CONCORDIA, Kan. — No. 4 Hutchinson pulled within two points with 8:16 remaining Saturday at Cloud County before the Thunderbirds went on a 13-0 run.
Hutchinson (7-1, 2-1) trailed by as many as 18 in the first half after leading for just one minute and 14 seconds. The T-Birds led for 93% of the contest behind 62 points in the paint.
Malang Athian made 13 of 15 baskets, including 13 of 13 inside the paint.
Athian's 27 points featured highlight dunk after highlight dunk, including two in the final minute that put the finishing touches on a dominating night for Cloud County (5-2, 2-0).
Jayden Garrison's first basket of the game came with 8:16 left in the contest. The three-ball pulled Hutchinson within 65-63 before the T-Birds scored the next 13 unanswered.
Cloud County finished the game on a 25-12 run.
FINAL: Cloud County 90 Hutchinson 75
Hutchinson allowed Cloud County to shoot 65.4%. The Dragons last allowed a team to shoot 60-plus percent from the floor on Feb. 12, 2020 (NW Tech).
The Dragons scored at least 100 points in each of their first six games before being held to 99 a few nights ago.
Hutchinson's 134 points earlier in the season were good for the second-most in a single game in program history.
The Dragons shot just 9 of 36 (25%) from distance.
Aaron Franklin scored 17 points on just 7 of 17 shooting, including 1 of 5 from deep.
Tony Green led Hutchinson with 19.
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