BLINN WOMEN OPEN PARIS CLASSIC WITH A WIN

The 16th-ranked Blinn College women's basketball team opened the Paris Classic with a victory over Eastern Oklahoma State University on Friday on the campus of Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas.

The Buccaneers prevailed 83-68 to begin the two-day tournament.

Blinn is now 5-1 overall.

"It was an up-and-down game, and our depth helped us tremendously tonight," Buccaneers head coach Jeff Jenkins said. "All 11 of our players who played made a huge contribution."

Eastern Oklahoma made Blinn work from start to finish with a relentless defensive press that started with the opening buzzer and concluded with the last.

The Bucs managed to work around the Mountaineers' defensive pressure quarter-by-quarter. Blinn was ahead 19-17 after the first period, took a 40-33 edge into halftime, and led 63-56 heading into the final frame.

Freshman guard Chelsy Singleton had a team-high 19 points for the Bucs, while freshman guards Nala Richardson and Jonesha Neal chipped in 15 and 13, respectively. Sophomore forward Jasmyn Jackson and freshman guard JaNya Thomas each had eight points.

Blinn's run at the Paris Classic concludes with a bout against Seminole State College this (Saturday) afternoon at 2 p.m.

(Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information)