ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — N.C. Wesleyan College held off Averett University down the stretch to edge the Cougars 84-82 in USA South Conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.

Averett (1-9, 1-2 USA South) led by three at halftime before N.C. Wesleyan (8-1, 3-0 USA South) jumped in front to start the second half. The two teams jostled back and forth for most of the period, but the Bishops stayed in front until junior Vince Contreras nailed a 3-pointer with 6:05 left to give Averett its first lead of the second half — 67-66 — since right after halftime.

A five-point swing over the next minute helped N.C. Wesleyan reclaim the lead, which grew to as many as seven points over the final two minutes. The Cougars tried to chip away as junior Timothy Henry hit a 3-pointer and sophomore Bryson Davis followed with a layup to get Averett within 81-79 with 21 seconds to play. The Cougars immediately fouled to put N.C. Wesleyan on the line, where Damon McDowell connected on both shots to extend the Bishops lead back to four.

The Cougars' next possession ended with a blocked 3-pointer and a turnover, and a foul put Chris Braswell on the line with five seconds to play. Braswell hit one of two free throws to make it 84-79 before Contreras drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Contreras led all scorers with 24 points. Henry added 13 points and team-highs of seven rebounds and three steals. Sophomore Montre' Cash finished with 11 points and matched his career-high of six assists, while freshman Isaiah Jones had 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks for the Cougars.

In the first half, neither team enjoyed more than a two-possession lead at any point. Averett overcame a six-point deficit with 4:44 left in the period to go ahead 40-37 at halftime thanks to a 7-0 run over the final 1:11.

N.C. Wesleyan, led by Robert Wilson's 23 points, shot 70.8 percent in the second half.

Averett will break for the holidays and returns to action on Jan. 1 at the University of Lynchburg.