LUBBOCK, Texas – Third-seeded Trinity Valley (Texas) took control with a big second quarter and went on to defeat No. 6 seed Jones College 84-61 here Saturday night in the NJCAA Division I Tournament quarterfinals at the Rip Griffin Center.
 
Jones ends the season at 26-4 – with three of the losses coming to Trinity Valley.
 
TVCC, who has won the national title eight times, is now 33-2 and will meet Eastern Florida in the semifinals on Sunday.
 
The Bobcats led 9-4 with 6:11 left in the first quarter when En'Dya Buford (Olive Branch) made a 3-pointer. But TVCC went on a 10-0 run to take a 14-9 lead and would never trail again. The Cardinals led 17-12 after the first quarter.
 
TVCC continued the momentum in the second quarter and went ahead 31-19 with 5:13 left when Briana Peguero scored. The Cardinals stretched the lead to 45-24 at halftime.
 
TVCC would take its longest lead at 65-30 when Abby Carter made a three-pointer with 3:13 to play in the third quarter. Jones cut the lead to 67-37 after three quarters.
 
The closest Jones would get in the final period was 83-61 on a three-pointer by Arianna Patton (Meridian) with 1:26 remaining.
 
Buford led Jones with 15 points and Meloney Thames (Choctaw Central) added 13. Sakyia White (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) had six points, six rebounds and four assists and Tasionna McDowell (Delhi, Louisiana) had eight rebounds.
 
Peguero led the Cardinals with 19 points. Carter added 15, Makiya McCollister had 14 and Ashanti Barnes had 10.
 
The Bobcats made 21-of-61 shots for 34 percent, 9-of-26 three-pointers for 35 percent and 10-of-16 free throws. TVCC made 35-of-71 from the floor for 49 percent, 10-of-24 three-pointers for 42 percent and 4-of-11 free throws.
 
The Cardinals outrebounded Jones, 47-36, and had 10 turnovers compared to 15 for Jones.