BLINN WOMEN/MEN’S HOOPS WIN SATURDAY
Blinn women hold off Angelina to win sixth straight conference game, 72-67
Strong second half helps Blinn men topple Port Arthur, 80-75
WOMEN
LUFKIN, Texas – Leading by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter, Blinn College women’s basketball was able to do just enough to escape Lufkin with a 72-67 victory over Angelina College Saturday afternoon.
“We played well defensively but we still have room to improve,” said Blinn head coach Jeff Jenkins. “I like the fact that we held Angelina to nine points in the second quarter.”
The Buccaneers have hit their stride to end January by winning six consecutive conference games to end the month and improve to 17-6 overall and 9-4 in Region XIV play.
Ekiya Gray led Blinn offensively with 21 points and it helped that she made 11-of-14 free throws. Ebony Parker chipped in 17 and Jeliah Preston added 16 points. Rosemary Ilang and Gabriella Odom only combined to score 10 points but their contribution was vital to the Buccaneer victory.
Blinn did get off to a sluggish start, trailing 23-19 after the first quarter. That changed in the second quarter as the Buccaneers clamped down defensively by only allowing nine points and took a 36-32 lead into halftime.
The third quarter was more of the same as Blinn held a 56-46 lead going into the final quarter. The game got a little closer in the final quarter with Blinn missing a handful of easy shots but the Buccaneers were able to hold on for the five-point victory.
Blinn will be on the road again Feb. 3 against Coastal Bend College for a game at 5:30 p.m. The Coastal Bend game will cap a stretch where Blinn played five of six games on the road.
MEN
BRENHAM, Texas – Trailing by nine points at the half, Blinn College men’s basketball was able to storm back in the second half to beat Lamar State College – Port Arthur 80-75 Saturday afternoon inside the P.E. Building.
“We did not hang our heads after the first half and that is where we are at now that we don’t hang our heads anymore,” said Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher.
The win helped to break a four-game conference losing streak for the Buccaneers and improve their record to 16-6 overall and 6-6 in Region XIV play.
Morris Dunnigan had a very balanced game with 13 points in each half to lead Blinn with 26 points. John Dewey and Victor Dukes each scored 12 points and Jaequan Brown put together a solid game in the low post and scored 10 points in the victory.
“We had lost about four straight before this so we knew that it was time to grind out a win,” Brown said. “We just got to keep playing hard every game.”
Blinn didn’t start out too bad in the first half as it grabbed its first lead with a Dunnigan 3-pointer and Dewey followed with a layup for an 18-14 lead with 11:27 left in the half. That lead wouldn’t stick in the first as Port Arthur turned a tie game into a 38-25 lead with 13 straight with 3:08 left.
Blinn recovered from that rough stretch but not enough to take back the lead in the first half as Dewey banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer but it was Port Arthur leading 43-34 at the break.
The Buccaneers didn’t start their storm back until the 11:44 mark. Blinn turned a 10-point deficit into a three-point lead with 13 straight points capped by a bucket by Dukes for a 64-61 lead with 6:32 left.
Blinn never trailed again as it used an 11-1 run late in the game to grab a 77-67 lead with 1:09 left after two free throws from Corey Henderson. The game got slightly closer in the final minute but the Buccaneers were able to hold on for the five-point victory.
Blinn will look to build on its momentum on the road Wednesday, Feb. 3 at Coastal Bend College at 7:30 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.