Box Score

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. — Averett pulled away down the stretch to beat Covenant College 75-64 for the Cougars' first conference win on Saturday afternoon.

Averett (3-7, 1-1 USA South) led early in the second half, but Covenant (6-6, 1-1 USA South) surged in front by as many as seven points midway through the period. Averett junior Alex Lopez tied the game at 58-58 with a 3-point with 7:23 to play and sophomore Carter Jones helped the Cougars regain a 60-58 advantage less than a minute later. Following a Scots basket, Averett rattled off seven consecutive points to extend their lead to 67-60 with 3:39 remaining.

Covenant got as close as 67-64 with under three minutes to play before Averett ended the game with an 8-0 run to seal their first USA South victory of the season.

Sophomore JaColby Hawkins led Averett with 16 points, while sophomore Trevor West totaled 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Sophomore Bradley Robinson added nine points and 11 rebounds. Jones also finished with 11 rebounds to go with eight points.

Lopez chipped in with a career high of nine points for the Cougars, who also got a career-high seven points from senior Melvin Garrison.

Colton McGriff paced Covenant with a game-high 24 points to go with nine rebounds.

The two teams, meeting for the first time, traded the lead throughout the first half. Averett jumped out to a 10-3 advantage but Covenant eventually went in front by as much as five points later in the half. Averett grabbed a 39-37 lead at halftime thanks to Robinson's layup in the final seconds of the half.

Averett dominated the boards, outrebounding Covenant 49-33.

The Cougars will play host to the University of Rochester on Wednesday at 4 p.m.