JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps men's basketball team was bested by Belhaven, 81-64 in a cross-street rivalry on Saturday afternoon inside the Hangar Dome.
Junior Caleb Kent led the Majors with 19 points, while adding a season-high four steals on defense.
The Madison, Miss., native shot an impressive 6-for-9 from the floor and 7-for-10 from the free-throw line. He also added a blocked shot and three assists and three rebounds to his accolade.
Senior Drew Roth finished the contest with a season-high 17 points, while accumulating six rebounds.
The Monterey, Calif., product also recorded an assist and one block inside the perimeter.
Classmate Nicholas Ughovwa posted eight points, three rebounds and one steal against the Blazers.
Millsaps (2-11) outscored Belhaven (10-3), 18-7 in points off turnovers, the Blazers took an 11-8 lead in second-chance points, while taking a 27-17 advantage in total bench points mastered.
The Blazers took a 34-30 narrow advantage in points inside the paint, while Millsaps held a 9-3 advantage in fast break points.
The Majors forced 16 turnovers and grabbed 11 steals, but Belhaven sank 50 percent of its shots (30-for-60).
Kent's driving layup inside the lane gave Millsaps their first points of the first half.
Moments later both teams would trade off points before the Blazers would take over with a 10-point lead with 12:32 minutes remaining in the first stanza.
With 2:26 minutes left until halftime, a Roth three-pointer would cut the contest down to an eight-point margin. He netted back-to-back treys earlier in the half to continue his hot start.
The Blazers would finish strong at the rim to close out the first half on top, 46-36.
In the second half, Millsaps began to battle back as a sophomore Noah Babineaux trey from behind the arc cut the team's deficit down to seven points.
Belhaven would expand their lead from there up to 24 points with 2:31 remaining.
Freshman Samuel Holt would conclude the Majors' final scoring with a layup courtesy of classmate Wyatt Richardson's first collegiate steal. Fellow freshman Kadyn Collins also netted his first Millsaps points 30 seconds prior.
Belhaven would triumph over the Majors, 81-64 in the cross-street matchup on Saturday.
Millsaps will be back in action on Friday to begin Southern Athletic Association action against Hendrix in Conway, Ark. Start time is slated for 8 p.m. with live video and live stats available at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College men's basketball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
