The second-ranked Blinn College women's basketball team suffered its first setback of the season Monday, falling to No. 12 McLennan Community College 79-74 at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
The loss dropped the Buccaneers to 9-1 and served as a measure of revenge for the visiting Highlassies. Blinn defeated McLennan 81-74 in overtime of both teams' season opener Nov. 2 in Waco, Texas.
"It was a tough one," Blinn head coach Jeff Jenkins said. "We just made a few mistakes down the stretch that we'll learn from. Our players are 18, 19, and 20 years old; we'll learn from bad shot selection, we'll learn from fouling jump shooters, we'll learn from leaving shooters open, and that's why you play 30 games. Hopefully we'll continue to get better and learn from this."
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore Cyrstal Smith, left, shoots a jumper against McLennan Community College on Dec. 5)
A game that featured 21 3-pointers (13 for McLennan, eight for Blinn) never quite swayed in either team's favor until the final minutes. The biggest lead of the game was just seven points and came at the start of the second period when sophomore guard Crystal Smith gave the Bucs a 24-17 lead with a steal-layup combo.
The tilt was otherwise a nail-biter.
With 4:06 remaining in the ballgame, McLennan tied things up at 68-all before freshman forward Jasmyn Jackson gave Blinn its final lead with a single free throw.
The Highlassies scored the next seven points to take a 75-69 edge with 23 seconds to go.
Smith was fouled on an attempt from the 3-point line and sank all three free throws to pull the hosts within 75-72 with 12.5 seconds remaining.
The Bucs were forced to foul to give themselves a chance, however, and McLennan hit four straight from the line to seal the win.
"Hopefully we'll guard shooters a little bit better in March because of this game," added Jenkins. "Hopefully we'll take better shots in March because of this game. It's just a learning process. Junior college is a young level and you're going to make a lot of mistakes, so we're just going to try and learn from them."
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore Tiffany Tullis, right, shoots past the defense of McLennan Community College's Aysia Ward on Dec. 5)
Blinn led 22-17 after the first period before McLennan grabbed a 44-42 edge at the half. The Bucs went into the fourth quarter with a 62-58 advantage.
Smith paced the Bucs with 24 points, while sophomore forward Tiffany Tullis finished with 23. Sophomore guards Jakoriah Long and Hannah Humphrey added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Blinn gets back to work when it hosts Region XIV foe Panola College at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Kruse Center.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
