DANVILLE, Va. — The Averett University women's basketball team fell to Guilford College 72-57 on Tuesday night at the Grant Center.
 
The teams traded baskets in the first eight minutes with five ties before Guilford (5-1) went on a 15-4 run, stretching the lead to 30-19. Averett sophomore forward Alexis Sollars knocked down two consecutive mid-range jumpers and freshman center Jonna Koski sank a shot from inside the paint to put the Cougars within five points with 4:03 left to play in the first half.  
 
Facing as much as a 11-point deficit in the first period, Averett (1-3) trailed at halftime 35-27. Early in the second half, the Cougars struggled with taking care of the ball with three turnovers in its first four possessions that allowed Guilford to extend the lead to 41-27.
 
After settling down, the Cougars created open looks at the basket and made good shot selections but couldn't get their shots to fall as the Quakers' screen and cut offense led them to multiple layups and backdoor opportunities accumulating 46 points in the paint. With Guilford's Anais Weatherly posting 21 points and seven rebounds, the Cougars were unable to catch up to the Quakers.
 
Averett's top three scorers of the night were all freshmen. Shooting guard Samm Chandler led the way for the Cougars tying her career-high with 13 points and had a team-high eight rebounds and three steals. Guard Frida Lundquist shot 4-for-4 from the field to finish with a career-high 11 points, and Koski added nine points and four rebounds for Averett.
 
The Cougars will return to the court after almost a two-week break to play in its first conference game of the season against N.C. Wesleyan College on Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.