JACKSON, Miss. - Belhaven men's basketball hosts American Southwest Conference (ASC) opponents LeTourneau University and University of Texas at Tyler on Thursday, Jan. 19 and Saturday, Jan. 21. Thursday's matchup with LeTourneau is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. while Saturday's contest versus Texas-Tyler begins at 3 p.m.

Belhaven (2-13) is coming off of a heartbreaking overtime loss to Rust College on Tuesday. The Blazers led the Bearcats 68-62 with just a minute and a half to play in regulation, but Rust hit a two three-pointers in the final 39 seconds, including a straightaway banked in triple at the buzzer to force overtime. In overtime, Rust outscored Belhaven 10-3 in the final two minutes and the Blazers fell 82-77. 

Junior point guard Ron Davis paced the Blazers with 17 points and seven assists, and is averaging 16.0 points over the last eight games. Belhaven's bench played a big role versus Rust, scoring 32 of the team's 77 points. Sophomore guard Brent Webber led the bench effort with nine points while freshman guard Rick Hodum and sophomore forward Gian Van Heeringen added seven points each. 

Belhaven shot 40 percent (10-25) from downtown against Rust and now rank sixth in the ASC in three-pointers made (134) for the season. The Blazers also recorded 19 assists as a team on Tuesday, their fourth-highest total of the season, and rank fifth in the conference this season in assists per game (16.1) 

LeTourneau University
LeTourneau (13-4, 7-3 ASC) currently sits atop the ASC East standings and owns a nine-game winning streak. The YellowJackets, however, are just 2-3 on the road this season. 

LeTourneau has the second-highest scoring margin in the ASC, outscoring opponents by an average margin of 8.3 points per contest. The YellowJackets rank third in the conference in three-point percentage (.374) and assists (17.6) while leading the ASC in three-point defense (.291), assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and defensive rebounding percentage (.738). 

Five different LeTourneau players are averaging double-digit points this season, led by junior guard Alec Colhoff's 14.6 per game and freshman guard Nate West's 13.5 average. Senior point guard Jeff Martin has poured in 13.1 points per game and ranks second in the conference with 6.3 assists. 

LeTourneau took both matchups with the Blazers last season, 92-78 in Longview, Texas on Jan. 21 and 85-78 in Jackson on Feb. 13. 

University of Texas at Tyler
Texas-Tyler (10-6, 6-4 ASC) ranks second in the ASC East standings and has won three of its last four games. The Patriots will play Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss. on Thursday before Saturday's matchup with the Blazers. Texas-Tyler is currently 3-3 in road contests this season. 

The Patriots boast the top defense in the conference, leading the ASC in points allowed (74.4) while ranking second in field goal percentage defense (.410). They have held their opponent to 70 points or less in eight games this season. 

Junior forward Melvin Anthony leads the team in both scoring (14.5) and rebounding (7.9) while senior guard Jordan Francis is averaging 13.4 points on 59 percent shooting. 

The Patriots defeated the Blazers last season 94-75 on Jan. 23 in Tyler, Texas and 93-85 on Feb. 11 in Jackson. 

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