Four YellowJackets scored in double figures – Giovanny Thompson, Jeff Martin, Sam Talbert and CJ Edwards – to lead LeTourneau men's basketball to an 85-78 win over Belhaven University on Saturday in Jackson, Mississippi.
 
The YellowJackets (10-12) quickly found themselves behind 14-2 in the opening 5:10 of the contest but a 19-6 spurt in retaliation put LeTourneau ahead 21-20 with 8:26 to go in the first half. The game remained close for the remainder of the half as the visitors were able to build a lead as large as six in the first half. Twice, in the second half, the YellowJackets went up by as much as 13 but never relinquished the lead. In the win, LeTourneau shot 46% (29-for-63) from the field and
 
"I was really proud of our guys to rebound from the start of the game," said LETU head coach Dan Miller. "Belhaven came out and executed extremely well right from the tip so we had to play from behind early. We showed great poise and that's a sign of a team that's learning how to win."

Belhaven (2-21) had three players in double figures – De'la Mayers, Josh Gaskin and Josh Carpenter – in the loss. Mayers had a game-high 27 points to lead the Blazers, plus Gaskin and Carpenter had 18 and 14 points, respectively. Belhaven shot 58.8% (30-for-51) from the field in the loss.

Thompson led the YellowJackets with 21 points and 14 rebounds for his eighth double double of the season. Talbert had a season-high 15 points on the strength of four 3-pointers. The 36 points by Thompson and Talbert off the bench allowed the YellowJackets to outscore Belhaven by a 48-11 margin. Martin had 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals, plus Edwards added 10 points. Also, off the bench sophomore Alec Colhoff added nine.
 
"Gio(vanny) had his best game in a while and was very efficient and a man on the boards, tonight. Overall, I was pleased with the win on the road and a great team effort," said Miller.
 
Belhaven managed to tie the game at 45 early in the second half with 16:06 left to play. However, after a media timeout, the YellowJackets took the wisdom of its second-year head coach and went on a 13-0 run. The Blazers would never be closer than three for the rest of the contest. LeTourneau shot 51.9% (14-for-27) from the field and Belhaven shot 63.3% (19-for-30) from the field in the second half.
 
Next, the YellowJackets will close out the home portion of its schedule when they host UT Dallas on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Ozarks on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m.