Box Score
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven women's basketball team snapped a three game losing streak on Thursday night with a 51-48 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference victory over 24th ranked Loyola University in Rugg Arena The Blazers turned in another solid defensive performance holding the Wolfpack 23 points below their season scoring average of 71. Belhaven's full court press kept the Loyola offense off balance for the majority of the contest.

Loyola (9-6, 3-2 GCAC) took the early advantage by jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the first four minutes of the contest. Molly Emig opened up the scoring with a three pointer and Rachel Nolan capped the 7-2 Wolfpack run with a layup off an assist from Emig. The next 10 minutes of the first half belonged to the Belhaven defense as they limited Loyola to just a pair of points. The offense responded with an 8-2 run on the strength of layups by Jira Williams, Jessica Barlow, and Kali Kenley. Kenley's bucket gave the Blazers their first lead of the night at 10-9 with 6:28 to go before intermission.

Belhaven (11-5, 2-3 GCAC) held the edge for the rest of the first half thanks in part to a pair of triples and a jumper by Stasha Thomas late in the period. Rachenia Powell capped off the first half scoring on a made free throw with 16 seconds left until the break. The Blazers kept the Wolfpack off the board in the final moments and carried a 25-20 lead into the locker room when the buzzer sounded.

With the momentum on their side, Belhaven didn't waste any time putting some distance between themselves and Loyola. The Blazers began the second half on a 6-0 run extending their lead to 31-20 with 17:28 to play in the game. A few minutes later, Belhaven enjoyed their biggest advantage of the night at 39-27 after Brittany Carr drained a 15 foot jumper with 11:50 left on the second half clock.

At that point, the Wolfpack began to mount their comeback and on the strength of their defense engineered a 19-4 to retake the lead at 46-43 with just under five minutes to go in the contest. The Blazers then picked themselves up off the mat and countered with the next two field goals to surge back ahead. Williams filled up back to back jump shots with the first coming off an assist from Barlow and the second following an Octavia Mullins steal.

Leading 47-46, the Blazers watched as Loyola's Rachel Nolan momentarily put the Wolfpack back in front at 48-47 on a layup with 2:16 to go in the second half. However, it was the final time Loyola would score in the game. A layup by Williams proved to be the game winner for Belhaven with 1:23 remaining and a pair of free throws by Courtney Ward gave Belhaven some insurance points. The Blazer defense held strong in the final seconds as Loyola had three pointers by Trenese Smith and Molly Emig fall short as the buzzer sounded giving Belhaven a much needed 51-48 win.

Williams and Thomas were the catalysts on offense for Belhaven leading the way with 12 points apiece. Williams connected on 6 of 12 shots from the field while Thomas drilled 5 of 7 shots from the floor including a pair of field goals from three point land. Barlow finished the night with 10 points and was second on the team in rebounding with seven. Mullins paced the Blazers on the boards with eight total rebounds including three on the offensive end of the floor. Williams had a team high four assist to go along with her 12 points.

As a team, Belhaven hit on 34.5 percent of their field goals, 18.2 percent of their three pointers, and made 56.3 percent of their attempts at the charity stripe. The Blazers forced 21 Loyola turnovers and only committed 17 miscues. The Wolfpack held a slight 42-38 edge on the boards Thursday night.

Smith was Loyola's leading scorer with 12 points and Keiva Council added 10 points on the night. Smith pulled down a game high 10 rebounds in route to a double double. The Wolfpack made 34 percent of their field goals, hit 23.5 percent of their three point shots, and converted 53.3 percent of their free throws.

Belhaven will hit the road for just the second time in conference play when they travel to Southern University at New Orleans on Saturday for another GCAC matchup. Saturday night's tipoff is slated for 5:00 PM.