MARYVILLE, Tenn. – With a back-and-forth battle the entire way, defending conference tournament champion Maryville College defeated the Averett University women's basketball team 69-63 on Friday night in the semifinals of the USA South Conference Tournament.
 
The game was close for all 40 minutes as the neither team led by more than eight points. No. 2 East seed Averett (18-9) went into halftime with a 34-27 lead, and the game was tied 47-47 entering the fourth quarter. Junior shooting guard Samm Chandler, who paced the Cougars with 20 points to go with seven rebounds and four steals, hit eight of Averett's first 10 points in the period that still kept the matchup knotted at 57-57 with 6:05 to go in regulation. There were a total of 14 ties and 12 lead changes in the conference semifinal.  
 
No. 1 West seed and tournament host Maryville (23-4) nailed a 3-pointer from Lauren Biliter to move in front of the Cougars 66-63 with just under two minutes to go. Averett had opportunities to pull ahead, but the Cougars missed four free throws as time winded down. Biliter connected on her shots from the charity stripe later on to help Maryville secure the win.
 
Alongside Chandler, three other Cougars ended the night in double-digits. Junior guard Frida Lundquist put up 15 points while sophomore point guard Alixis Roccia added 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Freshman Brooke Carthon also contributed 11 points.   
 
"While we wanted to win tonight, I am very proud of our team. We made huge strides this season. A big thank you goes to our seniors," said Liz Hickey, Averett's head coach.
 
Despite the loss, the Cougars ended their season with plenty of positives, including a record-setting season of 18 wins to pass the previous record of 17 in the program's history.
 
Maryville's Allyson Freiermuth finished with a game-high 21 points and 18 rebounds with Biliter not far behind with 16 points as the Scots dished out 17 assists as a team. Saturday's championship game will mark Maryville's fourth straight appearance in the finals of the USA South Conference Tournament. The Scots will take on No. 2 West seed Piedmont College. Piedmont beat No. 1 East seed Ferrum College 54-51 on Friday.