#22 BLINN WOMEN FALL TO #12 TRINITY VALLEY ON THE ROAD 58-52

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

The No. 22 Blinn College women's basketball team faced a tough challenge on the road Saturday, and fell just short of an upset of Region XIV rival and 12th-ranked Trinity Valley Community College.

The Cardinals defeated the Buccaneers 58-52 in Athens, Texas.

"We played extremely hard in a tough environment," Blinn head coach Jeff Jenkins said. "We have to start getting offensive production on a consistent basis from our leading scorers in order to have a chance to win these close games, but I am definitely proud of our competitiveness, tenacity, and body language when shots don't go in."

Blinn dropped to 14-4 overall and 2-1 in region play.

The Bucs and Cardinals played a neck-and-neck game from start to finish. Blinn got out to a fast start in the first quarter and ended the period with an 18-12 advantage, but Trinity Valley rallied to take a 31-26 halftime lead. The Cardinals carried a 46-40 edge into the fourth quarter.

Offensively, sophomore guard Jonesha Neal led Blinn with 14 points, followed by 10 for sophomore guard Ja'Nya Thomas and seven for sophomore forward Tocarra Johnson.

The Bucs get back to work with a Region XIV home tilt against Paris Junior College at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham. KWHI will broadcast the game live beginning with the pregame at 5:25pm.