The No. 17 Blinn College women's basketball team defeated Paris Junior College 77-74 in the opening round of the Region XIV Tournament Wednesday in Jacksonville, Texas.
The top-seeded Buccaneers (26-4) got a pair of free throws from freshman guard Makayla Patterson in the game's final moments, and eighth-seeded Paris missed a last-second 3-pointer to send the Buccaneers into the semifinal round.
The Buccaneers led 41-22 at the half and 56-39 heading into the fourth quarter. Paris hit nine 3-pointers in the final period.
Blinn freshman guard Tiffany Tullis paced the Bucs with 19 points. Sophomore wing Deja Adrian scored 14 points, and Patterson and freshman guard Skylar Barnes finished with 10.
Blinn will face the winner of fourth-seeded Panola and fifth-seeded Kilgore at 1 p.m. Friday.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
