LEXINGTON, Va. — The Averett University men's basketball team held off Washington and Lee University in the second half for a 69-62 non-conference road victory on Wednesday night.

Ahead by just three points entering the final minute, Averett (4-2) got a pair of clutch free throws by senior Cody Stephens to give the Cougars a 64-59 advantage with 41 seconds left to play. However, Washington and Lee (2-7) was able to quickly answer with a layup, cutting Averett's lead down to a possession at the 35-second mark.

The Cougars were able to extend their lead with two more crucial free throws after  junior Trevor West was fouled on the ensuing play. West converted both of his attempts from the charity stripe, giving Averett a 66-61 advantage with 33 seconds on the clock.

Washington and Lee had an opportunity to cut into the Cougars lead seconds later, but Andy Kleinlein's 3-point attempt fell short. Sophomore Charles Bryant grabbed the defensive board and was fouled on the play. Bryant made the front end of two shots, putting Averett ahead by six with 26 seconds remaining.

After an Averett foul, the Generals' Andrew Franz converted one of two attempts at the free throw line, cutting the Cougars lead to 67-62 with 19 seconds on the clock.

West again was fouled, sending him to the line for two shots. And again, he nailed both attempts, sealing the game for the Cougars.

Stephens led the Cougars with 21 points, shooting 3-for-5 overall from behind the arc. Junior Carter Jones recorded 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while junior Bradley Robinson finished with 12 points for Averett.

After trading baskets early in the first half, the Cougars used a strong performance from behind the arc to take a 20-11 lead when Stephens nailed a 3-pointer, giving Averett its biggest lead of the period at the 12:03 mark. Stephens was perfect on his first three attempts from behind the arc, scoring 13 of his 21 points in the first half.

Despite trailing Averett by as many as nine points four times throughout the period, the Generals used a 20-12 run to close out the half, cutting the Cougars' lead to 32-31 going into the break.

Averett shot 48 percent overall from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. The Cougars converted four of their eight 3-point attempts in the first half.

Clayton Murtha's nine points led Washington and Lee, which dropped its seventh game in a row.

Averett returns to action on Dec. 14 when it travels to Lynchburg, Virginia, to take on Randolph College at 2 p.m.