EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice rallied in the second half to produce a 64-53 upset victory of No. 18 Blinn College on Wednesday inside the HPRE Center.  It was the Bengals' (5-2) first home game of the season as LSUE avenged its first loss of the season to the Buccaneers on January 23.
 
The win also marks the first victory over a NJCAA Division I ranked team in nearly nine years.  The last ranked win came in an 85-61 decision over No. 23 Mississippi Gulf Coast on November 12, 2012.  There have been four wins for LSUE all-time over NJCAA Division I ranked opponents in program history.
 
LSUE found itself in an early hole as Blinn College connected on three trifectas to give itself an early 9-2 lead.  The Bengals would claw back, tying the game late in the first quarter, before falling behind to trail 30-24 at halftime.
 
The Bengals were finally able to bust through with a game changing sequence midway through the third quarter.  A free throw, second chance bucket, travel call and Abigail Lynch (New Caney, TX, New Caney HS) three pointer turned a nine-point deficit into a one-possession game in less than a minute. 
 
It also spurred one of the biggest runs of the season.
 
That spurt was part of a 22-4 run spanning 10:19 that saw LSUE claw out of a nine point hole and build a nine point lead, 52-43 with 4:44 to go in the fourth quarter.  Lynch's third and final three pointer of the game capped off that run, part of an 11-point night for the freshman.
 
The comeback, however, was largely fueled by Alona Washington (Gonzales, LA, Ascension Christian HS).  After struggling in the first half, Washington came alive in the fourth quarter scoring 14 of her game-high 21 points in the final frame.
 
LSUE saw eight different players score at least a point in the historic victory.  Tanisha Hester (Houma, LA, Ellender HS) pitched in nine points in her first career start with Brooklyn Fontenot (Kinder, LA, Kinder HS) tallying eight points.
 
The Bengals will stay at home this weekend for the final non-conference game of the season.  LSUE will host Texas Christian College at 2:00PM this Saturday inside the HPRE Center.  LCCAC play begins next Wednesday, February 17, at home against Delgado CC.