INDEPENDENCE, Kan. - The Independence Women's Basketball team dropped their fourth game in a row Tuesday night as they fell to the 20th-ranked Hutchinson Blue Dragons 83-46. 

The Pirates, seeking their first conference victory, came out of the gates strong, as a Flutra Mehmeti three point shot gave the Pirates an early 13-10 lead about halfway through the first quarter. That was the last lead the Pirates would see on the night, and the last bucket of the first quarter as Hutch finished on a 13-0 run to take a 10 point lead into the second quarter. 

The Blue Dragons rode that momentum the rest of the way, as they shot 40% from the field and dominated the paint 48 points in close. Hutchinson also took advantage of 25 Pirate turnovers for 33 points. 

The Pirates battled for much of the night despite being down double digits the whole way after the first quarter, playing a much cleaner offensive game than in the last week. They matched the Blue Dragons in three pointers made with seven, a season high for the Pirates, who shot 30% from the field on the night and 47% from deep. 

Mimi White led the way with 11 points, while Nyah Chandler pitched in 10 points off of the bench. Flutra Mehmti poured in a trio of three pointers to finish with nine points. Jada Walton, in her first start, grabbed three rebounds, dished out a pair of assists, and had four steals on the defensive end. 

The loss moves the Pirates to 3-6 on the season and 0-3 in KJCCC play. The Pirates will once again look for their first conference win on Saturday, when they host Pratt CC at 2:00 pm.