ABILENE, Texas - The Belhaven men's basketball team dropped a 106-81 decision to Hardin-Simmons University Saturday afternoon in Abilene, Texas. 

Similar to Thursday's loss at McMurry, the Blazers shot well from the floor (50 percent) and from the three-point line (44.4 percent), but failed to keep the Cowboys off of the offensive glass. Hardin-Simmons grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, which led to the Cowboys attempting 17 more field goals than Belhaven. Overall, Hardin-Simmons outrebounded the Blazers 43-24. 

After the Cowboys jumped out to an early 8-2 advantage, Brandon Pressley and Terik Richardson made back-to-back baskets to pull the Blazers within two points. But Hardin-Simmons would go on an 18-8 run over the next five minutes of play to take a 12-point lead, and Belhaven would be unable to trim the Cowboy's lead below double digits through the rst of the contest.

At halftime, Belhaven trailed Hardin-Simmons 52-31, but the Blazers played well in the second half, scoring 50 points on 56.7 percent shooting. DJ Young-Beasley and Richardson drained consecutive three-pointers to make the score 71-57 with 10:10 remaining in the second half, but a 16-0 Cowboys run quickly moved the lead back up over twenty points. 

Pressley led the Blazers with 17 points, including 13 in the second half, and six rebounds. Victor Price recorded 14 points off the bench while Ron Davis dished out a game-high seven assists. Richardson and Kyle Patterson added seven points each. 

Jones' 22 points paced the Cowboys while Nathaniel Jack and Caleb Spoon added 20 and 16 points, respectively. Spoon made five three-pointers in nine attempts. 

Hardin-Simmons tallied 28 assists as a team and shot 53.5 percent from floor. The Cowboys also connected on 12 three-pointers in 30 attempts. 

Belhaven drops to 2-5 with the loss while Hardin-Simmons improves to 6-3. 

The Blazers return to action after the Christmas break on Dec. 29, taking on local rival Millsaps College inside the Hangar Dome. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Belhaven defeated the Majors 85-76 in the 2016-17 season opener. 

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