BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. -- Brooklyn Blanchard nearly matched a career high as she scored 24 points and led the No. 23 Martin Methodist Women's Basketball team to a 69-62 victory at Blue Mountain (Miss.) College Saturday afternoon.

In a contest that was tight throughout, Blanchard helped the RedHawks (13-4, 4-0 SSAC) avoid the upset bid from a pesky Blue Mountain squad that was searching for its first win of the season.

Blanchard scored seven of her 24 – just four shy of her career-best 28 set last season – in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.

The contest was tight from the outset between the RedHawks and their former TransSouth Athletic Conference foes. The first quarter ended in a 17-17 stalemate before the RedHawks squeaked ahead for a 32-30 lead at the break.

The third quarter saw the RedHawks expand their lead, but only by a point as the Lady Toppers (0-12, 0-6 SSAC) remain in striking distance at 49-46.

But in the fourth, the RedHawks broke the game in their favor for good as they pushed the lead to as many as eight points with just over five minutes left in the contest.

Freshman guard Erin Freeman continued her strong start to the 2018 portion of the schedule as she scored 13 points, including four free throws in the fourth quarter to help build the RedHawk lead.

The 13 points marked a second-straight double-digit performance for Freeman, who scored a career-best 14 in the RedHawks win at William Carey (Miss.) University earlier in the week.

Destiney Williams and Treasure Hunt added nine points each for the RedHawks and Taylor McNairy notched five steals on the defensive end of the floor.

The win marked a fifth straight conference victory for the RedHawks, dating back to the final conference outing of last season. The win also marked a fourth straight overall win for the RedHawks, who maintained sole possession of second place in the SSAC standings.

The RedHawks return to action next Thursday, Jan. 11, for a critical showdown with first-place Loyola (La.) University. The Wolf Pack (12-3, 5-0 SSAC) claimed a 67-58 victory over Middle Georgia State in their Saturday afternoon contest.

Tipoff in next Saturday's contest is set for 5:30 p.m. in the Curry Christian Life Center.