FREDERICK, Md. – The Hood College women's basketball team fell 57-31 to Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth foe Messiah University in a home midweek matchup.
Inside the Box Score
Kourtney Johnson (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) led the Blazers with 12 points, shooting 5-8 from the field.
Sami Betley (Bel Air, Md./Mercy) finished with nine rebounds and a season-high eight points.
How it Happened
Hood's defense was incredibly strong to start the game, not allowing Messiah to score for the first three minutes of play. Unfortunately, the Blazers were also unable to score in that time frame, and the Falcons eventually broke the scoreless tie with a layup from Liv Monturo.
Serenity Ritchie (Martinsburg, W.V./Martinsburg) answered with a jumper of her own to tie it back up, but Monturo made two more baskets to put the Messiah ahead once again. Hood made just two more shots the rest of the first quarter, finishing it down 11-6.
The Blazers would not be able to find much offense in the second quarter, with a Betley free throw the only point they could score for the 10 minute period. The Falcons managed to put up 17 points on the other side, and Hood went into the halftime break in a 28-7 deficit.
Coming our for the second half, the Blazers' offense seemed to find its footing, scoring first and answering each basket the Falcons made with one of their own. When the buzzer sounded for the end of the quarter, Hood had actually outscored Messiah but still trailed 44-24 with one quarter remaining.
Neither team was able to generate any consistent offense in the final quarter of play, with the Falcons shooting just 18 percent from the floor, but the Blazers could not find a way back into the game, ultimately falling 57-31.
For the Opponent
Monturo ended the evening with 23 points and eight rebounds.
Charlotte Milanesi had eight steals and eight assists in the game.
Notes
Hood drops to 3-14 (0-7), while Messiah moves to 14-4 (6-1).
Up Next
The Blazers begin the second half of the conference schedule on the road against Widener University Saturday, January 31 at 1 p.m.
