FREDERICK, Md.--The Hood College women's basketball team (5-18, 3-13 Commonwealth) was unable to maintain its hot start and bowed to the visiting Elizabethtown College Blue Jays (12-10, 9-7 Commonwealth) in a Commonwealth Conference matchup Saturday at BB&T Arena.

The Blazers looked strong out of the gates and opened up an eight-point lead 6:10 into the contest. Rachel Wiley and Olivia Hosch both knocked down a pair of jumpers sandwiched around a Verkia Smith layup in transition to go up 10-2. Elizabethtown struggled from the field, making just one of its first seven shots. A Dyanna Prater layup pushed Hood's advantage to double figures at the 12:09 mark. The Blazers' hot streak began to slowly dissipate as Hood would go a stretch of 9:22 with only one field goal, allowing the Blue Jays grab the lead following a layup by Taylor Alwine. Hood's Briana Lee scored the Blazers' final five points of the period and the two squads went into the halftime break deadlocked at 24-24.

The Blue Jays began the second half on a 15-2 run in a span of six minutes which would prove to be the decisive spurt on the day and would carry the double-figure lead the rest of the way.

Emily Maerz came off the bench to net a team-high nine points, all on three-point field goals. Starters Prater, Wiley and Smith finished with eight points apiece. Wiley hauled in a team-high nine rebounds while Prater grabbed eight boards as Hood won the battle of the glass, 52-43. Smith and Rachel Kessler registered three steals each in defeat.

Guards Taylor Kreider and Kendra Beittel combined for 29 of Etown's 58 points.

Hood wraps up the regular season next week with a pair of conference games. The Blazers travel to Alvernia University Tuesday and host Lycoming College Saturday.