BUC WOMEN WIN 9TH STRAIGHT

No. 21 Buccaneers pull away from No. 22 Tyler in battle of ranked teams, 81-68

Blinn outscores Tyler 19-9 in decisive fourth quarter

BRENHAM, Texas – No. 21 Blinn College women’s basketball made nearly every possession count in the most important quarter to earn a 81-68 victory over No. 22 Tyler Junior College Wednesday evening inside the P.E. Building.

The Buccaneers outscored Tyler 19-9 in the fourth quarter to earn their 20^th victory of the season and improve to 20-6 overall and 12-4 in Region XIV play.

“I feel great because I don’t think we have beat Tyler in a while,” said Blinn coach Jeff Jenkins. “Tyler has been to the national tournament for the last two years and they are athletic and this was just a great team win.”

Ekiya Gray put together a complete game and was able to get to the basket off the dribble and scored 22 points to lead the way.

“This is a big win over Tyler because I felt like we were close to beating them up on their court,” Gray said. “Coach Jenkins told me to look to shoot the ball more in the third so my teammates just cleared out and gave me a little room to work.”

Ebony Parker, who was named NJCAA Division I player of the week last week for the second time this season, scored 20 points. Penina Faumui showed hustle going after rebounds and was able to add 11 points while Jeliah Preston chipped in with 10 points.

It was difficult for either team to get separation in the opening quarter that was marred by fouls and free throws. Both teams combined to shoot 31 foul shots in an opening quarter that was extended by the whistle. Parker was hitting her shots early on and scored 11 points as Blinn held a slim 27-24 lead after one.

Scoring slowed down in the second quarter as the Buccaneers had six different girls score as Tyler was able to creep a little closer, cutting the Blinn lead to 39-38 at the half.

Blinn came out strong in the second half with a 6-0 run to build up a 45-40 lead with 8:01 left. That is when Tyler reeled off 10 straight points to take a 50-45 lead with 5:25 left. The Buccaneers were able to recover with the help of Gray on the offensive end being able to drive the lane and score six points in the quarter. Blinn held a 62-59 lead after three quarters.

Blinn was clinging to a 67-63 lead with 5:06 remaining and that was when the Buccaneers went on a 12-0 run to build a 79-63 lead with 1:49 left. Gray scored six points during the run and seven points in the quarter. That would be enough of a lead as Blinn was able to cruise to a 13-point victory.

Blinn will hit the road to face San Jacinto College-North on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m.

For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.

(Story and photos courtesy, Jake Gordon, Blinn Information)