JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven Blazers overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half Saturday to rally and defeat the College of Costal Georgia 57-56 in Southern States Athletic Conference play.
With 9:01 remaining in the game, the Mariners (5-12, 0-6 SSAC) went up 45-35. 92 seconds later,
TaShayla Steede started the Blazers (9-7, 3-3 SSAC) comeback with a pair of free throws.
Kenya Wright then forced the first of three consecutive steals and took it the other way for an easy lay up. On the next Coastal Georgia possession,
Kayla Campora came up with the steal and
Brittany Gardner made the layup.
Following a CCG time out, Wright forced another turnover and turned it into two more points at the other end with another fast break layup, cutting the deficit to two points.
The teams traded some baskets over the next several minutes, with the Mariners holding a 52-46 lead with 3:24 remaining. Wright then hit a jumper and
Ariel Wilson followed it up with a three to cut the deficit to one.
After a basket by Coastal Georgia, Campora hit a three to tie the game with 1:10 remaining.
The teams traded free throws on the next two possessions and then the Blazers forced a key defensive stop. Wilson was then fouled on a shot attempt in the paint and followed it up making one of her two free throw attempts to give Belhaven a 57-56 lead, its first lead since the 6:26 mark of the first half.
With three seconds left, Belhaven's defense came up big again, forcing a contested layup that fell to the hands of Wright as time expired, giving the Blazers the victory.
Wilson, who had the winning point, finished with 20 points in the game to lead all scorers. She also had five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Wright, who had eight key second half points, finished with 13 in the game to go along with four steals, three assists and three rebounds.
On the boards, Steede led the Blazers with eight rebounds, although Belhaven was outrebounded 41-36 in the game.
Belhaven made up for it by forcing 24 Mariners' turnovers, including 14 steals by the Blazers. Belhaven turned the ball over just 14 times in the game.
The Blazers turned those turnovers into 23 points in the game and also added 10 points on second chance opportunities.
On Thursday, Belhaven will return to action, traveling to Hattiesburg, Miss. for an SSAC game against in-state rival William Carey. The game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tip.
