FREDERICK, Md. - The Hood College men's basketball team shot 68 percent in the second half in a resounding 102-67 win over Stevenson at the Ronald J. Volpe Athletic Center in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth opener for both teams. 

Inside the Box Score

• Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) led five Blazers in double figures with 18 points. The sophomore was all over the court, adding nine rebounds, eight assists, a steal and two blocks to his night. He hit 7-of-9 from the field, including 2-for-3 from 3-point distance.
• Soren Almquist (Oakton, Va./James Madison) came off the bench for a career-high 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting with three 3-pointers in only 16 minutes of action off the bench. 
• Trumaine Strickland (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) scored 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting. 
• Christopher Smalls (Washington, D.C./St. Andrew's Episcopal) and Jack Fricka (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) recorded 14 points apiece. Fricka went 6-of-7 from the field on his way to a career-high, while Smalls was 4-for-6 with three 3-point field goals. 

How it Happened

• Hood's lead had grown to as many as 22 points in the second half, but the Mustangs pulled within 15 on a 3-pointer by McKale Williams that made it 73-58 with 10:23 to go. 
• Strickland made a layup on Hood's next possession to spark a 29-9 run over the final 10:07. The Blazers shot 13-for-16 during the run (68 percent), while Stevenson hit only 19 percent down the stretch (3-of-16). Seven different players scored in the spree, including seven points by Linton. 
• In the first half, a quick 3-pointer by Smalls and a Fricka layup forced Stevenson into a timeout barely a minute into the action. 
• Back-to-back 3-pointers by Williams gave the Mustangs a 6-5 lead but a bucket by Linton made it 7-6 with 17:37 remaining and Hood never trailed again. 
• After two free throws by Willams pulled Stevenson within 35-28 with 3:56 left in the half, Hood went on an 8-2 spurt, fueled by five points from Linton, to make it 43-30 with 1:54 remaining. 
• Hood took a 47-36 lead into the break and slowly pulled away over the opening minutes of the second half. 
• Strickland knocked down a 3-point shot to make it 73-51 with 11:51 left, Hood's biggest lead to that point. Over the next 1:20, a 3-pointer and free throw by Cameron Sapienza and a Williams 3-point shot cut the Blazers' lead to 15 setting the stage for Hood's back-breaking run. 

Analysis

• Hood shot 58 percent in the contest, its highest mark since 2012 against Marymount (Va.). 
• The Blazers went 13-of-28 from 3-point range (46 percent), including 7-for-12 in the second half. 
• Stevenson struggled from the field on the evening, hitting only 34 percent overall and 8-of-25 on 3-pointers. 
• Hood outrebounded Stevenson 38-25. 
• Despite committing just two less turnovers than the Mustangs, the Blazers held a 19-7 advantage in fastbreak points. 
• The Hood bench outscored its counterparts 31-13. 

Notes

• Hood's 102 points were the most for the Blazers since scoring 110 in the last meeting between the two teams on January 26. 
• Joshua Stevens (Woodsboro, Md./Walkersville) scored his first collegiate points for Hood in the game. 
• The Blazers improved to 4-3 on the year, while Stevenson dropped to 5-2. 

Up Next
Hood heads to Albright for a MAC Commonwealth contest on December 3 at 1 p.m.