Box Score
Jackson, MS- The Belhaven women's basketball team came up short Friday night against 21st ranked Shorter University in Rugg Arena by the final score of 61-54. The Blazers couldn't get it going on the offensive end and weren't able to fully take advantage of 28 Shorter turnovers. 

Belhaven (7-4) was led on offensive by Portia Tucker who made her season debut with 13 points and had a team high eight rebounds. Regena Jackson, who also made her season debut Friday night, followed Tucker with 12 points and a team high three assists. Kiara Johnson added 10 points and eight steals to the mix while Jessica Barlow chipped in nine points on the night. 

The contest was a battle all night for the Blazers especially since the Blazers were struggling on the offensive end of the floor. Belhaven shot 32.8% for the game and 47.6% from the charity stripe. For the first time this season, the Blazers weren't able to convert on any three pointers going 0-15.
Shorter University (10-2) was led in scoring by Allison Danner with 15 points. Shelby Farrer scored 11 points for the Eagles followed by Kelly Ellison who dropped in 10 points and a team high five assists. Megan Queen snatched a team high ten rebounds. The Eagles shot a whopping 81.8% from the free throw line going 18-22 on the night. 

The game went back and forth from the tip off. The Eagles went on a on a 6-2 run with just under three minutes left in the first half to take a six point lead into halftime of 31-25. The Blazers were in an uphill battle from that point on as Shorter's Kelly Ellison hit a three at the 17:35 mark of the second half giving the Eagles a seven point lead. Allison Danner then hit a three at the 9:03 mark to give the Eagles a ten point lead. Jessica Barlow countered with a layup for the Blazers to cut the lead to five at 50-45. With 4:41 on the clock, Regena Jackson hit a jumper to cut the Eagles lead to three. However, Ashley Harris then converted back to back free throws with 21 seconds left on the clock to seal the win 61-54. 

The Blazers were able to force the Eagles into 28 turnovers and came up with eighteen steals. Kiara Johnson had eight of the 18 steals while Jessica Barlow and Portia Tucker came up with three a piece. The Eagles managed to out rebound the Blazers 51-32 and to out shoot the Belhaven from the charity stripe 81% to 47% essentially being the key factors in the win. 

The loss brings the Belhaven's record to 7-4 on the season. The Blazers will be back in action after the Christmas break on December 30-31 for the Belhaven Classic. The Blazers will take on Lyon College on the 30th in Rugg Arena. The tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.