FREDERICK, Md.--Junior guard Whitney Schultheis tallied a
career-high 23 points, including five three-pointers, to lead the
Hood College women's basketball team (3-11) to a 69-62 victory over
the visiting Trinity University (2-13) Wednesday evening at
Gambrill Gymnasium.
Schultheis led four Blazer starters in double figures as
freshman Allyson Lethbridge finished with 15 and sophomore Jen
Willison and junior Sara Wastler registered 13 apiece. The Blazers
snapped a three-game losing skid with the triumph and improve to
13-3 all-time against the Tigers.
Hood scored the first eight points of the contest, hitting three
of its first four baskets, but the Tigers responded with a 9-0
spurt of their own to take their only lead of the contest at the
14:46 mark. From there the Blazers reeled off eight straight points
to assume a 16-9 lead and Hood never trailed again. The Tigers did
make a run at the end of the first half, scoring the final five
points of the stanza to close to within 33-29 at the intermission.
The Blazers however quickly built a double-digit advantage in
the first 2:34 of the second half and led by as many as 14 with
14:01 to play on a Schultheis triple. But the Tigers wouldn't go
away and gradually chipped away at the deficit. A pair of free
throws by Preshuse Jackson made it a one-possession game (64-62)
with just 1:24 left in regulation.
The Blazers turned it over on their next possession, giving the
Tigers a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute. But an
errant pass by Sherrese Russell was intercepted by Willison, who
was fouled immediately. She went to the line for a pair and made
1-of-2 but Lethbridge was there to grab the carom off Willison's
miss and the Blazers retained possession. After a Hood timeout,
Schultheis was fouled and connected on both of her free throw
attempts, putting the Blazers up 67-62 with 29 seconds left.
A Blazer foul put Morgan Kellman on the stripe with 22 ticks
left. Despite missing both attempts, the Tigers managed to
keep possession after the ball deflected off a Blazer
defender. But layups by Jackson and Danielle Owens were off the
mark and Wastler nailed her free throws at the other end to seal
the hard-fought victory.
Willison finished with a double-double of 13 points and a
game-high 17 rebounds while Whitney Boyer dished out five assists.
Hood buried nine long-range baskets, one away from matching its
season-high, and boasted an impressive .479 field goal percentage,
its highest of the season.
Danielle Pettis paced the Tigers with 17 points and four steals
while Owens chipped in 15 points and Jackson had 12. Middletown's
Morgan Kellman finished with six points on 3-of-7 shooting and
pulled down three boards in 17 minutes off the bench.
The Blazers return to Capital Athletic Conference play Saturday
against Villa Julie College at 6 p.m. at Gov. Thomas Johnson High
School.
