ST. MARY'S CITY, Md.--Senior Jesse Gutekunst led all scorers
with 26 points and hit two clutch free throws with three seconds
left in regulation to lift the Hood College men's basketball team
(6-3, 3-1 CAC) to a 73-70 triumph over St. Mary's College (Md.)
(6-3, 2-2 CAC) Saturday afternoon.
The Blazers got off to a fast start, outscoring the Seahawks
13-2 over the first 4:16. But St. Mary's chipped away at the
double-figure deficit and closed to within two, 21-19, on a jumper
by Calvin Wise at the 8:13 mark. The two teams traded baskets the
rest of the half and the Blazers clung to a narrow 32-31 edge at
intermission.
The second half belonged to St. Mary's early on and the Seahawks
led by as many as six. This time it was the Blazers who were forced
to rally and they did just that, reclaiming the lead on a pair of
free throws by Gutekunst with 11:04 left in the stanza.
The lead flip-flopped several more times before the Blazers went
on a 15-6 run to push the lead back to nine (70-61). Gutekunst
converted a layup with 3:09 to cap the spurt.
Hood had to fend off a furious Seahawk rally down the stretch.
After a missed three-pointer by Gutekunst, Tyson Lesesne pulled
down the rebound, converted a fast-break layup at the other end and
drew a foul. Lesesne completed the three-point play to make it
71-70 Hood with 29 seconds left and St. Mary's called timeout.
Hood turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds and St. Mary's
had a shot at the potential game-winning score under their own
basket. A 15-footer by Lesesne was off the mark and Arthur Claybon
hauled in the carom. T.J. Jordan fouled Gutekunst with three
seconds left and he nailed what proved to be the game-clinching
foul shots, capping an impressive 12-of-12 performance from the
stripe.
Gutekunst finished with his eighth double-double in nine games
with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Rian McHenry netted a
career-high 13 points while Ryan Junghans chipped in 11. In all,
the Blazers connected on 22-of-25 from the foul line and overcame
24 turnovers to clinch their third league victory on the road.
Hood will be idle next week but returns to action Dec. 18 at the
King's College Holiday Tournament against Susquehanna University.
