JACKSON - A late spurt by the Belhaven Women's Basketball came up just short on Tuesday afternoon as the Blazers fell to LaGrange, 72-71, inside Rugg Arena.

The visitors jumped out to an early 14-6 lead in the opening frame before a Belhaven 6-0 run to end the quarter cut the Panther lead to 19-16 after one. Belhaven scored the opening bucket of the second quarter, but LaGrange used a 15-5 run to take a 34-23 lead midway through. The Blazers trailed by as many as 12 before trimming it to eight at the break at 42-34.

Five straight points from Ebony Gayden right after halftime drew Belhaven within three with 8:25 left, but LaGrange continued to keep the Blazers at arms length before taking a 57-48 advantage into the final quarter of play.

A made layup with 4:44 gave the Panthers a 68-57 lead, but Belhaven once again fought back as back-to-back finishes by Gayden, including an and-one, cut the margin to just two at 68-66 with two minutes to play.

After LaGrange went one-for-two at the free-throw line, Gayden answered with yet another basket plus the harm to even the game at 69 apiece with 46 seconds left. However, the visitors hit three-of-four from the charity stripe late to take a 72-69 lead with under 10 seconds left. Savannah Hailey connected on a free-throw line jumper, but the clock expired on the ensuing inbound with the final 72-21 scoreline in favor of LaGrange.

Gayden led all scorers with 27 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Ally Alford added 13 points in her Rugg Arena debut, while Shakendalah Jones chipped in 10.

Belhaven looks to bounce back on Saturday when they host Maryville inside Rugg Arena. Tipoff between the Blazers and Scots is set for 2:00 PM.

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