Box Score
Marshall, TX-The Belhaven women's basketball team picked up win number five on the season upending the East Texas Baptist University Lady Tigers Friday night 74-51. The Lady Blazers are 5-1 out of the gate to begin the 2008-09 campaign. Friday night's game was the season opener for East Texas Baptist University.

 

Belhaven had another strong defensive showing holding the Lady Tigers to 37 percent shooting from the field while forcing 25 turnovers. The Lady Blazers did a great job of hanging on to the ball by committing a season low nine turnovers.

 

Belhaven scored the first two baskets of the game as Jaelyn Stringer dropped in two of her 22 points in the opening 20 seconds of play. Jira Williams got on the board 51 seconds into the game as she grabbed her own miss and knocked it on off the window to make 4-0 Belhaven. East Texas Baptist then scored 11 unanswered points and took the lead 11-4 at the 16:47 mark of the first half. The Lady Blazers fought back by scoring the next eight points to regain the lead 12-11 with 14:20 to go in the first half.

 

Over the next 12 minutes neither side could build a lead greater than five points during that stretch. With 5:20 to go in the opening period and the score tied at 22-22, Belhaven proceeded to go on a 12-2 run to close out the first half with a ten point lead 34-24. Jaelyn Stringer broke the tie hitting a jump shot off an assist by Courtney Ward.

 

Stringer and Williams each had 11 points to lead the Lady Blazer charge in the first half. The Lady Blazers hit just 33 percent of their shots but made up for the low shooting percentage by forcing 14 Lady Tiger turnovers. Belhaven also hit 11 of 12 free throws in the first half to help build the double digit lead. Karlee Wilson had a team high seven points for East Texas Baptist in the opening half. The Lady Tigers knocked down 42 percent of their field goals.

 

Belhaven has played well in the second half of games this year and Friday's contest was no different. The Lady Blazers began the second half reeling off another 12-2 run to open up a commanding 20 point lead with 14:42 to go in the game. The Lady Tigers eventually cut the lead to 14 points on a layup by Kaci Strother with 10:55 to go. Two minutes later Samantha Graham extended the Lady Blazer lead back to 17 points on a pair of free throws with 8:58 to go in the contest. East Texas Baptist then got back within nine points of the lead with just under five minutes to play on a free throw by Candy Vallo. Belhaven then exploded for a 20-6 run over the final minutes to secure the 74-51 victory.

 

The Lady Blazers had three players score in double figures led by Jaelyn Stringer with 22 points followed by Jira Williams with 17. Mallory Hammack also finished the contest with 13 points. Holly Dial along with Stringer and Williams each had five rebounds against the Lady Tigers. Williams also had five assists to go along with her 17 points and five boards. As a team, the Lady Blazers hit 40 percent of their field goals and 80 percent of their free throws. East Texas Baptist attempted just nine free throws on the night and hit five of them. The Lady Tigers leading scorer was Candy Vallo with 13 points.