JACKSON, Miss. - The Belhaven University Women's Basketball team played host to the University of the Ozarks on January 21 and the Blazers came away with a hard fought 72-70 win over the Eagles for their first win in American Southwest Conference play.

The first quarter started with a flurry of points from the Eagles courtesy of 7-2 scoring run in the first three minutes. However, the Blazers battled back to take an 11-7 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the quarter. Both teams continued to battle back and forth while trading the lead throughout the remainder of the quarter, which ended with the Eagles holding a slim 16-15 lead over the Blazers. The second quarter saw the Blazers go on a 10-4 scoring run over the first three minutes for a 25-20 lead, but the Eagles would battle back with a 7-2 scoring run to tie the game at 27 apiece with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. The Blazers and Eagles once again ended the quarter trading baskets and leads, but the Eagles would retain a 35-33 lead going into the locker rooms at halftime.

The opening minutes of the third quarter featured a flurry of action from both teams; however, the Eagles maintained their two point lead over the Blazers with a score of 43-41 with just over five minutes left in the quarter. The Blazers closed out the quarter with an 11-4 scoring run to gain 52-47 lead over the Eagles. The fourth quarter opened with a 14-5 scoring run for the Eagles as they regained the lead, 61-57, over the Blazers with just under six minutes remaining in the game.  However, the Blazers used a 15-9 scoring run to close out the game and earn the 72-70 victory over the Eagles.

Junior Kei Honey led the Blazers offensively with 17 points including a crucial three point shot to give the Blazes the lead for good with 48 seconds remaining. The team-high in points was also tied for the game-high among all scorers. Senior forward Sydney Martin added 14 points and nine rebounds on the night, while freshman guard Ashanti Lipscomb added eight points on the night. Senior guard Shanda Pugh and freshman point guard Kourtne added seven points each, while the Blazers centers senior Destiny Johnson and junior Ladedra Bryant added six points apiece with Johnson nabbing six rebounds and Bryant adding five boards during the game. Senior guard Janae Collier and senior point guard Mariah Collins added four and three points respectively to round out the scoring for the Blazers.

The Blazers improve to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in ASC play, and will return to action next week as they go on the road to face off against the LeTorneau University YellowJackets on January 28. The action is set to tip-off at 5:30 p.m.

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