BLINN WOMEN GET THIRD WIN IN A ROW BY BEATING HILL 71-60

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

The Blinn College women's basketball team rallied out of a seven-point deficit in the second quarter and never looked back on its way to a 71-60 home win over Hill College on Monday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

The Buccaneers (10-2) won for the third time in as many games and were triumphant on a night head coach Jeff Jenkins faced off against Rebels head coach and former Blinn assistant Antreanna Brooks.

"I still think we'll be better come January and February, but we found a way to win the game today," Jenkins said. "We've found enough ways to win 10 games at this point and it hasn't always been pretty, but we'll take it."

After the two teams traded buckets early in the period, the Rebels responded to a 7-5 disadvantage with a 15-6 run to end the quarter.

Instead of letting the visitors build on their momentum, Blinn answered with a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Elizabeth Walton to open the second period and took control for good with a 12-6 move.

Bucs sophomore forward Tocarra Johnson erased a 26-25 Hill lead with back-to-back buckets, including a jumper that put Blinn ahead permanently with 4:14 to go in the half.

The Bucs led 34-30 at the break.

The Rebels scored the first two points of the second half on a pair of free throws, but sophomore guard Jonesha Neal put Blinn on her back as she drilled two straight 3-pointers. She followed those with two makes at the free throw line to give the Bucs their first double-digit cushion, 42-32 with 6:53 left in the third quarter.

Hill came into the matchup with just a 2-9 record but looked ready to upend the Bucs through the first 10 minutes of play.

"When we start hitting shots, we're a problem," Neal said. "We feel like when our shots start falling we can beat anybody."

Blinn out-scored Hill 22-10 in the third quarter to take a 56-40 advantage into the fourth.

On the night, Neal paced the Bucs with 17 points, followed by 13 for sophomore forward DJ Kincade, 11 for sophomore guard Wynter Jones, and 10 for Johnson.

Blinn gets back to work with a visit to Collin College at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in McKinney, Texas.