Men's Basketball Fall to #15 Hutchinson Community College

Northwest Tech Men's Basketball faced a tough challenge against the #15-ranked Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons on Wednesday, ultimately falling short with a score of 84-89.

After a fast-paced start, the Blue Dragons quickly gained a 10-4 advantage over the Mavericks in the first five minutes with a tough full-court press. The Mavs would then proceed to go on a 13-4 run to take the lead. Both teams would continue to go back-and-forth for the remainder of the half, with Northwest Tech leading going into halftime with a score of 42-40.

The second half would unfold much like the first, with Hutchinson would persistently utilizing their press against the Mavericks, though Tech's defense would prove to be more effective in the end, forcing more than twice as many turnovers (27-12) as the Blue Dragons. However, that excellent pick-pocket defense didn't come without a price, with the Blue Dragons scoring 31 points at the free throw line, which would defeat the Mavericks in the end.

Overall, the Tech played an excellent game with great effort against a top-15 team. Looking at the stats, though the Blue Dragons shot significantly more free throws than the Mavs, they still had approximately the same percentage at 81%. The only real stat category where Northwest Tech struggled against Huch was in rebounding, especially given their height advantage. Tech had four players in double figures, with Keyishon Miller leading the way with 19 points, then Charles Fofanah with 18 points, Idris Williams with 17 points off the bench, and Taiden Conner with 11 points.

Looking ahead, the Mavericks will look to bounce back as they travel over to Colby Community College on Saturday.