LA PLUME, Pa. - Hood College's bench erupted for 62 points as the men's basketball team surged past Keystone 96-72 in non-conference action.
Inside the Box Score
- Will Spencer (Davidsonville, Md./Boys' Latin School) and Michael Wallace (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum School) combined for over 30 points to lead the bench. Spencer scored a career-high 17 in just 12 minutes. The sophomore shot 6-for-11 and sank 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Wallace, playing just his second game of the season, scored 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
- Jared Young (York, Pa./Episcopal (Va.)) returned from injury to further bolster the second unit, scoring eight points on 4-of-6 shooting.
- Trumaine Strickland (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) led the starting five with 14 points and Christopher Smalls (Washington, D.C./St. Andrew's Episcopal) added 11.
- Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) had six rebounds and seven assists, while Will Pataki (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) recorded six boards and five assists off the bench.
How it Happened
- Hood led just 18-16 midway through the first half before going on 19-5 run. The Blazers hit 7-for-10 over stretch of nearly six minutes to take a 37-21 lead on a Young layup with 4:09 to go before halftime.
- The Giants cut Hood's advantage to nine, 41-32, on a 3-pointer by Jack Anderson with 2:03 left in the half. Wallace scored five points down the stretch as the Blazers held Keystone scoreless for the rest of the period, taking a 49-32 lead into the break.
- Hood fended off a strong challenge from the Giants to open the second half. Keystone hit its first five field goals, including three 3-pointers, to cut the deficit to 51-46 by virtue of a 14-2 run.
- Spencer stopped the run by hitting back-to-back 3-point shots, sparking a 15-1 run over that gave Hood a 66-47 lead at the 13:29 mark.
- The Blazers' lead was never less than 14 the rest of the way and grew to as many as 25 on a bucket by Brian Barrett (Leesburg, Va./Riverside) in the game's final minute.
Analysis
- While Hood received massive contributions from the reserves, the Giants' bench was held to just three points.
- The Blazers dominated the backboards, outrebounding Keystone 49-30. Hood grabbed 23 offensive boards, the most for the Blazers since January 2018 (28 vs. Albright) and had 26 second chance points. The +19 mark overall was Hood's best rebounding margin since the Blazers matched that number in November 2019 against St. Vincent.
- Hood turned the ball over only 12 times and generated 38 points from the Giants' 25 turnovers.
- 12 different players scored for Hood, including Troy Fulton (Denver, N.C./Lincoln Charter School), who scored his first career points in the contest.
For the Opponents
- Anderson, Javen Flowers-Smith and Daviel Jackson combined for all but nine points for Keystone. Anderson scored a game-high 24 and had seven assists. Flowers-Smith added 20 points. Jackson had a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds, nearly half his team's work on the glass.
Notes
- Hood improved to 6-5.
- Keystone slipped to 3-6.
Up Next
The Blazers are idle until they host Waynesburg on December 30.
