The Hutchinson Community College Women’s Basketball team started Saturday’s BSN Sports Tipoff Classic matchup with Connors State scoring 22 unanswered points.
That set the tone for Hutchinson’s first victory ever over Connors State in four tries – the No. 11-ranked Blue Dragons defeated the Cowgirls 78-38 at the Sports Arena.
Hutchinson (3-0) will play Southeast Community College at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Blue Dragons’ 22-0 run to start a game is the second-best scoring run to open a game in team history, second to a 42-0 run in 2009 against the Bethany College JV. The Dragons also opened the second half with an 11-0 run.
All 12 Blue Dragons to suit up scored in the game with three players in double figures.
Freshman Dazlyn McClenon came off the bench to score a season-high 13 points. She added six rebounds.
Freshman Jaslene Garcia-Howell posted her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Kaia Smith had 10 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, and eight rebounds.
Whitney Brown had nine points, five assists and a career-high-tying five steals. Tayla Galucho had a season-high nine points. Abril Ricart finished with seven points.
The Blue Dragons shot 37.1 percent (26 of 70), hitting 9 of 21 3-pointers and 20 of 24 from the free-throw line. The Dragons outrebounded Connors State (2-2) 54-36 and they had a season-low 11 turnovers.
Connors State was held to 21.7 percent (13 of 60), going 6 of 27 from 3-point range and 6 of 9 from the foul line. The Cowgirls turned the ball over 23 times and Hutchinson turned those into a 23-5 scoring advantage in points off turnovers.
Garcia-Howell led the initial 22-0 run with eight points and two assists. She scored the game’s first six points. Galucho and a 3-pointer and 2-pointer as well in the run. McClenon’s free throws with 1:41 to go in the first quarter made it 22-0. Connors State didn’t score until a pair of free throws from Mataya Hall with 1:28 to go. The Cowgirls’ first field goal came with 43 seconds to play in the opening quarter on a Nalani Gouyd 3-pointer. The Dragons led 27-5 after the first quarter.
Connors State outscored Hutchinson 16-15 in the second quarter, but never drew closer than 18 points, 34-16 with 3:27 to play in the quarter. Brown’s steal and layup with 1:21 to play gave the Dragons a 40-16 lead. The Cowgirls scored the final five points of the half and trailed the Dragons 40-21.
Liva Hermane‘s layup with 5:21 to play in the third quarter gave the Dragons a 53-21 lead. Connors State was scoreless for the first 5:21 of the third quarter. The Dragons outscored the Cowgirls 16-5 in the quarter and led 58-26 after three quarters.
Hutchinson had a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to push the lead past 40 points. Rebeca Corte‘s putback with 2:50 left gave the Dragons a 76-33 lead.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 13-1 all-time in the BSN Sports Tipoff Classic. … The Dragons are now 1-3 all-time against Connors State. The last time the teams played was 1997. … This was Hutchinson’s second win of 40 or more points in the first three games of the season.
