HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The No. 5-ranked HutchCC women's basketball team used a dominant third quarter to grow its lead and eventually defeat Garden City, 73-56 on Saturday at the Sports Arena. The win marked the 12th straight win for the Blue Dragons over the Broncbusters.
Hutchinson (18-0, 12-0 KJCCC) trailed Garden City, 13-9 after the first quarter, but battled back to take a two-point lead in to halftime. The Blue Dragons outscored Garden City, 31-7 in the third quarter to build a 56-31 lead heading to the final quarter.
The Blue Dragons hit 13-of-17 field goal attempts in the 31-point third quarter, including three-of-four from behind the arc. The Hutchinson defense held Garden City (10-7, 5-7) to 3-of-14 during the same frame.
Monae Duffy led the Blue Dragons' scoring effort with 17 points. Kiki Smith added 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Madi Dennison finished with 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Journey Armstead added seven points, nine rebounds and five assists from her point guard position.
Hutchinson shot 51 percent from the floor (31-of-60), while Garden City finished 36 percent (21-of-58).
The Blue Dragons were plus-14 on the glass, outrebounding the Broncbusters, 42-28. Hutchinson also dominated in the paint, outscoring Garden City, 52-24.
Garden City was led by Stevi Yanci with 11 points, while Sierra Driessen and Maya Nieto each added 10.
Hutchinson finishes the first half of the Jayhawk Conference portion of its schedule unbeaten, and will open the second half on Wednesday, hosting No. 13 Dodge City. The Blue Dragons defeated Dodge City (16-2, 10-2) on the road in the conference opener, 72-70.