Box Score
Jackson, TN-The Belhaven women's basketball team saw their season come to a close on Thursday afternoon falling to Azusa Pacific University 75-61 in the opening round of the NAIA National Championship at Oman Arena in Jackson, TN. The Blazers, who made their first ever appearance in the national tournament this season, fought hard against the third ranked Cougars, but some key baskets down the stretch propelled Azusa Pacific to the win.

The game was tight in the first five minutes as both teams battled to establish their respective offenses. With 15:24 to play in the first half, Belhaven (24-9) grabbed their only lead of the afternoon on a triple by Sarah Carr that put the Blazers in front 7-6. However, Azusa Pacific (29-5) caught fire and went on a 10-0 run to pull back ahead at 16-7 on a field goal by Eboni Sadler with 13:12 left until intermission.

The Cougars continued the build their edge over the next few minutes and constructed their largest lead of the afternoon at 41-20 with 2:38 to play until the break. Belhaven did not back down and gave themselves a shot to get back into the game by closing the first half on a 10-0 run. Carr dialed up a pair of clutch three point baskets while Regena Jackson and Portia Tucker contributed a field goal apiece which cut the deficit to 41-30 when the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Blazers picked up right where they left off to start the second half and piled up seven more unanswered points in the first 4:30 of the final period. Carr opened the run with a triple and Jackson bagged a field goal making the score 41-37 with 15:30 showing on the clock. Sadler stopped the run on field goal with 13:54 to play extending the lead for Azusa Pacific back to six at 43-37. In total, Belhaven produced a 17-0 run and the defense kept the Cougars off the scoreboard for almost nine minutes going back to the first half.

During the next seven minutes, the Blazers remained in striking distance and never trailed by more than 11 points. With just over five minutes to go however, Azusa Pacific was able to pull away for good. Jackson brought the Blazers to within five points at 60-55 on a field goal with 5:05, but Sadler answered for Azusa Pacific with what ended up being the play of the game.

Following the Jackson bucket, Sadler came down the floor and drilled a three point shot and in the process was fouled by Erika Leflore. Sadler sunk the free throw for a four point play and suddenly the lead was nine points at 64-55. Two possessions later, C.J. hill drilled another triple for the Cougars making the score 67-55 with only 3:14 to go. Belhaven could get no closer than 10 points the rest of the game as Azusa Pacific pulled away for the win advancing to the round of 16.

“It's disappointing to see the season come to a close, but I am very proud of the team and how they played against a very good Azusa Pacific team,” said Belhaven Head Coach Billy Evans. “The girls did a great job of playing hard and not giving up when we fell behind by 21 points. We put together a 17-0 run to get right back in it, but just couldn't find that extra shot to put us over the top.”

“This has been a great season with a lot of firsts for the program including a trip to the national tournament,” adds Evans. “We were one of only 32 teams in the country to still be playing at this point in the year and that is a huge accomplishment for us and the program. We didn't have any seniors on the team so we'll have everyone back next year and will hopefully make another run.”

Jackson guided the Belhaven offense and led all scorers with 22 points. Jackson also came up with two steals and dished out three assists. Carr added 18 points on 7 of 16 shooting from the field and drilled four three pointers giving her 84 for the season. Leflore grabbed a team high 10 rebounds and chipped in with six points while Kiara Johnson added a game high six assists, scored six points, and came up with three steals.

As a team, Belhaven hit 32.5 percent of their field goals (27-83), connected on 22.2 percent of their three point shots (4-18), and were 3 for 3 at the foul line. The Blazers were outrebounded 55-45 by the Cougars who had the height advantage inside. Belhaven committed only 10 turnovers and forced 15 miscues by Azusa Pacific.

Azusa Pacific had four players in double figures led by Sadler with 18 points and nine rebounds. Hill tossed in 16 points off the bench followed by Briana Hall with 13 points and Alex Moore-Porter with 10 points. Hall had a team high four assists and four steals to go along with her point production. Kristie Hala'ufia led the Cougars on the boards with 10 rebounds and chipped in with eight points.

Azusa Pacific made good on 40.8 percent of their field goals (29-71), knocked down 30 percent of their three point shots (6-20), and converted 73.3 percent of their free throws (11-15). One of the keys to the game was free throw shooting as the Cougars went to the line 15 times compared to Belhaven who made only three trips to the charity stripe.

Belhaven finishes the season with a 24-9 record marking the first 20 plus win season since 1982. The Blazers will have a lot of talent returning next season which should be another exciting year for the program.