Halftime adjustments and ball protection helped the third-ranked Blinn College women’s basketball team recover from a tough first half and earn an 81-47 Region XIV victory over Jacksonville College on Wednesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

The victory was made possible by a series of second-half adjustments centered around better ball security and defensive rebounding.

Blinn led just 18-13 after the first quarter and 35-28 by halftime as turnovers and a lack of presence on the glass allowed Jacksonville to stay within reach.

With a bigger emphasis on ‘valuing the basketball’ and limiting the Jaguars’ offensive chances with defensive rebounds, Blinn head coach Jeff Jenkins said the Bucs were able to find some rhythm after the intermission.

“We’re in mid-February, so we just told our players that at this point in the season they aren’t playing as well as they need to be playing,” Jenkins said. “If we miss shots we miss shots, but we needed to give ourselves a chance by hanging onto the ball, we needed to rebound and we needed to defend. We did those things and made some shots and we were OK.”

Two key culprits in Blinn’s second-half recovery were sophomore guards Hannah Humphrey and Allana Thompson. Humphrey kickstarted a game-changing 20-2 run with a 3-pointer to begin the third period and added a jumper, another 3, and a layup during the surge.

“When we got to the second half, we just slowed the game down and made sure we were all on the same page to limit the turnovers,” Humphrey said. “It’s also really important that we pay attention to the gameplan in practice so that when there are games or halves where we’re out of whack, we can refocus and easily zone back in, make adjustments, and get back to playing how we know we can.”

Thompson made her presence felt with strong defense and crucial rebounds and also impressed Jenkins when she drew an offensive foul late in the game. She also scored six points.

“That was the best game she’s played all season,” Jenkins said. “I was really proud of her tonight and the way she competed.”

(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore guard Allana Thompson)

Added Thompson: “I know my role on the court; I know I don’t have to score because the rest of my team can do that. I know we do need rebounders and people who play hard, and honestly what excites me is playing hard defense, guarding, and rebounding.”

Blinn outscored Jacksonville 29-10 in the third period and led 64-38 heading into the fourth quarter.

Five Bucs finished with 10 points or more, led by a team-high 15 for both sophomore forward Tiffany Tullis and freshman guard Amyria Walker. Humphrey and sophomore guard Skylar Barnes finished with 13 points and sophomore guard Makayla Patterson added 11.

Blinn looks to further its unbeaten region run when it visits Kilgore College at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, in Kilgore, Texas.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.