Jackson, Miss. — Belhaven University celebrated Senior Day with a win, defeating Covenant 100-88 in the final game of the regular season at Rugg Arena. The Blazers led from start to finish, improving to 7-5 in conference play, and now await their seed in the upcoming CCS Tournament.
Belhaven shot 44.2% from the field, made 12 three-pointers, and went 20-of-26 at the free throw line. The team forced 15 turnovers and scored 24 points off those miscues. The Blazers set the tone early, with Neal Terry blocking Covenant’s Pierce Smith on the opening possession. Charleston Wallace then scored inside and added a free throw to give Belhaven an early lead.
Covenant briefly tied the game on a three from Logan Patterson, but Belhaven responded with a surge. CJ Minton hit a three on the fast break, Braylon Dame made back-to-back triples, and Dan Robinson added a transition layup, pushing the lead to 16-9. A 14-0 run midway through the first half, fueled by baskets from DJ Jones, Minton, and Kam Beverly, increased the lead to 25-11.
The Patriots trimmed the deficit with baskets from Ethan Parker and Korbin Long, and a three from Patterson at the 8:31 mark made it 37-22. Covenant continued to fight, closing the gap to seven late in the half after a 6-0 run. Belhaven responded with free throws and a late layup to take a 43-32 lead into halftime.
The second half began with Covenant showing urgency. Patterson scored in transition, and Bolton Born hit a fast-break three, cutting the deficit to nine. Belhaven answered quickly, with Benjamin Stewart hitting a three, Jones converting on the break, and Minton scoring to restore a double-digit lead. An 8-0 run, including a three from Stewart and a layup from Zion Owens, pushed the lead to 66-43.
Covenant fought to stay in the game, with Parker finishing multiple fast-breaks and Long hitting a three with 5:39 remaining. Noah Pence added a three to narrow the gap to 11. Belhaven responded at the free throw line, with Neal Terry going 8-for-10 down the stretch and contributing a tip-in. Dame also made three straight free throws to maintain the lead.
Avery Richards hit a transition three and later scored a layup in the final minutes to help the Blazers reach 100 points. Covenant added late threes from Parker and Luuk Dusek, but the outcome was never in doubt. Belhaven secured the victory on Senior Day, ending the season at 13-12 overall and preparing for the CCS Tournament.
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