LUFKIN, Texas – Blinn College women's basketball recovered nicely from a sluggish start to pull away from Kilgore College for a 91-66 victory in the Region XIV quarterfinals Wednesday night in Lufkin.
"That is about as good as we have playoff offensively all year," said Blinn coach Jeff Jenkins. "I thought after the first quarter we really stepped up our defense to make Kilgore take tougher shots."
The victory over Kilgore improves the Blinn record to 23-8 as the Buccaneers earn a spot in the Region XIV semifinals against the winner of the Tyler Junior College and Bossier Parish Community College on Friday, March 4 at 3 p.m.
Blinn was led in scoring by Jeliah Preston with 22 points while Ebony Parker finished with 19 and Ekiya Gray chipped in eight points. Penina Faumui had a monster game by scoring 18 points and hauling in 16 rebounds for the double-double and added five assists.
Blinn didn't come out of the gates too quickly as Kilgore built up a 16-9 lead with 2:55 left in the opening quarter. Parker later hit a 3-pointer but it was Kilgore leading 19-13 after one.
Kilgore opened up that lead in the beginning of the second quarter by scoring the first six points to extend the lead to 25-13 with 8:24 left in the half. That is the point where the Buccaneers took control to outscore Kilgore 25-9 for the remaining 7:35 in the half.
Preston scored seven points and Parker hit a pair of 3-pointers to guide Blinn to a 38-34 lead at the half.
Blinn and Kilgore traded baskets in the third quarter but it was Blinn extending its lead in the third. Faumui, Parker and Preston each scored eight points to help the Buccaneers outscore Kilgore 28-17 to take a 66-51 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Blinn was able to grab a 21-point lead when Gray capped a 6-0 run to begin the fourth as Kilgore got the game slightly closer in the final minutes but it was Blinn holding on for the 25-point victory.
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.
