FREDERICK, Md.--Sophomore Ryan Junghans led all scorers with 23
points as the Hood College men's basketball team held off the
Messiah College Falcons, 73-66, in a non-conference game Saturday
afternoon at Gov. Thomas Johnson High School.
The Blazers remain undefeated at home at 3-0 and improve to 9-3
overall while the Falcons drop to 8-4 on the season.
Hood held the upperhand in the early going until a three-pointer
by Andy Hawk gave the Falcons their first lead of the afternoon,
15-14, at the 10:46 mark. The Blazers responded with an 8-0 run to
regain a 22-15 lead. Messiah rallied once again and leapfrogged the
Blazers late in the stanza and took a slim 30-29 lead into the
lockerroom.
Hood, which had trailed at the half four times coming into
todayýs game, recorded its third comeback victory of the
season on the strength of an astounding 65% shooting percentage.
The Falcons attempted more than twice the number of field goals as
the Blazers and outrebounded Hood 27-14 in the final 20 minutes but
the Blazers connected on 13-of-23 from the foul line to help clinch
the victory.
A three-pointer by Junghans gave the Blazers a 49-40 advantage
at the 13:32 mark but the Falcons clawed their way back into it.
Messiah outscored Hood 10-2 over a span of 3:37 to assume a 58-57
lead on a jumper by Jared Yoder. Senior Sean Robine drilled his
fourth triple of the day with 4:00 to play in regulation which
ignited an 11-0 spurt to give the Blazers their first double-figure
lead of the day, 68-58, with 1:17 to play. From there, Hood
connected on 5-of-9 from the charity stripe to seal the victory.
Junghans hit 6-of-12 from the field including five threes and
dished out five assists. Robine drilled four three-pointers for 20
points and grabbed four rebounds. Junior Jesse Gutekunst tallied 15
points and hauled in eight boards, while senior Darnell Edmonds
dished out eight assists and picked off a school-record nine
steals.
Yoder recorded a double-double for the Falcons with 20 points
and a game-high 17 rebounds in the losing cause. Messiah shot just
36.6 percent from the field in the second half and turned the ball
over 24 times on the afternoon.
The Blazers continue their five-game homestand Wednesday against
Capital Athletic Conference foe Marymount University at 7 p.m.
