Piper Wright and Aaron Heller //
Hood College men’s basketball won its first NCAA tournament game Friday, beating Vassar College 84-71 to advance to the round of 32.
Hood struggled in the first half, but with the help of junior guard Karron Mallory, who sank a 3-pointer seconds before halftime, giving the Blazers a boost and a four-point lead.
The Blazers opened up the second half hot, with a 12-0 run, over the Brewers.
Hood never lost the lead and continued to pull away, sending the Brewers back to New York.
Mallory led the Blazers with 25 points, shooting 75% from the field. Junior guard Kullen Robinson scored 20, shooting 67%. Jevon Yarbrough posted a double double with 19 points and 12 assists. Graduate student Garrett Cox had a season high of 14 rebounds.
The Blazers will take on the Bulldogs of the University of Redlands in Woodsboro Bank Arena at 5:35 p.m. on Saturday.
This game between ninth-ranked Redlands and 16th-ranked Hood will be an offensive battle. Hood is ranked fourth in the nation on offense, and Redlands is ranked fifth.
“They’re solid, they’re physical, so as long as we handle their pressure, I think we can really give them problems,” Mallory said. “We’ve got to play a good game.”
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