BLINN WOMEN CRUSH COASTAL BEND IN HOME FINALE 87-57

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

The Blinn College women's basketball team rolled past Coastal Bend College 87-57 for a Region XIV home win in both teams' regular-season finale Wednesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

The victory pushed the Buccaneers to a 23-7 overall record and a 10-4 mark in Region XIV. Blinn finished tied with Tyler Junior College for second place in the region standings, but the Apaches earned the second seed for the upcoming Region XIV Tournament thanks to a 2-0 record against the Bucs this season.

The win was especially nice for eight Blinn sophomores who played their final home game as Buccaneers after being honored as part of the team's Sophomore Day festivities.

"I was happy for our sophomores tonight because they got to wrap things up on their home court with a victory and they played well," Bucs head coach Jeff Jenkins said. "We built a big lead and played all 15 players tonight, which was great for a bunch of kids who work so hard every day for us. Now, we're going to watch the film from this game, get better, and prepare for the region tournament."

Blinn earned some much-needed momentum for the postseason with Wednesday's convincing win over Coastal Bend.

The Bucs came out of the gate firing, starting with a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Nala Richardson which kickstarted an 11-0 run. Blinn's surge never slowed as the hosts led 25-11 at the end of the first period.

The Bucs stayed hot in the second period with the help of the 3-point ball. Blinn hit seven treys in the quarter, including four for sophomore guard Elizabeth Walton.

The Bucs knocked down 10 3s in the first half and 15 for the game.

"Our communication on the court and our ability to move the ball around gave us the looks we needed to hit those 3s," Walton said. "We clicked and came together for the entire game at the right time. We thrive as a team when we're all on the same page, so this should be a great starting point for the region tournament."

Walton capped Blinn's big first half with a 3 as the Bucs went into halftime leading the Cougars 51-18.

Walton added two more makes from downtown in the third quarter as the hosts widened the gap to 68-30 heading into the final period.

Walton paced Blinn with 18 points on six 3s, Richardson added 14 (four 3s), sophomore guard Wynter Jones hit three treys and chipped in 13 points, and sophomore forward Tocarra Johnson tacked on 12. 

The Bucs now turn their attention to the region tournament. Blinn will battle sixth-seeded Angelina College in the quarterfinal round at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, on the campus of Lee College in Baytown, Texas.