DANVILLE, Va. — Three Cougars had double-doubles as the Averett University women's basketball team eliminated Meredith College 76-64 in the opening round of the USA South Conference Tournament on Wednesday night at the Grant Center.

Averett (18-8), the No. 3 seed in the East Division, advances to play East Division No. 2 seed Ferrum College on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the quarterfinals in Ferrum, Virginia.

The Cougars matched their program single-season record of 18 overall wins, which was set last season. However, it didn't come easy against Meredith (6-20), the No. 6 seed in the East. The Avenging Angels led early in the third quarter and stayed within striking distance before Averett eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Meredith, which led by three at halftime, led 36-33 early in the third quarter before Averett made its push to seize the lead. Sophomore Brooke Carthon drained a 3-pointer to tie it, Meredith turned the ball over on a three-second violation at the other end and senior Alixis Roccia gave the Cougars a lead with a scoop layup moments later. The sequence was the start of a 15-2 run that gave Averett a 46-38 lead with 4:52 left in the quarter.

The Avenging Angels gave one last challenge, scoring eight consecutive points to tie the game at 46-46. Yet, Averett answered with a 7-0 run of its own to reclaim a 53-46 lead late in the third. The Cougars extended the cushion to double-digits midway through the fourth quarter to advance to the next round.

Junior Amani Ajayi was a force for Averett, scoring a game-high 23 points with 13 rebounds. Carthon finished with 10 points and a team-high 14 boards, while sophomore Ravyn Johnson added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Samm Chandler and junior Shannon Longworth chipped in 11 points and 10 points, respectively.