ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - Hood College's Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) scored with 1.7 seconds left in overtime to seal a come-from-behind win at Eastern in Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth play. 

Inside the Box Score

• Christopher Smalls (Washington, D.C./St. Andrew's Episcopal) scored 22 points to lead the Blazers, hitting 7-of-16 field goals. The graduate student knocked down five 3-pointers and matched Linton with a team-high seven rebounds. 
• Will Spencer (Davidsonville, Md./Boys' Latin School) added 13 points off the bench. 
• Linton had 11 points and five assists, in addition to his seven rebounds.
• Michael Wallace (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum School) dished out a game-high eight assists.

How it Happened

• After Eastern opened a 43-33 lead with 15:04 left in regulation, Hood went on a 14-4 run over the next three minutes. While Spencer and Jevon Yarbrough (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) scored five points apiece in the rally, it was a 3-point field goal by Linton that tied the game at 47-47 with 11:19 to go. 
• Two free throws by Smalls with 9:58 remaining gave the Blazers their first lead of the half 50-48. 
• The rest of the second half featured 12 ties and lead changes. Smalls sank a 3-point field goal at 7:13 for a 60-55 lead, the largest advantage for either side down the stretch. 
• Spencer hit a 3-pointer with 1:22 left for a 68-66 lead before a pair of Zubair Lee foul shots with 10.7 seconds on the clock sent the game to overtime. 
• In overtime, Smalls scored with 1:48 left for a 75-73 lead. Neither team scored again until Lee was fouled an hit two more from the charity stripe to tie the game. 
• After that Hood advanced the ball and Linton dribbled near midcourt until driving with six seconds left. The sophomore hesitated at the top of the key before finding a wide-open lane for the go-ahead basket with only 1.7 seconds left for the win. 
• In the first half, after Eastern scored the game's first points, the Blazers rattled off eight straight for a six-point edge less than three minutes into the game. The Eagles responded with a 16-5 run to make the score 18-13 midway through the half. 
• Eastern stayed in front for the rest of the half, taking a 38-30 lead into the break. 

Analysis

• Hood went 14-for-39 from behind the 3-point arc (36 percent), while the Eagles struggled to a 5-of-30 effort (17 percent). 
• The Blazers kept pace with the larger Eastern squad, as the Eagles held just a 40-39 advantage on the glass. 
• A dozen of Eastern's 18 turnovers resulted in steals by Hood and a 13-9 edge for the Blazers on the fastbreak. 

For the Opponent

• Kevin Reeves led Eastern with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting. 
• Kaeshawn Ward and Lee finished with 14 points apiece. 
• Jaron Fairweather grabbed nine rebounds, adding three steals and two blocks. 

Notes 

• The Blazers improved to 12-8 on the year and 6-5 in the MAC Commonwealth. The victory gave Hood sole possession of fourth place in the conference standings, a half-game behind Eastern and Widener. The Eagles and Pride are tied for second. 
• Eastern slipped to 13-6 and 6-4.

Up Next 
Hood, winners of three straight and five out of six, host Lebanon Valley on Feb. 3 at the Volpe Athletic Center.