BLINN WOMEN OPEN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT WITH A WIN OVER ANGELINA

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

Jeff Jenkins calls March basketball “survive and advance” season.

On Thursday, the Blinn College-Angelina College women’s basketball playoff tilt gave credence to that moniker.

In the opening round of the Region XIV Tournament, the third-seeded Buccaneers and the sixth-seeded Roadrunners played four tight quarters, with Blinn doing just enough in the second, third, and fourth periods to pull away for a 73-60 victory in Baytown, Texas.

The Bucs’ victory moves them one step closer to a fourth-consecutive appearance in the NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship tournament.

“I was proud of our energy and effort tonight,” said Jenkins, Blinn’s head coach. “We overcame a spectacular performance by Angelina’s India McMahon. I believe our defense was very good against her, she just was great tonight. For us to overcome that adversity and not let it get us down or make us hang our heads shows that we are mentally tough.”

McMahon, a freshman guard, was spectacular as she finished with 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting, including 5 of 6 from long distance

The Bucs countered with four players – all sophomores – who scored at least 12 points.

Second-year guard Ja’Nya Thomas paced Blinn with 16 points, including four 3s of her own, while forward Tocarra Johnson and guards Wynter Jones and Jonesha Neal added 15, 14, and 12 points, respectively. Johnson added nine rebounds. 

The combined offensive effort gave the Bucs a boost as the contest was neck-and-neck for more of the night.

The two teams played to a 13-13 tie at the end of the first quarter, but Blinn began to find space by outscoring Angelina 18-13 in the second for a 31-26 edge. The Bucs made it a 51-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter, where they had their best 10 minutes of the game by outscoring the Roadrunners 22-16.

“We shot the ball well, we took care of the ball, and we limited the turnovers,” Jenkins said. “We never hung our heads when Angelina hit a big shot; we just moved right back down the court on offense and found a way to answer.”

Blinn will now take on Tyler Junior College in the semifinal round at 3 p.m. on Friday in Baytown. The Bucs are 0-2 against the Apaches this season but are hopeful the third time proves to be the charm.

“Tyler has a great starting five; they’re balanced with three really good guards and a couple of great posts … they’re a tough matchup for us,” Jenkins explained. “There’s a phrase in coaching ... ‘It’s hard to beat a good team three times.’ Hopefully that proves to be true on Friday.”