Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Down two points at halftime, the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team turned the table on Coffeyville in the second half and snapped a two-game losing streak in the process.
Sophomore Mya Williams scored 18 of her season- and game-high 25 points in the second half as the Blue Dragons rallied from seven points down in the final 17 minutes to defeat Coffeyville 64-46 in a Jayhawk Conference contest on Wednesday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
The Blue Dragons improved to 10-3 overall and 4-3 in the KJCCC. The Blue Dragons travel to No. 21 Dodge City at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Coffeyville is now 9-4 and 5-2 in the league.
The Blue Dragons trailed 24-22 at halftime and trailed 31-24 after a Kyleigh Ortiz 3-pointer with 7:39 to play in the third quarter. Kali Howard's putback basket with 7:10 to play ignited a momentum-turning 36-9 run over the next 11 minutes.
Williams had 13 points in a third quarter where Hutchinson shot 52.9 percent with five 3-pointers and outscored Coffeyville 27-13. The Dragons led 49-37 after three quarters and expanded their lead to 60-40 with 3:58 to play after a Williams steal and layup.
Williams finished with 25 points to lead all scorers. She was 4 of 13 from 3-point range and finished with five rebounds and a career-high five steals. Williams moved into 10th place on the career 3-point list, moving past Wendy Fehrenbach, with 122 3-pointers.
The Blue Dragons tied a season-high with 13 steals and forced an opponent season-high 24 turnovers against the Red Ravens. The Dragons had a 24-3 scoring advantage in points off turnovers.
Morgan Browning hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 12 points. Freshman Monae Duffy had 10 points. Freshman Journey Armstead finished with eight points, five assists and a season-high four steals.
The Blue Dragons shot 33.8 percent for the game (22 of 65), hitting 9 of 35 on 3-pointers and 11 of 15 from the free-throw line. The Dragons had just seven turnovers, but were out-rebounded 41-37.
Cheyenne Banks had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead Coffeyville. Jordynn Conner had 10 points.
The Red Ravens were held to season lows of 31.9 percent shooting, going 3 of 17 from 3-point range and 13 of 16 from the free-throw line.
Except for a 7-6 lead in the first quarter, the Blue Dragons trailed the entire first half. Trailing 9-7, the Blue Dragons held Coffeyville without a field goal for the final 4:05 of the opening quarter, but still wound up trailing 14-9 with 1:30 to play. Williams hit a 3-pointer and Armstead sank 1 of 2 free throws to cut the Raven lead to 14-13 after the first quarter. The Dragons were 3 of 15 shooting in the first 10 minutes. Coffeyville was 3 of 7, but had seven turnovers in the opening period.
Points continued to be at a premium in the second quarter. The Ravens had five-point leads at 18-13 and 22-17. Despite hitting only 4 of 19 shots in the period, the Dragons managed to stay close. Trailing 22-17, Armstead hit a 3-pointer, but Kania Starks answered with a second-chance bucket with 57 seconds left in the period for a 24-20 Raven lead. The Dragons got a late steal and Browning scored in transition to pull Hutchinson within 24-22 at halftime.
Trailing 31-24 in the third quarter, the Dragon defense started to take command. Williams had a steal, but couldn't finish the layup, which was rebounded by Howard for a putback to cut the Raven lead to five. Down 33-28, Duffy nailed a 3-pointer and then Williams stole the ball and scored to tie the game at 33-all with 5:50 to play in the third quarter. Tied at 35, Williams hit 33-pointers with 4:47, 4:12 and 2:12 remaining to build a 44-35 lead. Browning finished off a 25-4 run to close the third quarter with a 3-pointer and two free throws to help Hutchinson built a 49-37 lead.
Leading 49-40, sophomore Natalie Payne banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key to push the lead back to double figures. Williams' layup with 3:40 left capped the huge Hutchinson run and gave the Dragons a 60-40 lead.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 17-13 all-time against Coffeyville, including 9-2 at the Sports Arena. … Mya Williams jumps two spots to No. 17 on the Blue Dragon career scoring list with 858 points. … This was Williams seventh 20-point game of the season and 19th of her career. … The Dragons are now 2-2 when trailing at halftime.