DANVILLE, Va.  — The Averett University women's basketball team used a strong performance in the third quarter to outlast Meredith College 65-54 in USA South Conference action on Wednesday night at the Grant Center.
 
Averett (9-4, 2-0 USA South) pulled ahead by as much as 25 with the help of sophomore guard Alixis Roccia's eight consecutive points in Averett's 10-0 run, including two 3-pointers. She paced her squad with 17 points to tie her season-high and also dished out five assists and five steals, both tying her career-highs in the categories.  
 
The Cougars put up a strong defensive effort and forced Meredith (0-10, 0-1 USA South) to cough up 27 turnovers. Senior center Jonna Koski was a key part of Averett's defense on the inside as she finished with a career-high of four blocks.
 
Junior shooting guard Samm Chandler added 14 points for the Cougars while junior guard Frida Lundquist put up nine points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Brooke Carthon finished with seven points and eight rebounds as sophomore forward Amani Ajayi finished with seven points and seven rebounds.
 
Meredith's Jessi Hayes led the Avenging Angels with 17 points and 13 boards.
 
Averett returns to its home court this weekend to face Methodist University on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.