FREDERICK, Md. – After a hot start, Hood College women's basketball falls 59-44 to Messiah in Saturday afternoon's conference home-opener.

Inside the Box Score
 
Chanelle Lee (Brunswick, Md./Saint John's Catholic Prep) scored 17 points and led the Blazers with two steals.
 
Kourtney Johnson (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch High School) finished with seven points and five rebounds.
   
How it Happened
 
Hood started the game protecting possessions well and getting high percentage looks on the offensive end. Lee and Maya Gordon (Towson, Md./Loch Raven High School) got the Blazers going as both teams traded baskets. Serenity Ritchie (Martinsburg, W.V./Martinsburg High School) checked in and made an immediate impact. Ritchie blocked a shot that Mari Faust (Burke, VA/Lake Braddock) took the other way and found Johnson for an easy layup. Hood held a 12-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
The action in the second quarter was back-and-forth like in the first. Aliyah Taylor (Randallstown, Md./Pikesville High School) opened it up for the Blazers making consecutive shots. Lee answered the Falcons' response when she scored five straight points to give Hood a narrow lead. Defense led to offense when Faust raced down the floor, following a stop, and converted an easy layup that gave Gordon an assist. Johnson continued to make her presence felt down low and closed out the half with a tough finish in the crowded paint. The Blazers carried a 27-23 lead into halftime.
 
Johnson scored on the Blazers first play of the half to give them their largest lead, six points. The Falcons adjusted and made it hard for the Blazers to score through the remainder of the quarter. On offense Messiah was able to get points on the majority of their possessions. The Falcons fought back to take a 42-32 lead by the end of the third quarter.

Turnovers made it nearly impossible for Hood to get anything going on offense; their first basket of the quarter came at about the halfway point. On a rough afternoon for the Blazers, Lee shined through and scored ten of the team's 12 points in the final frame. In the end, Messiah continued to generate points at the end of long possessions and won 59-44.
 
For the Opponent
 
Chloe Milanesi led all scorers with 21 points.
 
Liv Monturo led all players with seven rebounds.
 
Analysis
 
Hood had 23 turnovers and Messiah had 11.
 
The Falcons had 16 assists while the Blazers had eight.
 
Up Next
 
The Blazers look to bounce back against Albright on Wednesday, January 15 with a 7 p.m. tip-off.