Shoremen Down Blazers, 90-81, in Opener

TOWSON, MD - Senior guard Kyle Stem (Lincoln University, PA/Salesianum,
DE) scored 29 points and senior forward Jonathan Webb (Milford,
DE/Milford) poured in 27 as the Washington College men's basketball team
rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat Hood, 90-81, in
the season opener for both teams at the Pride of Maryland Tournament this
evening at Goucher College.

Hood held a 39-35 halftime lead and increased its advantage to as many as
10 points when Darnell Edmonds scored on a lay-up to make it 61-51 with
11:10 remaining in the second half.

Washington chipped away at the lead, but the Blazers still clung to a
73-68 margin with 5:03 left. The Shoremen then went on an 11-2 run to take
the lead for good. Senior forward Scott Polyniak (Lake Shore, MD/Mount St.
Joseph) tied the game with a lay-up at 3:17, knotting the score at 75-75.
Stem then put the Shoremen ahead with a pair of technical free throws 19
seconds later. A lay-up by Webb with 2:46 to go made it 79-75.

The Blazers stayed close, twice cutting the lead back to two points before
Stem drilled a three-pointer with 2:07 left to make it 82-77. Santo
Provenzano answered on the other end for Hood with a lay-up with 1:58
remaining that trimmed the lead to 82-79.

Washington scored the next eight points to put the game away. A lay-up by
junior forward Joey Breslin (Hagerstown, MD/St. Maria Goretti) with 1:40
left that pushed the lead to 84-79 and a Hood turnover on the next
possession with 1:14 to go gave the Shoremen control of the contest.

Stem's 29 points came on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 13-of-16
shooting at the line. Webb shot 7-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-3
from beyond the three-point arc, and made 11 of his 17 free-throw attempts
en route to his 27 points. Webb also brought down a team-best nine
rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists in the contest. Breslin
added 11 points for Washington, while Polyniak came up big off the bench,
finishing with a career-high nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field
and 3-of-5 shooting at the line, and a career-high six rebounds.

Provenzano led all players with 33 points and 10 boards. He shot 13-for-18
from the floor and 7-of-11 from the charity stripe. Tim Abercrombie added
15 points for the Blazers, while Edmonds added 10 points and a game-high
five assists.

The Shoremen shot 51% from the field and 64% in the second half, while the
Blazers shot 49% in the game and 61% in the second half. Washington
attempted a Goucher Sports & Recreation Center record 52 free throws,
making 34 of them.

The Shoremen will play either Goucher or Villa Julie in the second round
of the Pride of Maryland Tournament tomorrow at Villa Julie in Stevenson,
MD. Tip time is 6:00.