WISE, Va. — The Averett University men's basketball team got an early Christmas present with a 90-83 overtime win against Division II University of Virginia at Wise on Thursday afternoon at the Prior Center.
 
Trailing 68-61 with 8:01 left in regulation, Averett (8-2) used a 19-12 run to tie the score at 80-80 thanks to senior Trevor West's layup with 15 seconds on the clock. After a 30-second timeout, UVA-Wise (1-8) got the ball down the court, but Phillip Owens II missed his attempt, sending the game into overtime.
 
The Cougars took the lead early in overtime when senior Carter Jones nailed a layup to give Averett an 82-80 advantage at the 4:40 mark. The Cavaliers eventually answered back with a tying bucket a little over a minute later. West put the Cougars ahead 83-82 with a free throw, and senior Bradley Robinson added two more clutch free throws to extend Averett's lead to three. Averett's defense stifled UVA-Wise from there, holding the Cavaliers scoreless for nearly three minutes. Robinson's breakaway dunk with 15 seconds to play put an exclamation point on the impressive road victory.
 
Averett had four players score in double digits. West led the way for the Cougars with 19 points to go along with six assists, while sophomore James Contreras Jr. turned in a 16-point performance. Robinson chipped in with 15 and Jones added 14 points. Overall, the Cougars shot 48.6 percent from the floor and went 9 for 17 beyond the arc. Averett also dominated UVA-Wise in the paint, outscoring the Cavaliers 48-28.
 
The Cougars won the battle under the boards 46-34, including 31 on the defensive end. Jones paced Averett with nine rebounds, while junior Charles Bryant contributed eight and Robinson grabbed seven. Averett turned in an impressive defensive performance as well, forcing 19 UVA-Wise turnovers on its way to 23 points.
 
The Cougars trailed by as many as seven early in the first period. However, Averett drilled five 3-pointers over the course of the next 13 minutes to help establish its biggest lead of the game at 44-32 with 2:09 left in the half. The Cavaliers, though, went on a 7-1 tear to close the half and cut their deficit down to 45-39 at the break.
 
Averett returns to action on Jan. 2 when it hosts Randolph College at 12 p.m.