BLUE DRAGONS TO MEET NW FLORIDA STATE IN NJCAA 2ND ROUND
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana - Needing and getting a big-time second-half comeback in the opening round, the No. 13- ranked and No. 13-seeded Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team will meet a familiar opponent in the second round of the 2026 NJCAA Women's Division I National Tournament on Thursday.
The Blue Dragons (28-6) will play fourth-seed and third-ranked Northwest Florida State (24-4) at 2:32 p.m. on Thursday at Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles, LA.
The game will be broadcast live on KHMY-FM (93.1) beginning at 2:15 p.m. with Sean Boston (PBP) calling the action. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with Zach McKinstry (PBP) and Brian Burton (Color) calling the action.
BLUE DRAGON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
No. 13 Hutchinson (28-6) vs. No. 4 Northwest Florida State (24-4)
NJCAA Women's Division I National Tournament Second Round
When: Thursday, March 25, 2026
Where: Townsley Law Arena, Lake Charles, LA
Tipoff: 2:32 p.m.
Radio: KHMY-FM (93.1), 2:15 p.m. - Sean Boston (PBP)
Video: ESPN+, 2:30 airtime - Zach McKinstry (PBP); Brian Burton (Color)
X: @bluedragonsport
Thursday's second-round match-up is a rematch of the 2024 NJCAA Tournament championship game. Hailey Jackson hit three free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining to force overtime and the Blue Dragons went onto complete an undefeated 2024 season with an 88-80 victory over the Raiders in the championship game.
The matchup will be the fourth all-time tournament meeting between Hutchinson and Northwest Florida State. The Blue Dragons have won all three meetings with the Raiders. In addition to the 2024 championship game battle, the Blue Dragons defeated the Raiders 73-71 in the 2013 quarterfinals in Salina and 68-54 in the 2015 quarterfinals in Salina.
The Blue Dragons advanced to the second round of the 2026 tournament with a come-from-behind 54-50 victory over No. 20-seed Williston State on Tuesday. The Dragons trailed by 10 points with 8 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Led by freshman KaMyra Barber's sixth double-double of the season of 21 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, the Blue Dragons outscored the Tetons 25-23 in the final two quarters.
Northwest Florida State last played on March 12 in the Region 8 Tournament quarterfinals. The Raiders were upset 59-51 by Eastern Florida State and earned an at-large bid to the 2026 national tournament.
The Raiders average 71.8 points offensively, shooting 48.7 percent from the floor, which ranks No. 2 in the NJCAA. Northwest Florida State ranks fifth in the NJCAA in scoring defense at 49.0 points per game allowed.
Freshman Forward Khoudia Diagnie is the Raiders' leading scorer at 16.4 points per game. She shoots 56.1 percent from the field.