WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hood College men's basketball team held off a late push by No. 17 Catholic University to upset the Cardinals 65-63 and be crowned the champions of the 2023 Battle of D.C. & Maryland tournament.
Inside the Box Score
Troy Fulton (Denver, N.C./Lincoln Charter School) came off the bench to lead the Blazers with 15 points, shooting 5-7 from the field with all of his shots coming from beyond the arc.
Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) finished the game with 14 points and led the team with eight assists.
Justin Gielen (Edgewater, Md./DeMatha) ended the evening with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Garrett Cox (Glen Allen, VA/Glen Allen) shot 4-9 from the field, going 3-4 on three-pointers for 11 points.
How it Happened
Gielen started the game scoring Hood's first seven points before a three-pointer from Cox gave the Blazers a 10-6 lead.
The Cardinals fought back to tie the game at 12, but three baskets in a row from downtown by Fulton gave Hood a 21-12 lead.
Multiple threes from Cox and Linton pushed the Blazers' lead to nine with just over a minute in the half, but a long-range jumper from Tommy Kelly with 17 seconds left cut Catholic's deficit to six, as Hood went into halftime up 43-37.
Jack Fricka (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) scored the first points of the second half more than a minute and a half into the period, but this ended up being the start of a 17-8 run that gave the Blazers a 60-45 lead with just under 11 minutes to play.
Hood's offense slowed down shortly after, and the Cardinals took advantage, going on an 18-5 run to cut the Blazers' lead to just two with under a minute and a half to play, but their final shot to win the game fell short at the buzzer to give the Blazers the championship.
For the Opponent
Sean Neylon led the Cardinals with 19 points.
Jake Melady tallied 11 points, shooting 4-6 from the floor, adding four rebounds.
Analysis
Catholic had a 25-21 advantage in points from the bench.
Hood shot 38 percent from the floor, including 13-35 from three-point range, edging out Catholic's 34 percent completion rate and 15-50 shooting from long range.
Notes
Linton took home tournament MVP honors, totaling 22 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists across both games.
Gielen was also named to the All-Tournament Team, averaging 11 points over the two games while adding eight rebounds and four steals.
Hood is now undefeated in both tournaments this season, improving to 4-1 overall, while Catholic falls to 3-1.
Up Next
The Blazers return home to face Cal Lutheran Friday, November 24 at 1 p.m.
