Box Score
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven men's basketball team snapped a three game losing streak on Friday afternoon with an 89-86 win over Rust College in the consolation game of the Millsaps College New Years Invitational tournament. Offense was the name of the game as Belhaven shot over 60 percent from the field while Rust bagged 50 percent of their field goal opportunities.

Belhaven (7-6) was once again led by guard Rob Wallace who had a game high 27 points and seven assists. Wallace had 29 points in Belhaven's loss to Mississippi College Thursday night and is now averaging 21.5 points per game this season. Wallace was named to the All-Tournament team for his performances in both of the games. Not to be outdone, Brittion Smith had a big game for the Blazers as well adding 22 points on a 10 of 12 shooting night from the field which was a season high. Smith along with three others led the Blazers on the boards with three rebounds each. Daryl Arnold and Nathaniel Roch'e both had three rebounds and nine points each while Chris Cofield ended the contest as the other Blazer to notch three rebounds.

As a team, Belhaven was 32 of 53 from the field for a 60.4 percent shooting night. The Blazers made 15.4 percent of their three point shots (2-13) and converted 71.9 percent of their free throws (23-32). Rust outrebounded Belhaven 31-23, but the Blazers forced 23 turnovers which they turned into 26 points. Belhaven had 19 turnovers and 13 assists.

Rust College (7-6) had four different players in double figures led by Markeith Wilson and Marcus Erves with 15 points each. Jahrell Holmes and James Roberson tossed in 10 points apiece for the Wildcats. Erves was active on the glass as well coming up with six rebounds for Rust which was a game high. Sergio Catron and William Montgomery both had four of Rust's 11 assists as a team. The Wildcats connected on 50 percent of their field goals (28-56), drilled 37.5 percent of their three point shots (6-16), and cashed in 72.7 percent of their free throw attempts (24-33).

The first half proved to be a back and forth battle that saw five lead changes and three ties in the opening 20 minutes of the game. Belhaven fell behind 2-0 on a basket by Justyce Clark, but went on a 10-1 run to open up a 10 point lead with 16:40 left in the first half. Smith got Belhaven on the board to begin the run and Mike Rivers capped it with a layup. The Wildcats fought back to grab the lead by two points at 14-12 with 13:18 remaining. However, it was short lived because just over a minute later Belhaven went back in front 16-14 on a pair of Detrick Johnson free throws with just over 12 minutes to go before the break. The Blazers held the lead for the rest of the half and went into the locker room with a 43-39 advantage.

Belhaven came out strong in the second half and built a 10 point lead at 49-39 a minute in to the action thanks to a triple by Smith. That would prove to set the tone for the rest of the night although Rust would climb back to within one point two more times in the final 20 minutes. The Wildcats put one final charge together with 45seconds left, but some late free throws from Arnold sealed the win for Belhaven.

Belhaven will be back in action on Monday when they travel to the College of the Ozarks for a 7:30 PM tip-off in the College of the Ozarks Tournament. The Blazers will also battle Bellevue University (Neb) on Tuesday afternoon starting at 1:00 PM to close out the tournament.