LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 12 Blinn College women's basketball never could find a rhythm offensively and No. 5 College of Southern Idaho took advantage by beating the Buccaneers 75-52 in the second round of the NJCAA Division I National Tournament Wednesday afternoon inside the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock.
"It was just one of those games where not a lot went right for us," said Blinn coach Jeff Jenkins. "Southern Idaho is going to be a tough team to beat."
The loss ends the season for Blinn with a 25-9 overall record. The Buccaneers did put together a solid season with a Region XIV Championship and a 1-1 record at the national tournament.
"For a team that had only eight percent of its offense returning to be the first Blinn team in 27 years to win the region tournament is playing better than their potential," Jenkins said. "We are going to miss our sophomores."
Ebony Parker led Blinn with 18 points while Ekiya Gray had 12 and Bryanna Taylor finished with 10. Penina Faumui fought off early foul trouble to finish with eight points.
Blinn got off to a rough start right from the beginning as Southern Idaho jumped out to an 8-1 lead. The shooting of Parker helped keep the Buccaneers in the game as she nailed three from behind the arc to lead with nine points but Southern Idaho still led 24-14 after one.
Blinn stepped up defensively in the second quarter but the Buccaneers gave up too many second chance points after stopping Southern Idaho to forge a comeback. Faumui and Parker each scored four points but Southern Idaho held a 39-27 lead at the break.
Faumui and Gray scored the first two baskets of the third quarter to help Blinn get within 39-31 but the rest of the quarter belonged to Southern Idaho. Gray did finish with five points in the quarter but Southern Idaho stormed ahead to extend its lead to 61-40 after three quarters.
Gray scored four early points to open the fourth and Faumui added a pair of free throws to get within 61-46 but that would be as close as Southern Idaho controlled the remainder of the game to come away with the 23-point victory.
Southern Idaho dominated Blinn with a 57-28 rebounding edge and that made a big difference in the game.
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.
