SHREVEPORT, La. – The Belhaven men's basketball team fell 73-70 to 3rd-ranked LSU-Shreveport on Thursday night, despite leading by a point in the game's final minute. With the win, the Pilots remain unbeaten on the young season, while the Blazers dropped to 1-5.

"This is as disappointing of a regular season loss as I can remember, and we definitely had a lot of guys hurt after this one," Head Coach Jonathan Vines said. "The true test of our character comes in the days following great disappointment, so I fully expect this group to face adversity with strong mental focus and courage."

Jordan Bedford highlighted the Belhaven effort, scoring 20 points and hauling in nine rebounds. De'la Mayers followed with his first double-double in Green and Gold, scoring 19 and grabbing 14 boards. Jerrial Dawson and Josh Carpenter and 14 and ten points respectively, while the Blazers totaled 48 rebounds on the evening.

Joseph Jones led the way offensively for the Pilots with 16 points, while teammate Kyle Preston finished his night with 13 of his own. Rashard Owens led the home team in rebounds with seven, but LSU-Shreveport was outrebounded by ten.

The Pilots won the turnover battle, forcing 21 and committing just 13, while also shooting a higher percentage from the free throw line. Belhaven shot the three much more efficiently than their hosts, but the Blazers came up just short, falling to LSUS for the second time this season by a total of seven points.

Belhaven returns to action on Saturday, when they host crosstown rival Tougaloo College at Charles R. Rugg Arena at 8:00 pm. The two teams met in the City With Soul Classic earlier this season, when the Bulldogs prevailed with an 82-69 victory.