WILKES-BARRE, Pa.--Senior Jesse Gutekunst recorded a
double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Hood College
men's basketball team (8-3) to a 62-57 victory over Lebanon Valley
College (4-6) Wednesday in the championship game of the Ramada
Inn/Monarch Classic at King's College.
With the victory over the Dutchmen, the Blazers captured the
program's third regular-season tournament championship in as many
years.
Gutekunst, who in addition to his ninth double-double also
recorded a career-high six steals, was selected as the Most
Valuable Player of the tournament and junior Anthont Bennett was
named to the all-tournament team. Bennett finished with 10 points
in 20 minutes of work off the bench.
The two teams traded baskets for most of the first half.
Trailing 20-16 with six minutes to go, the Blazers outscored
the Dutchmen 15-4 the rest of the way and went into the lockerroom
with a 31-24 advantage.
Hood led by double figures on several occasions but LVC rallied
to regain the lead, 43-42, on a Matt Staub three-pointer with just
under nine minutes left in regulation. The lead see-sawed back and
forth over the next few possessions. With the score knotted at
51-51 with 4:41 remaining, Hood used a 7-0 spurt to go up
58-51 with 2:13 to play and the Dutchmen got no closer than three
the rest of the way.
Junior Ryan Junghans reached double digits with 11 points and
classmate Tim Abercrombie came off the bench to drill a pair of
three-pointers. Jeff Willison hit a pair of field goals and grabbed
three rebounds in the victory.
The Blazers are idle until the turn of the New Year when they
host Gettysburg College Jan. 5 at Gov. Thomas Johnson High School.
