BLINN WOMEN EARN CONFERENCE WIN OVER PANOLA

The 25th-ranked Blinn College women's basketball team outlasted Panola College for a 64-53 Region XIV home win Saturday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

A game that appeared to be headed toward a Buccaneer blowout win at the end of the first half turned into a nail-biter after the break.

"We played extremely well both offensively and defensively in the first and fourth quarters, and those performances show the potential this team has when we get out in transition and make shots," Bucs head coach Jeff Jenkins said. 

Blinn (16-4, 4-1 Region XIV) led 20-7 after the first quarter and 32-19 at halftime, but the Fillies rallied in the third quarter and pulled within 41-34 heading into the fourth period.

The game got even closer in the final quarter as Panola started the frame on an 8-3 burst to cut the Bucs' lead to 44-42 with 8:02 remaining.

From there, however, Blinn's offense did the heavy lifting with a 20-11 run to seal the win.

Jenkins praised sophomore forward Tocarra Johnson, who paced the Bucs within 24 points, as well as sophomore guard Nala Richardson and sophomore forward Harper Biley, both of whom finished with eight points. Richardson drilled a pair of key 3-pointers for Blinn in moments when Jenkins said "we needed them the most."

Up next for the Bucs is a region road trip to Coastal Bend College at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Beeville, Texas.