FREDERICK, Md.--The Hood College men's basketball team (14-10, 6-9 CAC) remained in the hunt for a Capital Athletic Conference playoff berth with a 74-55 victory over the Marymount University Saints (5-18, 1-13 CAC) Saturday afternoon in its regular season home finale at BB&T Arena.

Hood leapfrogged Salisbury University for sixth place in the standings after the Sea Gulls bowed to Frostburg State University, 77-74 in overtime, earlier today. The Blazers hold a slim half-game lead over Salisbury, the team Hood faces in its final regular season contest Wednesday on the road. A Hood win would give the Blazers a season sweep over the Sea Gulls and assure Hood a spot in the CAC playoffs. The two squads have not met since the CAC opener back on Nov. 30; in that matchup, Hood took down the then-nationally ranked Sea Gulls, 67-55.

Leading the way for the Blazers was Lavar Rich who was one of three seniors to be recognized prior to the contest. Rich finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, his fourth 20-plus point effort of the season. Justin Stone notched his sixth career double-double with 12 points and 11 boards while Cameron Cook tallied 15 points, including a pair of threes. Hood's two other seniors played a significant role as well. Brenden Straughn dished a team-high six assists and grabbed three rebounds while Ramon Smith chipped in nine points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists.

After the Saints jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead to start the game, Hood responded with a 15-0 run over a span of nearly four minutes and never trailed again. Rich closed the half with three straight buckets to give the Blazers a 42-24 lead at intermission.

The Saints were unable to close the gap to fewer than 14 in the second half as the Blazers won going away despite shooting only 38.5 percent from the floor (25-of-65) and 2-of-10 from behind the arc. Hood was able to cash in from the foul line, netting 22 points from the charity stripe. The Blazers also outrebounded the Saints 52-32, including 19-5 on the offensive glass.

The Blazers will attempt to make their final season in the CAC a memorable one when they travel to Salisbury Wednesday for that pivotal clash with the Sea Gulls at 8 p.m.