JACKSON - Belhaven men's basketball came up just short on Tuesday night, falling 76-73 at Millsaps in a tight matchup that featured 21 lead changes and 11 ties.

The Blazers battled to the final possession and had multiple chances in the closing seconds, but the Majors' late free throws proved decisive. Belhaven moved to 2-2 on the season with the result.

First Half
Belhaven opened the game with strong energy on both ends. Neal Terry scored the night's first basket with a layup, and Dan Robinson added two free throws after a steal to make it 4-0. DJ Jones then pushed the lead to 6-3 with a transition layup following a steal near midcourt.

Millsaps responded with a series of drives to briefly move in front before Belhaven countered with its best stretch of the half. Benjamin Stewart and Braylon Dame helped steady the offense with rebounds and ball movement, and a fast-break finish from Stewart trimmed the deficit to 16-10. The Blazers surged again a few minutes later, highlighted by Stewart's back-to-back threes that pulled Belhaven within 29-24, then another triple to make it 29-27.

Belhaven continued to chip away as Charleston Wallace scored inside and Jones tied the game at 31-31 with two free throws. Jones then hit a jumper with 1:29 left to tie it again at 33-33. Millsaps scored the final four points of the half, and Belhaven went into the break trailing 37-33 after missing a contested jumper in the closing seconds.

Second Half
Belhaven started the second half with assertiveness. Robinson hit two free throws to bring the score to 39-35, and Stewart scored on a cut to keep the margin tight. A few minutes later, Robinson buried a three from the top of the key and Dame finished through traffic to give Belhaven a 42-41 lead.

The teams traded baskets for several possessions. Stewart drilled a deep three to put the Blazers back in front 45-44, and after Millsaps answered, Wallace responded with a jumper for a 53-52 edge at the 11:17 mark. Moments later, Robinson converted a layup to reclaim a 48-46 lead, and Kam Beverly added two free throws to tie the game again at 55-55.

Belhaven built momentum midway through the half. Dame scored in transition for a 57-55 lead, Beverly sank two more free throws to make it 59-58, and Jones converted at the line again for a 61-60 advantage. Stewart continued to stay aggressive on the glass, and Dame knocked down a clutch three in the left-corner with 3:32 remaining to put Belhaven ahead 67-65.

The final minutes turned into a possession-by-possession duel. Millsaps tied the game and Belhaven briefly retook the lead 69-67 after two free throws from Jones. Robinson then scored on an acrobatic drive with 55 seconds left to push the Blazers ahead 71-70.

From there, the hosts scored on consecutive possessions to take a 74-71 lead. After a missed layup on the other end, Belhaven forced a miss but surrendered a putback dunk that extended the deficit to 74-71 with 23 seconds left.

Dame cut it to 74-73 with a tip-in at the nine-second mark, but two free throws on the opposite end pushed the margin to three. Belhaven earned one final possession but could not convert from the line with one second remaining, and Millsaps held on.

Team Leaders
    •    Benjamin Stewart: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
    •    DJ Jones: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
    •    Braylon Dame: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals
    •    Dan Robinson: 13 points, 8 assists, 2 steals

The Blazers have a short turnaround, traveling to Mississippi College for a scrimmage on Thursday.

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