By:Patrick Hall Wednesday, 16 January, 2008

The PCC Men's Basketball Team was cold right from the start in Hutchinson on Wednesday night. Coupled with foul trouble from Alex Rivas, the Beavers could not continue the five win streak they had going against Hutch, dropping this one 84-66.

The night began with Pratt spotting Hutch a 13-1 lead. After a brief flurry that brought Pratt within one at 16-15, the Beavers slipped back to a deficit of 14 before Brett Crittenden hit a 50 foot heave at the half, leaving Pratt trailing 41-30.

In the first half Pratt hit 38 percent from the field and only 3 of 12 from beyond the arc. Free throw struggles continued with a 3 of 10 performance. Crittenden led first half scorers when that three point chuck gave him 10.

In the second half, Pratt allowed Hutch to open an early 19 point lead, which they maintained until Will Collins hit back-to-back threes, allowing the Beavers to close within 12 with two minutes remaining. They would be Pratt's last points.

Alex Rivas, who leads the conference in rebounding and is second in blocked shots, was a non-factor, fouling out with 10 minutes remaining in the second half. Rivas finished with 3 points and 2 rebounds.

Pratt's leading scorer was Will Collins with 16. Crittenden had 14. Carlin Whitten and Jordan Hammond each contributed 11.

For the game, Pratt shot only 28 percent, hitting 7 of 24 from the arc. The Beavers significantly improved their free throw shooting in the second half, finishing the game at 60 percent. Pratt committed only 4 second half turnovers after committing 11 in the first half. Without Rivas, the Beavers suffered a 60-43 rebounding disadvantage.

Pratt returns home to host Dodge City on Saturday. The women play at 6:00pm, followed by the men at 8:00.