Following a tough loss on Feb. 17, Blinn College head women’s basketball coach Jeff Jenkins was looking for one thing from his team: A response.
The Buccaneers delivered an emphatic retort with an 80-75 Region XIV victory over Angelina College on Wednesday in Lufkin, Texas.
Blinn (18-8, 8-4 Region XIV) fell to Tyler Junior College (80-70) on the road in its previous outing despite having a sizable lead at various moments of the matchup. The Bucs took a different route on Wednesday, falling behind the Roadrunners early before pulling ahead in the second half.
“This was a great road win for us against a really good team,” Jenkins said. “I am so proud of this team for responding after Saturday’s loss.”
Both matchups between Blinn and Angelina this season went the way of the Buccaneers. The two teams are now separated by just one game for a share of first place in the region standings, with the Roadrunners boasting a 9-3 region mark.
Wednesday’s tilt was evidence of that slim margin as the two squads played to an 18-all tie by the end of the first quarter and went into halftime with Angelina clinging to a 37-34 advantage.
The Bucs pulled ahead to take a 55-54 lead into the fourth quarter and held on across the final 10 minutes of play.
Freshman guard Jonesha Neal had a team-high 15 points for Blinn, while freshman guards Nala Richardson and Ja’Nya Thomas tallied 12 and 10 points, respectively. Sophomore forward Jasmyn Jackson and freshman guard Chelsy Singleton added nine points apiece, and freshman forward Tocarra Johnson finished with eight.
Blinn returns home for a region bout against Coastal Bend College at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
