Box Score
BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. –The Belhaven women's basketball team built an insurmountable 19 point first half lead and were able to hold off a Blue Mountain rally to win the 2012-13 season opener on Saturday afternoon. 

Three Belhaven players reached double digits in scoring as the Blazers pulled off a 63-54 victory over the Toppers.

Belhaven dominated the first half on both ends of the floor by scoring 39 first half points, while playing suffocating defense on the other end. The two teams headed to the locker rooms with Belhaven in command of the game at 39-20.

The Blazers didn't come out with the same intensity in the second half and allowed the Toppers to claw their way back into contention.  That is when the upper classmen leaders for Belhaven intervened to stop the slide.

Ashley Wakefield contributed 13 points to lead Belhaven on the afternoon and also contributed seven rebounds, which was second on the team for the game. She teamed up with Erika Leflore (11 points) in the frontcourt to pound the Toppers down at the blocks.

LeFlore was the leader in rebounds with eight, which included four offensive rebounds that directly led to second chance points. The junior also led the Blazers in steals with three in just under 30 minutes of play.

Kenya Wright and Sarah Carr each had tough nights shooting the ball, but found ways to get the ball down low to their forwards. The guards allowed the game to come to them instead of forcing mistakes and allowing Blue Mountain to complete a comeback.

The last player to reach the double-digit milestone for points was Alisha Rayborn, a senior forward from McComb, Mississippi. Rayborn pitched in 11 points and two steals in 22 minutes of play.

At the end of the game, the two teams' stats were virtually identically except in one key category; free throws.

Belhaven connected on 14 of 21, while the Toppers only got to the line for ten shots. If the Blazers can continue to get fouled and knock down their free throws, then they'll be a tough team to beat this season.

Anna Brooke Page led the Blue Mountain offense with 13 points followed by Jessi Hayles with 12 points.

Belhaven will be back on the court Saturday when the team travels to Freed-Hardeman University. The tip-off is slated for 2:00 PM.