MARSHALL, Texas - The Belhaven University Blazers Men's Basketball team took to the road to face off against the East Texas Baptist University Tigers on Thursday, February 20. The Tigers came away with a 99-88 victory on the hardwood.

The Blazers came out with a strong effort to start the game getting out to a 17-10 lead with 15 minutes left in the first half. The Blazers continued their strong start as they outscored the Tigers 19-16 and increased their lead to 36-26 with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half; however, the Tigers responded with a 19-8 scoring run to close out the half and take a 45-44 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.

The two teams began the second half trading buckets, while the Tigers maintained a slim lead until the Blazers regained it at 63-61 with just under 15 minutes remaining in the game. The Tigers once again gained a slim lead as they outscored the Blazers 13-7 to take a 74-70 lead with ten minutes remaining. The Blazers and Tigers once again traded baskets with the Tigers still clinging to their slim lead at 85-80 with just under five minutes left in the game. The Tigers sealed the game with a final run of 14-8 to earn the 99-88 victory over the Blazers.

Senior guard Brosnan Cooks led the Blazers and all scorers with 40 points, his second game with 40 or more this season, to go along with nine rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Freshman guard Luke Couch added 15 points paired with four rebounds and two assists, senior guard Joshua Roberts had 12 points along with four rebounds and two assists, while graduate guard Ryan Dupree had 11 points with three steals and two rebounds. Senior guard Justin Jones had four points, while sophomore guard Austin Reed and freshman guard Matthew McMillan had three points apiece to round out the scoring for the Blazers.

As a team, the Blazers shot 50% percent from the field and the three point area, going 31-for-62 and 15-for-31 respectively, while shooting 11-for-16 for a percentage of 68.8 from the charity stripe. The Blazers scored 28 points in the paint, had 17 points off turnovers, six second-chance points, eight fast-break points, and had 17 points from their bench.

The Blazers fall to 10-14 overall and 7-8 in American Southwest Conference play and will wrap up their regular season play with a road contest againts the LeTorneau YellowJackets on Saturday, February 22.

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