HARRISONBURG, Va. — Averett gave Eastern Mennonite a run in the second half, but the Royals held off the Cougars 66-61 on Saturday.

Averett (3-3), which trailed 32-27 at the half, fell further behind at the start of the second half. The Royals (7-1) turned their five-point lead into a 14-point advantage less than three minutes. The Cougars, however, managed to chip away at the deficit and tied the game at 49-49 on a layup by junior Kristyn Wharton with 9:43 to play.

Averett took its first lead since early in the first half on a 3-pointer by senior Taylor Poirier less than a minute later. The Cougars increased their lead to 55-51 on three free throws by freshman Ashley Washington.

After both teams traded the lead, Eastern Mennonite went ahead for good with 3:26 to play, and the Royals held the Cougars scoreless the rest of the way.

Wharton paced four Cougars who scored in double figures with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Poirier finished with 13 points and six assists, while freshman Liz Martin scored 12 points and Washington scored 11.

Miranda Wolfe and Danielle Scott each scored 12 points to lead Eastern Mennonite.

Averett returns home to play Bennett College (0-6) at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Grant Center.