HUTCHINSON, Kan. (BlueDragonSports.com) – Sophomore D.J. Dudley topped off a career night with a game-winning three-point play with 2.3 seconds to play in regulation to complete another wild late-game comeback by the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team on Tuesday night at the Sports Arena.
Trailing by seven points with 2:36 remaining in the second half, the Blue Dragons once again hit a series of clutch shots down the stretch to rally for an 81-80 KJCCC victory over Colby.
Hutchinson improved to 6-3 overall and 2-1 in the KJCCC heading to Saturday’s road game at Independence. Colby fell to 6-3 overall and 1-2 in the league.
Three times this season, the Blue Dragons trailed by six or more points in the final 7 minutes of a game to rally and win. Hutchinson trailed Southwestern Christian 64-58 on November 8 and came back to win 94-89 in overtime. This past Saturday, the Blue Dragons trailed Fort Hays Tech 76-67 with 6:48 remaining and rallied to force overtime and ultimately win 94-89.
Against Colby, the Blue Dragons were teetering after an offensive rebound led to a Galus Meowuru M’Ella 3-point goal with 2:36 to go in the second half to give Colby a 70-63 led.
Still trailing 77-72 with 23 seconds left, Jaquez Thornton hit a long 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to pull the Dragons within 77-75. Khadir Muhammad hit two free throws for Colby with 14 seconds left for a four-point Trojan lead, but Thornton bombed away from deep again, hitting a 3-pointer with 8.5 seconds left to draw the Dragons within 79-78. The Dragons fouled Muhammad immediately and he hit 1 of 2 free throws with 7.4 seconds remaining.
Thornton quickly sprinted the ball up-court, jumped between a pair of defenders and found Dudley, who was running the left baseline. Dudley hit an up-and-under reverse layup with 2.3 seconds to play to tie the game and he was fouled. Dudley’s go-ahead free throw converted the three-point play for an 81-80 Dragon lead. Colby’s desperation 55-foot shot came after the buzzer and Hutchinson’s comeback was complete.
Dudley’s three-point play capped a career-high 29-point night for the sophomore. His previous high was 28 points against Iona last season when Dudley played at Rider University. Dudley was 9 of 13 shooting overall with a career-high four 3-point shots in six attempts. Dudley was 7 of 9 from the free-throw line. He added had five rebounds and two assists. Dudley also hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 1.5 second left on Saturday at Fort Hays Tech.
Sophomore Khalil Arnold came off the bench to spark the Blue Dragons with a season-high 14 points on 4 of 8 shooting with a 3-pointer and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Arnold had three assists.
Bobby Cannon hit two early 3-pointers and closed with 12 points. Thornton had 11 points and six assists. Freshman Bo Aldridge had seven points.
The Blue Dragons shot 41.9 percent for the game (26 of 62), hitting 11 3-pointers in 30 attempts and 18 of 24 from the free-throw line. The Dragons were out-rebounded 43-30 and had 18 assists to 14 turnovers.
Colby was led by Eternity Eguagle’s 22 points. M’Ella had 19 points. The Trojans were 25 of 59 from the field (42.4 percent) with 8 of 25 from the 3-point line and 22 of 28 from the free-throw line. The Trojans had 17 turnovers.
The Blue Dragons played from behind for most of the first half. Trailing 20-15 with 8:48 left in the first half, an 8-2 Hutchinson run gave the Dragons a 23-22 lead after a Cannon 3-pointer with 7:03 to go. D.J. Cason’s 3-pointer with 4:27 remaining gave Colby a 28-24 lead.
Dudley hit a pull-up jumper after a Trojan turnover to give Hutchinson a 29-28 lead. Dudley scored again for a three-point lead, but Colby’s Eguagle nailed two free throws to pull within 31-30. Playing for the final shot of the first half, Dudley had a shot attempted deflected, but Isaiah Jackson re-directed the ball back toward the basket for a tip-in at the buzzer with the Dragons leading 33-30.
Hutchinson built a 40-34 lead after two Aldridge free throws with 16:16 left in the second half. The Dragons went without a field goal for 6 minutes, 10 seconds as Colby put together a 16-5 run to build a 50-45 lead after a Muhammad free throw with 10:41 to go.
Trailing 70-63, the Blue Dragon comeback started at the free-throw line. Dudley hit three free throws after being fouled with 1:38 left. The Dragons were 8 of 8 from the foul line in the final minute to help complete the comeback.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons won their seventh straight over Colby to improved their series advantage over the Trojans to 58-6. … This was all-time win No. 1,929. … Colby’s 50-point second half was only the second time this season, the Dragons have allowed 50 or more points in a single half. … The Blue Dragons are now 2-1 when being out-rebounded and 1-2 when being out-shot. … The Blue Dragons are now 6-2 when leading at halftime.
