Jackson, Miss. — Belhaven University’s men’s basketball team remained undefeated at home in conference play with a 98-85 victory over Huntingdon on Tuesday night inside Rugg Arena. The Blazers used balanced scoring, strong defense, and key runs to secure the win, improving to 12-12 overall and 6-5 in the Collegiate Conference of the South.
Belhaven set the tone early, with CJ Minton opening the scoring with a jumper. Charleston Wallace added a layup off a DJ Jones assist, and Dyllion Redmond contributed a tip-in and free throw to give the Blazers a 7-0 lead. Huntingdon responded with inside finishes from Marcus Townsend and free throws from Myles Murphy, but Belhaven countered with a run that included three-pointers from Dan Robinson and DJ Jones, along with a dunk from Kam Beverly, to push the lead into double digits.
Owen LaRocca hit back-to-back threes to narrow the margin to two points. Robinson responded with a deep three, and Minton added another from the wing to stabilize the lead. The Blazers finished the first half strong, outscoring Huntingdon 16-4 to take a 47-35 lead into halftime. Highlights included Braylon Dame’s three-pointer, Christian McGahan’s tip-in, and Redmond’s late jumper.
Huntingdon opened the second half aggressively. Tyler Mallory scored in the paint and hit a three to cut the deficit to five. The Blazers responded with a 14-4 run, highlighted by Dame’s three, Neal Terry’s inside baskets, and Minton’s fast-break jumper, extending the lead back to double digits at 61-49.
Later, Dame and Robinson fueled a surge that pushed the score to 79-54. Mallory continued to score for Huntingdon, including a three and multiple paint finishes, trimming the lead to single digits late. LaRocca hit a deep three in the final two minutes to make it 91-84, but Belhaven answered each push. Robinson made two free throws, Minton added four straight at the line, and DJ Jones scored on a steal to seal the victory. Redmond finished with a fast-break dunk in the closing seconds.
The Blazers will host Covenant on Saturday for their regular season finale and Senior Night. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. For updates on Belhaven athletics, follow @BelhavenBlazers on Twitter and Instagram or like the team on Facebook. Supporters can also contribute through Team Green Giving.
