CASPER, Wyo. — The Three Rivers College women's basketball team overcame a cold start to Friday's second-round game at the NJCAA Tournament as the Lady Raiders rallied past the defending national champion Hutchinson Blue Dragons 50-48 at the Ford Wyoming Center.
Hutchinson (29-5) used a 12-0 run in the first quarter and led 12-5 with 3:31 left in the opening period after Brynne Katcher's jumper.
However, the Lady Raiders (29-3) did not give up, retaking the lead at 22-21 on a Yannie Flemings layup with 3:08 left before halftime.
The game was back-and-forth the rest of the half and through the third period, with the Blue Dragons leading 26-24 at the intermission and 38-36 going to the fourth quarter.
That's when Three Rivers got hot, opening the final period on a 10-4 run to pull ahead.
Laylah Reese hit a layup with 8:46 left in the game to tie the game at 40, then Kaleigh Thompson added a pair of free throws just 36 seconds later to put the Lady Raiders ahead 42-40.
Landon Forbes hit two free throws with 7:15 left in the game to re-tie the score at 42, but layups by Jasmine Davis and Kamille Brown put TRC up 46-42 with 5:50 left in the contest.
Hutchinson did not give up as Jada Pleasant drained a 3-pointer with 4:26 remaining to make it a one-point game (46-45), but Brittani Wells hit a layup 12 seconds later to push the lead to 48-45.
The Blue Dragons had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final seconds, but the Lady Raiders got one last stop to seal the win.
Thompson led Three Rivers with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Lexi Weaver added 11 points and Flemings had eight points and six rebounds. Wells added seven rebounds, while Davis had three steals and the duo of Thompson and Brown each had a pair.
Hailey Jackson paced the Blue Dragons with a game-high 20 points.
The Lady Raiders return to the national tournament quaterfinals for the second year in a row — and for the second year in a row, Three Rivers will take on Northwest Florida State, who ended the team's season last season.
Mike Buhler - Daily American Republic