Alvernia Outlasts Hood in OT, 79-75

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READING, Pa.--The Hood College women's basketball team (5-19, 3-14 Commonwealth) fought back from a 10-point second-half deficit and placed five players in double figures but the Blazers were unable to complete the comeback as the Alvernia University Crusaders (9-15, 6-11 Commonwealth) came away with a 79-75 Commonwealth Conference victory in overtime Tuesday evening.

Senior Emily Maerz came off the bench to pace the Blazers with 17 points and matched her season-high with five threes. Dyanna Prater finished with 12 points, five assists, three steals and three boards. She enters the final game of her Hood career just four assists away from tying the all-time school record (Melissa Kelly - 331). Rachel Kessler logged a career-high 41 minutes and tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals while Olivia Hosch and Verkia Smith netted 10 points apiece. Smith also dished a career-high eight assists and played all but two minutes of the 45-minute overtime affair.

Alvernia set the tone early and opened up a 10-2 advantage just 5:22 into the game. The Crusaders did not relinquish their lead the rest of the half and led 34-27 at the half.

Hood quickly cut it to two on consecutive buckets by Prater and Kessler 2:46 into the second stanza but was unable to draw even. Later in the half, the Crusaders regained a double-figure advantage following a triple by Cheslea Ebersole to make it 53-43 with 11:19 to go in the period. Brittany Young hit a jumper in the lane at the 6:05 mark to keep the lead at 10, but from there the Blazers began to claw their way back into it.

Alvernia connected on just one field goal for the next six minutes. Meanwhile, Maerz began to heat up from downtown and buried three trifectas in a span of 2:43, the last of which gave Hood its first lead of the game, 68-66, at the 1:57 mark.

Both teams came up empty on their next two possessions but after Kayla Long missed a layup for Alvernia, Kessler came down with the carom and was fouled. She made the first but missed the second and the Blazers clung to a three-point lead with 13 seconds remaining.

On Alvernia's next trip, Kaitlyn Yoh found Ebersole on the perimeter and she drained her fourth three-pointer of the ballgame with just seven seconds remaining to tie it. A long-range try by Prater at the buzzer was off the mark and the Blazers found themselves playing an overtime session for the second time this season.

Free throws ended up being the difference in the OT as the Crusaders knocked down 6-of-8 from the stripe including 3-of-4 in the final 11 seconds. Prater converted a layup with four ticks left to pull Hood within 78-75, but Kesley Gill was fouled on the inbounds and knocked down the second of her two shots to ice the victory.

Hood as a team finished with season-highs in scoring (75 points), assists (17) and steals (18).

Long finished with game-highs of 22 points and 24 rebounds for Alvernia.

Hood wraps up the 2012-13 season Saturday hosting Lycoming College in a Commonwealth Conference contest at 1 p.m. at BB&T Arena. The Blazers will recognize seniors Heather Boyce, Emily Maerz and Dyanna Prater prior to the contest.