McLennan overcame the Buccaneers’ five-point lead in the extra period to earn a 71-68 victory.
“We played a really good game,” Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher said. “We whittled it down at the end, but we missed a couple of free throws late and we weren’t able to finish it out.”
Blinn guard Maurice Pinnock‘s 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds remaining forced a 59-59 tie, and that score held until the final buzzer.
The Buccaneers (1-1) led 64-59 in overtime, but the Highlanders answered with a 3 to cut Blinn’s advantage before regaining the lead for good.
McLennan led 29-23 at the half.
“McLennan is really good,” Schumacher added. “They will be picked to win their league (North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference).
“So, I thought our guys rose to the occasion. We never quit playing, the guys kept battling, and if they continue to do that, good things will continue to happen.”
Freshman center Alex Tsynkevich and freshman wing Jaja Sanni led the Buccaneers with 13 points apiece, while sophomore wing Calvin Carpenter chipped in 11.
Blinn resumes its season with a pair of matchups in the Port Arthur Tournament this weekend in Port Arthur, Texas. The Buccaneers will take on Louisiana State University-Eunice at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5 and Champions College at noon on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
