BIG THIRD QUARTER POWERS DRAGONS PAST BUSTERS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Trailing after one quarter and leading by just one point at halftime, the No. 5-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team dominated the third quarter to earn a Jayhawk Conference victory over Garden City on Saturday at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons extended their winning streak over the Broncbusters to 12 games with a 73-56 victory.

Hutchinson improved to 18-0 and 12-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons play host to No. 13 Dodge City to open the second half of conference play at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. Garden City fell to 10-7 overall and 5-7 in the league.

The Blue Dragons shot only 25 percent and trailed by as many as seven points in the first quarter. They pulled within 13-9 after one quarter, then shot 58.3 percent in the second half and rallied to take a 25-24 lead at halftime.

Hutchinson exploded in the third quarter, outscoring Garden City 31-7, hitting 13 of 17 shots in the quarter (76.5 percent) with three 3-point goals. The Dragons had runs of 12-0 and 16-0 in the third quarter to build a game-high 27-point lead at 56-29 with 38 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Monae Duffy scored game-high 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting to lead the Blue Dragons. She added six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in her strong overall performance.

Kiki Smith had 16 points, three assists and three steals. Madi Denison came off the bench to score 12 points with seven rebounds and two assists.

Akaysha Muggeridge had nine points and Journey Armstead added seven points.

The Blue Dragons shot 51.7 percent (31 of 60) for the game. The Dragons were 4 of 14 from 3-point range and 7 of 15 from the free-throw line. The Blue Dragons owned a 42-28 rebounding advantage. Turnovers were tied at 18 each.

Stevi Yanci had 11 points to lead Garden City. Maya Nieto and Sierra Driessen had 10 points each.

The Broncbusters shot 36.2 percent for the game (21 of 58), hitting 7 of 17 from 3-point range and 7 of 13 from the foul line.

A Blue Dragon turnover led to a Driessen layup and the Blue Dragons trailed 10-3 with 4:59 remaining in the opening quarter. Trailing 12-5, the Blue Dragons held Garden City without a field goal and to just one point in the final 2:51 of the quarter. Buckets from Duffy and Muggeridge cut the Dragon deficit to 13-9 after one quarter, which is only the third time this season Hutchinson has trailed after 10 minutes.

Garden City's streak without a field goal was extended to 6 minutes, 23 seconds. A Bree Horyna basket gave the Dragons a 16-15 lead with 7:06 to play in the second quarter. Garden City led 21-20 and the Dragons grabbed the lead back with a Duffy layup with 2:21 to play. Denison then converted a three-point play for a 25-21 lead with 1:22 to play in the half. Nieto answered with a 3-pointer and the Dragons lead 25-24 at halftime.

The teams trades scores to open the third quarter. The Dragons then went on a 12-0 run over the next 2:39, capping the run with a steal and Hailey Jackson layup for a 40-26 lead with 6:11 left. A Sariah Conley basket snapped that run, but the Dragons immediately went on a 16-0 run started by Denison and finished off with a Smith transition layup for a 56-29 lead with 38 seconds to play. Hutchinson outscored Garden City 31-7 and led 56-31 after three quarters.

The Busters made things a bit tense with a 15-1 run and cut the Dragon lead to 57-44 after a Nieto 3-pointer with 7:15 to play. Muggeridge hit a floater in the paint to stop the Garden City advance. Leading 66-51, the Blue Dragons put the game away with a 7-0 run to rebuild a 22-point lead. In the final minutes.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 79-19 all-time vs. Garden City, including 43-5 in the Sports Arena. … The 18-0 start is the sixth-best start in program history and 18-game win streak is the seventh-longest streak in team history. … The nine points scored in the first quarter tied a season low. … The 31 points scored in the third quarter was the fourth time this season the Dragons have had a 30-point quarter. … Garden City's 25-point fourth quarter was the second-largest opponent quarter this season. … With five assists, Journey Armstead moved into 10th place past Janay Vulgamore with 237 assists for her career. … Monae Duffy surpassed the 600 career point mark with 615. She also entered the career Top 20 in career rebounds at No. 18 with 435 rebounds. … Kiki Smith surpassed the 300-point mark for the season. … The Blue Dragons shot 50 percent in a game for the third time this season and first in 10 games. … The Dragons posted their 16th game of the season holding an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting.