Seniors Shine as women’s basketball soars over Eastern
FREDERICK, Md. – Hood College Women’s basketball’s seniors showed out as they beat Eastern 76-49 in Saturday afternoon’s “Senior Day” game.
Inside the Box Score
Chanelle Lee (Brunswick, Md./Saint John’s Catholic Prep) ended the game with double-double; she had 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Tiffany Manning (Randallstown, Md./Western Tech) did it all as she finished the game with 12 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. She combined with Lee to lead Hood with three steals each.
Mari Faust (Burke, VA/Lake Braddock) scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds while shooting 60 percent from deep.
How it Happened
Hood jumped on Eastern early and never looked back. Lee scored Hood’s first seven points on her own. Then, Faust made back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to keep the Blazers’ attack going. Maya Gordon (Towson, Md./Loch Raven High School) entered the contest and made a three pointer of her own to keep the Eagles away. Eastern tried to fight back but Hood finished the quarter up 19-7 after Manning made a layup with just two seconds left.
Senior guard Tam Stanford (Baltimore, Md./Our Lady of Mount Carmel) stayed aggressive on offense and got Hood’s second quarter started with a three pointer. Sami Betley (Bel Air, Md./Mercy) entered the game and immediately made an impact. She was physical in the paint and it earned her two points on an easy layup, after a strong offensive rebound. Stanford followed-up Betley’s offense with another three pointer to make the most of her opportunity on “Senior Day.” Eastern earned multiple trips to the free-throw line where they tried to cut into the Blazers’ lead, but Hood’s offense stayed in rhythm. The Eagles trailed 46-22 at halftime.
Stanford started this quarter like she started the previous one, with another three pointer.The Eagles were able to turn a Hood turnover into points on the other end. Lee sunk a three pointer, early in the possession, that brought the crowd to their feet and put Eastern’s comeback hopes on hold. The Eagles did not have an answer for Hood’s offense. Manning and Gordon scored on consecutive possessions and pushed the Blazers’ lead to 51-37 as the final frame approached.
Jeriyah Johnson got to the free-throw line early where she did not miss all game. Kourtney Johnson (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch High School) went on a scoring run of her own to help the Blazers hold the Eagles off. Lee could not be stopped and secured her sixth game with 20 or more points by scoring on back-to-back possessions. On the second, Manning found her on the fastbreak where she finished through contact and converted the three-point play. A few possessions later, Manning put a move on her defender that dropped her to the ground before she stepped through traffic and made a tough layup. Hood shot the ball exceptionally well and won the rebound battle by a substantial margin to cruise to a 76-49 victory on “Senior Day.”
For the Opponent
Johnson led all scorers with 31 points.
Analysis
The Blazers dominated the rebound battle 54-27.
Hood shot an impressive 47.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range, compared to Eastern’s 29.1 and 17.4 percentages, respectively.
Notes
As part of the “Senior Day” festivities, Tiffany Manning (Randallstown, Md./Western Tech), Chanelle Lee (Brunswick, Md./Saint John’s Catholic Prep), Tam Stanford (Baltimore, Md./Our Lady of Mount Carmel), and Mari Faust (Burke, VA/Lake Braddock) were honored before the game.
Up Next
The Blazers look to make history with the most victories in 20 years, as they travel to Alvernia on Tuesday, February 18 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
