HUTCHINSON, Kan. (BlueDragonSports.com) – Leading by as many 21 points in the third quarter, the top-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team had to hold on to earn victory No. 4 on Saturday night at the Sports Arena.
Murray State whittled that deficit down to one point and had a possession to win the game, but the Blue Dragons defeated the Aggies 69-48 in the final women’s game of the BSN Sports Tip-off Classic.
The Blue Dragons extended their winning streaks to 41 games and 20 home games and improved to 4-0 to start the season. Hutchinson plays two games at the Barton Classic next Friday and Saturday in Great Bend. Murray State is now 4-1 to start the season.
Hutchinson led 61-40 with 1:12 to play in the third quarter and 61-42 at the end of the third quarter. But the Aggies outscored Hutchinson 26-8 in the fourth quarter and pulled within 69-68 with 3.1 seconds remaining in regulation. The Aggie had two shots on its final possession and Madi Denison corralled the second rebound and held on at the buzzer.
Sophomore forward Hailey Jackson posted her second career 3-point game with 30 points and nine rebounds to lead the Blue Dragons. Jackson was 10 of 22 from the floor, including a 3-pointer. Jackson was 9 of 10 from the free throw line.
No other Blue Dragon reached double figures against Murray State. Kahlen Norris finished with nine points and five rebounds. Jada Pleasant had seven points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Blue Dragons shot 41.0 percent (25 of 61), hitting 4 of 12 from 3-point range and 15 of 20 from the free-throw line. The Blue Dragons out-rebounded the Aggies 41-35 and turned the ball over 13 times.
Arissa Garcia had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead Murray State. She was 6 of 9 from the field, including 2 of 4 from distance with four assists. Olivia Quapaw had 11 points and Mireia Casas had 10 points.
Murray State shot 24 of 60 overall (40.0 percent), 8 of 25 from 3-point range and 12 of 16 from the foul line. The Aggies had 14 turnovers. They were 9 of 19, hitting 3 of 8 from 3-point range, in their fourth-quarter comeback.
There were three lead changes and one tie in the first quarter. Norris scored on a layup to give the Dragons a 6-5 lead with 7:43 to play in the first quarter. The Dragons upped the advantage to five points on a Landon Forbes‘ 3-pointer with 5:11 to play and built a 17-9 lead on a Jackson layup with 3:33 to play. The Aggies closed the quarter on an 8-1 run and pulled with 18-17 after one quarter.
Murray State’s run was extended to 13-1 when Mya Cotto’s free throw gave the Aggies a 22-18 lead with 8:15 left in the second quarter. The Blue Dragons answered with a 24-6 run over the next 7:08. Katie Duncan hit a 3-pointer with 4:40 left to give the Dragons a 28-26 lead. Pleasant’s three-point play closed the Dragon run and Hutchinson lead 42-28 with 46 seconds left in the half.
Hutchinson led 42-31 at halftime.
The Dragons opens the second half with a 9-3 run to build a 41-34 lead after a Pleasant layup with 5:35 remaining in the third quarter. The Dragons led 55-38 after a Jackson free throw with 3 minutes remaining and built their largest lest of 21 points after a Dylan Alexander transition layup for a 61-40 lead with 1:12 to play in the period.
Brynne Katcher scored with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter for a 63-44 lead. Then Murray State started its comeback. A 10-0 run pulled the Aggies within 63-52 with 4:46 left. The Dragon lead dwindled to 67-60 after two Quapaw field goals with 3:33 to play. Jackson answered for the Dragons with an inside bucket with 2:57 left for a 69-60 Dragon lead. Those were the last points for Hutchinson as Murray State scored the final eight points of the game to pull within 69-68.
GAME NOTES – Hutchinson’s 20-game home-court win streak is the sixth-longest in program history. … Head coach John Ontjes won game No. 487. … The Blue Dragons are now 6-0 all-time in the BSN Sports Tip-off Classic. … The Dragons are now 6-1 all-time against Murray State, winning their sixth in a row over the Aggies.
