Box Score
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Belhaven men's basketball team suffered its third consecutive loss on Thursday night, losing at 8th ranked William Carey University 91-70 in Southern States Athletic Conference action. The Blazers stayed close through the first half, but the Crusaders had too much firepower down the stretch pulling away for the win.

Belhaven (9-13, 5-5 SSAC) caught William Carey off guard in the opening minutes, resulting in a 16-9 lead with 13:50 on the clock. Sophomore Wade Scioneaux scored two of his game high eight points on the bucket to give the Blazers what would be their largest lead of the night.

Trailing 18-11 with 11:55 left in the first half, William Carey (17-3, 10-1 SSAC) caught fire executing a 14-2 run to grab a five point lead at 25-20. The Crusaders didn't stop there as they continued to pile on the points. Two free throws by Jeremiah Dunnings increased the advantage to 32-22 with 5:09 to play until the break.

Although they were reeling, the Blazers didn't fold battling back to within three points before the end of the half. Belhaven went on a 9-2 run capped by two free throws from senior Jordan Butts. However, William Carey's only two points during that stretch ended up being the final ones of the half on a layup by Kelvin Nixon resulting in a 36-33 Crusader edge at the break.

The Blazers battled in the first three minutes of the second half and they were rewarded for their efforts, tying the game at 42-42 with 17:05 to go. Butts added two of his game high 26 points with a layup off an offensive rebound. Unfortunately, Belhaven was unable to keep the momentum going.

William Carey quickly regained the lead a few seconds later on a basket by Donzedrick Smith and from there the Crusaders never looked back. Smith's basket sparked a 20-6 run culminating in a 62-48 lead with 12:53 on the clock. William Carey maintained a double digit lead the rest of the night.

Butts picked up four rebounds and three assists to go along with his team high 26 points, pacing the Belhaven attack. Junior Chris Cofield chipped in 13 points, dished out six assists and grabbed five rebounds. Scioneaux and sophomore Datodrick Pinkston ended the night with eight points each. The Blazers shot at a 41.4% clip from the field (24 of 58) in Thursday's contest.

Dunnings matched Butts with 26 points to lead the way for William Carey. Three teammates followed in double figures with Nixon adding 17 points, Daron Bell dropped in 16 points, and Guy Payne contributed 12 points and a game high seven rebounds. Bell recorded seven assists and had five steals. The Crusaders were dialed in from the field where they made good on 53.7% of their shots (36 of 67).

Belhaven will hit the road again on Saturday as the team travels to Loyola University in New Orleans for another SSAC matchup. The tip-off is slated for 4:00 PM.