BRENHAM, Texas – No. 25 Blinn College women's basketball was impressive offensively and defensively right out of the gate and that allowed the Buccaneers to pulled away for a 69-49 victory over Jacksonville College Saturday afternoon inside the P.E. Building.
Using its stifling defense and a solid offense, Blinn was able to take an 18-3 lead after one and then cruised to victory to improve its overall record to 19-6 overall and 11-4 in Region XIV play.
"We were really good on defense in the first half," said Blinn head Jeff Jenkins. "We played real athletic and aggressive and that was about as good as we could play in the first half."
Ebony Parker was a key player in the quick start for the Buccaneers by scoring 21 of her total 23 points in the first half. As Jacksonville attempted to shut down Parker in the second half, her teammates stepped up as Jeliah Preston finished with 15 points.
"It was really nice tonight especially with the start that we had," Preston said. "We have been dealing with adversity much better lately."
Penina Faumui scored 12 points and Ekiya Gray totaled 11 points in the victory.
Blinn dominated the first quarter on both sides of the ball. The Buccaneers only allowed three points while Parker scored 10 points to lead Blinn to an 18-3 lead after one quarter.
Jacksonville played a little better offensively in the second quarter but Parker still had more points (21) at the half than Jacksonville did (13). Parker scored 11 in the second and the Buccaneers held a 36-13 lead at the break.
The third was the best quarter for Jacksonville as the Jaguars outscored Blinn 18-13 to cut into the lead slightly. Preston scored five points in the third to keep Blinn ahead 49-31 heading into the fourth quarter.
Starting the fourth on an 11-4 run helped Blinn feel at ease with a 60-35 lead. Gray found space on the floor in the fourth and scored seven points as the Buccaneers coasted to the 20-point victory.
Blinn will have consecutive home games for the first time since early December as the Buccaneers will host Tyler Junior College Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
About Blinn College
With an enrollment of 19,422 students, Blinn ranks among the nation's leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities and has received national recognition for affordable educational excellence. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
