DANVILLE, Va. ­— The Averett University men's basketball team staved off a furious second-half rally by Randolph-Macon College en route to an 85-76 non-conference win on Sunday at the Grant Center.
 
Despite trailing by double digits for the early part of the second period, Randolph-Macon (1-4) got within two points on Darryl Williams' layup at the 11:57 mark. However, Averett's defense came to life, forcing four turnovers in a four-minute stretch to re-establish a double-digit lead.
 
Averett (4-1) used a three-point play to pull ahead 62-53 when junior Charles Bryant made a layup and was fouled. Bryant made his free throw to give the Cougars a nine-point lead with 9:25 on the clock. On the Yellow Jackets' ensuing possession, Bryant stole the ball from Jon Nowell and went down the court to make an emphatic dunk that ignited the home crowd.
 
However, that still wasn't enough to put Randolph-Macon away. The Yellow Jackets pulled off a 12-4 run to get back within 76-70 with 1:35 left in regulation. Undeterred, the Cougars used a mix of efficient free throw shooting and inside baskets to put the game away in the final minute.
 
Bryant and senior Carter Jones each recorded double-doubles in the victory. Bryant led the team in scoring with 19 points and grabbed 11 boards, while Jones added 16 points and 11 rebounds, which helped him eclipse the milestone of 500 career rebounds. Jones has 510 for his career, leaving him one shy of Jonathan Rumley for seventh on the program's all-time rebounding list.

Robinson scored 16 and senior Trevor West chipped in 10 points as Averett had four players score in double digits for the second consecutive game.

Averett established its biggest advantage of the night when Jones made a jump shot to give the Cougars a 49-34 lead. The Yellow Jackets, though, heated up from beyond the arc to trim their deficit down to 55-53 with just under 12 minutes left.
 
In addition, the Cougars also shot 53.3 percent from the field to go along with a 53.8 shooting performance from outside the perimeter. Averett outrebounded Randolph-Macon 36-25.
 
The Cougars return to the court on Dec. 2 when they travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to take on Johnson & Wales University at 7:30 p.m.