FREDERICK, Md.—The Hood College women's basketball team (6-14, 2-10 CAC) defeated Frostburg State University (5-16, 3-9 CAC) 60-59 in an intense battle that was not decided until the final seconds. Junior guard Heather Boyce was in the right place at the right time and recovered what seemed like a lost play to score the game winning layup and give Hood an emotional victory on a day when Hood was honoring cancer survivors.
In a match that saw 11 ties and eight lead changes the game was not decided until the final possession. Down a point with 12 seconds left, Hood junior guard Emily Maerz launched a three that would have given Hood a two-point lead but was well short of the mark. No matter, Boyce just happened to be sitting under the basket to grab the offensive rebound and lay in the game winning shot with eight seconds remaining. After calling a timeout, Frostburg was unable to attempt a shot in the closing seconds that gave Hood a great team victory.
Junior guard Dyanna Prater led the Blazers in scoring with 17 points. Prater also had three rebounds while having a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio with six assists to just three turnovers. Freshman forward Rachel Wiley also made her presence felt with 12 points and ten rebounds to get her team-leading sixth double-double on the season. Freshman Briana Lee also chipped in with ten points.
Frostburg had three players score in double figures and they were led by guard Stephanie Straka, who had a game-high 18 points.
The first half saw back and forth action with the largest lead for either team being just four points. Wiley hit a layup at the 17:06 mark after receiving a nice pass from Prater to give the Blazers their first lead of the game. Frostburg countered quickly and established a four-point lead at 14-10 after a Meische Cox layup. Hood battled back and eventually regained the lead at halftime after Maerz hit a free throw and both teams remained scoreless for the last 2:31 of the half.
Lee came up with a big three to start the second half for the Blazers, who made five threes to Frostburg's one. The Blazers actually gained a six-point advantage after a made layup by Prater gave them a 47-41 lead with ten minutes remaining. The game saw numerous ties and lead changes in the final minutes as both teams would not relinquish any momentum to the other. Elaina Hummel scored Frostburg's last basket with 1:48 remaining giving the Bobcats a 59-57 lead. Prater got fouled on a drive to the basket with 49.0 seconds remaining and hit one-of-two to bring the Blazers within one. Frostburg turned the ball over on its next possession and that is when Boyce brought her magic and gave the Blazers their second conference victory of the season.
The Blazers return to action this Saturday when they take on the Stevenson Mustangs at 2 p.m. in a Capital Athletic Conference tilt.