After a close first quarter, the 23rd-ranked Blinn College women's basketball team used a strong second period to pull away from Jacksonville College and secure a 71-48 Region XIV victory Tuesday in Jacksonville, Texas.

The Buccaneers improved to 21-3 overall and are now 10-3 in region play. Jacksonville fell to 5-12 overall and 2-9 in the region.

The win handed the Bucs a two-game season sweep of the Jaguars.

"I'm proud of our effort tonight," Blinn head coach Jeff Jenkins said. "That was a good road win against a well-coached Jacksonville team."

Freshman guard Makayala Patterson paced all Buccaneer scorers with 15 points, followed by a 13-point effort from freshman forward Tiffany Tullis. Freshman guard Skylar Barnes added 11 points, freshman forward Chynell Mitchell tallied 9, and freshman guard Allana Thompson chipped in eight.

Blinn's victory keeps things interesting in Region XIV, as the Buccaneers are still in contention for the league crown with five games to go. No. 8 Tyler Junior College currently sits atop the region with a 10-2 record, while seventh-ranked Trinity Valley Community College is in second at 9-2. Blinn faces Trinity Valley on the road and Tyler at home, respectively, to end the regular season.

The Buccaneers will return to the hardwood for a region home bout against Kilgore at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Kruse Center in Brenham.

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