DANVILLE, Va. — A late run in the final minutes helped Averett University men's basketball pull away for an 82-66 victory over Covenant College in Thursday's USA South Conference Tournament quarterfinals hosted at the Grant Center.

Averett (12-14), the No. 1 seed, will face No. 5 seed LaGrange College in the semifinals Friday at 7 p.m.

Averett had trouble shaking Covenant (11-15), the No. 8 seed. The Scots stayed on the Cougars' heels the entire second half, tying the game twice early in the period but never taking the lead. Averett's defense got some key stops that helped the Cougars finally extend their lead, and junior Darin Ketner's 3-pointer with 2:24 to play might have been the finished off Covenant. Sophomore T.J. McAllister crossed up a defender, drove and found Ketner in the corner for the open shot, which gave Averett a 76-65 advantage.

"I don't know if there was an exact play that was the turning point, but I felt Ketner's 3-pointer in the corner at least re-energized us a little bit," Averett third-year coach David Doino said. "I thought from a defensive standpoint, we were able to string some stops together for the first time all game late in the second half and we were able to convert our free throws at the other end."

Overall, Averett finished 29 for 30 from the foul line.

Covenant, which beat Averett 67-63 in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, on Feb. 11, led 28-21 with 8:15 to play in the first half. Averett slowly chipped away before taking a 44-43 lead into halftime thanks to a pair of late free throws by McAllister.

Senior Charles Bryant, the USA South Player of the Year, carried the Cougars in the first half, scoring 19 of his 30 points before halftime. He also finished the game with eight rebounds and two blocks.

"There's a reason why he is the Player of the Year in the conference," said Doino, who was named the USA South Coach of the Year.

Junior James Contreras Jr. finished with 16 points, including 12-for-12 shooting from the foul line. Ketner added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench, while McAllister finished with 11 points.

Patjo Twagirayezu led Covenant with 15 points.

Averett turns its attention to LaGrange, which knocked off No. 4 seed William Peace 80-78 earlier Thursday evening. The Panthers topped Averett 92-77 in LaGrange, Georgia, on Jan. 14 in their only meeting this season.

"It's going to be tough," Doino said. "They are extremely talented and play extremely hard. They are an experienced team that's been to the NCAA Tournament before, so we're going to have our work cut out for us. It's going to come down to finding a way to get stops and rebound the basketball."

In the other USA South quarterfinals games, No. 2 seed Methodist University beat No. 7 seed Greensboro College 93-75 and No. 3 seed Maryville defeated No. 6 seed Piedmont College 87-69.