JACKSON, Miss. - The LaGrange College Women's Basketball Team (8-4, 2-0 Collegiate Conference of the South) improved to 2-0 in conference Tuesday evening (Jan. 7), after edging the Blazers of Belhaven University (6-7, 3-1 CCS) in a game that came down to the wire as the Panthers narrowly escaped the clutches of defeat in a 72-71 final.

Game Summary
Britney Chavez did the honors of drawing the game's first blood, igniting the Panther offense with a three-pointer as her team led 5-2 early. The Panthers seemingly began to take a commanding hold on the game late in the first quarter, making five three's as they led by as much as nine with under a minute to go in the opening frame. The Blazers' resolve would survive the early test, however, as they ended the first quarter on a 6-0 run to bring the game within three as LC led 19-16 after one.

LaGrange was able to regroup in the second quarter, exploiting the Blazer defense with great consistency. Despite avoiding foul trouble for a majority of the first half, Belhaven could not find an answer to the Panthers' offense, who would extend their lead to 12 late in the second quarter. Not finishing quite as strong as they would have liked, LC retained their lead up 42-34 at the half.

The Blazers came out swinging in the second half, opening with a 5-1 run to cut the deficit down to four after the first four minutes had eclipsed in the third quarter. After a stalemate late in the period, LaGrange was finally able to break through as they regained their position of control, holding a commanding nine-point lead heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter would prove to be one of the toughest battles of the entire season for the Panthers, as the Blazers' comeback seemed well on its way with an early basket to open the final frame. Laila Battle had other plans, however, draining a three to stifle the hosts' attempts to rally early in the quarter. Refusing to go out without a fight, the Blazers continued to keep the game within arms reach as the Panthers fought hard to pull away late.

It seemed as though they would do just that as they went up by 11 with four minutes remaining in regulation. That hope would quickly disappear as Belhaven pulled off a quick 9-0 run to bring the game within two at the 2:05 mark. After Belhaven had tied the game at 69-apiece with under a minute remaining, the Panthers dug deep as they made clutch shots late and forced a game-ending turnover to survive 72-71 over the conference-leading Blazers. 

Panthers of the Game
Amanda Mclendon earned a double-double performance on the afternoon for the Panthers, scoring 12 points and racking up a career-high 18 rebounds.

Zyhia Johnson led the way offensively for LaGrange, scoring 17 points with four assists and a steal for the Homerville, Ga native's credit.

Up Next
The Panthers will be back in action Thursday (Jan. 9) when they travel to Lookout Mountain, Ga to take on the Covenant College Scots at 3 p.m. Click here for links to stream that game and live stats.