Box Score
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — It appeared Averett was going to steal a road victory to end the regular season. N.C. Wesleyan College spoiled the Cougars' comeback win as the Bishops edged Averett 70-66 on Thursday night.
Averett (3-22, 1-11 USA South) rallied from 15 points down to take a 66-63 lead with 2:58 to play, only to have N.C. Wesleyan (18-6, 10-1 USA South) end the game on a 7-0 run and steal the win back.
The Cougars battled back from a 40-27 halftime deficit by chipping away midway through the second half.
Kenny Hart nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 58-58 with 7:37 to play. Averett then grabbed a 61-60 lead on a
Marquis Scott jumper less than two minutes later. The two teams traded shots, but Hart seemed to push the momentum in Averett's favor when he hit a layup, was fouled and drained the ensuing free throw to give the Cougars a 66-63 lead with under three minutes remaining.
However, that momentum quickly vanished when N.C. Wesleyan hit a 3-pointer at the other end to tie the game. Averett had turnovers on its next two possessions, and the Bishops hit another 3-pointer to jump in front 69-66 with just over a minute to play. Another Averett turnover led to a Bishops free throw, and the Cougars couldn't get any more shots to fall the rest of the way.
Scott tied his career high with 21 points for Averett in the loss, and he also led the team with eight rebounds. Hart had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while
Justin Pierce added 14 points for the Cougars.
Matt Dougherty led N.C. Wesleyan with 16 points.
N.C. Wesleyan, which received votes in latest D3Hoops.com poll, was able to get off to a solid start by shooting 51.9 percent from the floor. However, Averett was able to limit the Bishops to 29 percent in the second half, helping the Cougars make a comeback.
The Cougars will have to watch and wait for this weekend's games to unfold. Averett will be either the sixth or seven seed in next week's USA South Conference Tournament. Shenandoah University, which also has just one conference win, plays Greensboro College and Methodist University this weekend at home. If Shenandoah wins at least one of those games, Averett will be the seventh seed. If the Hornets fail to win one of those games, Shenandoah and Averett will tie for sixth and the tournament seeding would be decided by a coin toss. The quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday, with the higher seed of each matchup serving as the host throughout the tournament.
