BLUE DRAGON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL |
No. 1 Hutchinson (36-0) vs. No. 3 Northwest Florida St. (33-3)
|
| When: Monday, April 1, 2024 Tipoff: 7:00 p.m. CDT (6 p.m. MTD) Where: Ford Wyoming Center, Casper, WY Radio: KHMY-FM (93.1), 6:45 p.m. - Sean Boston (PBP) Video: ESPNU, 7:00 p.m. - Chris Sylvester (PBP); Brian Burton (Color) X: @bluedragonsport BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format) |
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
CASPER, Wyoming - For the fourth time in the 50-year history of the program, the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team will play for a national championship.
The No. 1-seed Blue Dragons (36-0) will play defending national champion and No. 3 seed Northwest Florida State (30-3) in the 2024 championship game at 7 p.m. CDT (6 p.m. MDT) in the NJCAA Division I Women's Tournament national championship game from the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, Wyoming.
The game will be broadcast live on KHMY-FM (93.1) with Sean Boston (play-by-play) calling the action beginning at 6:45 p.m. (Hutchinson time). The championship will be televised on ESPNU with Chris Sylvester (play-by-play) and Brian Burton (color) calling the action.
The Blue Dragons make their fourth attempt at the program's first national championship, also playing in the NJCAA championship game in 2012, 2014 and 2015. Hutchinson advanced to the 2024 title game with a 61-46 semifinal win over No. 20 Eastern Arizona on Saturday.
Hutchinson's defense has been stellar in the national tournament holding all three opponents under 40 percent shooting and two under 30 percent. The Dragons are allowing 48.3 points per game and opponents are shooting 32.3 percent from the field.
Northwest Florida State, the Region 8 champion which rides a nine-game win streak into the finals, defeated No. 2-seed Wabash Valley 86-72 in Saturday's semifinals. The Raiders defeated No. 14 Casper 76-69 in the quarterfinals and No. 11 Three Rivers 69-54 in the quarterfinals.
Just like Hutchinson's semifinal game, Monday's championship game features two of the nation's top defensive teams. The Blue Dragons rank 10th in the NJCAA in scoring defense (53.1 points per game) and No. 3 in field-goal defense (32.6 percent). Northwest Florida State third in scoring defense (49.4 points per game) and is eighth in field-goal defense (33.2 percent).
Monday's matchup will be the third in series history between the Blue Dragons and Raiders with all three games contested in the national tournament. The Blue Dragons won meetings with Northwest Florida State in 2013 (quarterfinals, 73-71) and in 2015 (quarterfinals, 68-54).
The Blue Dragons are 4-1 all-time in the NJCAA Tournament against Region 8 teams.