FERRUM, Va. — Ferrum College's go-ahead jumper in the final seconds helped the Panthers edge Averett University 69-67 in non-conference men's basketball action on Sunday.
 
Averett (0-4) and Ferrum (1-5) traded the lead several times over the final two minutes. Tied at 62-62, junior Timothy Henry's free throw gave the Cougars a one-point advantage with 1:20 to play. With under a minute, Nick Helton's layup put Ferrum back in top briefly until senior Jalen Burnett's floater off the glass reclaimed a 65-64 lead for Averett with 44.5 seconds remaining.

Following a timeout, Helton faded behind a screen and hit a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 67-65 lead. Averett answered at the other end with a pair of Burnett free throws, once again tying the game at 67-67 with 17 seconds to go.

Coming out of a timeout with 14.4 seconds to play, Ferrum's Marcus Huff drove down the lane and hit a fade-away jumper with three seconds remaining to put the Panthers on time. Averett's last-second shot missed off the glass, preserving the win for Ferrum.

Huff finished with a game-high 23 points.

Averett controlled the game for most of the first half. Junior Ian Best's dunk with 7:45 left in the period extended the Cougars' lead to 21-12. Ferrum, however, followed with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes — capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Huff — as the Panthers grabbed a 24-21 advantage. Averett remained close, but a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half gave Ferrum a 34-30 lead at the break.

The Cougars came out on fire to start the second half. Burnett — who scored a team-high 21 points— netted eight of Averett's first 10 points after halftime as the Cougars jumped back in front 40-34 in the first three minutes of the period. Yet, once again, Ferrum rattled off a 13-0 to take control 57-48 with 9:10 remaining. The Cougars chipped that lead down to 57-56 with 5:36 to go, and Averett eventually grabbed a 60-59 lead on a Burnett layup less than two minutes later to set up the tight finish.

Junior Vince Contreras added 11 points for Averett, which also got nine points and six rebounds from Henry and eight points and five boards from Best.

Averett returns home to play non-conference foe Virginia Wesleyan University on Wednesday at 7 p.m. following the women's basketball game at the Grant Center.