Box Score  
 
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — No. 7 seed Ferrum College grabbed the lead in the final minutes and held off No. 2 seed Averett for a 77-71 upset in Thursday's USA South Conference Tournament quarterfinals hosted by Maryville College.
 
Averett (12-14), which led 36-32 at halftime, extended their lead to 53-46 on junior Darnell Collins' layup with 12:58 remaining. Ferrum (11-15) answered with an 8-0 run to take a one-point lead over the next two minutes. The two rivals traded the lead for several minutes, but Averett went in front 60-56 on sophomore Carter Jones' layup, leading to a Ferrum timeout with 6:49 to play.

Ferrum hit several big shots, including a pair of 3-pointers to overtake Averett with 4:44 to play. Ferrum got another 3-pointer moments later by Tyler Mann to extend the Panthers' lead to 70-64. Averett couldn't gain any ground on Ferrum over the final minutes as the Panthers hit seven of their final eight free throws to pull away.

Ferrum advances to play No. 3 seed Huntingdon College, a 92-89 winner over No. 6 Methodist University, in Friday's USA South semifinals at 5 p.m.

Ferrum was led by Jamal Pullen's 15 points and 15 rebounds. Brian Clarke added 16 points and five assists for the Panthers, who also got 15 points and nine rebounds from Alek Ayer and 12 points and seven rebounds from Jovon Miller.

Ferrum, which lost both regular season games against Averett, opened the game on a strong note, taking a 14-4 advantage. Averett chipped away at Ferrum's lead down the stretch, eventually tying the game at 32-32 on sophomore Bradley Robinson's 3-pointer. Collins' putback on Averett's next possession gave the Cougars' their first lead. Robinson added a pair of free throws in the final minute of the period to give Averett a four-point lead at halftime.

Robinson finished with 11 points for the Cougars. Sophomore Trevor West led Averett with 13 points, while junior Cody Stephens had 12 points. Sophomore Devontae Pannell and freshman Charles Bryant each had nine points off the bench.

The loss ended Averett's season, as well as the collegiate careers of Melvin Garrison and Paul Porter. Garrison had two points against the Panthers, while Porter missed the last three games due to injury. Porter's absence was evident on the glass against Ferrum. In their two regular season meetings, Averett outrebounded Ferrum by a combined 39 boards. Without Porter, Averett's second all-time leading rebounder in program history, Ferrum outrebounded the Cougars 45-34.