JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven women's basketball team cruised to an 83-55 victory over Rust College on Tuesday night, avenging a 72-71 loss in Holly Springs in December. The Blazers have now won four in a row dating back to January 10th, one shy of their season best that opened the 2014-15 campaign.
"Rust beat us at their place, so this was a bounce-back game for us," Head Coach
Steve Calder said. "We made some adjustments and cranked up the defensive effort, and it was enough for us to come away with a victory tonight."
Leading scorer
Ariel Wilson paced the Blazers (12-7) with a 24-point performance to remain near the top of the Southern States Athletic Conference in points per game.
Candler Gregory and
Kenya Wright contributed 16 points apiece, and
Jasmine Brown added ten points off the Belhaven bench.
TaShayla Steede hauled in a team-high nine rebounds, but that proved to be far from the most memorable part of the senior forward's evening. Steede blocked six shots in the game's first 20 minutes to break the school's record for blocks in a game before adding two more in the second half. Gregory and Wilson combined to add four more to give the Blazers 13 for the game.
Kala Williams highlighted the effort for the Lady Bearcats (4-16) with 19 points, and Anissa Wilder finished as the only other Rust player in double figures. Demetrius Bradshaw recorded a game-best ten rebounds, but it wasn't enough to prevent Rust from splitting the season series with the Blazers.
Belhaven shot a remarkable 51% from the floor and 56% at the free throw line, while Rust countered with 33% and 63% marks respectively. The Lady Bearcats took a 46-33 advantage in rebounds on the night, but the Blazers outscored their guests 51-26 in the second half and scored their season high in the blowout.
The Blazers are set to return to action on Saturday, when they host the University of Mobile in SSAC play. Opening tipoff is slated for 2:00 pm from Rugg Arena, where Belhaven is 8-2 this season.
"It's a big game, and Mobile will be strong and fast and ready to play," Calder said. "We want to protect our house, and we're going to be prepared."
