Blazers Open Season With 68-54 Victory over F&M

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LANCASTER, Pa. - Hood College's Rachel Wiley (Frederick, Md. / Tuscarora) had her 12th career double-double to help lead the Blazers to a 68-54 victory over Franklin & Marshall in the opening round of the Terry Greene Tip-Off Classic.

Wiley tallied 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers, just one board shy of her career-high. The senior also blocked four shots. Rachel Kessler(Middletown, Md. / Middletown) added 11 points and seven boards. She tied Wiley for the team-high with three steals.

The Blazers got big contributions from the bench. Briana Lee (Frederick, Md. / Tuscarora) added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and Alexis Briscoe(Columbia, Md. / Long Reach) had a career-high 12. Briscoe was 4-of-8 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line, as Hood's reserves outscored their counterparts 32-16.

The Blazers made 19-of-26 free throws (73 percent) helping them clinch the season-opener win.

Hood limited F&M to just 27 percent shooting, the Blazers' best defensive effort since their upset of nationally ranked Lebanon Valley last season.

After the Diplomats started the first period with a five-point run, Kessler tied the two teams 5-5 at 16:32. Her scoring started a nine-point run along with Wiley's two layups and a free throw, for a 14-5 lead.

A steal and a layup by Arianna Delerme (Harrisburg, Pa. / Susquehanna Township) extended the Blazer lead to 18-7 with 10 minutes to go in the half.

With two minutes remaining, the Dipomats' Kara Bacile and Sarah Haddon each sank two free throws, pulling F&M within 26-19.

A layup by Jessy Burke (Monrovia, Md. / Linganore) and a jumper by Lee finished the Blazers' scoring in the first half, as Hood led 30-22 at the intermission.

Lee scored six straight points for Hood during a 13-6 second half run that gave the Blazers' their biggest lead of the night, 57-41 with 6:25 to play.

This was the first time four Blazers had double digit points since the a victory over Alvernia in January last season.

Erica Brown and Leslie Bacile led F&M with 12 points each. Brown added 13 rebounds.

Hood takes on Marywood in the championship game of the Terry Greene Tip-Off Classic on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.