MARYVILLE, Tenn. — The Averett University women's basketball team hung tight with nationally ranked Maryville College in the second half, but the underdog Cougars fell short and ended their season with a heartbreaking 45-44 loss in the USA South Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night.
 
Maryville (24-2), ranked 15th in the country, knocked down four 3-pointers to help build an early 20-4 lead over Averett in the first half, but the Cougars adjusted their defense and kept the Scots from scoring for nine minutes. Even with its defensive efforts, Averett (11-15) struggled to convert on the offensive end, however, the Cougars still managed to only trail by 10 at the break.
 
Averett came out hungry in the second half. The Cougars rallied back with a 10-0 run and sophomore forward Alexis Sollars hit a jumper to put them within one point with 11:57 to go. At the 5:54 mark, freshman shooting guard Samm Chandler sank two free throws to give Averett its first lead of the game at 36-35. She ended the night shooting 8-for-10 from the foul line.
 
The game remained close, and the top-seeded Scots reclaimed a five-point lead on a jumper from Mackenzie Puckett to put Maryville in front 43-38 with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. Later on, freshman guard Frida Lundquist scored a basket to get the Cougars back on track, but they were still behind 45-44. Maryville regained possession of the ball and had the chance to extend the lead, but Jordan Ballard turned the ball over in the corner with 14 seconds on the clock to give Averett enough time to score.
 
With 16 points and eight rebounds on the night, Chandler was the go-to person for the Cougars. Senior point guard Aundrea Burns pushed the ball up the court to break Maryville's full-court press, and with a series of screens, Chandler got the ball in her hands with less than four seconds to go. On the right side of the court, the Cougars cleared out of the lane for the rookie to get to the hole. But with only two dribbles, Ballard came over quickly for the help defense, getting in Chandler's pathway to basket to draw contact. Chandler was called for the charge with 0.7 seconds to allow the Scots to clinch the victory.
 
With the win, Maryville advanced to the semifinals to face Ferrum College. Puckett led the Scots with 12 points.
In addition to Chandler's 16 points, Averett got eight points and six rebounds from sophomore Brianna Taylor. Burns finished with five points and two steals to complete her collegiate career.
 
Though the Cougars' squad ran out of time on Thursday night, the young team composed mostly of underclassmen performed well this season and displayed its growth. The team earned its best conference record since head coach Liz Hickey took over in the 2011-2012 season.