FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Averett University men's basketball put together a strong second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit as the Cougars suffered a season-ending 87-73 loss to Methodist University in the USA South Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
 
Down 55-31 at halftime, Averett (14-12) didn't go away. Down by as many as 26 points in the opening minutes of the second half, the Cougars kept battling. An 11-0 run midway through the period helped Averett get within 66-52, and a nine-point spurt pulled the Cougars within 74-65 with 5:34 remaining.
 
Methodist (18-8), the No. 2 seed in the East Division, answered with a 7-2 run over the next few minutes to extend its lead back to double digits. The Cougars, who were the East's No. 3 seed, got within nine again on freshman Harrison Cochran's 3-pointer with just under two minutes to play, but the Monarchs put the game out of reach with free throws late.
 
Averett outscored Methodist 42-32 in the second half.
 
The Monarchs methodically distanced themselves from the Cougars in the first half, building as much as a 26-point advantage late in the period. Methodist shot 68.6 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes.
 
Senior James Contreras Jr. kept Averett close in the first half with 16 of his game-high 33 points. He finished his collegiate career with 1,520 points, which ranks third all-time at Averett.
 
Sophomore Moriba Diaby added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Cougars, who shot 36 percent for the game.
 
Methodist advanced to the USA South semifinals to play West Division No. 1 seed Maryville College on Friday in Maryville, Tennessee, the host site of the rest of the tournament.