FERRUM, Va. — The Averett University men's basketball team defeated Ferrum College 71-59 for a valuable USA South Conference road win on Saturday afternoon.
 
Averett (8-5, 2-1 USA South) shot 50 percent from the field and went 6-for-8 from beyond the arc in the first half to take a 40-26 lead going into the break. Junior Trevor West went 4-of-4 from the field and nailed all three of his 3-point attempts.
 
Trailing 10-5, junior Devontae Pannell hit a 3, making the score 10-8 with 13:46 left in the period. The Cougars were able to tie the game at 10-10 when sophomore Charles Bryant made a layup at the 12:59 mark. However, Ferrum (5-9, 0-3 USA South) regained the lead when Jamal Pullen banked his shot off the glass 10 seconds later, giving the Panthers a 12-10 advantage. The Cougars took the lead for good when West drained a 3, giving Averett a 15-12 lead with 11:21 remaining in the half. Jovon Miller got the Panthers within one when he scored a layup, cutting Averett's lead to 15-14 at the 10:46 mark. However, Averett responded with a 9-2 run over the course of the next four minutes to take a 24-16 lead when West hit his jump shot with 6:15 on the clock.
 
The Panthers were able to get within four when Marvin Wilson scored a layup off a fast break, making the score 28-24 with just over three minutes remaining in the period. However, Averett used a 12-2 to close out the half, giving them a 14-point lead at halftime.
 
Averett led by as many as 15 several times in the second half. West scored on a layup with just over two minutes left, giving the Cougars a 67-52 lead. However, Ferrum was able to get the lead down to 10 when D.J. Christian sunk his free throw, making the score 67-57 with 1:33 to go. However, Averett used effective free throw shooting from Bryant and West to build its lead to 14 with just over a minute remaining.
 
West led three Cougars in double-figure scoring, finishing with 17 points. Junior Carter Jones added 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Robinson scored 13 points and pulled down nine boards for the Cougars. Averett shot 66.7 percent overall from beyond the arc and 45.5 percent overall for the game to earn its second consecutive win at Ferrum.
 
The Cougars also got a strong performance from their defense, limiting Ferrum to a 33.9 percent effort from the field and held the Panthers to 1-of-10 from 3-point range.  Averett also forced 15 Ferrum turnovers, leading to 22 points.
 
Pullen led Ferrum with 14 points.
 
Averett returns to action when it travels to LaGrange, Georgia, to take on LaGrange College in conference action. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.