Box Score
JACKSON, Miss-The Belhaven women's basketball team pulled away from William Carey University Thursday night, topping the Crusaders in Southern States Athletic Conference action 74-58. The Blazers, ranked 18th in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, maintained their half game lead on Loyola in the SSAC West Division standings setting up a crucial contest against the Wolfpack on Saturday.

The Blazers started the game hot scoring six points out of the gate on a pair of field goals by sophomore Ericka Leflore and on a bucket from Portia Tucker.  Kiara Johnson made it a six point advantage for Belhaven three minutes into the first half, but the Crusaders responded within two minutes, recording a pair of three pointers to bring them back in the battle. Belhaven and William Carey went back and forth over the next 10 minutes making the score to 28-26 in favor of the Blazers. With just over a minute to go until the break, junior Ashley Wakefield drilled a triple giving the Blazers a 38-28 lead. William Carey's offense scored four more points, with two coming on free throws by Crystal Tucker, cutting the Belhaven lead to 38-32 to close the half.

In the beginning of the second half, the Blazers posted the first three points to extend the lead to nine at 41-32. William Carey battled back over the next three minutes closing the gap to 41-40 thanks to an 8-0 run. Senior Regena Jackson then ignited the Blazer offense scoring seven of Belhaven's next 11 points to make it a 52-44 lead. Kiara Johnson also helped slow down the Crusader offense with a pair of steals which led to three points in transition for the Blazers. Leading 56-46 with 7:19 to play, Belhaven kept William Carey at bay and maintained a double digit lead the rest of the night cruising to the 74-58 win.

“It's always good to have a win over William Carey,” said Belhaven Head Coach Billy Evans. “It is a good rivalry game and both teams played with a good intensity level. I didn't think our defense was where it should be in the first half, but we have a good group of leaders and they know what it takes to win. They did a great job responding in the second half with a good defensive effort which helped us pull away for the victory.”

Belhaven (15-5, 8-1 SSAC) was led by Johnson with a game high 17 points and she also created scoring opportunities on fast breaks thanks to six steals. Jackson finished the night with 15 points and five assists followed by Sarah Carr who added 13 points in the contest. Portia Tucker produced a team high eight rebounds while Leflore followed with seven rebounds and two blocked shots. The Blazers knocked down 46.4 percent of their field goals going 26 for 56.

William Carey (7-9, 4-5 SSAC) had a pair of players with 12 points each as Megan Reynolds and Crystal Tucker both led the Crusader offense. Tucker also had a game high nine rebounds. Belhaven's defense forced 26 turnovers leading to 27 Blazer points. William Carey hit 43.2 percent of their field goals on the night going 19 for 44.

Belhaven will be back in action on Saturday hosting Loyola University (NO) in an SSAC West Division battle starting beginning at 2:00 PM. Fans can follow all the action through live stats by clicking here.