Hutchinson holds off Lady Tigers 68-62

For the third straight game the Cowley College women’s basketball team faced a double digit second half deficit, rallied to make it a one-possession game, but came up short.

This time, the Lady Tigers trailed Hutchinson by 14 points before falling by a score of 68-62 Saturday at the Grand Prairie Hotel Classic in Hutchinson.

Cowley trailed 55-41 with just under 10 minutes remaining. However, the Lady Tigers had one last run in them, cutting the lead to 64-61 with 47 seconds left to play. 

The Lady Dragons answered back though, as they made key free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. Hutchinson outscored Cowley 18-4 from the free-throw line.

Noell Jackson came off the bench to hit four three-pointers in the second half and lead Cowley with 16 points. Gabrielle Curtis added 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Amanda Fessenden led Hutchinson with 17 points as the Lady Dragons improve to 4-0 on the season.

Hutchinson out-shot Cowley 55 percent to 38.5 percent from the floor, but 22 Lady Dragon turnovers allowed the Lady Tigers to get back into the game.

Cowley, which is now 1-3 on the season, was playing its first game at Hutchinson since 1993. The Lady Tigers will be back in action Tuesday when they host the Kansas Wesleyan University JV at 5 p.m.

Box score:
Cowley (62): Elena Yankova 3-7 0-0 6, Shirolacille Holloway 0-7 2-6 2, JaNeil Robinson 3-3 0-0 6, Gabrielle Curtis 6-13 2-2 15, Whitney Williams 3-11 0-0 6, Noell Jackson 6-13 0-0 16, Natasa Draganic 0-1 0-0 0, Alexis Wright 0-2 0-0 0, Lauren Cherry 1-1 0-0 2, Neasha Haynes 3-7 0-0 9, Amy Slane 0-0 0-0 0, Caitlin Spencer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 25-65 4-8 62.

Hutchinson (68): Kylee Naccarato 1-3 0-0 3, Hailey Purcell 1-3 0-0 3, Amanda Fessenden 4-7 9-10 17, Amber Schroer 5-6 4-6 14, Lauren Sparks 1-3 1-2 4, Brittany Hines 3-4 1-2 10, Morgan Leatherbury 0-1 1-2 1, Briyana Evans 2-3 0-0 4, Julie Richardson 2-3 1-2 5, Lanikia Lawrence 1-3 1-2 3, Fairen Lepaio 2-4 0-0 4. Totals: 22-40 18-26 68.

Three-pointers: Cowley 8-20 (Jackson 4-8, Draganic 0-1, Wright 0-2, Curtis 1-3, Haynes 3-6), Hutchinson 6-12 (Hines 3-4, Leatherbury 0-1, Naccarato 1-2, Purcell 1-1, Fessenden 0-2, Sparks 1-2). Rebounds: Cowley 29 (Holloway 8), Hutchinson 33 (Fessenden 6). Assists: Cowley 17 (Holloway 4), Hutchinson 18 (Lawrence, Lepaio 4). Turnovers: Cowley 16, Hutchinson 22. Total fouls: Cowley 22, Hutchinson 14. Technicals: none.