DANVILLE, Va. – Huntingdon College used a run in the third quarter to defeat the Averett University women's basketball team 74-64 in a conference matchup on Saturday afternoon at the Grant Center.
 
Averett (9-7, 4-4 USA South) showed a dominant presence offensively in the first half while also playing solid and smart defense. The Cougars attacked the basket to draw fouls and sunk 12 of 14 free throws as they kept the Hawks off the line during the entire first half. Averett hauled in 15 offensive boards in first half action alone to help the team establish a 35-28 edge over Huntingdon (7-8, 2-6 USA South) at halftime.
 
Huntingdon, however, came out the break with center Juliette Harp using her size to work the paint. She hit a layup with 5:36 to go in the third quarter, giving Huntingdon a 38-37 advantage. The Hawks outscored Averett 19-6 to take a 47-41 lead going into the fourth period.
 
Huntingdon moved ahead by 10 with just over two minutes to go in regulation, but sophomore shooting guard Samm Chandler nailed a 3-pointer on the wing to close the gap at 67-60 with 1:11 on the clock. The Hawks missed key free throws late in the fourth quarter, which gave the Cougars a chance to catch up, but they were unable to connect at the opposite end.
 
Chandler led Averett with a double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds while senior forward Oneka Jones added nine points and eight rebounds.
 
Huntingdon's Mackenzie Garmany also paced the Hawks with 27 points as Harp put up 19 points and 11 rebounds.  
 
The Cougars return to their home court tomorrow, Jan. 31, to host conference foe LaGrange College at 1 p.m. The game will be part of the annual "Caring for Carrie" event to raise money for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.  Jamie Valvano, daughter of legendary N.C. State coach Jim Valvano, will be the guest speaker at the event.