LAKE CHARLES, La. - KaMyra Barber posted 21 points and 17 rebounds as No. 13 seed Hutchinson rallied in the second half to defeat No. 20 Williston State 54-50 on Tuesday in the first round of the NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Tournament at Townsley Law Arena.
The Blue Dragons advanced to the second round for the third straight year and improved to 27-7 overall. Hutchinson will face No. 4 Northwest Florida State, 24-4, at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Lake Charles.
Hutchinson also improved to 26-13 all-time in national tournament play and 8-2 in opening-round games.
“I think that first game is always the hardest, getting in gear and understanding the level of competition that you see at the national tournament,” Hutchinson assistant coach Brenna McClure said. “So just started off slow. But a win is a win, like you said, and we live to see another day.”
Williston State, which finished 32-2, led 27-19 at halftime and pushed its advantage to 33-23 midway through the third quarter before Hutchinson began to chip away. The Blue Dragons closed the third period on a 14-5 run and pulled within 38-37 on Katie Duncan’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Hutchinson took its first lead since the opening half when Noelle Anthon converted a layup off a steal for a 39-38 edge with 9:37 remaining. Barber then took over during a decisive stretch, scoring eight straight Hutchinson points to help the Blue Dragons turn a one-point deficit into a 45-40 lead.
Williston State stayed within striking distance and cut the margin to 50-48 on Dani Jordan’s two free throws with 2:40 to play. Barber answered with a jumper with 1:27 left to restore a four-point lead, and Anthon sealed the win with two free throws in the final 27 seconds.
Barber finished 10 of 19 from the field and grabbed eight offensive rebounds for Hutchinson, which outrebounded Williston State 43-32. Duncan added 10 points, Anthon had eight points and seven rebounds, and Jaden Wilson scored five off the bench.
McClure said Barber’s production was a major spark in the comeback.
“I think she just really sparked us,” McClure said. “She was crashing the boards hard. I think she had 17 rebounds and 21 points. That’s phenomenal by a freshman in her first game at the national tournament.”
Leila Heffernan led Williston State with 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Jordan added 11 points and six rebounds.
Neither team shot well from the outside. Hutchinson went 4 of 21 from 3-point range, while Williston State was 3 of 18.
“Yeah, we held them pretty good from the 3-point line,” McClure said. “I think they only shot about 16 percent from the 3-point line, so we definitely shut them down there. We held a lot of their scorers to well under their average. So that’s good defensively.”
The Blue Dragons also overcame 18 turnovers and just 8-of-18 shooting at the free-throw line after struggling offensively in the first half.
McClure said the halftime message was simple.
“Just told the girls, gotta score the ball, gotta put the ball through the rim,” McClure said. “We knew that shots were going to start falling, but we just needed some kids to come out and make plays.”
Hutchinson will now get a quick turnaround against perennial power Northwest Florida State in Thursday’s second round.