Box Score JACKSON, Miss.- The Belhaven Men's Basketball team fell short against the LaGrange Panthers 83-76 Tuesday afternoon. 

The Blazers came out firing on all cylinders as they began the game on a 12-5 run fueled by Judah Jordan scoring the first eight points of the contest for Belhaven. For a majority of the half, both squads kept going back and forth. The Panthers offense gained some momentum as they took a 28-20 lead with less than eight minutes to go. The Blazers managed to scrap their way back into the game by drawing fouls and converting at the charity stripe as they went into the half behind 39-36. 

The second half followed a familiar theme with neither team making a push for the lead as baskets kept getting traded. The Panthers would ultimately hold the lead for the first few minutes and jumped out to a 55-47 lead with 15 minutes to go. Belhaven continued to make the game interesting as they kept getting closer to taking the lead. The Blazers finally managed to grab the lead with eight minutes to go as an explosive jam by Jermario Hersey gave them a 66-65 lead. Both teams continued to go back and forth as the game neared the end. Unfortunately for Belhaven, LaGrange would go on to convert some tough shots in the final minutes to gain the advantage. Despite a great effort, the Blazers would come up short 83-76. 

The Blazers struggled from the field shooting right at 40% on the night while also shooting just 26.7% from three. Jordan Marshall led Belhaven in scoring by finishing with 20 points and grabbing six rebounds. Luke Couch was also a spark for the Blazers by pouring in 16 points on 45% shooting while also grabbing six rebounds. Jonathan Lucas was an all-around force for Belhaven finshing with nine points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. 

Belhaven will look to grab their first conference victory of the year as they have a rematch of last year's CCS Championship game against Maryville on Saturday, January 6. Tip off will take place at 4:00 PM. 

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