Blinn College women’s basketball (9-10, 3-5) fell to No. 14 Angelina College, 78-67, despite outscoring the Roadrunners in the final three quarters of play Wednesday night at the Kruse Center.
“We put ourselves in a bind in the first quarter, but the girls did a really good job of staying in the moment and getting over that rough start,” said Jeff Jenkins, Blinn head coach. “I am proud of them for not hanging their heads and how they fought through adversity. Angelina is really good, so I give them credit for making all those shots tonight.”
Kristine Ezimako scored a team-high 16 points, while Missy Archie racked up 14 and Alexus Brigham followed with 12. Alexus Wykoff and Mariel Wade each chipped in seven.
The Roadrunners got out to a fast start, taking a 23-7 lead in the first quarter. Blinn bounced back in the final three quarters, outscoring Angelina 60-55, but it wasn’t enough to come back from the early deficit.
In the second quarter, Blinn outscored Angelina by one-point (18-17) as Ezimako sparked the offense with eight points. Blinn began the period with a 12-4 run that included three-pointers by Amaya Armstrong and Wade to push the Buccaneers within eight points of Angelina, 29-21. However, Angelina ended the quarter on a 9-2 run to hold a 40-25 lead at the half.
Blinn refused to give up, putting 23 points on the scoreboard in the third quarter. Archie, Wade and Brigham each hit three-pointers, and the Buccaneers ended the period on a 5-0 run. However, Angelina managed to outscore the Buccaneers by one point to stay ahead 64-48 entering the final period.
With five minutes remaining, Blinn went on a 14-2 run to gain on Angelina 76-67. Brigham and Archie shot back-to-back layups to initiate the run, while Ezimako finished it with back-to-back two-pointers. Archie and Wykoff each sunk shots from downtown in the middle of the run. Despite scoring 19 points in the final period, Blinn was unable to comeback.
Next, Blinn heads on the road to face Paris Junior College on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m.
