DANVILLE, Va. — Four Cougars scored in double figures as Averett pulled away in the second half to beat Piedmont College 72-55 on Saturday during the first day of the Texas Steakhouse Averett Classic.

Freshman Kenny Hart scored 14 of his team-high 17 points after halftime as Averett (2-1) extended a 29-27 first-half lead to as many as 20 points late in the second half.

Piedmont (0-2) trailed from the start after Averett senior Ryan Frazier hit a 3-pointer in the opening seconds. The Cougars led by eight at one point midway through the first half, but the Lions cut it to two on a Josh Chapman 3-pointer with 23 seconds left before the half.

Averett, which outrebounded Piedmont 44-33, used a steady dose of offense in the second half to cruise to a win in its home opener. Averett shot 40.7 percent from the floor, including nine 3-pointers.

Senior Jonathan Rumley added 16 points, while senior Justin Parker scored a 12 points and senior Damien Brown added 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Justin Rush led Piedmont with 13 points, while Samuel Coppage chipped in with 12 points.

Averett takes on The Apprentice School (3-0) on Sunday at 4 p.m. on the second day of the Texas Steakhouse Averett Classic. The Apprentice School came from behind to defeat Greensboro College 79-77 in Saturday's opening game.

Greensboro (0-4) takes on Piedmont at 2 p.m.