HUTCHINSON, Kan. (BlueDragonSports.com) – Sophomore Landon Forbes had career bests for points and made 3-pointers as the No. 5-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team rallied from its first loss of the season on Saturday with a 17-point KJCCC victory over the Barton Cougars on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.
Forbes hit seven 3-pointers and had a team-high 21 points to pace the Blue Dragons to a 63-46 victory over the Cougars to open the second round of Jayhawk Conference play.
The Blue Dragons improved to 18-1 overall and 12-1 in the KJCCC. Hutchinson completes a two-game homestand on Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. matchup against Fort Hays Tech Northwest at the Sports Arena. Barton fell to 8-11 overall and 4-9 in the KJCCC.
Forbes became just the 14th Blue Dragon in the 51-year history of the program to have seven or more 3-pointers in a game. She is the first since Mya Williams had seven treys against Colby on February 12, 2022. Forbes was 7 of 13 from distance for her first career 20-point game. Forbes also had her second-straight game of six assists to pace the Blue Dragons.
Sophomore Hailey Jackson finished with 19 points, hitting 7 of 13 overall shots and 6 of 8 from the foul line. Jackson had a team-high six rebounds.
Madi Denison, Jada Pleasant and Katie Duncan had six points each.
The Blue Dragons shot 36.4 percent (24 of 66) against the Cougars, hitting 10 of 33 from 3-point range and 5 of 10 from the foul line. The Dragons were out-rebounded 43-29, but limited themselves to nine turnovers while forcing 27 Barton turnovers.
Regina Donanu led Barton with a game-high 24 points on 10 of 25 shooting. Vivian Onugha had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
The Cougars shot 38.8 percent (19 of 49), going 2 of 15 from 3-point range and 6 of 13 from the free-throw line.
The first quarter had three lead chances and three ties and the largest lead for either team was four points. Forbes hit her first 3-pointer with 6:20 to play to knot the score at 5-all. Kahlen Norris later grabbed an offensive rebound and scored for a 9-8 Dragon lead with 3:34 remaining in the period. Pleasant added a 3-pointer with 3:31 remaining for a 12-8 lead. Then tied at 12, Norris hit a 3-pointer and Hutchinson lead 15-14 after one quarter.
Forbes’ third 3-pointer helped the Dragons extend their lead to seven at 23-16 with 6:51 to play in the second quarter. Barton closed to within two points three times. Leading 29-27, Forbes hit her fourth 3-pointer of the half with 7 seconds remaining to give Hutchinson a 32-17 lead at halftime.
After Barton scored the first points of the third quarter, the Blue Dragons took control with a 12-2 run over the next 3:25. Jackson had seven points during the run. Her free throw with 5:13 remaining in the quarter gave the Dragons a 44-30 lead. Barton scored the next five points. A Jackson 2 and Pleasant 3 late in the quarter extended the Dragon lead to 49-37 after three quarters as Hutchinson outscored Barton 17-10 in the third.
The Dragons used a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter to take total control of the game. Forbes’ sixth 3-pointer sparked the run and a Jackson jumper from 12 feet closed it for a 58-39 lead with 6:41 remaining. Forbes closed her career game with her seventh 3-pointer at the 5:45 mark to give the Dragons their largest lead of the game at 21 (61-40).
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons defeated Barton for the fifth-straight time and improved to 47-59 all-time against the Cougars, including 24-25 at the Sports Arena. … The Dragons extended their home-court winning streak to 26 games, which is the fourth longest in program history. … Katie Duncan tied a season high with four assists. … Jada Pleasant hit a career-high two 3-pointers. … Hailey Jackson jumped three spots on the Hutchinson career scoring list to 21st with 821 career points. … The Dragons had their fourth game of 10 or more 3-point goals this season. … The Dragons tied a conference-season low with nine turnovers and it’s the third time this season to have less than 10 turnovers in a game. … Barton’s Vivian Onugha’s 18 rebounds are the most by a Blue Dragon opponent since Cowley’s Ndack Mbenque had 17 on February 14, 2024. … The Dragons had 16-3 advantage in points off turnovers.
