Box Score
JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven women's basketball team continued its late-season surge by defeating Southern States Athletic Conference West rival William Carey 61-50 in front of the home crowd at Rugg Arena. The Blazers never trailed in the contest and staved off a late rally by the Crusaders to improve to 9-7 in conference play.

The Blazers (12-15) got off to a hot start in the first half, jumping out to a 15-0 lead while forcing multiple Crusaders (8-17, 4-13 SSAC) turnovers. There was a stark difference between the two offenses, with the Blazers running their half-court sets to perfection, while William Carey struggled to find any consistency.

Belhaven's lead ballooned to 17 points with four minutes remaining in the half after Antonekia Williams converted on a tough layup to give the Blazers a 29-12 advantage. William's bucket fell through the hoop with about five minutes to go in the first stanza.

The Blazers would not score again in the half.

William Carey looked like a new team after the final media timeout, ending the half on a 12-0 run to shrink the halftime advantage to 29-24. Crystal Tucker and Erica Moore, two key players for the Crusaders, came alive down the stretch and combined for 8 of the team's final 12 points.

Belhaven did not let the late rally by the Crusaders mess up their rhythm. The Blazers started the second half tightening up the defensive pressure, which directly led to a few breakaway buckets to extend their lead.

William Carey and Belhaven traded baskets for much of the second half. Every time Carey seemed to get some momentum, getting within a few points, the Blazers would counter with a run of their own to push back the lead.

Four points would be as much as the Crusaders would get within the Blazers in the second half, as Belhaven was able to battle to a double digit victory in the end.

Alisha Rayborn had an outstanding performance, leading the Blazers in almost every statistical category. Rayborn plugged in 20 points, four rebounds and five assists to carry her team to the win.

Down low, Erika Leflore and TaShayla Steede battled their way to dynamic performances of their own. Both players finished just shy of double-doubles.
Steede came down with 12 rebounds, leading the way for Belhaven and added eight points as well.

Leflore finished with nine points and eight rebounds, contributing around her averages in both categories.

Moore led William Carey with 11 points and was the team's only double digit scorer. The Blazers stingy defense limited the Crusader's to a 38.3% shooting afternoon from the field (18-47).

Belhaven will look to keep its winning streak rolling on Senior Night when Loyola comes to town on Thursday. Rayborn made a five-foot jumper with three seconds remaining to defeat the Wolfpack in the first game between the two teams in New Orleans 42-40. The Blazers will clinch a top four seed in the west with a victory over Loyola. Thursday's tip-off is slated for 5:30 PM.