FREDERICK, Md.--The Hood College women's basketball team made a
triumphant return to Gambrill Gymnasium Sunday by defeating the
Mary Baldwin College Fighting Squirrels, 55-53, in an Atlantic
Women's Colleges Conference game.
The win was the first for the Blazers this season, snapping an
11-game skid, and extends Hood's winning streak over AWCC rivals at
home to 22 consecutive games.
The Squirrels got off to a fast start, outscoring the Blazers
12-4 in the early going. But Hood ripped off a 10-1 run to take a
14-13 lead on a three-pointer by Brianna Raithel at the 8:01 mark.
Both teams struggled from the floor over the next several minutes
but the Squirrels clung to a narrow 20-19 edge at halftime.
The second half saw eight ties and five lead changes. Baldwin's
largest lead of the stanza was six points, 35-29, after Jessica
Carter made 1-of-2 free throws with 11:10 to play in regulation.
But the Blazers used back-to-back triples from Raithel and Sara
Wastler to tie the score at 35-35. Raithel then regained the lead
for Hood with a basket off a pass from Dana Shook.
The Blazers would not trail again but the Squirrels rallied to
tie the score on four more occasions. A jumper by Christi Valdez at
the 3:28 mark put the Blazers up 45-42, but that would be Hood's
last field goal of the half.
However, the hosts stepped up at the charity stripe and nailed
10-of-12 free throws to clinch the victory. Wastler converted on
six free throw attempts in the final 57 seconds.
The Squirrels had a chance to tie or even win the game in the
closing moments, but Carter was whistled for a carry with 0.2
seconds on the clock and the Blazers escaped with the victory.
Wastler finished with a career-high 23 points, six rebounds,
five assists and two steals. She connected on 5-of-12 from the
floor and 8-of-8 from the foul line. All five of her field goals
were from three-point range.
Raithel also netted career-highs of 15 points and seven rebounds
and matched her season high by playing 36 minutes. Senior Tamara
Maggard chipped in a season-high six points and four rebounds,
while Sara Hartlaub tallied seven points and five rebounds.
Shook, who finished with just two points, suffocated Carter, the
AWCC's leading scorer. Carter came into the game owning a
league-best 18.6 scoring average, but tallied just eight points on
3-of-15 shooting today.
The Blazers return to action Wednesday at AWCC rival Trinity at
7 p.m.
