GREENSBORO, N.C. — Freshman Harrison Cochran poured in a career-high 29 points to spark the Cougars late, but the Averett University men's basketball rally fell short in an 82-79 conference loss to Greensboro College on Wednesday night.
 
Averett (10-11, 5-8 USA South), which trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, chipped away at Greensboro's lead. A Cochran jumper and a pair of free throws by junior Jalen Burnett closed the Pride's cushion to 71-67 with 3:21 to play. Yet, Greensboro (9-12, 4-8 USA South) answered at the other end with a 3-pointer — one of 11 made by the Pride on 26 attempts.
 
The Cougars kept battling with under a minute to play. Down six, Cochran's jumper trimmed the Greensboro lead to 78-74 with 46 seconds remaining. Following a pair of made Pride free throws, Cochran hit a 3-pointer to close the gap to only three points. Averett fouled at the other end, but Joseph Gatling made both free throws. Down five, Cochran made a steal and was fouled in the final seconds, but his two made foul shots weren't enough as Greensboro prevailed, avenging a 108-90 loss to Averett in late January.
 
Averett led early on, taking a 24-14 advantage with 8:24 left in the first half. Then Greensboro rattled off a momentum-shifting 12-0 run to take the lead. Another 7-0 run minutes later helped the Pride hold a 41-34 lead at halftime. Greensboro, which shot 46.6 percent from the floor, used a 9-0 spurt in a span of two-plus minutes to extend its lead to 52-40 and force the Cougars to fight back down the stretch.
 
Cochran broke out for a career-high 29 points, easily eclipsing his previous high of 11 points. Cochran went 9-for-12 from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and was 8-for-8 from the foul line. Burnett added 17 points and seven rebounds, while senior Darin Ketner notched a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards. Senior James Contreras Jr. finished with nine points and six rebounds for the Cougars.
 
Averett faces conference newcomer Brevard College on Friday in a non-conference road matchup.