FREDERICK, Md. –
Jevon Yarbrough's (Hagerstown, Md./Williamsport) career high 42 points broke the game plan in another tight conference game as the No. 19 men's basketball team flew by Eastern 91-82 in Woodsboro Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Inside the Box Score
Yarbrough neared triple double numbers with his 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Jude Huseby (Frederick, Md./Urbana) goes 5-for-9 for 14 points.
How it Happened
The Blazers had the vault jumping as they hit their first six triples that lead to a 20-7 run to start out the game. Huseby rolled of a high screen to bury his first, then continued to heat check pulling up off the dribble for three more attempts and burying those at the bottom of the bucket as well on consecutive possessions.
After an Eagles timeout, the temperature went from steaming hot to frigid with a four minute drought for the Blazers to allow eastern to eventually close the gap to five points inside 10 minutes.
The visitor's Nick Mate started to connect from deep and hit where the Blue & Grey hurt most from outside the perimeter. Olise Onyeka traveled through the paint with success but the team's three point drought later of 1-of-10 from deep plagued down the stretch of the first half.
Yarbrough would start his ascension into the box score with the team's final seven points of the half. He would return to the court after and bang back-to-back to three's to create momentum.
Hood needed their defense to pick up to prepare from the waves of their shooting consistency, plays like a one-handed snag to deny a pass down low by
Garrett Cox (Glen Allen, VA/Glen Allen) slowed down the fighting Eagles.
Huseby found himself in foul trouble at the 15-minute mark and eventually fouled out, which caused a shift in the starting five for Hood. The chaos of the Blazers ball movement prevailed and gave Yarbrough opportunities to get his man isolated and the ability to run downhill past and maneuver a bucket.
The conditioning of Yarbrough wore down on the maroon defense, piling on free throws and a total of 25 points in the second half. The junior went a perfect 14-for-14 from the line and pushed the Blazers out of trouble in the MAC Commonwealth showdown.
"Loved our energy to start the game—it was night and day from last game and I thought that was key to jumping on them early," said head coach
Chad Dickman. "Thought we did a good job maintaining our poise and getting stops until the last couple minutes of the game. Luckily, we had built a big cushion beforehand."
For the Opponent
Olise Onyeka scores 23 points and nine rebounds shooting 7-for-14 from the field.
Nick Mate hits four triples on the way to 18 points.
Analysis
Hood led the free throw battle at 91 percent to Eastern's 79.
Notes
Hood improves to 15-2, 6-0 in conference play and sits in first place in the MACC, two games up.
Eastern falls to 6-10, 3-3 in conference play after wining their last two conference matchups.
Up Next
The squad travels to Messiah (4-13, 0-6) this Wednesday, January 28 for a 7 p.m. tipoff at Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
