Box Score


DANVILLE, Va. — Averett dodged a late Peace comeback as the Cougars held on for a 55-44 conference victory on Tuesday night at the Grant Center.

Averett (5-3, 1-0 USA South) pieced together an 18-4 run in the second half, which proved to be valuable late in the game. In the final minutes, the Cougars turned the ball over on five consecutive possessions as Peace put together a 6-0 run to cut Averett's lead to 50-43 with 25.9 seconds to play. Averett, however, held its ground by hitting five of its final six free throws to end the game.

Senior Taylor Poirier led Averett with 21 points and helped spark the Cougars, who got off to a poor start. Peace (4-5, 1-2 USA South) led 17-6 in the first half before Averett's offense got going.

Poirier and sophomore Ashley Washington had back-to-back three-point plays to take a chunk out of the Pacers' lead, and a pair of Poirier 3-pointers cut the deficit down to two with 5:21 left in the first half. After a Peace basket, Poirier drained another 3-pointer to cut the Pacers' advantage to one. With 2:18 left, senior Nikki Huffman's jumper gave the Cougars their first lead, and Averett took a 26-24 lead into the break.

Both teams traded the lead early in the second half before the Cougars made their big run.

Washington recorded her second double-double in as many games with 14 points and 12 rebounds. It's her third double-double this season.

Christy Freeman led Peace with 13 points.

Averett returns to action against Meredith College on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Grant Center