DRAGONS OUTGUN PRATT IN SHOOTOUT

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

PRATT – Rheaquone Taylor, J.J. Rhymes and Devonte Bandoo combined for a staggering 75 points as the No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team outlasted the Pratt Beavers on Saturday night in a Jayhawk Conference shootout.

The Blue Dragons rebounded from their first loss of the season and broke the 100-point mark for the third time this season with a 109-100 victory over the Beavers at the Lesh Sports Arena.

Hutchinson improves to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the Jayhawk Conference. Pratt is now 3-4 and 0-3. The Blue Dragons close their four-game road trip 3-1 and will return home to face No. 14 Coffeyville at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Rhymes posted his third career double-double, the first this season, with 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Blue Dragons. Rhymes added six assists. Rhymes scored 16 points in the second half.

Taylor hit 12 of 13 field-goal attempts to finish with a season-high 26 points to go with seven rebounds. Taylor was 9 of 9 shooting with 20 points in the second half alone.

Bandoo had 23 points on 8 of 16 shooting, including a 3-pointer, with eight points and four assists. Bandoo scored 14 points in the second half.

Kai Mitchell nearly had a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds with five assists, three steals and three blocked shots.

The Blue Dragons shot 57.7 percent overall on 45 of 78 shooting. Hutch hit 3 of 12 from 3-point range and 16 of 27 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded Pratt 50-35, but committed 21 turnovers in which Pratt scored 23 points from those miscues.

James Brooks hit five of Pratt's 10 3-pointers and finished with 25 points to lead Pratt. Dawson Gunter had 18 points.

The Beavers were 36 of 79 shooting (45.6 percent) overall, going 10 of 28 from 3-point range and 18 of 22 from the free-throw line.

The Blue Dragons built themselves another first-half hole and trailed by 13 points after a Brooks' 3-pointer gave the Beavers a 13-19 lead with 7:18 remaining in the first half. The Dragons whittled the lead down to one on a Josh Creach tip-in with 3:40 to go that pulled Hutch within 37-36. The Beavers then went on a 13-5 run to lead 50-41 with 23 seconds left. Mitchell's layup with 4 seconds left sent the Dragons into halftime trailing 50-43.

Pratt hit six first-half 3-pointers. The Dragons shot 50 percent in the opening half, but committed 12 turnovers

Taylor, Rhymes, Bandoo and Mitchell combined for 60 of Hutchinson's 64 points in the second half. The Blue Dragons hit 27 of 42 shots in the final 20 minutes in outscoring the Beavers 64-50.

The Dragons opened the second half on an 11-0 run and a putback by Taylor gave Hutchinson a 54-50 lead with 17:33 to go. The run to start the second half improved to 20-2 as Hutchinson built its first double-figure lead at 63-52 on a Rhymes layup with 15:08 remaining. The closest Pratt got after that was four points after a Clinton Bentley 3-pointer made it 65-61 with 13:53 to play.

Hutch hit the 100-point mark with 1:49 to go on two Bandoo free throws, which made it 100-87.