GRANTHAM, Pa. - Hood College picked up its first win at Messiah in school history with a key 74-68 victory in Commonwealth Conference action.

The win puts the Blazers in a three-way tie for second place in the league at 5-3. Hood is tied with Alvernia and Arcadia, just one game behind of first place Lycoming. The winner of the Stevenson-Lebanon Valley game on January 22 will make it a four-way logjam for the second spot.

The Blazers hit 46 percent of its 3-point field goals in the game, knocking down 10-of-22 attempts. Chris Cook (Mechanicsville, Va. / Lee-Davis) was 4-of-6 from long range and finished with a game-high 19 points. 

Davon Hill (Clinton, Md. / Potomac School) added 17 points and six assists in the game. 

Malik Harris (Columbia, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) had the biggest game of his career with 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, two threes and five steals. The five field goals made in the game matched his season total entering the night. 

Reggie Daniels (Abingdon, Md. / Patterson Mill) added 11 points and matched Hill's 2-of-5 line from 3-point range. Trevor Magnuski (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) had 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals in the contest. 

While the game came down to the final minute, it did not appear that it would at the start. Cook had seven points during a 22-9 run over the opening nine minutes of action for Hood.

The Falcons battled back as threes by Luke Cable started and ended a run that pulled Messiah within 26-22 with 6:10 left in the half. Two free throws by Josh Clippinger put the Falcons ahead 30-29, but Harris drilled his second 3-pointer of the game to reclaim the lead with 1:43 on the clock. 

Hood led 34-32 at the half and 3-point field goals by Hill and Daniels stretched the lead to eight just over a minute into the second period. Zac Hoy tied the score at 42-42 with 16:06 remaining the game, the first of 11 ties or lead changes over the next nine minutes. Harris twice tied the score for the Blazers, out-running the Falcon defense on successive plays for fast break layups. The second of the two buckets knotted the score at 53-53 with 7:58 to go, but Luke Cable hit a jumper to reclaim the lead for Messiah. 

From there, Hill went on a personal 7-1 run, hitting four free throws and a three as the Blazers went ahead 60-56 with 6:36 on the clock. 

Daniels, Hoy and Cook later traded threes for the two teams to give Hood a 69-61 advantage. A three-point play by Geoff Boyle and two more free throws by the center cut the Blazer lead to 69-66 at the 2:34 mark, but the Falcons turned it over on their next two possessions. 

Cook made four free throws in the final 25 seconds to ice the game.

Hood's defense held Messiah to just 8-of-30 on 3-point field goals (27 percent). The Blazers went 22-of-31 at the foul line (71 percent), while the Falcons had just 15 attempts, making 12 (80 percent). 

David Fernandez-Bravo and Cable led five players in double figures for Messiah with 14 points apiece, but both fouled out of the game. Boyle had a double-double with 11 points and as many rebounds. Hoy and Aaron DeVan each scored 10 points. Fernandez had a game-high seven assists. 

Hood, 9-8 overall, will look for its third straight win, when the Blazers travel to Arcadia on January 24.