Box Score
New xOrleans, LA-The Belhaven men's basketball team fell in a Southern States Athletic Conference West Division contest at Loyola University Saturday night by the final of 79-70. The Blazers mounted a second half comeback and took a 53-51 lead midway through the final period after trailing 41-28 at halftime, but could not hold off the Wolfpack who rallied for the win.

Belhaven (11-9, 2-2 SSAC) was led by Nathaniel Roche' who had a team high 22 points and a game high 12 rebounds for his ninth double double of the season. Roche' knocked down 9 of his 16 field goal attempts and went 4 of 7 at the free throw line. Rob Wallace added 17 points as he and Roche' were the only two Blazers to land in double figures in scoring Saturday night. Detrick Johnson and Brittion Smith tossed in eight points each and hauled down six and four rebounds respectively. Smith and Bobby Grier each led the team with two assists apiece.

Belhaven had a tough night shooting from the field making just 41.3 percent of their total attempts (26-63). The Blazers dialed up 38.1 percent of their triples (8-21) and cashed in 55.6 of their free throw attempts (10-18). The battle of the boards ended in a draw with both Loyola and Belhaven grabbing 37 in the game. The Blazers had 16 offensive rebounds and 11 second chance points. Belhaven had 34 points in the paint, but only five of their points came off turnovers. Belhaven turned it over at key spots in the game leading to 16 Loyola points on the other end of floor. The Blazers had 17 turnovers compared to the Wolfpack's 16 miscues.

Loyola (9-8, 2-1 SSAC) had two of their players reach 20 points or more in Saturday's game led by Corey Gray with a game high 28 points. Gray was only 5 of 13 from the field, but made his living at the free throw line where he hit 15 of 18 total attempts. Robert Lovaglio followed Gray with 20 points in the game and was 9 of 11 from the field. Ryan Brock had eight points and Tommy Stangl finished the night with seven points. Darrinton Moncrieffe had a team high three assists for the Wolfpack.

As a team, Loyola made 47.2 percent of their field goals (25-53), fired in 50 percent of their three point shots (7-14), and converted 75.9 percent of their free throw opportunities (22-29). The Wolfpack had 36 points in the paint, 12 second chance points, and 10 total assists in the contest.

Belhaven dug themselves a hole early falling behind 13-3 with four minutes gone by in the first half. The Blazers only basket in that stretch was a three point field goal from Brittion Smith which at the time made it a 5-3 contest. Loyola maintained a sizable lead for the entire first half and Belhaven struggled to find the offense in opening 20 minutes of play. The Blazers got the final two points of the first half with 17 seconds on the clock on a pair of free throws from Roche', but still trailed 41-28 at the break.

Trailing 46-36 with just over 15 minutes to go in the game, Belhaven began to chip away at the deficit. The Blazers went on an 8-0 run beginning with a layup by Roche' and then a triple by Wallace brought the Blazers two within two points at 46-44 forcing Loyola to call a timeout with 14:01 to go. The Wolfpack bumped the lead back up to five at 51-46 with 12 minutes left, but then a 7-0 run by Belhaven resulted in the first lead of the game at 53-51 following fast break basket from Wallace with 10:25 remaining.

The game went back and forth over the next five minutes and on a layup by Roche', Belhaven controlled a three point 65-62 edge with 5:42 to go in the final period. Loyola then turned the tide back in their favor with an 11-2 run that all but sealed the victory. Robert Lovaglio's basket with 1:13 left made it a 73-67 game and the Blazers would get no closer the rest of the way.

Belhaven will be back in action in a non-conference contest at Dillard University on Monday night. The tip-off is slated for 7:30 PM.