An impressive rally put the No. 21 Blinn College women’s basketball team in position for a big road win over 18th-ranked Temple College on Friday, but the host Leopards did just enough in the fourth quarter to stave off the Buccaneers for a 78-75 victory at the Temple Classic in Temple, Texas.
Blinn (9-4) trailed 11-0 in the opening minutes of play before its offense kicked into gear. The Bucs outscored Temple 39-30 across the rest of the first half and the hosts led just 41-39 by halftime. The neck-and-neck contest continued in the second half, with Temple holding a 60-59 edge heading into the fourth period before outscoring Blinn 18-16 in the final 10 minutes to hang on.
The game was Blinn’s first since Dec. 9.
“Our ladies played their hearts out and I am extremely proud of them,” Bucs head coach Jeff Jenkins said. “We made a lot of mistakes that we will not make in February, but to have a chance to beat number 18 on the road after four weeks off is very impressive.”
Leading Blinn offensively were freshman forward Tocarra Johnson (14 points) and freshman guard Wynter Jones (13). Sophomore guard Tianna Mathis had nine points, while sophomore forward Jasmyn Jackson and freshman forward Biva Byrd tallied eight apiece.
The Bucs were originally scheduled to take on Louisiana State University-Eunice at the Classic on Saturday, but the game has been canceled. Blinn will resume its season when it opens Region XIV play at home against No. 8 Trinity Valley Community College at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
