BLINN MEN DEFEAT NEW MEXICO MILITARY 71-68
The Blinn College men's basketball team didn't let a bit of déjà vu keep it from a big win.
Twenty-four hours after seeing a 12-point second-half lead slip away in a tough loss at the Wrangler Shootout, the Buccaneers were on the opposite side of a similar equation on day two of the tournament — down to the final seconds of play. This time, however, Blinn prevailed in a 71-68 win over New Mexico Military Institute on Friday on the campus of Odessa College in Odessa, Texas.
The Buccaneers (7-1) trailed the Broncos 48-38 with 16 1 / 2 minutes left, but staged an impressive rally before taking the lead for good on sophomore guard Masiah Gilyard's layup at the 4:33 mark.
Blinn was ahead 71-68 in the final 12 seconds, but New Mexico Military had the ball with a chance to tie. The Broncos attempted a 3-pointer from the corner, but Bucs freshman guard Sky Mosley provided a standout defensive moment when he blocked Broncs guard Vukasin Minic's shot. Blinn recovered the loose ball and dribbled out the final two seconds of clock for the win.
"I'm really happy for our guys because they stuck to what we were doing and it worked out in the end," Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher said. "Our guys fought adversity and came out on top."
Schumacher also said that Mosley "came in and gave us tremendous energy on the defensive side."
Friday's result was a welcome one after the Bucs fell to No. 10 Midland College in the Shootout opener Thursday. In that matchup, Blinn led by 12 at the 10:05 mark of the second half, but fell into a 71-68 hole with just seconds remaining. The Bucs' game-tying 3-pointer was blocked as time expired.
"For our guys to be able to come back after Thursday in what was a take-the-wind-out-of-your-sails type of defeat … to then come out and play tough and fight in that second half says a lot about them and their character," added Schumacher.
Blinn trailed 37-36 at the half.
The Bucs used a well-rounded offensive effort to upend the Broncos. Four players finished in double figures for Blinn, while three others were just one made bucket away from 10 or more points.
Gilyard tallied a team-hig 11 points to go with seven rebounds, while sophomore guards Jadin Johnson and Nick Folk as well as sophomore forward Jamine Charles had 10 apiece. Charles had a team-leading eight rebounds. Mosley finished with nine points, sophomore guard Patrick Neal had eight, and sophomore forward Dresean Knight chipped in seven.
"Moving the ball around and getting everybody involved is something this team has bought into," Schumacher said. "They understand that the whole is greater than the sum."
Blinn finishes the Shootout with a showdown against third-ranked Odessa College this (Saturday) afternoon at 4 p.m.
(Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information)