January 11, 2010

Blazer Women Rally From 11 Down to End Four-Game Slide, 52-46

ROSEMONT, Pa.--The Hood College women's basketball team (3-9) rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to earn a 52-46 nonconference victory over the Rosemont College Ravens (3-8) Monday night.

In the first-ever meeting between Rosemont and Hood, the Blazers put the skids on a four-game slide and dealt the Ravens their sixth straight setback in the process.

Hood used a solid second-half effort and outscored the Ravens 32-15 in the final 20 minutes. The Blazers matched their season-high with seven three-point baskets, five of which came during the Blazers' second-half comeback.

After falling behind by as many as 13 in the opening stanza, the Blazers stepped up their defensive effort in the second half. Hood did not surrender a Rosemont field goal until the 12:22 mark of the second half. Following that Rachelle Allen layup, the Blazers went on a 10-0 run, capped by a Kameran Evans triple, to turn a seven-point deficit into a three-point lead with 7:42 to play in regulation.

Rosemont would not go away and managed to tie the score at 44-44 on a layup by Ashley Montecchio at the 2:52 mark, but Allyson Lethbridge countered at the other end with her third trey of the night to give the Blazers a lead they would not relinquish.

Despite connecting on 3-of-10 from the foul line heading into the final minute of play, Lethbridge and Dyanna Prater managed to hit their clutch foul shots, going 4-for-4 in the final 32 seconds to ice the victory.

Lethbridge led the way for Hood with 11 points while Jen Willison finished a point shy of recording her 28th career double-double with nine points and 10 boards. Willison's 10 rebounds matched her season-high. Evans came off the bench to drop in 10 points while Emily Maerz contributed season-highs of seven points and four rebounds in the win. Prater finished with six points, a season-high eight caroms, four assists and a pair of steals.

Montecchio notched a double-double for Rosemont in the losing cause with game-highs of 13 points and 13 rebounds.

The Blazers won the battle of the boards, hauling in 51 to Rosemont's 46.

Hood returns to the hardwood Wednesday when the Blazers travel to Washington, D.C., to take on the Gallaudet University Bison in a Capital Athletic Conference game at 6 p.m.