Box Score
DANVILLE, Va. — Averett's 17-point halftime lead slipped away in the second half as William Peace University rallied for a 75-72 conference victory on Sunday afternoon at the Grant Center.
Averett (5-14, 4-9 USA South) came out firing with arguably its best first half performance of the season. The Cougars shot 64 percent from the floor, including 8-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, to take a 45-28 lead at halftime.
William Peace (3-16, 3-10 USA South) opened the second half with a 9-0 run to get within eight. Although Averett weathered the storm for a while, the Pacers eventually made their run. Zhana Gooden's jumper gave William Peace its first lead of the game, 65-64, with 3:48 to play.
Averett senior
Shannon Smith answered with a big 3-pointer at the other end to regain the lead for the Cougars. After a stop at the other end, sophomore
Jessica Myers hit a layup to put Averett ahead 69-65 with 2:37 remaining. Yet, Averett's offense went silent for more than two minutes as William Peace used an 8-0 run comprised of a layup and six free throws to go in front 73-69 with 20.7 seconds to go.
The Cougars got within 73-72 on Myers' 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds left to give Averett a chance. The Cougars fouled Brittany Boykin, who made one of two free throws at the other end with 6.2 seconds remaining to put the Pacers ahead by two. Averett's opportunity to tie or win the game ended in a turnover, and Boykin added a free throw with 0.5 seconds left to seal the win for William Peace.
After a strong shooting performance in the first half, Averett shot just 28.6 percent in the second half.
Myers finished with a career-high 23 points for Averett, while Smith had a season-high 17 points off the bench. Sophomore
Micah Andrews added eight points and freshman
Alexis Sollars grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Crystal Alston led five William Peace scorers in double figures with 17 points. Derrica Jones added 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Averett returns to action on Wednesday when the Cougars host Mary Baldwin College at 6 p.m.
