HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Behind a blistering first half and a big night from Kordell Williams, Hutchinson Community College pulled away early and held off Pratt for a 76-63 Jayhawk Conference men’s basketball victory Saturday at the Sports Arena.
The win gave the Blue Dragons a season split with the Beavers, extended Hutchinson’s winning streak to three games for the first time this season and moved the Dragons to 14-15 overall and 9-14 in the Jayhawk Conference.
Hutchinson jumped on Pratt early and controlled the opening half. Asher Boney buried two early 3-pointers, and Williams quickly found rhythm attacking the lane as the Blue Dragons pushed the lead into double figures. Hutchinson led 37-19 at halftime after holding Pratt to 35.4 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
Pratt made its push after the break, outscoring Hutchinson 44-39 in the second half and trimming the margin with a series of 3-pointers. Hunter Vaughn and Javyn Davis provided stretches of scoring to keep the Beavers within range, but Hutchinson answered each run with timely baskets and free throws to stay in control.
Williams led all scorers with a career-high 26 points on 8-of-10 shooting, knocking down all three of his 3-point attempts and going 7 of 9 at the free-throw line. Bobby Cannon finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Boney added 11 points while hitting three 3-pointers. Daleron Thomas scored eight points, and Dilen Miller added six.
Hutchinson shot 48.3 percent from the field and scored 38 points in the paint. The Blue Dragons also turned Pratt turnovers into 16 points and produced 19 fastbreak points.
Pratt was led by Vaughn with 12 points and four assists. Wahab Olusesi added eight points, and Davis scored eight off the bench as the Beavers hit 9 of 29 from 3-point range.
The game also served as Sophomore Day for Hutchinson, with eight student-athletes recognized: Kyrell Shaw, Lolo Rudolph, Bobby Cannon, Jonathan Ogunfuye, Daleron Thomas, Anthony Alston, Dilen Miller and Asher Boney.
Hutchinson will close out the regular season on Wednesday at Fort Hays Tech Northwest. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Central from Max Jones Fieldhouse.