MISENHEIMER, N.C. — Averett University men's basketball senior James Contreras Jr. scored a career-high 40 points, but the Cougars fell 123-107 to hot-shooting Pfeiffer University in non-conference action on Saturday evening.
 
A high-scoring affair, Averett (5-2) had a stellar shooting night, making a season-best 57.6 percent of its shots from the floor. However, it wasn't enough to offset Pfieffer's 55.6 percent shooting, which included 16 made 3-pointers. The Falcons, who joined the USA South Conference but don't count toward the league standings this season because they are still transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division III, also capitalized on opportunities by scoring 53 points off turnovers in a game that saw both teams combine for 60 turnovers.
 
Pfeiffer raced out to a 26-10 lead in the first nine-plus minutes before Averett settled in. The Cougars used a 12-2 run to trim the deficit to six before the Falcons pushed their advantage back to 18, 47-30, with 4:36 left in the half. After Averett whittled the Pfeiffer lead back down to 10, the Falcons scored just before the break to take a 62-50 lead into halftime.
 
Contreras Jr. scored 23 of his 40 points in the second half and sophomore Vince Contreras netted a career-high 25 points off the bench, but it still wasn't enough to counter the Falcons, who grew their lead to as much as 31 in the second period. Yet, Averett kept battling and eventually closed the gap to 14 points before running out of time.
 
The 40 points by Contreras Jr. ranks as the second highest scoring effort by an Averett player in a single game, just missing the team's record. The program's all-time leading scorer and Averett Athletics Hall of Famer DeMarcus Morrison scored 41 points against Shenandoah University in 1999. Contreras Jr.'s previous career-high was 28 points.
 
Junior guard T.J. McAllister added 13 points, and freshman Raymond Bullock III netted a career-best eight points while matching his career-high of seven rebounds. Contreras Jr. added three blocks.
 
Averett outrebounded Pfeiffer 37-31.

Pfeiffer, which hadn't played since Nov. 19, had four players score 15 points or more, led by Josh Calhoun's 31 points.
 
Averett will travel to Ferrum, Virginia, for its conference opener against Ferrum College on Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m.