BLUE DRAGONS STORM BACK TO DEFEAT WILLISTON STATE IN NJCAA OPENER

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana – The 13th-seeded Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team used a dominant second half from freshman KaMyra Barber to defeat No. 20 Williston State College 54-50 on Tuesday in the opening round of the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament at Townsley Law Arena.

Hutchinson (28-6) advances to the second round to face No. 4-seed Northwest Florida State at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

Barber led the Blue Dragons with her sixth career double-double, going for 21 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Barber's 17 rebounds tied Kalani Purcell for the second-most rebounds by a Blue Dragon in an NJCAA Tournament game. Purcell had 17 rebounds twice in the NJCAA Tournament – in 2014 vs. NOC-Enid and 2015 against South Georgia Tech.

The Blue Dragons trailed by eight points at halftime and by 10 points with 8 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Barber led the Blue Dragon comeback, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the second half. Hutchinson outscored Williston State 35-23 in the second half.

Barber finished shooting 10 of 19 overall, including 1 of 5 from 3-point range.

Sophomore Katie Duncan added 10 points, while sophomore Noelle Anthon contributed eight points and seven rebounds. Anthon hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to secure the Blue Dragon victory.

Sophomore Jaden Wilson provided a spark off the bench with five points, including a 3-pointer. Whitney Brown chipped in five points along with four rebounds and two steals.

Hutchinson shot 35.0 percent (21 of 60) from the field, hitting 4 of 21 from 3-point range and 8 of 18 from the free-throw line. The Blue Dragons out-rebounded Williston State 43–32, including 12 offensive boards that proved crucial in the comeback.

Hutchinson held Williston State, the top-scoring team in the nation, 41.2 points under its season scoring average and 14.7 percent under its season field-goal percentage. The Tetons shot 33.9 percent (21 of 62), going 3 of 18 from 3-point range and 5 of 9 from the free-throw line. The Blue Dragons also forced 18 Teton turnovers.

Williston State was led by Leila Heffernan, who finished with a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Dani Jordan added 11 points and three steals, while Jersey Berg contributed nine rebounds and seven points.

Williston State controlled much of the first half, taking a 27–19 lead into halftime behind Heffernan's efficient scoring. The Tetons maintained their advantage into the third quarter, leading 29-19 with 8 minutes remaining in the third quarter. 

Hutchinson began to chip away late in the period. Trailing 35-28 with 1:55 to play in the third quarter, the Dragons closed the period on a 9-3 run, getting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Duncan to cut the deficit to 38–37 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Blue Dragons took their first lead since the first quarter on an Anthon layup with 9:37 to go for a 39-38 lead. Heffernan scored to give the Tetons a 40-39 lead.

Barber then started to dominate. Her layup with 8:40 to play gave the Dragons the lead for good at 41-40. Barber had 10 points and seven rebounds in the fourth quarter. Williston State kept it close in the final minutes, trimming the deficit to two points at 52-50 with 42 seconds to play after a layup by Barker. Hutchinson sealed the victory at the free-throw line, where Anthon knocked down two clutch free throws with 27 seconds left to make it a two-possession game. A final three-point attempt by Williston State missed, and the Blue Dragons secured the rebound to close out the win.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 8-2 in NJCAA Tournament opening-round games and are 26-13 all-time in the NJCAA Tournament. … Head coach John Ontjes is now 23-11 in 13 NJCAA Tournament appearances. … KaMyra Barber's 10 field goals tied Kiki Smith for second most field goals in an NJCAA Tournament game by a Blue Dragon. … Barber's 17 rebounds tie with seven others for 10th on the Blue Dragon all-time single-game rebound list. … The Blue Dragons are now 1-1 in games decided by five points or less. … The Blue Dragons are now 3-4 against nationally ranked opponents this season.