Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala.- The Belhaven men's basketball team came up four points short against 6th ranked Emmanuel College in the semifinals of the Southern States Athletic Conference Championships Friday afternoon at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The second seeded Blazers gave the top seeded Lions all they could handle, but a late run by Emmanuel resulted in a 76-72 setback.

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Belhaven (17-14) led for most of the first half with the exception of a 2-0 edge by Emmanuel (29-2) following the opening bucket by Patrick McCrary. The Blazers countered with a 10-2 scoring run to build the lead to 10-4 with 16:24 remaining in the first half. Junior Jordan Bedford had eight of the 10 points in the early minutes for Belhaven.

The Lions were able to pull to within one point on three separate occasions in the first half, but could never regain the advantage. In similar fashion to Thursday's win over Southern Wesleyan, the Blazers closed the half strong on the offensive end of the floor.

Leading 25-24 with 5:23 until the break, Belhaven increased the gap to 10 points over the next three minutes. Junior Jerrial Dawson drilled a triple to make it a 36-26 contest with 2:19 on the clock. However, Emmanuel slowed the momentum by outscoring the Blazers 7-3 in the final stretch.

A slow second half start by Belhaven opened the door for Emmanuel to pull within one again with just under 18 minutes to go. Patrick McCrary's free throw made it a 39-38 contest, putting the Blazers back on their heels. However, junior Chris Cofield answered the call for Belhaven with five of his game 24 points, holding off the Lions for the time being.

The Blazers appeared to have taken control of the game midway through the second half thanks to a 10-0 run that established a 62-47 advantage. Senior Luke Rogers kicked it off with a two point bucket and a triple from Dawson with 9:02 left capped it.

However, with plenty of time left the 6th ranked Lions put together a run of their own to get right back in it. Emmanuel's defense clamped down on the Blazers offense and in turn found opportunities of their own to score. A Luke Miller three pointer sliced Belhaven's lead back to one at 65-64 with just over three minutes to go.

Belhaven held on to the edge momentarily, but the Lions eventually proved to be too strong. Emmanuel retook the lead 69-68 on a pair of free throws from Johan Pennerat to complete the comeback with 1:28 to play. Although the Blazers regained the edge 70-69 on two free throws from junior Datodrick Pinkston, it proved to be short lived. The Lions shot back in front on a layup from Michael Stanley and the Blazers could not recover, although they had some opportunities.

Pinkston had a triple go halfway down and out followed by a missed layup and dunk down the stretch. Jordan Bedford also had a three point shot to possibly win the game with five seconds left come up just a bit short. Steven Guinchard then iced the game away at the free throw line for Emmanuel.

Cofield led Belhaven and all scorers with a season high 24 points Friday afternoon. Cofield was 9 of 15 from the field and 6 of 9 at the free throw line. Jordan Bedford followed Cofield with 16 points and Pinkston ended the game with 15. Jonathan Ratliff was held to four points, but made his presence known in the paint with a game high 15 rebounds. As a team, the Blazers hit 41% of their field goals (25-61) and 65.4% of their free throws (17-26). Belhaven had a 37-34 rebounding edge in the loss.

Stanley paced Emmanuel with 18 points and 12 rebounds making him the only player with double double numbers. McCrary trailed Stanley with 17 points, Adrian Justice recorded 15 points, and Luke Miller chipped in 11 for the Lions. Emmanuel converted 45.5% of their shots from the floor (25-55) and 71% of their free throws (22-31).

Despite the loss Friday, Belhaven has a new lease on life after William Carey defeated Martin Methodist 98-87 in the other semifinal game Friday night in Montgomery. That sets up a third place game with the winner earning an automatic bid the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.

"We let one slip away earlier today, but our guys have been rejuvenated knowing they still have a chance to play for a spot in the national tournament," Belhaven Head Coach John Aiken said. "We have to be better at finishing games and figure out how to convert on our opportunites down the stretch. However, we have played with two of the top teams in the country in Emmanuel and William Carey and for us to have a chance to come in third place in this league and a chance to go to Kansas City would speak very highly of our program."

Saturday's tip-off is slated for 4:00 PM and all the action can be heard on the Blazers Sports Network by clicking here.