CHESTER, Pa. - Hood College's Chris Cook (Mechanicsburg, Va. / Lee-Davis) nailed a 25-foot shot with just 1.7 seconds remaining to lift the Blazers to a 92-89 win at Widener in Commonwealth Conference action.

The shot immediately answered a game-tying layup by the Pride's Rob McPherson with 8.7 on the clock. 

Chris Cook helped Hood stretch its win streak to three in a row. All three games have come down to the wire with the Blazers winning by just a combined six points. 

Early on, it did not look like Hood would be in position for the win. Widener started the game with a 14-0 run and led 24-8 after a three by Laron Byrd with 12:48 left in the first half. The Blazers came roaring back with a 19-3 run that tied the game at 27-27 five minutes later after a bucket by Davon Hill (Clinton, Md. / Potomac School). 

Cameron Cook (Baltimore, Md. / Calvert Hall), the active Division III lead in 3-point field goals made, hit two of his three 3-pointers of the afternoon as the Blazers clawed back into the contest. 

A Jay Burke (Waldorf, Md. / North Point) field goal tied the score at 43-43 with 1:36 left before the half, but Widener outscored Hood 7-1 down the stretch to head to the locker room ahead 50-44.

McPherson scored 24 of his game-high 31 points in the opening 20 minutes.

Hood started the second half with a 16-3 run, featuring eight points by Chris Cook to take a 60-53 advantage with 15:15 on the game clock. A go-ahead layup by Justin Bowens (Frederick, Md. / Tuscarora) in the midst of the run was the first of 13 lead changes during a second half that also featured 11 ties.

After the Blazers took an 84-82 lead after Matt Galloway (Sterling, Va. / Potomac Falls) sank a pair of free throws with 2:51 to play, neither team scored again until a 3-pointer by David Nicholson put the Pride back on top with 1:38 left. A layup by Dillon Fields 20 seconds later extended Widener's lead to three, 87-84. 

Bowens was fouled and made both free throws on Hood's next possession to pull the Blazers within one. Chris Cook came up with a steal and Cameron Cook converted a three-point play for an 89-87 lead with 50 seconds left. 

McPherson missed a jumper with 34 seconds left, but Nicholson hauled in the rebound and Widener called consecutive timeouts to reset the offense. Andrew Radomicki launched a 3-pointer with 19 seconds to go, but Cameron Cook blocked the shot out of bounds. 

McPherson drove to the hoop for the tying bucket with 8.7 left to set the stage for Chris Cook's game-winner. 

Chris Cook matched a career-high with 20 points for the Blazers. The junior hit 6-of-12 field goals, including four of his five 3-point attempts, and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He added three assists and three steals to his stat line.

Cameron Cook went 5-of-11 from the floor on his way to 16 points, powered by a 4-of-9 performance from long range. The senior, closing in on 1,400 career points, grabbed six rebounds and led all players with four steals. 

Bowens added 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Burke netted a career-high 13 points and led the team with seven rebounds. The senior post player hit 4-of-7 from the field, including his only 3-point attempt. Hill gave Hood five players in double digits with 11 points.

McPherson went 10-of-24 with six 3-pointers and had a game-high 12 rebounds. Greg Lawson also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. Fields pitched in with a dozen points. 

Both teams were highly effective from beyond the arc. The Blazers finished 12-of-28 (43 percent), while Widener went 11-of-26 (42 percent).  

The two squads combined to shoot 82 free throws on the afternoon. Hood converted 28-of-39 (72 percent), compared to a 30-of-43 effort (70 percent) for the Pride.

The Blazers had 12 steals and turned 24 Widener turnovers into 27 points. Hood handled the ball well, committing just 13 turnovers, resulting in just 13 points for the Pride.

Winners of eight of their last nine, the Blazers travel to Lebanon Valley on January 22 for an 8 p.m. tip off.