JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven University women's basketball team picked up an 88-80 victory Saturday afternoon inside Rugg Arena in American southwest Conference play. With the win, the Blazers improved to 9-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

The Blazers went back and forth for the majority of the first quarter until Concordia took the 18-16 advantage going into the second quarter. Both teams struggled to make shots in the first three minutes of the second quarter, but Madison Klein drilled a three pointer to give the Blazers the 23-20 lead midway through the second. The Green and Gold continued to shoot well to bring the score to 42-32 at halftime.

Belhaven and Concordia were neck-and-neck in the third quarter, but the Blazers edged the Tornados and took the 66-65 lead going into the final quarter. The Blazers jumped ahead by 10 points with 2:38 left in regulation, which was the largest lead of the game for the Green and Gold. The Blazers held on to earn the 88-80 victory over Concordia and pick up their second conference win of the season.

There were four Blazers that earned double-digit points in the contest. Keke Lyles led the Blazers with 21 points, while Peyton Papenburg finished the afternoon with 15 points, nine assist, and six rebounds. Mariah Collins posted 12 points in the game and shot 75 percent for the free throw line. Sydney Martin had 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Blazers. As a team, the Blazers was47.8 percent from the field and 76.2 percent from the charity stripe.

The Blazers will return to the court on Thursday, January 16 in Clarksville, Ark. against the University of the Ozarks Eagles. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

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