Win Pushes LSUS to 14-0 Start
January 11, 2008
A funny thing happened to No. 4 LSUS on its way to a blowout of Belhaven College — a basketball game broke out.
The Pilots watched a 20-point second-half lead get whittled down to one point before regaining control of the game and finishing with a 91-74 win at The Dock on Thursday night.
LSUS improves to 14-0 overall and 3-0 in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play. Belhaven drops to 9-6 overall and 1-2 in conference action.
"It is good to have one of them (like that)," LSUS coach Chad McDowell said. "Our problem is we've had a few of them.
"But I tell you as much as I'd like to speak to the character Belhaven showed, you also have to have something about you to hold on to win, too, and to end up winning by double digits after holding a one-point lead."
LSUS led by as many as 23 points at 43-20 late in the first half when Cody Walker's second free throw with 12 seconds left was good.
Belhaven was able to cut the margin to 20 on a 3-pointer from Iman Walcott.
The 43-23 Pilots' lead wasn't safe.
After the opening three minutes when LSUS pushed the lead to 51-30, Belhaven made its run. The Blazers out-scored the Pilots 27-7 to come within 58-57 on Walcott's basket.
"I think they got back in the game by making some shots. They made six of their first eight 3s," McDowell said. "They finished 10 for 28. They were making shots and we were turning it over.
"I felt like we extended the lead back up by not losing all our composure."
After Belhaven closed within one at 61-60, the Pilots scored seven unanswered points. LSUS never led by fewer than five points the rest of the way.
"It was their ability not to panic," McDowell said. "Because I had some panic."
This was one time the Pilots weren't a reflection of their coach.
"We know that we built the lead up and we let it fall," said LSUS' Josh Porter who, along with teammate Travis Cash, led all scorers with 23 points on his birthday. "It was up to us build it up again and get the win. We don't panic."
LSUS got 19 points and 10 rebounds from J'Quincy Jones and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Jamon Morris.
The Pilots' second-half adventure was also partly the result of some offensive shooting woes. The Pilots made 39 percent of their second-half field goal attempts after making 47 percent in the first half.
Andre Taylor led Belhaven with 21 points. The Blazers also got 17 points from Walcott and 13 each from Korey Whiting and Larell Bailey.
(Story courtesy of the Shreveport Times).
