BRENHAM, Texas – Blinn College men's basketball started out with good energy but was unable to sustain it in an 89-75 loss to Lamar State College – Port Arthur Saturday evening inside the P.E. Building.
With the loss, Blinn falls to 12-7 overall and 3-6 in Region XIV play.
Markques Houston came on in the second half and scored 16 of his 19 total points. Juwan Green chipped in 13 points, LaKendric Hyson scored 12 and Tyler Barlow finished with 10 points in the loss.
Defense took a back seat in the first half as Blinn and Port Arthur traded baskets. Hyson had the hot hand early on and scored eight points in the first half. Green chipped in seven points but Blinn never had more than a two-point lead in the first 20 minutes.
Port Arthur started getting to the foul line in the final five minutes of the half and turned a 31-31 game into a six-point lead at the half. Port Arthur finished the half on a 10-4 run for the 41-35 lead.
Blinn had its bright moments in the second half as Houston scored 16 points while Green scored five. The problem was that the Buccaneers had a hard time stopping Port Arthur at key moments.
Blinn got the Port Arthur lead to single digits on a few occasions in the second half but Port Arthur had enough to hold on for the 14-point victory.
Blinn will hit the road on Monday, Jan. 30 to face Coastal Bend College at 7 p.m. Coastal Bend is 1-8 in Region XIV play through nine games.
The coaches for Blinn and Port Arthur both coached in basketball shoes to raise awareness for Coaches vs. Cancer. The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 34 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
About Blinn College
With an enrollment of 19,422 students, Blinn ranks among the nation's leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities and has received national recognition for affordable educational excellence. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
