JACKSON, Miss. - The Belhaven University Men's Basketball team played host to McMurry University on Friday, February 5 and despite erasing an early 27-point defecit, the Blazers fell to the War Hawks 86-83 on the hardcourt.

The opening minutes of the first period saw the Blazers take a barrage of offense from the War Hawks as they pushed out to 36-9 lead with just under eight minutes remaining. However, the Blazers battled back and cut the lead down to 52-34 going into the locker rooms at halftime. Despite a strong showing to begin the second half by the Blazers, the War Hawks maintained a 62-43 lead with 15:29 remaining in the game. However, the Blazers slowly began their comeback effort as they went on a 12-5 scoring run over the next few minutes cutting the lead to 67-55 with around ten minutes remaining. The Blazers kicked the offense and defense into high gear as they went on a 17-9 scoring run cutting further into the War Hawks lead, which stood at 76-72 with just under five minutes remaining. The final five minutes saw the teams trade crucial buckets with the Blazers cutting the lead down to just one point. However, the Blazers could not find a way to take the lead as the War Hawks were able to shut the door on the Blazers and seal the 86-83 victory.

Junior Rance Champ led the Blazers with 23 points and five rebounds, while sophomore guard Luke Couch added 19 points on the night. Sophomore guard Matthew McMillan tacked on 14 points and five rebounds, sophomore guard Rian Shields had nine points, senior forward Brandon Phillips had five points, and junior center Terence Anderson, Jr., had two points to round out the scoring for the Blazers. As a team, the Blazers were 26-58 from the field for a shooting percentage of 44.8 including 10-32 from the three point area for a percentage of 31.3 and were 21-24 from the free throw line for a percentage of 87.5.

The Blazers fall to 3-7 overall and 2-6 in American Southwest Conference play and will return to action against Louisiana College on Monday, February 8. The action is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

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