LUFKIN, Texas – Blinn College women’s basketball started fast on the offensive end and kept enough of a defensive presence to claim a Region XIV Tournament championship after beating San Jacinto College-North 61-44 Saturday evening in Lufkin.
“I thought we played really good defense for three quarters,” said Blinn coach Jeff Jenkins. “I have coached in Region XIV for 17 years and this is the fifth time I have been in the championship game and this is the first win.”
The win improves the overall record for the Buccaneers to 25-8 and extends their season with a trip to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament at the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock on March 14-19.
Penina Faumui was able to get a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and was named the Region XIV Tournament most valuable player.
“I couldn’t have done anything without my teammates this tournament,” Faumui said. “This is my first time ever winning a most valuable award and I can’t really describe how I am feeling.”
Balanced scoring helped Blinn coast to the championship with Jeliah Preston scoring 15 while Ebony Parker and Ekiya Gray each scored 14 points.
San Jacinto paid a lot of attention to Parker in the first quarter so Preston stepped up in the first 10 minutes and scored 10 points. The Buccaneers shot out to an 8-1 lead and maintained that advantage throughout as Gray added six in the quarter and Blinn led 18-10 after one.
“I think we all took advantage of San Jacinto paying more attention to Ebony in the first quarter,” Preston said.
The Buccaneers maintained their lead in the second quarter, holding a 24-17 lead with 6:01 left. That is when Blinn scored eight straight points as Faumui scored four of those points for a 32-17 lead with 2:04 left in the half. Parker struggled with her shot in the first half but was able to nail a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Buccaneers a 37-21 lead at the break.
“Our defense was there the whole game even though my shots weren’t falling like they usually do,” Parker said. “My teammates always tell me to keep shooting even if the shots aren’t falling and that’s what I did.”
The third quarter was more of the same as Blinn opened the period on a 10-2 run fueled by a pair of 3-pointers from Parker for a 47-23 lead with 3:25 left in the third. San Jacinto made it a little closer in the final minutes of the third but the Buccaneers still held a 49-29 lead after three.
The fourth quarter was just a formality as Blinn scored the first four points to take a 53-29 lead and was able to coast to the 17-point victory to claim the championship.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
