MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Averett University men's basketball team held off Huntingdon College 70-67 in an exciting USA South Conference contest on Sunday afternoon, giving the Cougars their fifth consecutive victory.
 
Ahead by one with just over a minute remaining, Averett (10-5, 4-1 USA South) pushed its lead to 70-67 on a layup by junior Trevor West with 41 seconds to play. Huntingdon (2-12, 1-3 USA South) had several chances to tie it over the course of the next 40 seconds, but were unable to do so. Raheem Berry's 3-point attempt with six seconds left fell short, sealing Averett's third straight conference road win.
 
Averett led by as many as 14 in the first half when freshman Darin Ketner nailed his jumper, giving the Cougars a 39-25 advantage with 2:44 left in the period. However, Huntingdon used a 5-2 run to close out the half, giving Averett a 41-30 lead at the break. The Cougars shot 46.7 percent from the field in the first half along with going 4-of-9 from beyond the arc to establish their double-digit lead.
 
Despite the large deficit, the Hawks fought back in the second half. Huntingdon opened the second period on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 44-44 when Andre Ashley sunk a jumper just three minutes into the half. However, junior Carter Jones' layup at the 16:14 mark put the Cougars back in front 46-44.
 
The Hawks grabbed a brief one-point lead twice over the next few minutes before Averett regained control. Averett rebuilt as much as a nine-point lead in the second half when junior Bradley Robinson made a long 3, giving the Cougars a 66-57 advantage with 5:26 left to play. Yet, once again Huntingdon made a run as the Hawks used a 10-2 run to cut Averett's lead down to 68-67 when Ashley nailed his layup at the 1:05 mark, setting up the thrilling finish.
 
Robinson led all Cougars in scoring, finishing with 17 points, while sophomore Charles Bryant recorded a double-double of 16 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. West finished with 10 and Jones pulled down eight boards in the victory.
 
Berry finished with a double-double of his own, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for the Hawks in the loss. Ashley also recorded 14 points for Huntingdon. Averett's defense limited Huntingdon to just 32.9 percent shooting from the field and held the Hawks to 30.0 percent from 3-point range.
 
Averett takes the court again on Wednesday as it hosts Greensboro College in USA South Conference action at 7 p.m.