DOVER, Del.--The Hood College women's basketball team (0-6, 0-2 CAC) came up just short in a Capital Athletic Conference road game versus Wesley College (1-4, 1-1 CAC) Saturday, falling 53-46 at Wentworth Gymnasium.
The two teams were engaged in a see-saw battle in the early going of the first half as the lead changed hands seven times in the first four minutes. A Rachel Wiley layup put the Blazers on top 14-11 at the 11:14 mark, but from there Wesley outscored Hood 18-3 over a span of more than nine minutes. Hood endured a stretch of 8:42 without a field goal and trailed 32-20 at halftime.
The Blazers regrouped at intermission and gradually chipped away at the double-figure deficit. Dyanna Prater converted a fast-break layup at the 6:02 mark to tie the score at 35-35. A free throw by Jessica Talley nearly two minutes later regained the lead for Hood, but the Wolverines scored on three of their next four possessions to leapfrog the Blazers once again, 43-40, with 2:42 remaining in regulation.
A triple by Wesley's Katie Kirk seemed to put the game out of reach with 1:14 to play (49-42), but Prater put the Blazers on her back once again, nailing a pair of foul shots and finishing a layup following a steal by Talley to make it a one-possession game with 33 seconds left (49-46).
After a Hood timeout, Wesley's Jazmine Miller put the hosts up five on a layup. A three-point attempt by Hood's Briana Lee wouldn't fall at the other end and the Wolverines grabbed the defensive rebound. Hood fouled the Wolverines twice within an eight-second span to put Wesley in a one-and-one situation. Haley Thomas missed the front end of her try, but Heather Fuller was there to clean the glass and got the putback to go with four seconds left for the final margin.
Prater finished with a team-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and picked off seven steals while Talley contributed nine points, four rebounds and two assists. Wiley tacked on six points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in the losing cause.
Hood was able to limit the Wolverines to just 27.5 percent shooting from the floor, but the Wolverines knocked down nine long-range buckets and picked up 23 offensive rebounds.
Hood continues its three-game road swing Monday at nonleague foe Goucher College. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.