FREDERICK, Md. - The Hood College men's basketball team used a 20-5 run early in the second half to take control of the game against Alvernia as the Blazers won 80-68 in Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth play. 

Inside the Box Score

• Trumaine Strickland (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) scored 15 points in just 18 minutes to lead Hood, hitting 5-of-10 from the floor. 
• Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. 
• Brian Barrett (Leesburg, Va./Riverside) and Michael Wallace (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum School) scored 11 points apiece. For Barret, it marked a career high as the senior hit 4-of-8 with three 3-pointers. Wallace matched Linton with eight boards. 
• Will Spencer (Davidsonville, Md./Boys' Latin School) grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench.

How it Happened

• Malik Green tied the game at 39-39 with a jumper just over two minutes into the second half. Wallace hit a 3-pointer for the lead at 17:37 and seven other Blazers scored during a game-changing run that made it 59-44 with 10:25 left. Hood limited the Golden Wolves to just 2-for-15 during that stretch. 
• An 11-3 run by Alvernia followed, cutting Hood's lead to 62-55 after a driving layup by Jakob Kelly with 7:25 to go. 
• A bucket by Strickland and two free throws by Christopher Smalls (Washington, D.C./St. Andrew's Episcopal) over the next 90 seconds pushed the lead back to double digits. Hood never allowed the Golden Wolves within eight the rest of the way, stretching the lead to as many as 13 down the stretch. 
• The first half was a seesaw of 14 lead changes and ties. The final of those 14 came on a 3-pointer by Barrett with 5:31 remaining that gave Hood a 26-25 lead. Strickland scored seven points in the rest of the period as the Blazers outscored Alvernia 13-7 to take a 36-32 lead into the break. 

Analysis

• Alvernia shot just 32 percent in the game, including just 14-of-47 from inside the 3-point arc. The Golden Wolves hit 10-of-27 from 3-point range (37 percent). 
• Hood shot 38 percent in the victory and hit eight 3-pointers. 
• The Blazers went 23-for-31 from (74 percent), while Alvernia was just 10-for-19 (53 percent). 
• Hood held a 58-41 rebounding edge. 
• The Golden Wolves committed just nine turnovers in the contest, but the Blazers turned them into 21 points. 

For the Opponent

• Green had 26 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Wolves. 
• Robert Mullan scored 11 points. 

Notes

• Hood improved to 16-9 overall and 10-6 in the conference. The win locked up the third seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Championships. 
• Despite the loss, Alvernia clinched the top seed in the tournament with a record of 18-7 and 12-4. 
• Before the game, Hood honored seniors Brian Barrett (Leesburg, Va./Riverside), Ryan Hollwedel (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial), Will Pataki (Stafford, Va./Mountain View), Ian Pugh (Woodstock, Va./Virginia Academy), Michael Wallace (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum School), Andrew Warehime (Mount Airy, Md./South Carroll) and Jared Young (York, Pa./Episcopal (Va.)) for their contributions to the program. 

Up Next
The Blazers head to second-seeded Widener on Wednesday, Feb. 22 for the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals.