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By Bret Mitchell
HCC Sports Information
Thursday, November 15, 2007
TONKAWA, Okla. – Northern Oklahoma
College-Tonkawa guard Amy Pryor scored the third-most points ever scored
against the Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team, dropping
33 points on the Lady Dragons in an 81-73 victory over HCC on Thursday
night.
Pryor was seemingly unstoppable hitting 8 of
11 total shots, 5 of 7 from 3-point range and was 12 of 12 from the
free-throw line.
The Lady Dragons trailed by as many as 14
points in the first half, but rallied to take a 53-51 lead only to see the
Mavericks (5-2) go on a 10-0 to take control of the game.
HCC (4-1) – on the road for the first time
this season – faced two steady obstacles in their comeback attempt, Pryor
and another bout with turnovers. HCC committed a total of 22, compared to 18
assists. Northern Oklahoma scored 23 points off of those turnovers.
“It’s just something we have to continue to
work on,” HCC head coach John Ontjes said of the turnovers. “The kids have
to get it done.”
Hutchinson had to manage most of the comeback
effort without sophomore leader Amanda Fessenden, who sat out much of the
second half with four fouls. She fouled out with five points remaining,
finishing with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
With Fessenden on the bench, the Lady Dragons
had other players step. Freshman Morgan Leatherbury finished with a
team-high 13 points in just seven minutes of play to lead for HCC players in
double figures.
“Morgan was very productive,” Ontjes said.
“When Amanda was in foul trouble, that was huge for us to have Morgan making
baskets.”
“(Fessenden) is a big part of the team, so
it’s hard to not have her out there,” Leatherbury said. “But everyone else
stepped up.”
Freshman Lauren Sparks and sophomore Lanikia
Lawrence both had season highs with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
From a numbers standpoint, the Lady Dragons
had a good night offensively shooting 50 percent overall (28 of 56), 57.6
percent in the second half (19 of 33).
The Lady Dragons were a dazzling 12 of 18
from 3-point range, 9 of 12 in the second half. Leatherbury was perfect with
3 of 3 from behind the arc. Sparks hit 3 of 4 and freshman Kylee Naccarato
was 2 of 2. Seven different HCC players hit at least one 3-pointer in the
game.
In addition to Pryor, Northern Oklahoma also
had Holly Hardin scoring big. She had 25 points, eight rebounds, five
blocked shots and four steals. The Mavericks shot 41 percent overall (25 of
61), but shot 51.7 percent in the second half (15 of 29). NOC hit 10 of 27
3-pointers and was 21 of 23 from the free-throw line.
It’s the first time that a team has scored 80
or more points on the Lady Dragons in 69 games and it’s only the seventh
time that it’s happen in this decade.
The game was competitive early, tied at 14
points with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Northern Oklahoma went
on an 8-0 run led by Pryor, who had five points and had an assist on the
other three. A pair of Hardin free throws with 2:10 to play gave Northern
Oklahoma its largest lead of 34-20, but Sparks and Purcell hit back-to-back
3-pointers to pull within 34-26 at halftime.
Fessenden and Sparks combined to score the
first five points of the second half to pull HCC right back into the game
down only three at 34-31. HCC finally tied the game at 53-all when Fairen
Lepaio drained a 3-pointer from the left wing. On HCC’s next possession,
Julie Richardson’s field goal after an offensive rebound gave the Lady
Dragons their first lead since the first minute at 55-53.
Pryor and Northern Oklahoma immediately
answered with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to take control of the
game at 63-55 on two Pryor free throws. Fessenden scored on the next
possession to cut the deficit back to six, but Northern Oklahoma was clutch
from the free-throw line down the stretch.
Northern Oklahoma was 12 of 14 from the
free-throw line in the second half. HCC was 0-1.
Hutchinson will complete its two-game road trip on Monday night when the Lady
Dragons travel to Cowley College for a 5 p.m. tipoff.
GAME NOTES
– The 33 points scored by Pryor were the most scored against HCC since
Seward County’s Cassie Cordell scored 34 points in 2003 season. Butler
County’s Betty Lennox had the most points against HCC all time, 37 in 1996.
… The Lady Dragon bench outscored Northern Oklahoma’s 35-12. … John Ontjes
received his first technical foul as Lady Dragon coach in the second half
after a foul call went against HCC in the second half.
<HCC-NORTHERN OKLAHOMA BOX>
OTHER QUOTES
Head Coach John Ontjes
On getting a road test …
“These pre-conference games are designed to
help us get ready for conference play. We have to be able to go on the road
and win. It was a learning experience for the team.”
On the comeback …
“We got the game tied with seven minutes
left, then we stopped guarding and we gave up offensive rebounds. It’s hard
to win when that happens.”
Freshman Morgan Leatherbury
On her scoring effort …
“I’m trying to prove myself because I didn’t
get to play much before.”
On the tough road game …
“I think it helps knowing that we can’t just
go on the road and expect to win.” |
