STEVE CARPENTER
Hutchinson Community College Sports Information
SEDALIA, Missouri – Bolstered by a balanced offensive attack that saw five players score in double figures, the No. 13-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team rallied from a first-quarter deficit to notch its 11th-consecutive season-opening victory on Friday.
The Blue Dragons shot 50.8 percent and hit nine 3-point field goals to defeat the Southeast Bobcats 77-58 in the first game of the State Fair Classic at the Davis Multipurpose Center.
Hutchinson (1-0) will play Triton College (0-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Sedalia for Day 2 of the State Fair Classic. The Trojans dropped their season opener, 79-50, to State Fair on Friday night.
The Blue Dragons trailed 12-11 after one quarter, but a 21-8 surge in the second period was key in the Blue Dragons outscoring the Bobcats by 19 points over the final three quarters.
Sophomore Katie Duncan led the Blue Dragons with a career-high 19 points offensively and a career-high six steals defensively. Duncan was 6 of 15 shooting overall with three 3-point goals.
Freshman Kamyra Barber posted a double-double in her Blue Dragon debut with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Sophomore Dylan Alexander scored 12 points with two 3-pointers and tied a career high with four assists. Freshman Whitney Brown had 11 points with a pair of 3-point goals and a game-high five assists. Sophomore Noelle Anthon just missed a double-double with 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds on 5 of 6 shooting.
The Blue Dragons shot 30 of 59 overall (50.8 percent). The Dragons shot 64.3 percent in the second quarter and 66.7 percent in the fourth quarter. The Dragons were 9 of 21 from 3-point range and 8 of 19 from the free-throw line. The Dragons outrebounded Southeast 41-23 with 15 offensive rebounds. The Dragons had 18 assists and 11 steals but turned the ball over 20 times.
Southeast (0-1) was led by Jasmine McKenzie’s 18 points. The Bobcats shot 39.1 percent (18 of 46), hitting 6 of 17 from distance and 16 of 23 from the foul line. Southeast had 21 turnovers.
The Dragons trailed 12-11 after the first quarter, but opened the second quarter with a 7-2 run that gave the Dragons a 19-13 lead after a Duncan 3-pointer with 7:07 left in the second quarter. Leading 21-18, the Dragon lead reached double figures for the first time in the gam when Barber’s 3-point goal with 1:40 left gave Hutchinson a 30-20 lead. The Dragons led 33-20 at halftime.
Hutchinson grew the lead to 15 points on two Barber free throws for a 39-24 lead with 7:40 remaining in the third quarter. The Dragons had 15-point leads four more times in the third quarter and led 52-39 after three quarters.
The Blue Dragons hit 10 of 15 overall shots in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 25-19 in the final 10 minutes.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 43-9 all time in season openers. … The Blue Dragons are 11-0 all-time vs. Southeast, playing for the first time since the 2003 season opener.