BOSSIER CITY, La. – The offense of the Blinn College women's basketball team was enough to give it a lead early on but the defensive lapses down the stretch helped Bossier Parish Community College come away with an 83-77 victory Jan. 24 in Bossier City, La.

The Buccaneers held a 44-39 lead at the break and even held a 12-point lead with just over 12 minutes to go but Bossier Parish was able to erase that lead and grab the momentum and the conference victory. The loss lowers the Blinn conference record to 7-4 and 14-7 overall.

"We have to get better in practice," said Blinn head coach Jeff Jenkins. "We have to get better defensively as well."

Nancy Warioba did have a solid game in the post with 17 points while Courtney Dawson finished with 15. Katelynn Johnson had 12 points on the game while Moe Bedford chipped in 11 and Chant Lewis finished with 10.

Turnovers down the stretch hurt the Buccaneers as they coughed up the lead late. Fouling too much on defense was also an issue and sending Bossier Parish to the free throw line 61 times didn't help either.

Blinn will look to get back on track when it hosts Paris Junior College Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 30 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.

About Blinn College

Founded in 1883, Blinn is a comprehensive community college committed to educational excellence and to individual and community enhancement. With an enrollment of 19,317 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.

As part of its commitment to student success, Blinn is implementing a Quality Enhancement Plan titled "Destination Success: First-Year Focus," which utilizes learning communities to support first-year college students.

For enrollment information and to learn about financial aid opportunities, visit: www.blinn.edu.