Belhaven University Athletics

JACKSON, Miss. - Belhaven Women's Basketball earned its first win of the season Friday night, beating Lyon 92-64 in its home opener at Rugg Arena. The Blazers led 25-6 after one quarter and 49-17 at halftime. Lyon never got closer than 25 in the second half.

Belhaven (1-2) made 18 steals and scored 31 points off 33 Lyon turnovers. The Blazers scored 52 points in the paint and 30 on the fast break. Fourteen players scored, with 56 points coming from the bench.

Teeale Wells led Belhaven with 17 points in 15 minutes. Amanda Walker had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Laci Buchanan scored 10 off the bench. Kelsey Joseph and Makayla Hartford added nine points apiece. Belhaven had dropped both games at the ETBU Tipoff Classic the previous weekend. This was its first regular-season game back in Jackson, and Lyon was still looking for its first win.

First Quarter
Wells went to the basket for Belhaven's first two scores. She stole the ball moments later, and Amari Barnes finished the break to make it 6-0. Lyon hit a three with 6:34 left, but it was Lyon's only field goal of the quarter. The shot made it 6-3, but Belhaven answered with eight straight points. Lyon did not score again until the 3:43 mark.

Madison Smith answered with a three off Buchanan's pass. Buchanan made one from outside herself, then stole the ball and scored on a fast break to push the lead to 14-3 with 4:08 remaining.

Lyon got two free throws from Johanna Zocholl, but Belhaven kept scoring near the rim. Walker fed Hartford for a layup. Stella Havard scored in transition, then came up with a steal and found Wells for another fast-break layup.

Walker made two free throws before Hartford hit a three off Havard's pass with 38 seconds left. Belhaven shot 10-of-17 in the quarter. Lyon went 1-of-12, and the Blazers led 25-6 after one.

Second Quarter
The lead kept growing before Lyon scored again. Walker opened the second with two layups, both assisted by Smith. Makayla Robertson completed a three-point play at the 8:54 mark, finishing a 16-0 Belhaven run that began late in the first quarter. The Blazers were ahead 32-6.

Evans stopped the run with a three. Walker scored on Belhaven's next trip, and Kamren Edwards made a free throw. Edwards then stole the ball and found Wells for a three-pointer. Wells added a jumper in the paint to make it 40-9 with 6:05 left in the half.

Lyon made three more field goals before the break, including threes from Izabel Soto and Stella Benson. Walker answered inside off an assist from Havard, and Wells made two free throws.

Wells finished the half with two putbacks in the last 20 seconds. The second came after Neeli Magee stole the ball and missed a three just before the horn. Wells tipped it in at the buzzer for a 49-17 halftime lead. She had all 17 of her points by the break, while Walker had 10. Lyon shot 4-of-20 in the second quarter and finished the half 5-of-32 from the field. Belhaven scored 24 in the period.

Third Quarter
Lyon opened the second half with five straight points, but Joseph made a free throw and Nakeria Coleman scored inside to make it 52-22. Lyon then got to the line, and Zocholl completed a three-point play. The score was 52-27 with 6:05 left, the closest Lyon would get after halftime.

Buchanan hit a three 13 seconds later. Robertson stole the ball and found Havard for a fast-break layup, then Robertson made two free throws to stretch the lead to 59-29.

Coi Bradley connected from outside for Lyon. Magee answered with a tip-in and a free throw. Walker scored twice inside later in the quarter, the second on a tip-in that made it 67-33 with 2:49 remaining.

Lyon scored eight of the next nine points, but Joseph made a three and added two free throws down the stretch. Lyon went to the free-throw line 19 times in the period and made 13. The visitors scored 28 in the quarter, their best stretch of the night. Belhaven still led 73-45 entering the fourth.

Fourth Quarter
Zocholl scored first for Lyon, and Hartford answered with a layup. Robertson finished a fast break off Kathryn Strong's pass. Magee found Coleman inside, and Coleman stole the ball a few possessions later. Buchanan finished the break to push Belhaven's lead to 81-51 with 6:59 left.

Evans made a three for Lyon. Cenaya Calhoun scored on the break for Belhaven, and Havard hit a three with 4:17 remaining. Joseph followed with a layup and free throw, giving the Blazers an 89-56 lead.

Lyon scored the next eight points, but the margin stayed at 25 or more. Strong made a free throw, and Hartford scored the final basket in transition with 21 seconds left. Both teams scored 19 in the fourth.

By the Numbers
Wells finished 7-of-13 from the field and grabbed six rebounds. Walker shot 6-of-8, pulled down four offensive rebounds and recorded Belhaven's first double-double of the season. Buchanan made two threes. Joseph and Hartford each scored nine, Robertson added eight, and Havard finished with seven points and six assists.

Belhaven shot 34-of-73 from the field (46.6%) and recorded 19 assists. The Blazers held Lyon to 18-of-67 shooting (26.9%) and outscored the visitors 52-22 in the paint. Walker and Wells combined to shoot 13-of-21 from the field. Walker's four offensive rebounds matched Djay Kelly for the team lead and Belhaven finished with a 45-42 edge on the glass. They also held a 30-19 edge in fastbreak points.

The Blazers' 18 steals helped force 33 turnovers. Belhaven scored 31 points off them. The Blazers also committed 22 turnovers, but Lyon scored 16 points from those chances. The bench contributed 56 points, and 14 different players made it into the scoring column.

Belhaven hosts Millsaps on Tuesday, November 17, at Charles R. Rugg Arena. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

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