Box Score

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Averett's late rally fell just short in an 18-16 conference loss at Greensboro College on Saturday afternoon.

Averett (1-5, 1-2 USA South) trailed 18-10 in the final quarter, but the Cougars mounted a comeback attempt. On fourth-and-15, freshman quarterback Bryan Finney found sophomore receiver Anthony Terry for a 40-yard pass to get Averett down to the Greensboro 5-yard line. Sophomore Ke'Von White scored on the next play to close the gap to 18-16 with 3:35 to play. Following a timeout, Averett went for the two-point conversion, but the pass attempt failed.

With more than three minutes to play and two timeouts left, Averett elected to kick a deep kickoff and let its defense try to make a stop so the Cougars could get the ball back. Greensboro (4-2, 2-2 USA South) converted on a third-and-9 to keep its drive going, but moments later, Averett stopped the Pride on third-and-4. However, a personal foul on the Cougars gave Greensboro the first down and allowed the Pride to kneel out the clock to seal the win.

Greensboro jumped ahead 6-0 on a 1-yard touchdown run, but missed the extra point. Averett's first drive resulted in a 27-yard field goal by freshman Ryan Ristaino to cut the Pride lead to 6-3. It remained a three-point game until just before the half. Greensboro connected for a 40-yard touchdown pass to take a 12-3 lead at halftime.

Averett trimmed the deficit to 12-10 when Finney found senior tight end Wynton Stephens for a 9-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter.

Greensboro pushed its lead 18-10 on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Throndset to Antwon Thorpe, their second of the day, with 6:56 to play in the fourth quarter.

Finney, Averett's third starting quarterback of the season, played well despite the loss. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 241 yards and no interceptions. Sophomore August Jones had eight of those catches for 46 yards.

Averett freshman linebacker Christian Best had a team-high nine tackles, and junior cornerback Zachary Grkman made his third interception of the season.

Averett hosts Christopher Newport University next Saturday at 1 p.m. for Homecoming Weekend.