BUC MEN/WOMEN FALL WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Tyler hangs on for 98-95 victory over Buccaneers
TYLER, Texas – For the second time this season, the Blinn women’s basketball team and the Tyler Lady Apaches’ game came down to the final seconds.
This time—on their home court—Tyler got the edge.
The 15th-ranked Lady Apaches beat the 14th-ranked Buccaneers 98-95 here Wednesday to move into sole possession of second place in the Region XIV Conference standings.
“We showed a lot of heart and fight tonight,” Blinn (20-5, 10-3) coach Jeff Jenkins said.
That fight came after Tyler built a 70-60 lead with 9:26 to play in the second half. Blinn led 44-39 at halftime, but the Lady Apaches ignited an immediate run to start the second half. It looked as if they’d run away before the Bucs started their comeback with five minutes to play.
In the final seconds, Blinn had cut Tyler’s 10-point lead to one when Fatima Adams hit a bucket with four seconds remaining.
Tyler, though, hit two free throws to extend its lead to three, and the Bucs missed a desperation 3-pointer before the buzzer.
“To be down 12 on the road at Tyler and to cut that lead to one showed a lot about the mental toughness of the team tonight,” Jenkins said.
Six Buccaneers scored in double figures, led by Adams’ 23 points.
Katrina Hayden and Shunta Nevitt scored 15, Tierra Tucker scored 14, Amari Jones added 12 and Tayler Weiks dropped 10.
The win avenged an earlier loss to Blinn for the Lady Apaches on Jan. 15 at the Blinn P.E. Building. In another close contest, Blinn’s Shakera Barnes hit two free throws in the final seconds and Adams scored 21 second-half points to lead the Bucs to a 106-102 victory.
For more information on Blinn women’s basketball, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
Lee College pulls past Buccaneers in closing minutes
The Rebels knocked off the Bucs 78-75 at the Blinn P.E. Building Wednesday night.
“I thought we played well and our guys competed and played hard, we just had a couple of critical mistakes down the stretch,” Blinn (15-11, 5-10) coach Scott Schumacher said. “Had we converted those plays, I think it would have been a different game.”
The Bucs built a 65-60 lead over Lee with 8:43 to play off an Eddie Alcantara 3-pointer and looked to be in control as dunks, blocked shots and a fast-paced offense swung the momentum in Blinn’s favor.
But the Rebels slowly snatched that momentum back in the final five minutes.
Lee took the final advantage when Trahson Burrell hit a bucket with 1:25 to play. Burrell led the Rebels with 24 points.
Even in the final seconds, McCloud tried to carry the Bucs to a comeback when he hit a layup with 1.1 second remaining to cut Lee’s lead to 78-75. Blinn tried to intercept the in-bounds pass and get off a last-second 3-pointer, but Lee caught a pass at half court to end the game.
McCloud led the Bucs with 20 points, and sophomore guard Macari Brooks scored 13. Freshman Roderick Harris dropped 10 points.
“At this point we’re trying to point everything to the region tournament, and hopefully we’ll be able to learn from our mistakes and take care of business at the region tournament,” Schumacher said.
For more information on Blinn men’s basketball, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
(Story & photos courtesy: Matt Keyser, Blinn Information)