DECATUR, Ga. - After a challenging non-conference schedule which included two exhibitions against NCAA Division I opponents, as well as nationally-ranked powerhouses at the NCAA Division III level, Agnes Scott entered the meat of the conference season to kick off 2026, falling in a back-and-forth affair with the visiting Belhaven Blazers, 80-60.
On paper, the matchup between the Blazers (8-1, 1-0 Collegiate Conference of the South) and the Scotties (1-9, 0-2 CCS) would have called for the Blazers to run away with the contest, but the Scotties made sure that they made their opponents work for the win, as both teams had scoring runs in the game.
In the first quarter, it looked ominous early for the Scotties, as the Blazers jumped out to a 7-0 lead just under two minutes into the contest. The Scotties, however, started on a run of their own, fueled by freshman sensation
Cybele Forbes, who scored 8 points in the first quarter, on her way to a 17-point effort in the game, as the Scotties scored 11 unanswered points and grabbed a 4-point lead, 11-7. Forbes stared the run with a traditional 3-point play, followed by
Damaris Gaines scoring off an offensive rebound, before Forbes benefited from an assist from classmate,
Kaycie Hyde, and drained a three-point basket to stretch the lead to 10-7. A
Ryley Jolly free throw would give the Scotties the four point edge. Belhaven's Jasi Jenkins took a page out of Forbes' playbook, though, and went on an almost-solo run of her own to finish out the quarter, scoring 8 of the next 10 points, as the Blazers regained the lead after a 10-0 run, ending the first, 17-11.
The second quarter was when the Blazers did the most damage to the hopes of the Scotties, as Agnes Scott went cold from the field, shooting 13%, while Belhaven were awarded 14 free throws to go along with 41% shooting from the field, as the halftime lead ballooned to 22, with the Blazers in firm control, 41-19.
Whatever head coach
Kyle Erha said to his team during the halftime break seemed to bring the Scotties back to the floor with a renewed passion, as the Scotties quickly started the second half on an offensive tear. Jolly and Gaines each scored to get the half going, and the Scotties continued to chip away at the large lead, bringing themselves within single digits (48-39) with 1:42 on the clock in the third quarter. The Blazers would once again go back ahead by double figures, as they sunk three free throws to end the quarter, entering the final frame with a 12-point advantage, 52-39.
Unfortunately for the Scotties, there would be no second comeback in the fourth quarter, as Belhaven got the hot hand, shooting 12-for-20 in the deciding frame, while the Scotties still scored a respectable 21 points in the final quarter.Â
Forbes led all scorers in the contest with 17 points, and added two blocks. Gaines also reached double figures in scoring, contributing 11 points and adding 5 rebounds.
Kaycie Hyde had a solid all-around evening as well, finishing with a team-high 3 assists, 4 steals and 6 points. 5'2"
Lexxi Romero-Williams led the Scotties in rebounding, as she scrapped 7 boards while also adding 2 steals, 2 assists and a basket.
The Scotties will look to rebound on Saturday as they host Asbury (4-7, 2-0 CCS), who are coming off of a 108-62 win over Wesleyan (Ga.) on Friday night.
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