CHESTERTOWN, Md.—The Hood College men's basketball team (5-4) defeated Washington College (0-8) to give the team its second true road win of the season. It was a tale of two halves and the Blazers used a 50 point explosion in the second half to put away the Shoremen of Washington College.

Coming off three straight losses, the Blazers were desperate to get back to their winning ways. Junior guard Cameron Cook had his shooting prowess on full display for the Washington faithful, scoring 20 points, including 5-7 from three. 18 of Cook's 20 points came in the second half and the team seemed to ride his shooting momentum to victory. Senior forward Justin Stone also had a very strong game scoring 18 points on 7-10 shooting. Junior forward Jeremy Veres was also in double-figures with 14 points, while also tying for a team high with seven rebounds.

The game was not always looking bright for Hood with the team struggling in the first half. The Shoremen of Washington started the game on an 11-4 run, including a dunk by Stephen Poarch that got the fans out of their seats. Poarch had a team-high 19 points for Washington and was helping the Shoremen to a strong first half. The Blazers were hurting themselves more than anything, as 15 first half turnovers is something no team can overcome.

Hood trailed by eight points going into the half and needed to find a way to overcome the deficit. Boy did they ever.

Hood immediately erased the lead that Washington College had built in the first half with a 23-2 run that turned a ten-point deficit into an 11-point lead. Freshman Matt Galloway scored eight straight points in the run and his three point shot gave the Blazers their first lead of the game at the 14:42 mark of the second half. Hood really began to utilize its big men as the half went on and the Shoremen wore down as the game moved along. The Blazers front court duo of Stone, Veres, and sophomore Reggie Daniels combined to go 15-22 for 68 percent shooting in the game. Whenever your front court can give you that kind of production you are going to be successful.

The success of the front court then opened up shooting lanes for Cook, as he drilled five second-half threes. As a team the Blazers shot an astounding 64 percent in the second half missing just nine shots on 25 attempts. For the game, Hood shot 53 percent as a team with Washington shooting just 42 percent. Hood also dominated on the boards doubling up the Shoremen with a 40-20 advantage. The Blazers iced the game late with some good free throw shooting and were able to get back on the winning track.

The Blazers will take a deserved break over the winter holiday and will return to action on December 29 when they will take part in the first ever Rotary Tournament at BB&T Arena. Hood will be hosting the tournament of four teams, which includes Mt. Aloysius, St. Vincent, and Penn State Harrisburg. The tournament begins on December 29 with St. Vincent taking on Penn State Harrisburg at 6 p.m. and the Blazers taking on Mt. Aloysius in the second game at 8 p.m.