Box Score
Shreveport, LA-After trailing by as many as 21 points in the second half, the comeback bid by the Belhaven men's basketball team fell short on Saturday night in a loss at LSU-Shreveport 79-68. The Blazers were within just five points of the lead with 1:36 to play but couldn't stop the Pilot offense in the closing seconds. Belhaven has lost five of their last six games and find themselves with an overall record of 9-6 and 1-3 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. LSU-Shreveport, ranked 24^th in the latest NAIA Division I Top 25 Poll, is 11-5 overall and 4-0 in the GCAC.

 

The Blazers were able to build an early lead by scoring the first four points of the night on field goals by Phillip Holmes and Korey Whiting. The Blazers then trailed by one with 12:28 to go in the first half but quickly jumped back on top 15-14 on a basket by Holmes. It would prove to be the last lead the Blazers would enjoy the rest of the game. With 5:40 remaining in the opening half, Whiting converted a pair of free throws to get the Blazers back to with five points at 29-24. From there, LSU-Shreveport went on a 10-0 run to close out the half with a 15 point 40-25 advantage.

 

The Pilots came out in the second half and extended their lead to 21 thirty seconds into the period. Jared Stevenson and Chris Gatlin dialed up two three pointers for a quick six points coming out of the break to make the score 46-25. Belhaven methodically chipped away at the deficit and climbed to within 11 points at 60-49 with 6:36 to go on an old fashion three point play by Krayleon Winston. Over the next two and a half minutes, LSU-Shreveport expanded their advantage back to 15 points, 70-55 with 4:02 remaining on the clock.

 

The Blazers then made their final push by ripping off 10 straight points to close the gap to five points at 72-67 with 2:19 remaining in the contest. Tyrone Hamilton of LSU-Shreveport then made a pair of free throws to give the Pilots a 74-67 lead. Winston then dropped in a field for the Blazers with 1:36 left and Belhaven trailed once again by just five. The Pilots would then close out the game by hitting seven free throws and shutting down the Belhaven offense to lock up the 79-68 victory.

 

The Blazers had four players score in double figures led by Whiting with 21 points. Nathaniel Roche' tossed in 16 points followed by Holmes and Winston with 12 points each. Roche' recorded his first double double as a Blazer by hauling down a game high 11 rebounds. Whiting fell just shy of another double double with nine boards on the night.

 

As a team, Belhaven struggled offensively with a field goal percentage of just 37.5 percent. The Blazers were also 0-8 behind the three point line. Belhaven had a slight 38-35 edge in rebounding and the defense forced 18 turnovers while swiping 12 steals.

 

LSU-Shreveport also had four players score in double digits led by Chris Gatlin with 19 points. Tyrone Hamilton finished with 17 points followed by Jared Stevenson with 16 and Mike Pilgrim with 15. Pilgrim also had seven rebounds and five blocked shots in the game. The Pilots hit 48.6 percent of their shots from the field and were 37-51 at the free throw line for a 72.5 percent clip at the stripe.