Hutchinson falls in NJCAA championship game to Salt Lake
Hutchinson Community College trailed Salt Lake the entire game, and pulled within single digits twice in the second half, but couldn’t quite caught up in a 74-64 loss for the NJCAA men’s national basketball championship on Saturday night at the Sports Arena.
Hutchinson (32-5) was held to 35-percent shooting after topping 50 percent in its first three tournament games.
Salt Lake (31-8) controlled the first half, shooting 47 percent including five three-pointers. Conner Toolson finished with a game-high 28 points in the win, making long-range shots as well as driving to the basketball for layups. He earned the tournament’s MVP award.
The Blue Dragons, who trailed by as many as 18 points early in the second half, made a game of it. Hutch went on a 10-1 run to pull within nine with 12 minutes to go, getting Blue Dragons fans on their feet. Salt Lake didn’t let the game get any closer until the 3:11 mark, when Hutchinson pulled within four after a 12-0 run.
Tyler Rawson, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Salt Lake, had big rebounds down the stretch that ended Hutchinson possessions.
Hutchinson’s Bashir Ahmed and Samajae Haynes-Jones scored 11 of the team’s final 13 points. Ahmed had 22 points overall and Haynes-Jones had 11.
SALT LAKE: Johnson 9, Ebet 6, White 2, Rawson 16, Dufelmeier 6, Waddoups 3, Toolson 28, Musoko 4.
HUTCHINSON: Juiston 9, Conley 3, Hoffman 9, Ahmed 22, Haynes-Jones 11, Emery 4, Pinder 6.
Halftime – Salt Lake 42, Hutchinson 27. Three-pointers – Salt Lake 9-26 (Toolson 5-12, Rawson 2-5, Waddoups 1-2, Johnson 1-3, Ebet 0-1, White 0-1, Dufelmeier 0-2), Hutchinson 2-22 (Conley 1-2, Haynes-Jones 1-7, Emery 0-1, Pinder 0-2, Juiston 0-2, Hoffman 0-3, Ahmed 0-5). Rebounds – Salt Lake 41 (Rawson 11), Hutchinson 38 (Juiston 13). Assists – Salt Lake 12 (Dufelmeier 6), Hutchinson 10 (Juiston 6). Fouls – Salt Lake 18, Hutchinson 17.
This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Hutchinson falls in NJCAA championship game to Salt Lake."