BUCS LOSE TO TRINITY VALLEY, BUT STILL RECEIVE NATIONAL TOURNEY BID
(Photo courtesy of Buccaneersports.com)
The third-ranked Blinn College women’s basketball team fell just short of a second consecutive Region XIV Tournament championship in a tough 67-65 loss to No. 5 Trinity Valley Community College on Saturday at Tyler Junior College, in Tyler, Texas.
“I can’t be more pleased with this group. I’ve done this for 24 years. You don’t win 30 games very often; this is a special group of players,” Buccaneers head coach Jeff Jenkins said. “I’m so proud of this team and their effort tonight (Saturday). They played as hard and as competitively as I have seen all year. I can’t wait to coach this team at least one more game.”
Blinn faced the Cardinals for the third time this season and entered the title tilt with one win and one loss against their conference rival.
It appeared early the Buccaneers were poised to run away with a victory, carrying a 37-23 lead into halftime, but Trinity Valley made a run in the second half to make a game of it.
The contest came down to an offensive foul charged to the Buccaneers with 10 seconds left. The Cardinals then made two free throws to take the lead for good. Blinn had a chance following a timeout but turned the ball over and Trinity Valley salted away the final seconds for the victory.
(Photo courtesy of Buccaneersports.com)
Leading the way for Blinn was sophomore forward Tiffany Tullis, who had 21 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Skyler Barnes and Jakoriah Long had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Despite the setback, Jenkins was upbeat and focused on the future, with his team headed for nationals in Lubbock, Texas, on March 22.
“I thought my team played hard down the stretch; I thought we were fighting the entire time,” Jenkins said. “We’re 30-3 and this sophomore class is 58-8. I’ve coached long enough to know that I probably won’t get to coach another group like this again, and I’m certainly not ready for the journey to end.”
The Buccaneers received one of the at-large spots in the tournament, and are seeded as the #5 team overall. They will get a first round bye, and play the winner of the game between Eastern Arizona and North Dakota State College of Science on Friday, March 24, at 3pm.
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information