BUC HOOPS DROP SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER

 Buccaneer women lose to No. 14 Tyler, 83-67

Alexus Wykoff leads offense in points for two straight games

BRENHAM, Texas — Alexus Wykoff led the Buccaneers in points for the second straight game with 19, but despite the offense, Blinn College women’s basketball (10-16, 3-11) couldn’t overcome No. 14 Tyler Junior College Saturday in the Kruse Center.

“We are extremely proud of our young ladies’ effort this afternoon,” said Jeff Jenkins, Blinn head coach. “Our team continues to improve on a regular basis and eventually their effort and improvement will pay off.”

Alexus Brigham and Kristine Ezimako also reached double-digit points, scoring 11 and 10 respectively. Jordan Sanders was next with nine points, while Imani Wimbish-Gay scored eight.

Tyler grabbed an early 20-11 lead in the opening quarter and held onto it to lead 41-27 at the break.

The Lady Apaches kept the momentum in the second half to stay ahead of the Buccaneers 69-47 in the third quarter. Blinn outscored Tyler in the final quarter by six points (20-14), but it wasn’t enough to upset the Lady Apaches.

Blinn will head on the road to face Bossier Parish Community College on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 5:30 p.m.

 Blinn men endure tough loss to Lamar State- Port Arthur, 78-73

Kai Tease racked up a team-high 26 points

BRENHAM, Texas — Blinn College men’s basketball (19-8, 6-8) was dealt a tough loss by Lamar State College- Port Arthur Saturday in the Kruse Center. After leading the game for 33 minutes, the Buccaneers fell to the Seahawks, 78-73.

“It was a really good Region XIV basketball and I give credit to Lamar State- Port Arthur for coming out and playing really well,” said Scott Schumacher, Blinn head coach. “We competed and played hard, but we need to work on our execution being a little bit better.”

Kai Tease was phenomenal on the court, scoring a team-high 26 points, while leading the Buccaneers with four three-pointers. JaQuan Morris was also a hot shooter with 15 points, while Uriel Velis and Tristan Ikpe each contributed 10.

Blinn opened the game with an 11-5 run and held the lead for the entire first half. With 12:23 left, Lamar State-Port Arthur cut its deficit down to two points, however the Buccaneers’ offense took off again. Tease, who led Blinn with 16 points in the first half, scored seven points during a 15-5 run for Blinn to build a 12-point lead (36-24). Morris scored the final two points for Blinn to lead 43-39 at the half.

Blinn’s momentum rolled into the second half as the Buccaneers opened it with a 9-2 run led by Tease with five points. The Seahawks evened the score for the first time with 6:13 remaining, tying the game, 60-60. Morris went three-for-four at the free throw line to give Blinn back a 63-60 lead, but the Seahawks evened the score with a three-pointer with 5:00 left. Lamar State-Port Arthur built another three-point lead that Blinn was able to tie with less than three minutes on the clock. However, the Seahawks pulled away with a 7-0 run to take the lead for good. A two-pointer by AJ Rainey cut Blinn’s deficit to three points (76-73) with 16 seconds left, but the Seahawks made two free throws to put the Buccaneers away.

Next, Blinn will travel to play Jacksonville College on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m.

For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.

(COURTESY: Tara Dreyer, Blinn Information)