St. Louis, Mo. – The Belhaven University women's basketball team picked up their first victory of the season with a 66-57 win over Spalding University on Saturday afternoon in non-conference play
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INSIDE THE MATCHUP
 
Final: Belhaven 66 | Spalding 57
 
Records: BU (1-2) | SU (1-1)
 
Location: Grant Gymnasium| Webster Groves, Mo.
 
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HOW IT HAPPENED

- After a back and forth first quarter, the Blazers pulled away to take a 14-11 lead heading into the second quarter.

- The Green and Gold carried their momentum into the second period, pushing the lead to nine with 4:25 left until halftime.

- The next few possessions both teams exchanged baskets, but the jumper from Kimberly Calhoun extended the lead to 32-22 with 2:05 remaining until intermission.

- Belhaven held on the lead to make the score 32-25 heading into the break.

- AaLiyaha Thorton made the first five points for the Blazers in the third period.

- The Eagles caught a rhythm and narrowed the lead to three points midway through the third quarter.

-  The Blazers continued to fight and went on an 8-0 run in the final three minutes of the third quarter.

- BU never trailed in the third quarter and would take a 50-40 lead going into the final frame.

- The Green and Gold expanded their lead to 13 for the largest of the game, bringing the score to 62-49 with 5:33 remaining in the game.

- AaLiyaha Thornton made the next four points to make the final score 66-57. With the win, the Blazers picked up its first victory of the 2018-19 season and gave Spalding their first loss of the year.
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KEY STATISTICS
 
- AaLiyaha Thornton led the Blazers with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal. Additionally, she was 2-2 from behind the arc and 4-4 from the free throw line.

- Shanda Pugh posted a season-high 12 points in the win over Spalding.

-  Lauren Brooks tallied 10 rebounds (five offensive – five defensive) and shot 50 percent from the charity stripe.

- Peyton Papenburg and Kimberly Calhoun each scored eight points during the contest.

- Ten different Blazers scored a basket in the win.

- As a team, Belhaven shot 38.5 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from the charity stripe.

- The Green and Gold scored 14 second chance points and 30 bench points.
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UP NEXT
 
The Blazers will take a short break for Thanksgiving and then continue on the road to Abilene, Texas to faceoff against McMurry University on November 29. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
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