FREDERICK, Md. - Final quarter comeback ends just short of a victory for the Hood College women's basketball team as they fall 50-48 in close contest with conference opponent Albright College.

Inside the Box Score
Na'Vaye Quarles (Glen Burnie, Md./North County) led the Blazers in scoring with 15 points and an assist.

Tiffany Manning (Randallstown, Md./Western Tech) followed closely behind with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Sami Betley (Bel Air, Md./Mercy) picked up 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal on the night.

How it Happened
Albright started the game off scoring first. The Blazers responded just four minutes in with a made layup in the paint by Betley to give them the lead. Closing out the quarter both squads traded baskets. The quarter concluded with a score of 16-9 in favor of the Lions.

Manning started out the second quarter with a made jumper in the first minute. The Blazers would make strategic scoring plays using to help change the score differential. With five minutes left in the quarter Manning made another jump shot to bring Hood within just four. Going into halftime Albright led by seven points with a score if 28-21.

Entering the third quarter Nikki Etchison (Ijamsville, MD/Oakdale) made a free throw in the first thirty seconds to shave down some of the Lions lead. Five minutes into the quarter Amari Faust (Burke, VA/Lake Braddock) earns an And One scoring opportunity making a layup and free throw. Just moments later, after six minutes of play Faust brought the Blazers within just two points of Albright with a made layup. In the final thirty seconds of the quarter Hood chipped away at the Lions lead with a made free throw by Manning followed by a made jumper by Betley bringing the Blazers within eight going into the fourth.

Beginning the final quarter just three minutes in Albright had the biggest lead ot the game with 12 points; however, the Blazers quickly responded with a nine point scoring run of their own. The run started off with two made free throws each by Manning and Quarles making it a seven point game. With three minutes left on the game clock Quarles knocked down a three pointer to cut the Lions lead to just four. Then Quarles made another jump shot bringing Hood within two.Two made free throws by Albright gave the Lions a four point cushion with only thirty seconds left in regulation.Quarles responded with another three pointer bringing Hood within only one point of Albright. With just seconds left to go in the game the Lions made a free throw closing out the scoring  50-48 in favor of the Lions.

For the Opponent
Julia Zakovitch totaled 18 points and one assist.

CJ Apistar picked up 8 points on the night.

Analysis 
Hood shot 32.1 percent from the field compared to Albright's 30.4 percent. 
 
The Lions outscored the Blazers in points in the paint 24-16.

Notes 
Hood falls to 2-7 in conference and 3-16 overall, while Albright advances to 5-4 in conference and 8-12 overall.

When asked about the outcome of the game, Head Coach DéRonté Polite said, "This game came down to rebounding and free throws" Albright had 12 second chance points on 16 offensive rebounds. We missed six free throws and lost by two points. It was a winnable game that we can hopefully learn from."

Up Next 
The Blazers will return to play on Saturday, February 3 when they head to Chester, PA to face off against conference opponent Widener University at 1 p.m. Read Full Article