ARLINGTON, Va.—The Marymount University men's basketball team (5-18, 3-11 CAC) overcame a 12-point first-half deficit to defeat the Hood College Blazers (13-11, 8-7 CAC), 68-63, Saturday afternoon in Capital Athletic Conference action.

Despite the loss, the Blazers remain in fourth place in the CAC standings, one-half game ahead of the University of Mary Washington. The Blazers host their final regular season game of the season Wednesday against Salisbury University. A Hood win over the Sea Gulls would clinch a home playoff game in the first round of the CAC tournament, which would be played Tuesday, Feb. 22, at the Odom Fitness Center.

Senior Tyler Snoots and first-year Cameron Cook were an almost unstoppable inside-outside combo in the opening period, shooting a combined 10-of-13 from the field for 24 of Hood's 33 first-half tallies. The Blazers used a 9-0 run over a span of three minutes to assume a 16-6 advantage as four different Blazers contributed buckets. The Saints trimmed the deficit to five but the Blazers kept them at bay and took a 33-25 lead into the locker room.

The second half was a different story, as both teams started slowly but it developed into a nip-and-tuck affair with nine ties and seven lead changes. The Blazers and Saints combined to miss their first nine shots over the first 2:57. But a conventional three-point play by MU's John Magnani snapped the scoring drought. Marymount would carry that momentum into an 8-2 run and held the Blazers scoreless from the field for the first 4:39. Junior LaVar Rich hit a layup off a feed from Luis Cotto at the 15:21 mark for Hood's first second-half field goal. Then a layup by MU's Tarek Ammoury tied it at 37-37 and Stephen Simoneau's two free throws at the 14:14 mark gave the Saints their first lead of the game, 39-37.

Both teams would string together mini-spurts throughout the remainder of the game. The Blazers got five straight points by Brenden Straughn to regain a 45-43 lead with 10:47 left. Then it was Justin Stone's turn to take over, as he scored five straight points of his own to make it 53-49 with 6:29 to go, forcing the Saints to call timeout.  

Later in the half, MU's tandem of Ammoury and Simoneau hit four straight foul shots to give MU a 60-56 lead at the 3:34 mark. Straughn got hot again hitting for four more to tie it at 60-60 (2:27). MU used solid outside shooting by Mac Kennedy and Ammoury, who buried back-to-back threes to put the Saints on top by six with 1:11 to go. But on Hood's next possession, Straughn showed no quit by drilling a triple of his own with 57 seconds left, and Hood called timeout.

On the inbounds, Simoneau's attempt was no good and Snoots hauled in the rebound. The Blazers squandered a chance at the game-tying basket, turning the ball back over to the Saints. Ammoury was fouled immediately on the inbounds and connected on both free throws, which iced the game for Marymount.

Straughn finished with a game-high 17 points, including 15 in the second half. Cook ended up with 16 and Snoots tallied 15 points and nine boards.

The Blazers and Sea Gulls, who are in a tie with Frostburg State University for the sixth and final playoff spot in the conference tournament, tip off at 8 p.m. Wednesday.