LATE RALLY COMES UP SHORT AS BLINN MEN LOSE TO LEE 69-68

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

A furious rally in the final minutes of a critical Region XIV matchup wasn't enough to rescue Blinn College men's basketball Wednesday as the Buccaneers fell 69-68 to Lee College in Baytown, Texas.

The loss dropped Blinn to 16-12 overall and 12-8 in the region standings, and moved the Bucs into a fourth-place tie with the Navigators with two region matchups remaining.

"We didn't quit, we kept playing, and we hung in there and kept fighting," Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher said. "Lee is a formidable opponent, and they do a great job. We fought our way back into it but just came up short at the end."

The Bucs faced a 68-58 deficit with 3:03 to go when a Lee turnover led to a 3-pointer for Blinn sophomore Reese Miller that set the visitors' rally in motion.

Sophomore forward Anthony Isaac followed with back-to-back layups to pull the Bucs within 68-65. 

The Navigators reached the free throw line with 12 seconds to go and hit one of two charity bucks to make it a four-point lead.

Blinn freshman guard Dashawn Ceaser then fielded a long pass from sophomore guard Jaden Andrew, drew contact and buried a circus 3-pointer from the corner to bring his team within one with 3 seconds left.

The Bucs were forced to foul with one second on the clock, and despite grabbing a defensive rebound off a missed Lee free throw, Blinn's full-court shot missed its mark at the buzzer.

Miller led the Bucs with 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Isaac recorded his 14th double-double of the year with 18 points and 13 rebounds and tacked on six assists. Ceaser added 14 points. Andrew also dished out six assists and added six steals. 

Up next, the Bucs host region foe Bossier Parish Community College at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.