FREDERICK, Md.—The Hood College men's basketball team (11-6, 3-5 CAC) defeated Wesley (7-11, 5-4 CAC) 74-67 in an overtime thriller Saturday at BB&T Arena. The Blazers had dropped their previous two conference games and knew that they had to come up with a victory against the Wolverines to stay in the playoff hunt.

Sophomore guard Cameron Cook had a monster game scoring 26 points in 38 minutes of action. Cook made a couple of big time threes at different points in the game to help Hood either gain momentum or seize control of the game. Senior forward LaVar Rich also had a stellar game for the blue-and-grey as he scored 19 points and came up with a monster and game-saving block at the end of regulation.

The Blazers came out of the gates a little lethargic in front of their alumni, who played in Hood's alumni game before the contest. Hood was trailing 10-2 nearly six minutes into the contest after a three-pointer by Wesley's Paul Reynolds, who finished with a team-best 24 points.

Hood continued to chip away at the lead throughout the half but really got a boost from a Cook steal and two-handed dunk that energized Hood and the crowd. Cook was not done though as he then proceeded to hit two threes in a one-minute span to score Hood's last eight points of the half and give Hood a one point lead at the break 31-30.

The beginning of the second half then saw Hood trying to keep pace with Reynolds, who scored 14 straight Wesley points to begin the second half. Fans started to become concerned after a Darrell Johnson jumper gave Wesley a 54-49 lead with just over eight minutes remaining. The Blazers though had everything in control as Rich came back with two made buckets and freshman guard Terrell Buyck made a critical jumper to trim Wesley's lead to 59-57 with 4:21 remaining.

Cook then made another huge three to give Hood a one-point lead but it would not last long as there were five lead changes or ties in the final minute of the game. Cook hit a big-time jumper with 50 seconds left to tie the game at 64-64 and send BB&T Arena into a frenzy. Wesley forward David Langan then went up with a layup attempt with 17 seconds remaining but Rich came up with his huge block pinning the ball against the glass and saving Hood. Hood then turned the ball over and gave Wesley a chance to win it but a Chris Douglas shot did not fall seeing the game go to overtime.

Rich started overtime with a layup and was then followed by a Brenden Straughn make. Rich then made another bucket to give Hood a 70-64 lead. Wesley did not score in the extra session until there were just 55 seconds remaining off free throws by Douglas. The Blazers then struggled at the line missing four straight free throws to give Wesley life but Cook capitalized from the stripe hitting two foul shots late to ice the game and give Hood a crucial 74-67 victory.

The Blazers return to action this Monday as they host the Mustangs from Stevenson University in a pivotal home conference game. The matchup is set for a 7 p.m. tip.