Box Score
Jackson, MS-It wasn't pretty at times, but the Belhaven men's basketball team got past Blue Mountain College 96-89 in their opening game of the 2009 Coaches versus Cancer Classic in Rugg Arena Friday night. Both teams combined for 64 turnovers while committing 56 personal fouls. However, the Blazers persevered through the adversity to notch the victory.

Belhaven (9-1) took the early lead out the gate by posting the first six points of the contest. Nathaniel Roche' got the Blazers rolling on a layup after Bobby Grier found him open under the basket for an easy two points. Roche' and Josh Luckett each tallied field goals over the next couple of minutes and with 17:49 remaining in the first half Belhaven owned a 6-0 lead.

The next six minutes of the half was a stretch the Blazers would like to forget as Blue Mountain (0-14) engineered a 22-3 run and seize what would prove to be their biggest lead of the night at 22-9 with 11:34 left in the opening period. However, Belhaven countered with a 13-3 run of their own to get right back into the game and trailed by just three points at 25-22 with 7:47 to play before halftime. The Toppers went back up by eight points at 34-26 on a three pointer by Ryan Howell, but the Blazers were able to slice the deficit down to one point at 45-44 on a free throw by Woodie Howard with 34 seconds to go before intermission.

Trailing Blue Mountain 45-44 at the beginning of the second half, the Blazers quickly jumped back on top 46-45 just 30 seconds into the final frame on a dunk by Roche'. It was the first time Belhaven led since an 8-7 advantage at the 14:48 mark of the first half. From that point on, Belhaven did not trail again the rest of the night. The Blazers pushed the lead to seven at 68-61 with 11:41 left and then nine minutes later Belhaven grabbed their biggest lead of the game at 93-80 following a layup by Howard. The Toppers trimmed their deficit back to seven at 96-89, but only nine seconds remained on the clock and it was too little too late at that point. Belhaven proceeded to run out the clock and secure the win.

The Blazers had four players score in double figures led by Nathaniel Roche' and A.J. Taylor with 19 points apiece. Taylor's 19 points were a season high while Roche's 10 rebounds to go along with his 19 points gave him his third double double so far this season. Howard had a solid effort for the Blazers adding 16 points and nine boards followed by Josh Luckett with 12 points in just his second game of the year. Bobby Grier had a game high seven assists and as a team Belhaven dished out 31 assists in the contest.

Belhaven was lights out from the field making 56.5 percent of their field goals against Blue Mountain. The Blazers scored 62 points in the paint and were able to work the ball inside consistently against the Toppers defense. The superior shooting percentage helped to counteract 34 turnovers and a 49-45 disadvantage in the rebounding category. The Blazers went 2 of 10 from behind the arc and converted 64 percent of their opportunities from the charity stripe.
Blue Mountain also had four players score at least 11 points or more led by Lakendrick McCullum with 19 points and a game high 11 rebounds. Josh McCalmon followed with 18 points, Renell Collins tossed in 15 points, and Brad Pressley chipped in 11 points. The Toppers committed 30 turnovers, made only 35.8 percent of their field goals, 24 percent of their three pointers, and went 25-45 from the free throw line. Blue Mountain's struggles shooting the basketball proved to be the difference in the game.

Belhaven will return to action Saturday against Trevecca Nazarene University in their second game of the Coaches versus Cancer Classic beginning at 7:00 PM. Trevecca Nazarene lost to Tougaloo on Friday 92-83. Saturday's other men's game will feature Tougaloo and Blue Mountain at 3:00 PM.