The Blinn women's basketball team jumped three spots to No. 14 in the NJCAA national rankings today. 
The Buccaneers, who have been ranked four consecutive weeks now, have made a steady climb since breaking back into the rankings on Jan. 22. The Bucs were ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll after advancing to their second NJCAA National Championship appearance in the program's 36-year history last season.
Blinn heads into a showdown with 15th-ranked Tyler Junior College tonight at 5:30 in Tyler. The Bucs won a shootout the last time the teams met on Jan. 15, 106-102. Freshman Shakera Barnes sunk two free throws to ice the game in the final seconds, and sophomore Fatima Adams scored 21 second-half points.
Blinn and Tyler are tied for second in the Region XIV Conference standings heading into tonight's game.
Adams, a Rudder High school graduate, is averaging a team-high 21.8 points and 11 rebounds per game. Katrina Hayden is averaging 9.8 points and Tayler Weiks is averaging 9.3. Weiks has burned teams all season with her touch behind the 3-point line. Behind the arc, she's averaging a 37.5 shooting percentage.
A&M Consolidated product Tierra Tucker is averaging 9.1 points and four assists per game.
