SECOND-HALF SURGE SPARKS DRAGONS IN NJCAA OPENER

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

CASPER, Wyoming – Trailing by as many as eight points in the first half, the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team needed about two-and-a-half quarters to get its slumbering offense goes on Wednesday at the Ford Casper Center.

Led by Jayhawk Conference player of the Year Hailey Jackson, the No. 11-seeded Blue Dragons turned things around and held on for a 61-58 victory over South Georgia Tech in the opening round of the 2025 NJCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament.

Held scoreless for the first 25 minutes of the game, Jackson scored 17 points over the next 10 minutes of game time as the Blue Dragons opened leads as large as 13 points in the fourth quarter.

The Blue Dragons (29-4) will now play No. 6-seed Three Rivers in the final second-round matchup at 5:45 p.m. CDT time on Friday at the Ford Casper Center.

Jackson posted her 13th double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Jackson was 5 of 13 shooting with a 3-pointer and finished 6 of 8 from the foul line. Jackson moved into fourth place on the Blue Dragon career scoring list, moving past Heather Robben, with 1,080 points.

Sophomore Jada Pleasant was the only other Blue Dragon to score in double figures with 10 points. Pleasant added four rebounds.

Sophomore Kahlen Norris had nine points, scoring seven points in the first half when the Dragon offense was struggling. Sophomores Landon Forbes and Katie Duncan had eight points each. Brynne Katcher had seven points and six rebounds.

The Blue Dragons shot 38.2 percent for the game (21 of 55), hitting 6 of 15 from 3-point range and 13 of 21 from the free-throw line.

The Dragons out-rebounded one of the top rebounding teams in the nation 36-22. Hutchinson had 16 turnovers.

Jamiah Gregory had 16 points and Stephie Salumi had 15 points to lead South Georgia Tech (25-7). The Jets shot 40.0 percent (20 of 50), hitting 8 of 20 from 3-point range and 10 of 17 from the foul line. The Jets had 17 turnovers.

South Georgia Tech hits its first three 3-point attempts to build a 9-2 lead just 2:12 into the game. The Dragons held South Georgia Tech to just six points over the next 6 minutes and pulled within 17-15 with 1:01 to play on a Duncan three-point play. Despite the slow start, the Dragons trailed 17-13 after one quarter.

A Norris steal and Duncan transition layup with 7:02 left in the second scored tied the game at 17-17. The Dragons took their first lead of the game on a Forbes 3-pointer with 5:01 to go in the quarter for a 20-19 lead. The Dragons led 24-21 after a Norris layup with 2:20 left in the half, but the Jets closed the second quarter on an 8-0 run. Salumi hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer for a 29-24 Jet lead.

Trailing 34-32, the Blue Dragons tied the game on Jackson's first field goal of the game at the 5:00 mark of the third quarter. That bucket sparked Jackson's 17-point run over the next 10 minute of game time. Her basket with 5:01 to play in the fourth quarter gave the Blue Dragons a 55-44 lead.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 7-2 all-time in opening-round NJCAA Tournament games and 25-12 all-time in the NJCAA Tournament. … The Blue Dragons are 2-0 all-time against South Georgia Tech. … Jackson became the 10th Blue Dragon to reach 500 career rebounds. She is now 10th on the career list with 511 rebounds. … Jackson also surpasses 600 points for the season. She is the sixth Blue Dragon to reach that milestone.