-30, while the Wildcats shot just 30% from the field. SDSU, 7-2 on the season, will be at Northern Arizona on Saturday at 3 pm CST.
— South Dakota State men’s basketball won at Northern Arizona on Wednesday night 75-62 to improve to 5-4 on the season. Joe Sayler had a game-high 20 points, while Damon Wilkinson added 13 points off the bench. The Jackrabbits host Idaho on Saturday at 2 pm in Brookings.
— South Dakota State volleyball will face Arizona on Friday night at 6:30 pm in Stanford, California, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
— South Dakota State football heads west to face third-seeded Montana on Saturday in Missoula. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Central in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD men’s basketball lost to Portland State on Wednesday night 77-71, despite a career-high 28 points from Issac Bruns. Bruns shot 8-of-17 from the field and 10-of-13 from the foul line. Portland State forces 17 USD turnovers resulting in 22 points and had 24 fast break points. The Coyotes, 5-4 on the season, will be at Northern Colorado on Saturday at 7 pm CST.
— USD women’s basketball won at Portland State on Wednesday night 75-51. Four Coyotes scored in double figures, led by Angelina Robles’ season-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Coyotes outscored Portland State 22-5 in the second quarter to take a 16 point lead into halftime. USD, 8-1 on the season, hosts Eastern Washington on Saturday at 1 pm.
— USD football hits the road to face No. 6–seeded Mercer on Saturday at 11 a.m. Centra in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL SIGNING DAY
— South Dakota State head football coach Dan Jackson announced Wednesday the signings of 33 high school standouts. Brookings native Bergan Tetzlaff headlines the in-state group. The Brookings High School star is a three-time all-state defensive end who averaged 11 tackles per game as a senior. He continues a Jackrabbit family legacy as his father and uncle are both in the SDSU Hall of Fame. Grant Wilkinson of De Smet also joins the Jacks after earning three-time all-conference and two-time all-state honors. The 6-9, 305-pound lineman is a multi-sport standout with deep SDSU ties: his father played football for the Jacks and his brother Damon is on the men’s basketball team. Jhace Woods from Sioux Falls Washington is a two-time all-state receiver, Woods averaged nearly 19 yards per catch and scored eight touchdowns this past season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL – WEDNESDAY
Minnesota 73, No. 22 Indiana 64
No. 25 Arkansas 89, No. 6 Louisville 80
No. 10 Iowa State 132, Alcorn State 68
No. 12 Alabama 90, Clemson 84
No. 20 Auburn 83, North Carolina State 73
NFL
— The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are the top two teams in the hunt for an NFC wild card and are still holding on to hopes to compete for division championships. Detroit hosts Dallas on Thursday night and the winner will improve its position in the playoff picture, while the loser may not have time to recover from the setback over the last month of the regular season. After starting 5-2, Detroit has lost three of five to fall behind division-leading Chicago and second-place Green Bay. The Lions at 7-5 start the week 1 ½ games behind San Francisco for the final playoff spot in the NFC. Meanwhile, Dallas has a winning record for the first time this year at 6-5-1 and are also 1 ½ games behind Philadelphia for first place in the NFC East.
GYMNASTICS
— Two gymnasts filed lawsuits against USA Gymnastics, SafeSport, and Chow’s Gymnastics in Iowa, alleging these organizations failed to stop coach Sean Gardner from sexually abusing young athletes despite multiple complaints starting in 2017. The lawsuits claim that USA Gymnastics and SafeSport were informed of Gardner’s “grooming behaviors” and inappropriate conduct — including hugging, kissing, and other abuse — but did not properly investigate, revoke his credentials, or report him to law enforcement. This inaction allegedly allowed Gardner to continue coaching at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa.
SPORTS BETTING
— Missouri has become the latest state to launch sports betting. The state began allowing bets Monday with some limitations, including that people won’t be allowed to make prop bets for games involving Missouri college players. The restriction highlights concerns over prop bets following recent scandals involving both professional and collegiate athletes. The restriction was included in a constitutional amendment authorizing sports betting that voters narrowly approved last year.
NBA
— The NBA fined the Philadelphia 76ers $100,000 for violating league injury reporting rules regarding Joel Embiid. The 76ers failed to accurately disclose the game availability status of Embiid prior to Sunday’s contest against the Atlanta Hawks. Embiid was listed as out in Philadelphia’s initial injury report and subsequently played in the game.
— Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray delivered one of the NBA’s most efficient performances all season in a 135-120 win over the Indiana Pacers. Murray made 19 of 25 shots including 10 of 11 on 3-pointers to finish with a season-high 52 points. Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight rebounds.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo left the Milwaukee Bucks’ game with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night after straining his right calf in the first quarter. Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said after the Bucks’ 113-109 victory that Antetokounmpo was undergoing an MRI. Rivers added that he believed the Bucks had ruled out the possibility that Giannis had injured his Achilles tendon on the play.
— Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points, 18 rebounds and five assists and Jalen Brunson scored 26 points as the New York Knicks beat the Charlotte Hornets 119-104.
— Alperen Sengun had 28 points and 10 rebounds as the Houston Rockets beat the Sacramento Kings 121-95. Amen Thompson finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, while Kevin Durant added 24 points.
— Cooper Flagg scored 22 points and Anthony Davis had 17 points and 17 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks extended their first winning streak of the season to three games with a 118-108 victory over the Miami Heat.
— Michael Porter Jr. had 33 points and 10 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets won consecutive games for the first time this season, beating the Chicago Bulls 113-103. Josh Giddey had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his fifth triple-double this season for Chicago. The Bulls dropped to 9-12 with their fifth loss in a row.
— Luke Kornet blocked Franz Wagner’s last-second layup, De’Aaron Fox scored 31 points as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Orlando Magic 114-112. Fox scored the Spurs’ final 10 points, the last on two free throws with 1.4 seconds left. The Spurs have won seven of nine.
— James Harden had 27 points and nine assists as the Los Angeles Clippers ended a five-game losing streak with a 115-92 win over the Atlanta Hawks.