BRIDGEWATER, Va. — Sophomore Charles Bryant recorded his third career double-double but it wasn't enough as the Averett University men's basketball team fell to Bridgewater College 71-61 on Wednesday night in a non-conference road game.
 
Bryant scored 17 points and added 11 rebounds while leading three Cougars in double-figure scoring. Freshman James Contreras Jr. scored a career-high 15 points and matched his career-high of five rebounds for the third time and junior Trevor West added 12 points and six rebounds for Averett (5-3).
 
Bridgewater (6-2) came out of the gate strong, building a 14-4 lead with 13:46 to play in the first half. The Eagles led by as many as 15, giving Bridgewater a 22-7 lead at the 10:22 mark. However, Averett clawed its way back into the game. Junior Bradley Robinson hit a 3-pointer with eight minutes left in the period, cutting the Eagles' advantage to 22-12. Contreras' layup at the 5:45 mark cut Bridgewater's lead down to single digits at 28-19.  The Cougars' went on a 20-10 run over the last 10 minutes of the half to make the score 32-27 at the break.
 
Averett finally broke through, taking a 45-44 edge at the 9:41 mark when Contreras took a pass from West and converted his layup.  However, the Eagles' used an 8-2 run to pull back ahead 52-47 with seven minutes on the clock. The Cougars couldn't overcome the deficit a second time as Bridgewater secured its sixth consecutive victory.
 
Despite the loss, Averett forced 16 Bridgewater turnovers, leading to 16 points for the Cougars. Averett also outscored the Eagles 38-34 in the paint. However, the Cougars couldn't overcome Bridgewater's 48.4-percent shooting from the field while only shooting 32.9 percent themselves.
 
Ed Reddick led Bridgewater with 28 points.
 
The Cougars return to action on Thursday when they travel to Randolph-Macon College for a 7 p.m. tip in Ashland, Virginia.