BAYTOWN, Texas — The Blinn College men's basketball team (12-7, 2-6) fell to Lee College, 79-75, on Wednesday night.
"I am very proud of the way that our guys fought back in the second half," said Scott Schumacher, Blinn head coach. "We really showed a lot of grit and character, and really stood up and fought to the end."
Pedro Castro scored a team-high 21 points, Markus Vallien and Tristan Ikpe followed with 12 each, and Azariah Seay scored 10.
The Runnin' Rebels gained a 43-28 advantage over the Buccaneers in the first half, but Blinn rallied back to outscore Lee 47-36 in the second half despite a four-point loss.
Down by 18 in the second half, the Buccaneers narrowed in on Lee 75-74 with 18.4 seconds left to play. However, the Runnin' Rebels finished the game on a 4-1 run for the win.
Next, the Buccaneers will return home to host Jacksonville College on Saturday, January 18, at 4 p.m. in the Kruse Center. The Blinn women's basketball team will open the doubleheader against Jacksonville at 2 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 41 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
