Box Score HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Belhaven women's basketball team (13-15, 7-11 SSAC) suffered a setback in the Southern States Athletic Conference standings on Saturday, falling to William Carey University (8-14, 6-12 SSAC) by a final of 66-51. The Crusaders improved to 8-14 overall and 6-12 in league play with the victory.

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"There are no excuses for tonight," Head Coach Rusty Cram said. "We were outplayed from start to finish."

The Blazers struggled from the start and fell behind early to William Carey 13-4 setting the tone for the rest of the game. Belhaven pulled to within five on four different occasions, but could never close the gap to less than two possessions.

Ariel Wilson led the Blazer offense with 18 points, while Erika LeFlore followed with 11 of her own. TaShayla Steede pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, with a dozen of those coming on the defensive side.

The Crusaders countered with Haleigh Arcement's 21 points to lead all scorers, while Ciera Sibley added 11. Tiffany Sims finished as William Carey's primary rebounder, snagging ten on the game.

Belhaven shot 37% from the field, 53% from the charity stripe, and just 19% from three-point range. The Crusaders finished better in each of those categories, connecting on 41% from the floor, 72% at the free throw line, and 33% from behind the arc.

The hosts also won the battle of turnovers, giving away the ball just nine times while forcing the Blazers to commit 18.

Despite the loss, Belhaven still has a shot at a playoff spot in the SSAC tournament. The Blazers remained tied with Blue Mountain for fifth place in the West Division and lead William Carey by a game going into the final week of the regular season. The top five teams in each division are invited to the conference tournament in Montgomery, Ala.

Belhaven returns to action on Thursday, when they host Loyola University for Senior Night at Rugg Arena. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 PM.