YORK, Pa. - The Hood College men's basketball team closed the first half with a 31-10 run to erase a 20-point deficit and went on to win 80-72 at York (Pa.) in Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth play. 

Inside the Box Score

• Trumaine Strickland (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) came off the bench for 22 points. He hit 6-of-10 field goals and went 8-for-9 at the free throw line. 
• Christopher Smalls (Washington, D.C./St. Andrew's Episcopal) finished with 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds. 
• Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) scored 13 points and added four assists and four steals to his evening. 

How it Happened

• Hood trailed 29-9 midway through the first half. The Blazers made just three field goals in the opening 10 minutes before a reversal of fortunes over the next 10 minutes. 
• Brian Barrett (Leesburg, Va./Riverside) hit a 3-pointer to kick off the run with 9:56 remaining in the half. Linton and Smalls combined for 16 points in the run but it was a 3-pointer by Stickland in the final minute that sent Hood into halftime with a 40-39 lead. 
• In the second half, there were 15 lead changes or ties in the first 13 minutes as neither team led by more than three until a 9-0 run by the Blazers gave Hood a 63-57 lead on a bucket by Michael Wallace (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum School) with 6:47 left. 
• A Johnny Kennevan 3-pointer with 2:17 on the clock cut the Blazers' lead to 69-66 before a jumper from Strickland and a 3-pointer from Jack Fricka (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) gave Hood its biggest lead to that point, 74-66, just 20 seconds later. 

Analysis

• After a slow 3-for-14 start shooting, Hood made more than half its shots over the final 30 minutes and finished the game at 45 percent. The Spartans hit just 39 percent of their field goals. 
• The Blazers committed only nine turnovers in the contest. While York turned it over only 13 times, Hood still managed to hold a 19-9 edge in points off turnovers. 
• Points in the paint also went in favor of the Blazers, 42-28. 

For the Opponent

• Kai Cipalla went 9-for-14 from the field on his way to 25 points. 
• Hood's defense managed to slow down the rest of the Spartan offense, limiting the rest of the team to 14-for-45 from the field. 
• Cipalla and Jayden Rowe had seven boards apiece, while Jackson Mascari finished with six assists. 

Notes

• Hood improved to 15-9 overall and 9-6 in the MAC Commonwealth, tied with Eastern for third in the conference standings.
• York slipped to 13-11 and 7-8.

Up Next
The Blazers close out the regular season when Alvernia visits for Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m.