SHREVEPORT, La. - No. 24 LSUS held off a second-half rally by the visiting Belhaven Blazers to earn their fifth straight win of the season, including four straight Gulf Coast Athletic Conference games.

The Pilots sit alone atop the GCAC standing after beating the Blazers 79-68 on Saturday night at The Dock.

Senior Chris Gatlin led the way for the Pilots with 19 points, including a 5-for-7 performance from behind the arc. 

The Blazers led for the first eight minutes of the contest, but after back-to-back three-point baskets by Gatlin tied the game at 18, point guard Jared Stevenson connected on a traditional three-point play to give the Pilots a 21-18 lead. 

LSUS then went on a 25-7 run that extended into the first two possessions of the second half, putting the Pilots ahead 46-25 with 19 minutes left in the game. 

The Blazers mounted a late rally and trimmed the Pilots lead down to just six on two different occassions, but they could not get any closer as the Pilots made their free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

LSUS finished the game 37-of-51 from the charity stripe, with Mike Pilgrim leading the way with 13 makes.  Tyrone Hamilton connected on 12 free throws, while Stevenson finished 6-for-7.

Hamilton scored 17 points and dished out a game-high 7 assists.  Stevenson finished with 16 points and Pilgrim added 15 points to go along with his team-high 7 rebounds.

LSUS (11-5, 4-0) has won 10 of their last 12 games and will take on Tougaloo College on Thursday night in Jackson.