JACKSON, Miss. - The Belhaven Blazers Men's Basketball played host to the Louisiana College Wildcats on Wednesday, January 29, and came away with a come-from-behind victory, 87-84, on the hardwood.

The Blazers got off to a strong start thanks to a fiery start by senior guard Brosnan Cooks as he scored 13 of the team's first 14 points as the Blazers shot out to a 17-10 lead with slightly over 15 minutes left in the first half. The Wildcats responded with a 20-4 scoring run to take a 30-21 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the half; however, the Blazers continued to battle throughout the half and cut the lead down to 34-32 with just over two minutes left. The Wildcats closed out the half with a 7-4 scoring run to take a 41-36 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.

Both teams came out in the second half trading baskets; however, the Wildcats maintained and extended their lead to 62-52 with just over 14 minutes remaining in the game. The Blazers began their comeback effort with an 18-8 scoring run, knotting up the game at 70 apiece after a successful free throw attempt by Cooks with seven and a half minutes remaining. Both teams once again traded baskets for the next four minute period as the Blazers gained a lead, but the Wildcats again tied the game at 79 apiece with just over three minutes remaining. The Wildcats regained the lead, but the Blazers would not be denied as they fought back to yet again tie the game at 84 after a layup by guard Ryan Dupree with less than two minutes left in the game. After a missed basket by the Wildcats on their ensuing possession, the Blazers took the lead as junior guard Josh Roberts buried a three from the top of the key with an assist from Cooks and then shut out the Wildcats for the final minute to secure the 87-84 victory.

Cooks led the Blazers and all scorers with a game-high 29 points with nine rebounds, seven assists, and one block, while freshman guard Luke Couch added 25 points with four rebounds, two blocks, and one assist. Roberts added nine points, senior guard Justin Jones had eight points, Dupree and senior guard Trai James had five points each, while senior guard Rick Hodum had four points, and freshman guard Matthew McMillan added two points to round out the scoring for the Blazers.

As a team, the Blazers shot 26-for-54 for a percentage of 48.1, including 11-31 from the three point area, and were 24-for-30 from the charity stripe. The Blazers scored 30 points in the paint, had ten points off turnovers, two second-chance points, eight fast-break points, and had 11 points from their bench.

The Blazers improve to 8-10 overall and 5-4 in American Southwest Conference play and will return to action on the road against the Louisiana College Wildcats on Saturday, February 1. The action is set to tip-off at 3 p.m. 

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