FREDERICK, Md. - Hood College's Trumaine Strickland (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) had 25 points and 12 rebounds but visiting Eastern pulled away from the Blazers in the second half at the Volpe Athletic Center 79-65. 

Inside the Box Score

• Strickland went 8-of-16 shooting and was 8-of-10 at the free throw line. Both his 25 points and dozen boards set new career highs for the senior guard. 
• Christopher Smalls (Washington, D.C./St. Andrew's Episcopal) was the only other player in double figures for Hood, scoring 12 points on 6-for-12 shooting. 
• Jack Fricka (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) had eight rebounds and Ryan Hollwedel (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) recorded three steals. 

How it Happened

• Strickland scored eight points during a 15-3 run to close the first half, turning a 10-point deficit into a 35-33 Blazer lead at halftime. 
• The momentum did not carry over into the second half as the Eagles opened things up with a 13-4 run. Sam Gallardo scored seven points during the stretch, including two free throws that made it 46-39 with 15:34 to go. 
• Hood pulled within four twice, including on a basket by Fricka that pulled the Blazers within 50-46 with 12 minutes on the clock. Eastern immediately went on a 17-9 run, however, including a pair of 3-pointers by Nick Mate, to take a 67-55 advantage at 6:30. 

Analysis

• Neither team shot particularly well in the game. Eastern hit 39 percent of its field goals, compared to 36 percent for Hood. 
• The Eagles did go 10-for-27 (37 percent) from 3-point distance, while the Blazers were uncharacteristically cold at 4-of-23 (17 percent). 
• Hood committed 18 turnovers, two more than Eastern. 
• The Blazers held up well on the backboards against the larger Eagles' defense. Hood was outrebounded just 43-42 in the contest. 

For the Opponent

• Gallardo paced Eastern with 20 points. 
• Nate Mate added 13 off the bench in only 13 minutes, hitting four 3-pointers. 
• Zubair Lee grabbed 17 rebounds. 

Notes

• The game was a rematch of last season's Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Championship Game, won by Hood. 
• Eastern picked up its third straight regular season win over the Blazers. 
• Hood fell to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the league. The Eagles improved to 9-2 overall with a 2-0 mark in the MAC Commonwealth. 

Up Next
The Blazers hit the road to face Lebanon Valley College on Saturday, December 10 at 3 p.m.