Box Score
Rome, GA-The Belhaven women's basketball team lost to Southern Polytechnic State University 67-60 Friday night in the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals at the Forum in Rome, GA. The Blazers struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor especially in the second opening the door for the Hornets to pull away at the end for the win.

Belhaven (24-8) had four players in double figures led by Regena Jackson with 16 points followed by Kiara Johnson with 15 points. Sarah Carr added 13 points and Portia Tucker chipped in with 10 points and a team high eight rebounds. Johnson dished out three assists and came up with a steal while Tucker had two assists and a pair of steals. Jessica Barlow finished the game with four points and seven rebounds.

Belhaven made 39.2 percent of their field goals in the game (20-51), but after shooting 45.8 percent in the first half the Blazers dropped to 33.3 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes. Belhaven fired in 45.5 percent of their three point attempts (5-11) and converted 78.9 percent of their free throw attempts (15-19). Southern Poly had a slight rebounding edge 39-38 and was more active on the offensive boards with 12 compared to six for Belhaven. The Blazers turned the ball over 19 times compared to 11 miscues by the Hornets.

Southern Poly (28-4) was paced by Crystal Davis who scored a game high 24 points going 7 of 12 from the field and 10 of 12 at the free throw line. Marisa Stotler, who had 23 points and 28 rebounds against Faulkner on Thursday night, came up with 16 points and 13 rebounds in Friday's win over Belhaven. Aurielle Morgan chipped in eight points and Brittany White cashed in seven points.

The Hornets tossed in 35.6 percent of their field goals (21-59), dialed in 27.3 percent of their three point attempts (3-11), and went to the free throw line 34 times converting on 22 of those shots for a 64.7 shooting percentage at the charity stripe. Southern Poly scored 13 points off turnovers and had eight second chance points on the night.

Belhaven was carried by Sarah Carr in the first seven minutes the game as the sophomore guard fired in three triples helping the Blazers build a 14-10 lead with 13:27 on the clock. Unfortunately, shortly after hitting here third three pointer, Carr picked up her second foul and was forced to the bench for the remainder of the first half. The Blazers continued to play well though and with 11:11 until the break established a 20-14 edge following a Jackson bucket. Belhaven's largest lead of the game was eight points at 31-23 thanks to a Johnson field goal with 4:30 left in the first half.

Southern Poly then took a time out and proceeded to go on a 7-0 run to pull with one point at 31-30 with 2:20 on the clock. It was arguably the turning point in the game because the Blazers had put themselves in a position to really take over the contest in the final minutes of the first half. Belhaven then had to settle for a 33-31 lead as the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Hornets regained the lead with four straight points to start the second half and after Belhaven tied the game at 35-35 Stotler put Southern Poly ahead for good with a bucket at the 13:46 mark. The Hornets extended the lead to 46-40 with 7:22 to play and held back the Blazers for the rest of the night. Hay and White hit some crucial field goals for the Hornets who also took advantage of their free throw opportunities down the stretch to come away with the win.

Belhaven will not await word on their seeding and opponent for the NAIA National Tournament which is March 16-22 at Oman Arena in Jackson, TN. The final NAIA Top 25 Poll will be released on Monday afternoon and will be used to determine seeding and at large berths. The Blazers have locked up an automatic bid to the tournament for being the SSAC West Division champion. Southern Poly and Loyola, who upset Lee University in the other semifinal on Friday, will battle for the third automatic bid in the tournament championship game on Saturday at the Forum.