Box Score
Jackson, MS-For the second consecutive game, the outcome of a Belhaven men's basketball game boiled down to a last second shot. On Thursday night, it was LSU-Shreveport who had a chance to win the game at buzzer, but Brance Davenport's three pointer went half way down and popped out as the horn sounded giving the Blazers a 67-65 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference win over the 5th ranked Pilots. The victory puts Belhaven in a first place tie with Tougaloo at 3-0 at the top of the GCAC standings.

Belhaven (13-2, 3-0 GCAC) got the crowd into the game early with a 10-2 run to open up the contest. Nathaniel Roche' put the Blazers on the board with a layup 12 seconds into the game and a layup by Bailey capped the run with 16:05 left in the first half. Belhaven continued to apply pressure on the defensive side of the ball and would not allow LSU-Shreveport (13-2, 2-1 GCAC) to get into a rhythm. Thanks in part to their strong defensive effort, the Blazers found themselves ahead by 14 points at 23-9 with 8:50 to go in the first period.

Still leading by 14 at 30-16 with 6:07 on the first half clock, Belhaven saw their advantage cut to four points on a 10-0 run by the Pilots to close the opening period. Mark Jackson pulled down an offensive rebound and banked in the layup to give the Pilots some offensive momentum. Jared Stevenson's jumper then pulled LSUS to within four points of the Blazers with seven seconds to go in the first half. A long three point attempt by Rob Wallace fell short as the horn sounded and Belhaven took a 30-26 lead into the locker room at the break.

The Blazers went back up by nine points at 36-27 to begin the second half on a pair of Wallace triples and it appeared that Belhaven had once again seized the momentum. However, the Pilots fought back to get within one at 37-36 on a 9-1 run with 15:30 to go in the contest. LSUS then evened things up a few minutes later at 47-47 on a free throw by Derrick Parker with 7:26 to play. The Blazers took control of the game again momentarily on a 14-5 run that put them back on top by nine at 61-52 with only 2:29 remaining in the contest.

The Pilots did not go down without a fight as they chipped away at the deficit and all of a sudden trailed by only a point at 66-65 with four seconds on the clock following a three pointer by Stevenson. LSUS committed a quick foul and sent Bobby Grier to the free throw line with three seconds left. Grier missed his first attempt, but made the second to make it 67-65 as the Pilots got the ball back down by just two. LSUS quickly pushed the ball up the floor and Davenport had a great look at the basket. Fortunately for Belhaven, his last second three point attempt went in and out giving the Blazers the win.

Surprisingly, neither team could get into a consistent rhythm on the offensive side of the ball. Both teams were averaging around 90 points per game heading into Thursday's action. Belhaven had two players reach double figures in scoring led by Woodie Howard with 15 points. A.J. Taylor had 10 points and eight rebounds while Grier, Wallace, and Roche' finished the night with eight points each. Roche' also had eight rebounds and Grier ended the night with a game high eight assists.

As a team, the Blazers made 41.1 percent of their field goals, 23.5 percent of their three pointers, and 58.6 percent of their free throws. Belhaven won the overall battle of the boards 43-36 and forced 18 turnovers.

Derrick Parker had another big game as he was right around his season average with 18 points and 12 rebounds for LSU-Shreveport. Greg Shyne was the only other Pilot to land in double figures with 10 points. Stevenson paced the team in assists with five. The Pilots made 42.9 percent of their field goals and only 19 percent of their three point attempts. The big stat of the game was free throw shooting for LSUS. The Pilots went just 7 of 18 from the charity stripe and it proved to be the difference in the game.

Belhaven will try and keep things rolling on Saturday when they host the University of Mobile in another GCAC contest. The tipoff from Rugg Arena is slated for 7:00 PM.

A highlight video of the William Carey game that includes Bailey's game winning three point shot can be viewed by clicking here.