LANCASTER, Pa. – Hood defeated Franklin & Marshall 68-54 in the Terry Greene Tip-Off Tournament and season opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon. The Diplomats fell to 0-1, while the Blazers moved to 1-0 and will take on Elizabethtown, who defeated Marywood 62-56, in tomorrow's Championship game.

F&M opened up the contest on a 5-0 run, as Emily Wetz began the scoring by swishing a three-pointer, while Sarah Haddon added a layup. But, Hood answered with an 18-2 run over eight minutes of action to go up 18-7 with 10:46 remaining in the first half.

The Blazers maintained the double-digit lead throughout most of the half, however with 18 seconds to go, Wetz made a layup and was fouled by Arianna Delerme. Wetz sank the free throw to bring the Diplomats to within eight at 30-22 going into the break.

Hood kept the advantage during the first part of the second half, but with 10:50 to go in the game, freshman Erica Brown and Leslie Bacile made back-to-back layups to bring F&M to within seven at 46-39 with 10:34 remaining.

However, the Blazers stingy defense did not allow the Diplomats to get any closer, as Hood went on to win by a score of 68-54.

Brown (6-of-9 shooting) and L. Bacile (5-of-9 shooting) paced the F&M offense with 12 points each, while Brown added 13 rebounds to notch a double-double in her first collegiate contest. Wetz finished with 11 points and Haddon chipped in eight.

The Blazers held the advantage in total rebounds at 50-44, while Hood shot 36.9 percent from the floor, compared to the Diplomats' 27.4 percent.

F&M returns to action tomorrow when the Diplomats take on Marywood in the consolation matchup of the Terry Greene Tip-Off Tournament at 5:30 p.m.