FREDERICK, Md. – Pairs of free throws from
Kullen Robinson (Alexandria, Va./Alexandria City) and
Justin Gielen (Edgewater, Md./DeMatha) proved to be the deciding factor, as the Hood College men's basketball team hung on for a 71-68 win against Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Opponent Eastern University.
Inside the Box Score
Robinson led the Blazers with a career-high 24 points, shooting 60 percent from the field.
Gielen finished behind him with 16 points, going 6-14 on the night.
Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) ended the evening with 12 total points.
How it Happened
Each team would sink a three-pointer to start off the game, continuing to exchange baskets with Hood holding a slight 13-10 advantage halfway through the first half.
Hood's offense came alive after the midway point, going on a 17-3 run over the next 7:30 of game time, with Robinson and Linton scoring six each.
The Blazers' offense stalled after that, with Eastern making quick shots to finish the final minute of the game on an 8-0 run and cut Hood's lead to 30-22 at the half.
Both squads would again come out playing evenly, with the Blazers holding the scoring edge 20-15 through the first 10 minutes of play.
The Eagles began putting on pressure with a 17-8 run of their own over the next four minutes to make it a slim 58-55 lead for the Blazers with just under five and a half minutes to play.
Despite Hood's offense continuing to make shots, Eastern knocked down several long-range shots and eventually retook the lead with two free throws from Arkese Claiborne.
The lead was extended with a layup from Jaron Fairweather, but a goaltend on the other end put Hood within one with 39 seconds to play. The Blazers full-court press worked on the inbound, forcing a turnover with Robinson drawing a foul with 24 seconds remaining.
After making both free throws and putting Hood back on top by one, the defense came up with another big stop as Gielen came down with the defensive rebound, forcing Eastern to send him to the free throw line. Both free throws would be made to put the Blazers up by three with 10 seconds left, and a final attempt from the Eagles went wide to seal the 71-68 win for Hood.
For the Opponent
Kaeshawn Ward led Eastern in scoring with 16 points, shooting 6-10 overall, including 3-7 from beyond the arc.
Zubair Lee finished the game with a double-double, scoring 14 points and coming down with 12 rebounds.
Analysis
Hood shot 39 percent overall, with Eastern converting 36 percent of their shots.
The Eagles shot 30 percent from beyond the arc, while the Blazers only made 18 percent of their three-pointers.
Hood's bench outscored Eastern's 29-23.
Notes
The Blazers stay perfect in conference play improving to 12-2 overall, 4-0 in conference, while the Eagles drop to 10-5 overall, 2-2 in conference.
Up Next
Hood travels to Stevenson University for another MAC Commonwealth matchup Wednesday, January 17 at 7 p.m.
