Men’s basketball falters in second half at Catholic

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a strong first half, the Hood College men’s basketball team could not carry the momentum into the second half as Catholic defended its home court in the final of the Battle of D.C. & Maryland 83-71. 

Inside the Box Score

• Ryan Hollwedel (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) scored a career-high 19 points in just 21 minutes. The senior hit 7-for-11 overall, including a 5-for-8 afternoon from 3-point range. 
• Trumaine Strickland (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) recorded 18 points, hitting 6-for-12 from the field. 
• Christopher Smalls (Washington, D.C./St. Andrew’s Episcopal) was the third Blazer to reach double figures with 10 points. 
• Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) had team highs with eight rebounds and five assists. 

How it Happened

• Hood came out firing on all cylinders in the first half. The Blazers shot 54 percent from the field, including 6-of-10 on 3-point attempts. 
• With the score tied at 19-19 with 11:39 left in the half, a Strickland layup kicked off a 20-8 run over the next eight minutes. Strickland and Hollwedel combined for 14 points in the stretch, resulting in a 39-27 lead after a floater from Strickland with under four minutes on the clock. 
• Hood took a 43-36 led into halftime before Catholic heated up in the second half. The Cardinals went on an 18-8 run early in the second half, going up 54-51 with 13:15 remaining in the game on a layup by Ethan Hinds. 
• Hollwedel drove for a layup with 10:43 to go to reclaim the lead for Hood 60-59, but a Jack Kouba 3-pointer at the other end swung the score back in favor of Catholic. 
• Hood pulled within 66-65 on a 3-point shot by Jevon Yarbrough (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) at 7:38 but Tommy Kelly scored nine points during a 17-6 run by Catholic to close the game. 

Analysis

• The Blazers shot 45 percent in the game, while Catholic checked in at 43 percent.
• Hood went 9-for-24 from 3-point distance (38 percent). Catholic finished 16-of-46 (35 percent). 
• The Blazers committed just 10 turnovers in the contest, while the Cardinals were even better with only eight. Hood turned virtually every Catholic turnover into points, claiming a 13-7 edge in points off turnovers. 

For the Opponent

• Jesse Hafemeister hit 6-of-12 field goals, with four 3-pointers, to lead Catholic with 20 points. He had a…