FREDERICK, Md.—The Hood College men's basketball team (12-6, 4-5 CAC) defeated Stevenson University (4-14, 1-8 CAC) 72-57 using a very strong second half to put away the Mustangs. The victory keeps Hood in the top six of the Capital Athletic Conference and allowed the Blazers to gain some ground on a few conference foes they are trying to catch in the standings.

Hood used a well-balanced attack on offense and stifled Stevenson on the defensive side of the ball throughout the contest forcing 23 Mustang turnovers to Hood's 13. Hood's starting guard tandem of Cameron Cook and Ramon Smith each scored 14 points to pace the team. Senior forward Lavar Rich came off the bench for the first game this season and scored 11 points while freshman Reggie Daniels made his first career start and had an impressive outing netting 11 points. Senior guard Brenden Straughn also had a very strong game recording six points, four rebounds, nine assists and four steals. Straughn has been slowed by an ankle injury for the majority of the season but was the catalyst for much of Hood's offense on the night and looked like the point guard that he has been in past years. Stevenson did not have a scorer reach double-figures but had three players score nine points.

The first half started off very slow offensively for both teams as neither could get the ball to fall into the net. Both teams only scored four points for the first nine minutes of the game until Hood freshman guard Adrien Straughn had a strong drive and finish to give Hood an early advantage. Stevenson used a 12-4 run over a four-minute span to grab an 18-11 lead, which included three threes by Stevenson guard Joe Hindle. Hood recovered over the last five minutes of the half including a strong driving layup by Brenden Straughn and four points by Daniels to give the Blazers a 28-25 halftime lead.

Hood came out in the beginning of the second half on fire with a devouring two-handed slam by Rich off of a steal that sent BB&T Arena into a frenzy. The Mustangs though fought back and took a 43-42 lead off of a three-point shot made by guard Jason Scroggins. It was the last lead Stevenson would have as Daniels hit a layup on the next possession to give Hood the lead for good. Hood used a 17-4 run over the next five minutes to put the game out of reach. The run saw a lot of great plays in the open court by the Blazers including a ridiculous between-the-legs pass by Brenden Straughn on a fast break that resulted in a Hood layup. Hood was able to coast the remaining five minutes for its second straight conference victory for the first time this season.

Hood returns to action this Wednesday to take on the St. Mary's (Md.) Seahawks in a crucial conference matchup for both sides. The game is set for an 8 p.m. tip in St. Mary's City.