The Buccaneers erupted for 54 second-half points en route to an 89-59 victory at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn improved to 2-1 on the season on a night that assistant coach Adam Schwartz took over head coaching duties in the absence of head coach Scott Schumacher. Schumacher missed the game to attend his son Ross’ graduation from Marine Corps boot camp in California.
The Bucs delivered the win for Schwartz despite a rough shooting performance in the first half.
Lone Star got out to a quick 7-0 lead, and even after Blinn went on a 12-5 run to tie the game at 12-all, the two teams slugged it out for a good portion of the half.
The Bucs were slowed by missed shots and turnovers, but a strong defense that forced the Falcons to make their own mistakes pushed momentum in Blinn’s favor.
A 17-4 move, started by a layup from sophomore guard Marco Foster, put the hosts in control at 35-18 at halftime.
“I thought our guys showed fight. It got a little tough at times, but we showed a lot of fight and resiliency,” Schwartz said. “Tonight showed that we’re learning and growing, so that’s a good thing. For the most part, I thought we did a great job defensively. Once we got over the initial shock of realizing that Lone Star can certainly play a little bit, I thought we responded with a good effort.”
Lone Star did show life in the second half and actually pulled within 45-36 with just more than 11 minutes remaining. However, Blinn freshman forward Kelvin Tamakloe drove through the paint to bury a layup which ignited a 12-3 Blinn run and put the game out of reach.
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore guard Elijah Elliott drives to the basket for a layup during a game against Lone Star College-CyFair on Nov. 9)
Foster gave Blinn a boost in the first half with 12 points and finished with 23. He was the only Buc to score in double digits, but 14 different players found the basket for Blinn. All 16 Buccaneers saw playing time. Sophomore guard Elijah Elliott finished with eight points.
“Tonight was a good night because when everybody gets in, it means we’re handling our business and we’re in control of the game,” Foster said. “I’m proud of the team … we just need to work on a few things, improve our practice habits, and bring better habits into the game. Once we clean up some little things, I think we’re going to take the next step as a team.”
Up next, the Bucs host the second-annual Blue Bell Classic at the Kruse Center. The two-day event kicks off Friday, Nov. 11, with Blinn seeing its first action against Dallas College-North Lake at 7 p.m. The Bucs will conclude the Classic with a tilt against Dallas College-Cedar Valley at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
