BLINN WOMEN’S BAKSETBALL OUTRUNS MCLENNAN TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED

Buccaneers use offensive firepower to top Highlassies, improve to 4-0

Tuesday night’s Blinn College-McLennan Community College non-conference women’s basketball game boiled down to one thing: energy.
Both teams entered the matchup at the Kruse Center in Brenham riding a wave of momentum, paving the way for a high-scoring affair in which Blinn outlasted the visitors 81-74.
The Buccaneers turned a 55-55 tie into their fourth consecutive win to open the season by outscoring McLennan 26-19 in the fourth quarter.

“Honestly, what brought us through that was our energy,” freshman guard Allana Thompson said. “We had really great energy, and no matter what happened, we never got down and we always brought each other up.”
The Buccaneers (4-0) needed every bit of that energy in dispatching a Highlassies team that had just upset then-second-ranked Tyler Junior College on Saturday.
“We have played McLennan two times every year for the last 20 years,” Blinn head coach Jeff Jenkins said. “They’re always competitive, they’re always well-coached, and they always have 12 really good players. Any time you can beat a McLennan team – home or away – that’s a big win.”

The Buccaneers led 18-15 after the first quarter thanks to a 3-pointer from freshman guard Telisha Brown, and McLennan (2-2) stuck around with a pair of free throws in the final minutes of the first half to pull within 34-32. A layup from freshman forward Tiffany Tullis and a fast-break layup and free throw from freshman guard Makayla Patterson gave Blinn a 39-32 halftime cushion.
In the second half, the Highlassies went on a 19-4 run to take a 52-47 lead late in the third quarter. Just as it seemed McLennan had seized all momentum, the Buccaneers turned to a reliable strength.
“We started getting our runs when our bench had energy, or when we created energy on the floor,” Tullis said. “It was that energy we were feeling on the court that gave us the strength to keep going back-and-forth on the court.”
Blinn ended the visitors’ push with a Deja Adrian jumper and freshman guard Skylar Barnes grabbed a rebound and buried the putback to pull the hosts within 52-51.

Tullis gave Blinn its first lead since the 4:08 mark of the period when she rebounded her own miss before quickly depositing it into the basket. Even after the Highlassies regained the edge on a 3-pointer, Tullis erased McLennan’s last lead of the ballgame with a jumper that rattled around the rim before dropping in as the third-quarter buzzer sounded.
The Buccaneers never slowed in the fourth quarter, opening the period on a 15-5 run to take a 70-60 advantage with 3:56 left in the game.
The Highlassies threatened once more, pulling within 73-67 with 1:38 to go, but Tullis again rebounded her own miss and turned it into a bucket. Blinn answered a McLennan 3-pointer with four straight free throws to put the game on ice.
“That’s a great win against a great team,” Jenkins said. “I’m just glad we’re finding ways to win right now.”
Brown tallied a team-high 20 points for the Bucs, Tullis added 15, and Thompson chipped in 13. Patterson and Adrian posted 11 points apiece.
Blinn will face another tough test in Temple College (3-0) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Kruse Center.

Story Courtesy of:

Joe Alberico
Blinn Sports Information Specialist