CLUTCH SHOTS, THOMAS' T-CAREER-HIGH 29 LIFT DRAGON MEN OVER COLBY

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Trailing 65-63 with 3:07 left in regulation, the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team found a way.

Daleron Thomas connected on a 3-pointer to give the Blue Dragons their first lead since the 13:45 mark of the first half. Then, Lolo Rudolph stepped into a straightaway 3-pointer and knocked it down to seal the 75-71 home win over the Colby Trojans Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragon Men connected on a season high 14 three-pointers.

Hutchinson improves to 12-15 on the season, and 7-14 in the KJCCC. Colby falls to 5-21 overall, and 3-17 in the Jayhawk Conference.

Hutchinson splits with Colby in the season series.

The Dragons were led by Daleron Thomas, who had a tied-season-high 29 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the field, including a season-best eight 3-pointers. Thomas also led the team in rebounding with seven. Thomas scored 22 of his 29 points in the second half. 

Lolo Rudolph recorded his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 assists. Nine of his points came in the second half, including the game-sealing 3-pointer. Bobby Cannon also scored in double figures with 18, going 5-for-10 from the floor and going 7-for-7 at the free-throw line.

As a team, Hutchinson shot 49% from the floor (25-51) and 42.4% from beyond the arc (14-33). The Dragons shot 64.7% (11 of 17). Hutchinson had 22 assists, compared to Colby's 14, and had fewer turnovers than Colby (9-6).

Colby shot 44.1% from the floor (26 of 59), and 35.5% from three-point range (11-31). The Trojans got to the free-throw line 10 times, connecting on eight. Colby outrebounded Hutchinson 37-23 and outscored Hutch off the bench 18-14.

Colby had three players in double figures, led by D.J. Cason with 20 points, on 8 of 13 shooting. Cason added four three-pointers as well. Rhett Kats added 13 points and three three-pointers. Ailou Diallo was only 1 of 9 from the floor, but ended up shooting all of Colby's free throws in the contest, reaching 10 points.

After a hot start by Hutchinson, which saw Hutchinson go on an 8-0 run to reach its largest lead of the game at 8-2, with 16:54 remaining in the first half. Hutchinson would hold the lead until 13:15 left in the first half. Hutchinson tied the game once at 18-18, but Colby responded with a 7-0 scoring run to make it 25-18. Before halftime, Hutchinson trimmed the lead down to two with 1:12 left, before a D.J. Cason jumper and three Aliou Diallo free throws gave Colby a 40-33 lead heading into the half.

In the second half Colby reached its largest lead with 18:03 to go in the game, forcing Hutchinson to take a timeout just two minutes into the half. 

Hutch and Colby traded baskets until 2:45 remaining in regulation when Colby would hold its last lead of the game 67-66. Thomas scored five straight points to give Hutch a four-point advantage. Then, Rudolph's 3-pointer with 26 seconds left was the dagger for Hutchinson to hold on to win 75-71.

Hutchinson will travel to Coffeyville on Saturday, February 21^st with tipoff scheduled for 4 p.m.

Game Notes – Daleron Thomas' 29 points tied a career high. Thomas amassed double figures for the 13^th time this season and over 20 points for the 6^th time this season. Lolo Rudolph recorded his second career double-double, with 11 points and 10 assists. Bobby Cannon reached double-digit scoring for the 20^th time this season.