DANVILLE, Va. — The Averett University men's basketball team pulled away from Greensboro College in the second half en route to a 75-59 USA South Conference win on Saturday afternoon at the Grant Center.

Holding a 48-44 lead with 13:06 left in the game, Averett (10-3, 1-1 USA South) held Greensboro (7-6, 1-1 USA South) scoreless for nearly five minutes on its way to an 8- 0 run that helped the Cougars establish a 56-44 advantage with under 10 minutes on the clock. The run was ignited by an assertive dunk from junior Charles Bryant to give Averett a 50-44 advantage at the 12:16 mark. The Cougars led by as many as 20 with just under two minutes remaining in the game thanks to a jumper from Bryant that made it 75-55.

Averett's defense opened up the second half strong, holding Greensboro scoreless over the first four minutes of the second period to take a 48-40 lead when freshman Austin DeLucia nailed a 3-pointer with 15:39 on the clock. The Pride answered back with a quick 4-0 run to cut their deficit down to four with 13:06 left in regulation. However, the Cougars forced four Greensboro turnovers over the course of the next six minutes to take control of the game.

The Cougars were led by Bryant who finished with 19 points and recorded nine rebounds, while senior Bradley Robinson chipped in with 14 points. Pannell had a solid game as well, matching his career-high of 12 points, including a huge 3-pointer late in the game. Averett shot 41.3 percent from the field and went 18-for-24 from the charity stripe.

Defensively, the Cougars forced 29 turnovers, leading to 23 points.  Senior Carter Jones led the way with a career-high five steals and brought down eight boards.

Greensboro led by as many as 10 in the first half when Donavan Griffith converted a layup in the paint to put the Pride ahead 30-20 with 6:53 left before the break.  However, the Cougars answered back with a 10-8 run over the remaining of the period to tie the game at 38-38 going into the break.

The Cougars return to the court on Jan. 13 when they host William Peace University in USA South Conference action at 7:30 p.m. at the Grant Center.