BUCS MEN & WOMEN WINNERS AT JACKSONVILLE
Tucker leads Buccaneer women past Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Texas – In front of a packed and noisy Homecoming crowd, the Blinn women’s basketball team turned down the volume.
Behind 20 points from do-it-all guard Tierra Tucker, the 17th-ranked Buccaneers beat the Jacksonville Lady Jaguars 77-53 here Saturday.
“To go into Jacksonville and win on their Homecoming night was a really good win for us,” Blinn (20-4, 10-2) coach Jeff Jenkins said.
Tucker silenced the crowd as she sunk buckets across the court offensively, including two 3-pointers. Jenkins said it’s the best game offensively he’s seen from the A&M Consolidated graduate.
“What really impressed me tonight was that her mid-range game was on,” Jenkins said. “She scored in so many different ways.”
Sophomore Shunta Nevitt scored 18 points, Fatima Adams scored 15 and Katrina Hayden scored nine. Blinn shot 18 of 21 from the free throw line.
Jacksonville cut Blinn’s 40-24 halftime lead to 12 points with eight minutes remaining in the second half, but Blinn sparked a run immediately after to prevent any chance at a Lady Jaguar comeback.
The real test for the Bucs comes Wednesday on the road against the 16th-ranked Tyler Lady Apaches. The two teams are tied for second in the Region XIV standings behind No. 1-ranked Trinity Valley.
In the first match-up at the Blinn P.E. Building on Jan. 15, the Bucs won a shootout 106-102.
“Wednesday is going to be a real test for us,” Jenkins said. “We’ll see how we respond.”
For more information on Blinn women’s basketball, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
Buccaneers pull out come-from-behind win vs. Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Texas – The Blinn men’s basketball team had enough of being on the wrong end of close games.
So the Buccaneers changed their fortunes here Saturday with a 70-67 come-from-behind win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Any time you can win a game on the road in this league, and win a close game, it’s only going to help your team’s confidence,” Blinn (15-10, 5-9) coach Scott Schumacher said.
It was a big win in an even bigger game for the Bucs, who are battling for positioning in the Region XIV Conference Tournament March 4-8. And turning in the biggest performance of the night—and of his career—was freshman guard Jalan McCloud.
McCloud dropped 26 points, hit four 3-pointers and was 6 of 8 from the free throw line.
“That was the best game he’s played as a Buccaneer,” Schumacher said.
And perhaps the biggest shot of the night came from McCloud in the final seconds.
With a 69-67 Blinn lead, McCloud went 1 of 2 from the free throw line to extend that lead to three. Jacksonville was forced to find an open shot from the beyond the 3-point arc in the remaining 15 seconds, but a stingy Blinn defense never allowed the Jaguars a chance.
“Our guys did a great job of covering up and buckling down there at the end,” Schumacher said.
The Bucs forced a Jacksonville turnover to seal the victory.
The win came after Blinn was forced to complete two second-half comebacks. The Bucs were down 39-32 at halftime, and Jacksonville extended that deficit to 10 in the second half.
But behind McCloud, Macari Brooks, who scored 15 points, and Roderick Harris, who scored nine points and had pulled down seven rebounds, Blinn tied the game with nine minutes to play.
Jacksonville would go on a run take a seven-point lead before Blinn forced another comeback.
“Our guys never gave up tonight,” Schumacher said. “They battled and played the entire 40 minutes. The gym was loud and packed, but our guys never cracked.”
For more information on Blinn men’s basketball, visit www.bucccaneersports.com.
(Story courtesy: Matt Keyser, Blinn Information)