The second meeting this season of two nationally ranked teams finished in similar fashion Wednesday.
The 18th-ranked Blinn College women’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with No. 2 Collin College for 40 minutes, but ultimately fell short as the host Cougars held on for a 78-66 victory in McKinney, Texas.
Collin’s victory came two weeks after the Cougars rallied to top the Buccaneers 60-52 on Nov. 15 in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn is now 6-2 overall this season.
“I was very happy with our effort and intensity tonight,” Blinn head coach Jeff Jenkins said. “We competed at a very high level on the road against the second-ranked team in the nation. Collin is better than us right now, but I can definitely see my 14 freshmen growing up faster than I expected.”
The Bucs held a 14-13 edge over Collin after the first period but trailed 33-32 by halftime. The Cougars carried a 60-55 cushion into the fourth quarter.
Leading the way offensively for Blinn was freshman guard Chelsy Singleton, who tallied 23 points. Freshman guards Ja’Nya Thomas and Jonesha Neal followed with 11 points apiece. Sophomore guard Tianna Mathis chipped in eight.
Up next for the Bucs is the Blinn Classic, a two-day event hosted by Blinn at the Kruse Center in Brenham. The Bucs will face Louisiana State University-Eunice at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, and Western Texas College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
