RALEIGH, N.C. — The Averett University men's basketball team fell 77-74 at William Peace University on Sunday afternoon, snapping the Cougars' four-game win streak.
 
Down by six with 2:22 remaining, freshman James Contreras Jr. cut the Pacers' lead to 74-72 with a layup. William Peace hit one of two free throws to push its lead back to three, but sophomore Charles Bryant hit a jumper to cut Averett's deficit back down to 75-74 with just over a minute to play.
 
A defensive stop gave Averett (14-7, 8-3 USA South) possession with 20 seconds to go, but a turnover forced the Cougars to foul and put the Pacers on the line. William Peace (11-10, 7-3 USA South) hit both free throws to increase its lead back to three with six seconds remaining. Averett had one final chance to tie the game and force overtime, but a shot at the buzzer fell short as the Pacers escaped with the win.
 
Averett trailed by as many as 14 in the first half before the Cougars closed out the first period with a 26-14 run to cut the Pacers' lead to 39-37 at the break.
 
Averett eventually grabbed the lead in the second half. Junior Carter Jones' dunk with 7:53 remaining in the second period gave the Cougars their biggest lead of the game at 64-60. William Peace, though, went on a 14-4 run over the next four minutes to establish a 74-68 advantage.
 
Junior Trevor West led four Cougars in double-digit scoring, finishing with 17 points to go with a team-high five assists. Bryant recorded his seventh double-double of the year, scoring 12 points and pulling down 15 rebounds — one shy of his career high. Contreras added 14 points and junior Bradley Robinson scored 11. Senior Cody Stephens came off the bench to chip in 11 points and seven rebounds.
 
Shawn Shaffer led William Peace with 25.
 
Averett returns to action on Feb. 14 when it hosts Methodist University at 2 p.m. at the Grant Center in conference action.