SALISBURY, Md.--Junior Jesse Gutekunst scored 21 of his
team-high 27 points in the second half to help the Hood College
men's basketball record their second come-from-behind victory in a
row Tuesday over the Salisbury University Sea Gulls in a Capital
Athletic Conference game at the Maggs Center.
The Blazers (14-3, 7-1) won their seventh game in a row, a
program record, and handed the Sea Gulls (9-8, 4-4) their fourth
straight CAC loss.
The first half was a back and forth affair that featured nine
ties and nine lead changes. Hood held its largest lead of the
stanza, 20-13, at the 11:45 mark after Nick Scott drilled a
three-pointer. The Sea Gulls used a 9-2 run to tie the score at
22-22 and regained the lead on two free throws by Matt DeLizio with
5:43 to play in the half.
The lead seesawed several more times but the Sea Gulls scored
the final five points of the half to take a 37-33 lead into the
break.
Hood stormed out of the gates in the second half, scoring 10
unanswered points to assume a 43-37 advantage. The Blazers led by
as many as eight before Salisbury made its move.
The Sea Gulls outscored the Blazers 21-6 over a span of 6:19 to
take a seven-point lead (60-53) with just under eight minutes to
play. The Blazers ripped off 10 straight points once again, capped
by a Tim Abercrombie triple, to retake the lead, 63-60 with 5:38 to
play.
Salisbury would tie the score three more times but Hood never
relinquished its lead the rest of the way. The Blazers nailed
9-of-10 from the line in the final 1:54 to clinch the hard-fought
victory.
Gutekunst, the two-time CAC Player of the Week, hit an
astounding 11-of-13 from the floor for 27 points and grabbed 10
rebounds for the 25th double-double of his career. Sophomore Ryan
Junghans swished three treys and connected on all seven of his free
throw attempts for 18 points, while Abercrombie netted 13 points
and five assists.
The Blazers next travel to Gallaudet University Thursday for an
8 p.m. tip with the Bison. The contest is the second game of a
doubleheader in Washington, D.C., as the Hood women take on the
Bison at 6 p.m.
