(Pictured right: Blinn College's Telisha Brown)

Just hours after the Blinn College women's basketball team received its first NJCAA top-25 votes of the year, the Buccaneers perhaps proved they should be considered among the nation's best.

Unranked despite being undefeated, Blinn made a statement Monday night with an 80-76 road victory over No. 17 Panola College in a Region XIV contest in Carthage, Texas.

The Buccaneers improved to 12-0 behind a team-high 25 points from freshman Telisha Brown, 18 from freshman Hannah Humphrey, and 10 from freshman Tiffany Tullis.

"I am so proud of our young ladies. They work very hard to have success," Blinn head coach Jeff Jenkins said. "Every time they hit the floor, they play to win and they play hard."

Blinn controlled the game from start to finish, leading 37-32 by halftime and 61-48 going into the fourth quarter before fending off a Fillies rally.

Panola dropped to 9-2 overall.

The latest NJCAA Division I women's basketball poll was released Monday afternoon and the Buccaneers were among six teams who received votes but did not crack the rankings. Jenkins said that as his team piled up victories, he became disappointed to see Blinn had yet to enter the top-25 conversation.

"I told my team that I really wanted them to win this game because I really did think that they deserved to be in the top 25," Jenkins explained. "It really hurt me that they weren't getting the attention they deserved because nobody knows how hard we practice and how much video we watch to be ready every time we play.

"So again, it's just nice to see them get the success for the hard work that they put in."

The victory was also Jenkins' 400th as a head coach at Blinn. Now in his 20th season as head coach of the Buccaneers, Jenkins is 400-214 overall.

Blinn will resume its season with another regional tilt when it hosts Coastal Bend at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.