DANVILLE, Va. — Having not played a minute all season due for medical reasons, Averett University men's basketball senior Brandon Baker returned to get the start on Senior Night. On the opening possession, Baker drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to begin what would be a memorable night for the Cougars' seniors.

Averett held off conference rival William Peace University 80-76 on Tuesday night at the Grant Center. The win also secured the Cougars a spot in next week's USA South Conference Tournament.

Baker's emotional 3-pointer got the crowd roaring early as Averett took the early lead. However, William Peace responded with a 12-0 run — all on 3-pointers — to take control in the opening minutes. The Cougars and Pacers traded the lead throughout the first half with Averett taking a 36-32 advantage into halftime on a last-second tip-in by senior Darin Ketner.

Averett built a 50-42 lead less than four minutes into the second half. William Peace, however, caught fire and rattled off a 16-0 spurt over the next four minutes to surge ahead 60-52 with 12:04 to play. The Cougars responded with a run of their own, knocking down 10 consecutive points to go back in front 62-60. It was the start of what would be a greater 22-6 run for Averett. From there, Averett was able to hold off the Pacers over the final five minutes to secure the victory. Down two with under 10 seconds to play, William Peace had one final chance to tie the game, but an errant pass went out of bounds on the baseline. Junior Austin DeLucia sealed it with a pair of free throws with 1.6 seconds to play.

Seniors James Contreras Jr. and Darin Ketner each came up big when the Cougars needed them. Ketner had 11 of his 15 points in the first half to help Averett battle back to take the halftime lead. Meanwhile, Contreras hit numerous big shots down the stretch while scoring 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second period.

Baker, meanwhile, made the most of his limited time. He also knocked down a 3-pointer to begin the second half, finishing with a career-high six points in five minutes.

DeLucia added nine points off the bench for Averett, which also honored senior student assistant coach Michael Brackett prior to the game. 

Averett finishes the regular season with a road game against William Peace on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.