A double-digit halftime deficit proved too tall a hill to climb for the Blinn College men’s basketball team as the Buccaneers dropped a Region XIV contest to Coastal Bend College 79-71 on Wednesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn (13-6 overall, 4-4 Region XIV) trailed 39-28 following a tough first half and never fully recovered despite outscoring the Cougars after halftime.
“Coastal Bend played a tremendous game,” Bucs head coach Scott Schumacher said. “I thought our guys fought and competed, but we missed some shots and that was the difference in the game. You have to be able to make some shots. I thought we were right there the entire game but hats off to Coastal Bend for playing a great game.”
(Pictured: Blinn College freshman wing Anthony Isaac (0) goes up for a shot during a game against Coastal Bend College on Jan. 25, 2024)
Coastal Bend led by as many as 18 points in both the first and second halves of play, but the Buccaneers managed to chip away with the help of freshman wing Anthony Isaac (20 points) and sophomore guard Patrick Neal Jr. (15).
After the Cougars built a 57-39 advantage near the midway point of the second half, Blinn clawed to within eight points behind a 16-6 burst. Isaac and Neal combined for six of those points. Coastal Bend ended the Bucs’ run with a 3-pointer to push its lead back to double digits, and the hosts were unable to cut their deficit to less than six the rest of the way.
Freshman guard Reese Miller added 11 points for Blinn, including a trio of 3s, and sophomore guard Masiah Gilyard chipped in 10 points.
Blinn’s season continues with a road trip to region foe Victoria College at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Victoria, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
