BUCS HOOPS SWEEP COASTAL BEND IN REGULAR SEASON FINALES
No. 22 Buccaneers send-off sophomores with a victory over Coastal Bend, 70-56
Blinn tops Coastal Bend in regular season finale, 105-80
WOMEN
Blinn secures the No. 2 seed in upcoming Region XIV Tournament
BRENHAM, Texas – Blinn College women’s basketball had a small ceremony before the tip to honor the sophomores and it was those same sophomores that helped the Buccaneers earn a 70-56 victory over Coastal Bend College Saturday afternoon inside the P.E. Building.
(Courtesy, Jake Gordon)
The victory to end the regular season improves the Blinn overall record to 22-8 and 14-6 in Region XIV play. The Buccaneers secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Region XIV Tournament that begins Wednesday in Lufkin.
“To get the second seed in this region is pretty good,” said Blinn coach Jeff Jenkins. “We lost 92 percent of our scoring from last year so we brought in almost a whole new crew and still found ways to win.”
Ekiya Gray stepped up in the second half and led Blinn with 21 points while Ebony Parker poured in 17 points. Penina Faumui scored 11 points and Jeliah Preston added 10 points while Gabriella Odom added five points. Blinn’s top five scorers were all sophomores.
(Jake Gordon)
“In the beginning of the game it was a little rough but near the end we started getting some stops,” Gray said. “I was more aggressive with the ball in the second half.”
Nothing came easy in the first quarter as Blinn had a hard time scoring as the first point came on a free throw from Gray with 5:39 left in the first. The Buccaneers did recover as Jasline Chandler hit a layup for the final points of the quarter to take an 11-10 lead.
Coastal Bend fought back in the second to take a 19-15 lead with 5:30 left but Blinn was able to show some fight in the closing minutes of the half. Preston hit a 3-pointer to give Blinn the lead and Odom added two free throws to take back the lead at 24-23 at halftime.
Blinn looked to take control of the game in the third with a 13-0 run with six points coming from Gray to take a 44-30 lead with 4:23 left. Coastal Bend did not fold however as it roared back to get within 48-47 after three. Gray did score 12 points in the quarter by driving hard to the basket.
The Buccaneers used a 10-2 to grab momentum in the fourth as Preston capped the run with a fast-break layup for a 58-51 lead with 5:24 left. Blinn only expanded its lead more as Faumui led with seven points in the fourth to guide the Buccaneers to the 14-point victory.
Blinn will open the Region XIV Tournament on Wednesday, March 2 against Kilgore College at 6 p.m. in Lufkin.
MEN
Buccaneers finish with a 10-9 record in conference
BRENHAM, Texas – Blinn College men’s basketball closed out the regular season in impressive fashion by beating Coastal Bend College 105-80 Saturday evening inside the P.E. Building.
(Jake Gordon)
The 25-point victory helped to improve the Buccaneers’ record to 21-9 overall and 10-9 in Region XIV play.
“I thought our guys stepped up defensively and did a good job rebounding the basketball,” said Blinn coach Scott Schumacher.
Victor Dukes was nearly unstoppable down low for Blinn with 27 points while Morris Dunnigan added 21.
James Harrison was able to add 14 points and John Dewey chipped in with 12 points in the victory.
“I was just excited to be out there and playing hard,” Harrison said. “I tried to bring a lot of energy to the game.”
Blinn came out hot right from the beginning by jumping out to an 11-2 lead with five points coming from Dewey. Dewey later hit a 3-pointer to give the Buccaneers a 19-7 advantage with 13:49 left in the half.
Blinn maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the first half as Dukes scored 11 in the first while Dunnigan chipped in with 10 points as the Buccaneers held a 45-32 lead at the break.
(Jake Gordon)
The Buccaneers kept the offensive intensity in the second half and didn’t let Coastal Bend grab any momentum. Dukes scored 16 points in the second half while Dunnigan added 11 and Harrison chipped in with eight points in the lopsided victory.
Blinn will continue play in the Region XIV Tournament that begins this week in Lufkin. The Bucs are the number-8 seed and will face number-9 Kilgore, Tuesday at 1:00.
For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.