Winchester, Va. — After trailing in the first half, the Averett University women's basketball team outscored Shenandoah University in the second half to claim a 56-53 victory in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at Shingleton Gymnasium.
 
Shenandoah (3-5) built as much as a nine-point lead midway through the third quarter, but Averett responded when freshman guard Brooke Carthon and junior guard Frida Lundquist scored eight points in a 10-0 run to give the Cougars a 41-40 lead by the end of the period.
 
In the fourth quarter, Averett (5-3) moved ahead with a 53-45 advantage on two more buckets from Carthon with 2:12 to go in regulation. The Hornets, however, capitalized at the free throw line to inch back. They connected on five straight free throws before finding themselves only down by one.
 
Shenandoah's Erin French hit her first free throw but missed the second as her teammate McKenzie Mathis snagged the offensive board. Mathis kicked the ball out to Sarah Donley, who drilled a shot from behind the arc with 40 seconds on the clock, but Averett answered on the opposite end to give itself a bit of a cushion.
 
As the shot clock dwindled, Ariana Covington put in a layup from the right block to extend Averett's lead to three at the 14-second mark. Shenandoah attempted a three-pointer, but junior shooting guard Samm Chandler got a piece of it to help the Cougars seal the win.  
 
Carthon led Averett with 13 points as Lundquist added 12 points and nine rebounds. Chandler put up 10 points and seven rebounds while senior center Jonna Koski hauled in a career-high 12 rebounds.
 
Shenandoah's French finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds to produce the only double-double of the evening.
 
Averett returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 18, for its first game of the Averett University East-West Classic. The Cougars host Maryville College at 3 p.m. at the Grant Center.