Box Score JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven women's basketball team (14-15, 8-11 SSAC) picked up a key Southern States Athletic Conference victory on Thursday night by upsetting Loyola University (19-10, 13-6 SSAC) 49-47 at Rugg Arena. With the win, the Blazers remain in the mix for a spot in the SSAC tournament next week.

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"We didn't shoot the ball well in the first half, but we played well in the second," Assistant Coach Steve Calder said. "As a team, we played over our heads to come away with a huge win."

Belhaven had to overcome a nine point halftime deficit to keep their hopes alive for a chance at the playoffs. Loyola, who received votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, held a 24-15 lead at the break after both defense's dominated the opening 20 minutes.

The Blazers were able to pull even again at 28-28 with 12:28 remaining in the game on a pair of free throws by freshman Ariel Wilson. Loyola scored the next four points before Belhaven countered with five straight to slide in front for the first time since early in the game. Wilson's three pointer gave the Blazers a 33-32 edge with just over 10 minutes to go.

At that point, the game went back and forth with neither side owning a lead larger than three points. Wilson gave the Blazers a 47-44 advantage with 2:28 to go on two more free throws, but Loyola's Megan Whittaker fired in a triple to knot the score again at 47-47. TaShayla Steede's layup with 1:50 on the clock would prove to be the game winner for Belhaven. Erika LeFlore set it up with a pinpoint pass through the Wolfpack defense. The Blazers defense did the rest, shutting down the Loyola offense the rest of the way.

Belhaven's offensive attack was highlighted by three key players, as senior Erika LeFlore, junior Tashayla Steede, and freshman Ariel Wilson each went for double-doubles in the final home game of the year. Steede's 20 points were good enough for a game-high, while LeFlore and Wilson adding 11 and 10 respectively. LeFlore's 12 rebounds led all players, while Wilson and Steede each added 11.

"We got big production from big time players tonight," Calder said. "They have been our best three all year long, and each of them stepped up in this one."

Megan Whittaker's four three pointers paced the Wolfpack, while Kylah Jones finished on her heels with 10 points of her own. Jasmine Brewer ended her evening as the team's leader on the glass, pulling down nine rebounds.
The Blazers connected on 14 of 28 free throws, narrowly outshot by the Wolfpack's 53% from the stripe. Belhaven took the advantage on the floor, however, as their 31.5% easily bested the 22% effort from the Loyola. The home squad also out-rebounded their guests as a team by a 52-47 tally.

The Blazers return to action on Saturday, when they hit the road to take on Martin Methodist in the final game of the regular season. Tipoff is slated for 2:00 PM.

"This puts us in the driver's seat, and we can control our own destiny right now," Calder said. "We want to end our season on high note, but right now, it's about winning on Saturday."