JACKSONVILLE, Texas – Blinn College men’s basketball saw its lead dwindle in the final five minutes but was able to hold on to a slim lead when the final buzzer sounded to pick up a 78-76 win over Jacksonville College Feb. 7 in Jacksonville.

With a little more than five minutes left, Blinn held a 12-point lead but Jacksonville tried its best to stage a comeback and got as close as two points away a couple of times but the Buccaneers did just enough to come away with a win to improve their conference record to 9-5 and 18-6 overall.

“Jacksonville would get within two or three points but then we would make a stop and they would foul us,” said Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher. “The crowd got louder and louder down the stretch but we were able to hold on for the win on the road.”

Lionheart Leslie showed poise for the Buccaneers and scored 23 points while Jalan McCloud finished with 20 points. Ja’Cardo Hawkins finished with 11 points while Morris Dunnigan and Vicktor Arnick each scored 10 points in the solid offensive effort for Blinn.

The score was close throughout the first half as Blinn trailed 39-38 at the break. A better second half saw the Buccaneers grab their 12-point lead with just five minutes to play.

Blinn was able to bend a little and not break in the final minutes as the game got closer but the Buccaneers came out on top.

“Our guys stuck together and showed a lot of character on the road,” Schumacher said.

Blinn will be back home when it hosts Lee College Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 29 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.