HUTCHINSON, Kan. (BlueDragonSports.com) – The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team had five players score in double figures and hit 11 3-point goals, but the Blue Dragons couldn’t curb the Barton Cougars’ second-half surge on Wednesday night at the Sports Arena.
The No. 23-ranked Blue Dragons had their seven-game win streak snapped as Barton shot better than 56 percent in a 59-point second half as the Cougars defeated Hutchinson 91-86 to open the second half of the KJCCC season.
Hutchinson fell to 13-6 overall and 9-4 in the KJCCC. The Blue Dragons close a two-game homestand at 4 p.m. on Saturday against Fort Hays Tech Northwest at the Sports Arena. Barton is now 15-4 overall and 9-4 in the KJCCC.
The Blue Dragons dug a pair of big holes against the Cougars. They climbed out of a 19-10 hole in the first half to lead 30-26 after a Kahlil Arnold transition layup with 1:54 remaining in the first half. The Cougars led 32-31 at halftime on a Lucas N’Gombo bucket with 1 second remaining in the half.
Barton then opened an 11-point lead at 46-35 with a 14-4 run in the first 5:09 of the second half. The Dragons cut that deficit to one possession twice in the second half, but Barton shot 56.3 percent and outscored the Dragons 59-55 in the final two minutes.
Freshman Bo Aldridge and sophomore Kobe Smith led five Blue Dragons in double figures with 19 points each.
Aldridge was 8 of 11 shooting with a 3-pointer and he finished with seven rebounds and five assists.
Smith’s season high 19 points – just one point off his career high – saw him score all 19 in the second half. Smith was 5 of 7 shooting with a 3-pointer and he tied a career high with 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.
D.J. Dudley finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. Mikhail Abdul-Hamid hit 4 of 5 3-pointers to finish with 12 points. Arnold was 3 of 5 from distance and finished with 11 points.
The Blue Dragons shot 50 percent or better for a fourth-straight game shooting 28 of 56 overall (50.0 percent). They were 11 of 18 from 3-point range for a season-high 61.1 percent efficiency mark. The Dragons were 19 of 24 from the foul line.
The two sets of stats that went against the Blue Dragons were 16 turnovers and 22 offensive rebounds allowed. Barton had scoring advantages of 16-6 in points off turnovers and 22-10 in second-chance points. The Dragons were outrebounded 43-34.
Keandre Kindell led Barton with 24 points and five assists. Brent Moss had 18 points, Aris Rodriguez had 15 points and Eltromon Smith had 10 points. The Cougars shot 38.9 percent (28 of 72), going 7 of 18 from 3-point range and 28 of 34 from the foul line. Barton had only six turnovers.
Tied at 7-7 after a Bobby Cannon basket with 14:56 to play, Barton went on a 9-0 run to build a 16-7 lead with 9:49 to play. The Dragons answered back with an 11-4 run to pull within 20-18 after an Arnold 3-pointer with 6:22 to play in the half.
Trailing 25-20, another Arnold 3-pointer sparked a 10-1 run. Arnold capped that surge with a drive to the hoop to score with 1:54 left for a 30-26 Hutchinson lead. Barton closed the half on a 6-1 run and took a 32-31 halftime lead after N’Gombo beat the buzzer to close the half.
Barton’s run grew to 12-1 as the Cougars opened a 38-31 lead after a Kindell bucket with 18:10 to play. The Cougar extended the run to 20-5 after a Moss tip-in gave Barton a 46-35 lead with 14:51 to play.
Trailing 50-40, the Blue Dragons went on a 9-2 run to pull within 52-49 on a Smith drive to the hoop with 10:18 remaining. Dudley later scored to pull with 59-56 and later he hit two free throws with 6:55 left to pull within 61-58. Barton then scored seven unanswered in a span of 1:07 to lead 68-58 with 3:37 left. A pair of Smith baskets got the Dragons within six points twice at 85-79 and 89-83, but that’s as close as the Dragons got for the remainder of the game.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 91-37 all-time against Barton and 45-12 at the Sports Arena. … The Dragons have lost a series-high seventh-straight game to Barton. … D.J. Dudley surpassed the 400 career-point mark, now with 408 points between Hutchinson and Rider University. … Khalil Arnold had his sixth game this season with three or more 3-pointers. … This was Hutchinson’s eighth game of 10 or more 3-point goals. … The Dragons are 7-3 in home games this season. … The Dragons are 6-2 when shooting 50 percent. … The 59 points allowed in the second half are a season high by an opponent. … Mikhail Abdul-Hamid has hit a 3-pointer in seven-straight games. … Hutchinson’s 55 points in the second half tied a season high.
