INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — The 20th-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team responded to its second loss of the season with a wire-to-wire Jayhawk Conference road rout Tuesday night in the First Oak Bank & Oakes Family Fieldhouse.
Behind a balanced attack that put four players in double figures, the Blue Dragons rolled past Independence Community College 83-46. Hutchinson improved to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in the Jayhawk Conference, while Independence fell to 3-6 and 0-3.
Sophomore guard Katie Duncan set the tone with a game-high 21 points, going 9 of 22 from the field and 3 of 9 from three-point range. Whitney Brown filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, 10 assists, four steals and three rebounds. Dylan Alexander added 13 points on a perfect 5 of 5 shooting night, and Noelle Anthon finished with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Hutchinson led 23-13 after one quarter and 46-25 at halftime, then buried the Pirates with a 21-11 third quarter to build a 67-36 margin heading to the fourth. The Dragons scored at least 20 points in each of the first three periods and held Independence to 12 or fewer points in every quarter after the first.
Hutchinson shot 45.1 percent from the field, going 32 of 71 overall and 7 of 23 from beyond the arc. The Dragons were 12 of 15 from the free-throw line for 80 percent.
Defensively, the Dragons overwhelmed the Pirates. Hutchinson forced 25 Independence turnovers and came up with 15 steals, led by Brown and Duncan with four each and Alexander with three. Hutchinson also controlled the glass with a 49-30 rebounding advantage, including 17 offensive boards.
Kaia Smith provided a strong spark off the bench with six points, six rebounds and a block, while Jaden Wilson added four points and six rebounds. Delora Pricop and Jamia Taylor chipped in four points each.
Independence was held to 30 percent shooting from the floor, going 15 of 50. The Pirates went 7 of 16 from three-point range and 9 of 19 at the foul line. Mimi White led ICC with 11 points, while Nyah Chandler scored 10 and Flutra Mehmeti added nine.
Hutchinson returns home Saturday, hosting Seward County in another Jayhawk Conference matchup at the Sports Arena. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.