FREDERICK, Md. – The Hood College men's basketball team's season is on rocky ground after tonight, as they fell 86-72 to Eastern University in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Semifinal round.
Inside the Box Score
Soren Almquist (Oakton, Va./James Madison) finished with a career-high 19 points.
Kullen Robinson (Alexandria, Va./Alexandria City) finished the evening with 17 points, shooting 56 percent from the field.
Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) ended with 16 points, leading the team with 10 rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
How it Happened
Both squads came to play in the first half, draining shot after shot totaling 45 points in the first 10 minutes, with Hood holding a 24-21 edge.
Eastern took a 36-29 lead after a 9-0 run with 4:20 left in the half, but the Blazers went on a 10-3 run of their own to tie the game up at 39 with just over two minutes remaining. A three-pointer from Almquist would be the only score the rest of the period, sending the Blazers in to the locker room with a 42-39 advantage.
The offensive outburst continued coming out to the second half, with the Eagles holding what seemed like would be a short-lived 63-61 lead with just under nine minutes to play.
Unfortunately, Hood's scoring dropped off after that point, while Eastern continued their offensive output to the tune of an 18-4 run across the next 5:20.
Robinson added a layup and a couple free throws to end the Eagles' dominance on the scoreboard, but with only a couple minutes left in the game, there was not enough time to spark a comeback before the buzzer sounded on the Blazers' 86-72 defeat.
For the Opponent
Arkese Claiborne scored 20 points, making 88 percent of his shots, including 2-2 from beyond the arc.
Zubair Lee totaled 16 points, leading the Eagles with 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Analysis
Eastern shot 53 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range, compared to just 32 percent from the field and 27 percent three-point shooting from Hood.
The Eagles had a 42-21 edge in rebounds.
Hood's bench outscored Eastern's 37-18.
Notes
The Blazers drop to 19-6 (11-3) and will hope to make an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament, while the Eagles advance to the MAC Commonwealth Championship final at 19-7 (10-4), where they will face No. 1 Widener University.
Up Next
The team will be waiting for February 26, where they will find out if they qualify for the official NCAA tournament.
