JACKSONVILLE, Texas – After nearly 55 minutes of basketball, it came down to the last second for Blinn College men’s basketball to advance past the first round of the Region XIV Tournament with a 80-79 double-overtime victory March 3 over Paris Junior College in Jacksonville.
That last second shot belonged to Morris Dunnigan as he curled down the baseline towards the basket and received an inbounds pass from Vicktor Arnick with 1.1 seconds left and had just enough to time avoid defenders and put the ball in the basket as time expired to give the Buccaneers a one-point victory.
“I couldn’t be more ecstatic for my guys and this game was a tribute to them,” said Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher. “I just thought our guys really gutted it out because it was a physically and mentally draining game.”
The slim Blinn victory extends the season for at least two more days as the Buccaneers will advance to the quarterfinals to face Angelina College on March 5 at 3 p.m. in the Jacksonville I.S.D. Gymnasium. The victory improves Blinn’s record to 23-8.
Dunnigan hit the game-winner and led the team with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Lionheart Leslie played more than 50 minutes and finished with 21 points and dished out eight assists and earned seven steals.
Ja’Cardo Hawkins had a strong second overtime period until fouling out and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jalan McCloud finished with 13 points while Arnick grabbed eight rebounds in the win.
Blinn had a hard time creating distance between itself and Paris and only held a 24-20 lead at halftime. Paris battled back in the second half and leveled the game with just seconds remaining with a single free throw to force overtime at 57-57.
“In our league, any team can beat anyone on any given night,” Schumacher said. “Paris has been playing well the last three weeks.”
The first overtime appeared to be going in Blinn’s favor with a 68-65 lead after a pair of made free throws by Leslie in the final seconds but then Paris sent the game into double-overtime with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The second overtime seemed to be going in favor of Paris as it hung onto a slim 79-78 lead with 1.1 seconds left. That is when Dunnigan took the inbounds pass and made the improbable layup to extend the Blinn season for at least one more game.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 30 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
