Box Score
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven men's basketball team dominated the glass and tossed in 18 second chance points to get by Southern University of New Orleans Thursday night 60-57. The Blazers are now 16-10 overall and climb back above .500 in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play at 8-7. The Knights drop to 2-22 and are now 2-13 in the GCAC.
Belhaven outrebounded SUNO 49-34 and more importantly grabbed 19 offensive rebounds to set up some second chance baskets. That may have been one of the deciding factors in Thursday night's outcome. The Blazers did not shoot well in the first half heading into the locker room trailing 31-28. Belhaven knocked down only 31.4 percent of their field goals but had 11 offensive boards to help make up for some of the missed shots.
In the second half, Belhaven improved their shooting and made some key free throws down the stretch to help lock up the victory. The Blazers made 44 percent of their second half shots from the field and the defense was solid once again keeping the Knight offense off balance by limiting them to 33 .3 percent shooting in the second half of play. Belhaven also attempted 16 shots at the free throw converting on 10 of them.
Individually, the Blazers were led in scoring by
Korey Whiting with 15 points. Whiting has been consistent on the offensive end all season long by averaging 13.5 points per game. He also contributed three blocked shots and came away with two steals to help anchor the defense.
Iman Walcott and
Nathaniel Roche' both recorded double doubles in the win over the Knights. Roche' ripped off 15 rebounds and Walcott wasn't too far behind at 13 boards in the game. For Walcott, it was his second double double of the season and for Roche' it was his fourth double double in 2008-2009.
As a team, Belhaven finished the night with a 36.7 shooting percentage from the field and a 66.7 conversion rate at the free throw line. The Blazers had 8 steals and 13 assist in Thursday's game against SUNO.
The Knights had two players reach double figures in scoring led by Lionel Green who had a game high of 26 points. Brent LeDuff finished the contest with 19 points. Billy Wilson was SUNO's leader in rebounding with 9 boards against the Blazers. Belhaven's defense held the Knights to 35.1 percent shooting from the field and SUNO did not help themselves at the free throw line by making only 10 of their 22 shots at the charity stripe.
The win was the Blazers third in a row and with Spring Hill losing at home against Tougaloo on Thursday, Belhaven is now tied for fourth place in the GCAC standings with the Badgers. Belhaven's next opponent is Loyola who holds a one game lead over the Blazers for third place in the standings. Belhaven won the first meeting of the year with the Wolfpack 76-73 on January 24
th. The tip-off between the Blazers and Wolfpack is slated for 7 PM on Saturday for Belhaven Senior night.
