RALEIGH, N.C. — A big second-half run by William Peace University was too much for Averett University men's basketball to overcome in a 98-74 conference loss on Saturday.

Averett (5-12, 3-3 USA South), which trailed by only four at the break, got within 39-37 of William Peace (10-5, 3-1 USA South) in the opening seconds of the second half. Yet, the Pacers held off the Cougars over the next few minutes before rattling off a 20-5 run in a five minute span to pull away.

William Peace led for almost the entire first half, building as much as a 14-point lead before Averett battled back to within 39-35 thanks to a 12-2 run to end the period.

Averett senior Charles Bryant led Averett with 21 points and nine rebounds. Juniors James Contreras Jr. and Darin Ketner added 15 points and 13 points respectively, while sophomore Jalen Burnett scored 11 points for the Cougars, who shot 41.9 percent from the floor.

Ryan Emfinger led William Peace with 29 points.

Averett returns home on Sunday to play N.C. Wesleyan College at 2 p.m.