BLINN WOMEN DEFEATED KILGORE 71-57 IN CONFERENCE OPENER

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

The 25th-ranked Blinn College women's basketball team aced a tough test in its Region XIV opener Saturday, outlasting No. 21 Kilgore College 71-57 at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

The Buccaneers improved to 13-3 overall and 1-0 in region play after putting forth an effort that left head coach Jeff Jenkins raving.

"This was a great team win for us today," Jenkins said. "This was by far the best we have played this year. Our intensity was very good from the start and I thought we played every possession like it was the most important possession of the game."

The two teams were neck-and-neck for three quarters until Blinn stepped on the gas in the fourth. The Bucs led 11-9 after the first period and 26-19 at the half but were left clinging to a 48-45 edge heading into the fourth period. Blinn responded to the adversity by outsourcing the Rangers 23-12 across the final 10 minutes of play to put the game on ice.

Offensively, four sophomores led the way for the Bucs as forward Tocarra Johnson tallied 17 points, followed by 14 for guard Jonesha Neal, 11 for forward DJ Kincade, and nine for guard Wynter Jones.

Up next, Blinn travels to Angelina College for a Region XIV matchup at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Lufkin.