Box Score
JACKSON, Miss.- The Belhaven men's basketball team had 19th ranked William Carey up against the ropes midway through the second half Saturday afternoon, but the Crusaders rallied back for a 74-65 Southern States Athletic Conference victory in Rugg Arena. The Blazers held a 53-47 lead at the 11:40 mark, but William Carey reeled off an 18-4 run to take control of the game and pull away for the win.

Belhaven (11-17, 7-9 SSAC) trailed for the majority of the first half until the offense caught fire towards the end of the opening 20 minutes. The Blazers had an early 4-3 edge after a layup from senior Terence Stringfellow with 18:10 on the clock capped a run of four straight points after William Carey (22-4, 15-2 SSAC) had taken an initial 3-0 lead.

The Crusaders took over at the point and built a 25-16 advantage with 5:37 remaining until the break. Kelvin Nixon put the bow on an 11-2 run that resulted in the nine point lead. The Blazers, with their backs against the wall, fought back to tie the game at 30-30 on a layup by senior Jordan Butts with just under two minutes on the clock. Belhaven then proceeded to score six straight to close the half. The final two points came on two free throws from junior Curt Hall with one second on the clock sending Belhaven into the locker room with a 36-30 lead.

The Blazers kept William Carey at bay until midway through the second half when the Crusaders made their final charge. Belhaven maintained its six point half time lead with 11:40 left, but couldn't deliver the knockout punch. William Carey scored nine straight points during the next five minutes to regain the edge for good at 56-53.

The Crusaders kept marching from there and with 2:06 to go led 72-58 following two free throws from Guy Payne. The total scoring run for William Carey was 25-5 and it sealed Belhaven's fate. The Blazers scored the final basket of the game on a dunk by Butts resulting in the final score of 74-65.

Sophomore Datodrick Pinkston had a solid night for Belhaven off the bench, leading the team with 15 points on 7 of 10 shooting from the field. The Blazers bench ended up outscoring William Carey's reserves 23-3 in the game. Hall ended the afternoon with a double double thanks to 13 points and 10 rebounds. Butts finished the game with 12 points and two assists.

The Blazers were 25 of 64 from the field as a team (39.1%) and struggled from behind the arc, connecting on 4 of 20 triples (20%). Belhaven was out-rebounded 41-32.

William Carey was led by Payne who blitzed the Blazers for 27 points and 10 rebounds. Kelvin Nixon fired in 23 points and nearly had a double double with nine rebounds. Jeremiah Dunnings rounded out the Crusader double digit scorers with 15 points. Dunnings also dished out a game high five assists.

William Carey shot 50% or better from both the field and behind the three point line. The Crusaders were 28 of 51 from the floor (54.9%) and drilled 50% of their three point shots (6 of 12). The only area they struggled at was at the charity stripe, converting 12 of 28 free throws (42.9%).

Belhaven maintains a half game lead over the University of Mobile for the fifth and final playoff spot in the SSAC West Division standings. The Rams lost to Auburn University-Montgomery Saturday 50-47. The Blazers have two more SSAC contests remaining on the schedule, including a showdown with Loyola University Thursday night in Rugg Arena. The tip-off is slated for 7:30 PM.