ASHLAND, Va. — The Averett University men's basketball team gave No. 22 Randolph-Macon College all it could handle but the Yellow Jackets held off the Cougars 74-69 in overtime in a tightly contested non-conference road game on Thursday night.

Down by two with 1:40 remaining in regulation, Averett tied the game at 66-66 on sophomore Charles Bryant's layup. Still tied, Averett had a chance to go ahead with just under 30 seconds to play but missed a shot. Randolph-Macon (7-2) got the rebound, but West was there to draw a charge seconds later. With the shot clock off, Averett had one more opportunity in the final seconds of the half. Fouled with 4.9 seconds to go, Averett missed the front end of a one-plus-one, and Randolph-Macon got the rebound and put up a quick 3-pointer at the other end that missed, sending the game into overtime.

Neither team was able to score for the first two minutes of the extra period until junior Carter Jones was fouled by Marcus Badger, sending him to the line for two shots. Jones hit the back end of his two shots, giving Averett a 67-66 lead at the 3:13 mark. However, Michael Taylor took a pass from Joe Hassell and hit a 3-pointer, giving Randolph-Macon a 69-67 lead with just over two minutes left in the period. The Yellow Jackets led the rest of the way thanks to a stingy defensive effort. Randolph-Macon hit its free throws late and closed the game on a 5-2 run to seal the victory.

West scored 17 points and added seven rebounds while leading four Cougars in double-figuring scoring. Bryant added 10 points and nine rebounds, junior Bradley Robinson scored 16 and senior Cody Stephens finished with 10 for Averett. Jones totaled a team-high 10 rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets led by as many as six in the first half when Rip Engel grabbed a rebound off a missed Averett shot and scored a layup off his fast break, giving Randolph-Macon a 15-9 advantage at the 12:45 mark. However, the Cougars went on a 7-1 run over the next minute to take a 16-15 lead when Bryant converted his layup off a fast break. Trailing 31-29 with four seconds remaining, West sunk a long 3-pointer, giving Averett a 32-31 advantage going into the break.

The Cougars came out strong in the second half, using an 8-4 run to take a 40-35 lead when West hit a jumper with 15:50 remaining. However, the nationally ranked Yellow Jackets caught Averett down the stretch.

Despite the loss, Averett played well on defense, holding the Yellow Jackets to a 38.8 percent shooting performance from the field. Averett shot 40.5 percent from the field and went 6-for-12 at the free throw line.

Hassell led Randolph-Macon with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cougars return to action when they host Maryville College on Jan. 2 at 5:30 p.m. in their USA South Conference opener.