DANVILLE, Va. — The Averett University women's basketball team fell short to Methodist University down the stretch in a 66-64 conference loss on Saturday evening at the Grant Center.   
 
Averett (9-12, 7-8 USA South) got off to a slow start in the first half and fell behind early. The Cougars trailed Methodist (8-13, 8-7 USA South) by as much as 16 with 8:49 to go in the first period, but they regained composure on offense with good ball movement around the perimeter and established an inside-out game to go on a 15-5 run. Freshman guard Joelle Deese nailed two shots from behind the arc to help Averett trim the deficit to six at the break.
 
The streak continued as Averett halted Methodist's scoring with a 20-0 run to open the second half. Earlier in the game, Averett couldn't find an answer for Methodist's 6-foot center Sydney Bryan, who had 11 points and seven rebounds in the first half. However, Averett shut her down in second half, holding her to just one point and four rebounds. The Cougars' defensive effort was led by senior point guard Aundrea Burns, who finished with a career-high of eight steals and also dished out seven assists.   
 
The run gave the Cougars a 14-point lead, but the Monarchs inched their way back to knot the score at 58-58 on Jalisia Campbell's short-range jumper at the 4:06 mark. Two possessions later, Monique Lofton knocked down a 3-pointer to put Methodist ahead 63-60 with 3:11 left in regulation.
 
After two made free throws from both teams, sophomore forward Brianna Taylor hit a layup and closed the gap to 65-64 with less than two minutes to go. The Cougars had two opportunities to score, but both possessions resulted in turnovers and forced Averett to foul with 20 seconds on the clock.
 
Lofton missed both free throws, giving Averett another chance to take the lead. Pushing the ball up the floor, the Cougars called a timeout with 5 seconds left. Taylor drove to the basket, looking to draw a foul, but she couldn't get it to go her way. Taylor finished with a game-high 17 points and matched her career-high of four assists.   
 
Despite Lofton's missed attempts, Methodist took advantage of free throws and sank 13 shots from the line in the second half after only having two attempts in the first half.
 
The Monarchs had five players score in double-figures. Lofton led the team with 15 points, and all of them came from 3-point land. Ayanna Pegues followed with 13 while Bryan and Campbell each added 12 points. Alexis Wallace also contributed 10 for the Monarchs.
 
Freshman guard Samm Chandler put up 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Cougars, and junior guard Jessica Myers added 11 points and four steals.
 
The Cougars' loss puts them in fifth place behind the Monarchs, who are now fourth in the USA South North Division standings.
 
The Cougars return to the Grant Center to play its third consecutive home game on Sunday against N.C. Wesleyan at 3 p.m.