FREDERICK Md. - The Hood College women's basketball team got off to a hot start in the first quarter but were unable to sustain the early lead as Widener University battled back and handed Hood a 55-39 loss this afternoon.
Inside the Box Score
Jaylah Putman (Jacksonville, Fla./Long Reach) and
Kourtney Johnson (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) led all Blazers with a pair of seven points.
Serenity Ritchie (Martinsburg, W.V./Martinsburg) added six points and four rebounds in the game.
How it Happened
The Blazers faced a formidable opponent in Pride of Widener University and had to get out to a quick start to set the tone for the game.
Sami Betley (Bel Air, Md./Mercy) scored first to earn Hood the early advantage over Widener just under a minute in the contest.
Serenity Ritchie (Martinsburg, W.V./Martinsburg) would go one for two at the free throw line to give the Blazers a 3-0 lead.
Shortly after a three-point shot made by Jaylah Putman (Jacksonville, Fla./Long Reach) and a jump shot from Ritchie extended the lead to 8-0 in favor of Hood.
The Blazers smothering defense and offensive intensity enhanced their lead all the way to 11-0 before Widener's Ava Baer would stop the bleeding for the Pride to make it 11-1 after hitting a free throw with just under two minutes left in the first quarter.
Widener found some offensive rhythm to end the first quarter, but Hood continued its pressure with a 15-6 point advantage.
The Blazers sensed the Pride's urgency to get back into the game to start the second quarter but continued to battle despite Widener's attempt.
Widener would cut the lead to three midway through the second quarter to make the score 19-16.
The Blazers held the advantage to enter halftime with a slight 22-21-point lead.
Widener found some juice and caught fire offensively to start the second half, ending the third quarter outscoring Hood 19 to 5 to end the quarter with a 40-27 lead.
Despite the Blazers efforts in the second half, they were unable to battle their way back into the contest, and the Pride handed Hood a 55-39 loss.
"Offensively we played with intensity throughout the first quarter" said head coach DeRonte Polite "but we need to play with that intensity for all four quarters."
For the Opponent
Riley Stackhouse led all Widener scorers with 11 points.
Giada Palmieri added 10 points in the contest and seven rebounds.
Analysis
Hood shot 31.9% from the field, while Widener shot just 29.1%.
Widener edged Hood in bench points 20 to 15.
The Pride led in rebounds with 49 to the Blazers 30.
Notes
Hood falls to 3-11 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
Widener improves to 11-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
Up Next
The Hood College women's basketball team looks to quickly rebound from the loss on the road against the Spartans of York College (Pa.) for tipoff set for 6 PM on Monday, January 19. This game was previously scheduled for January 10.
