RALEIGH, N.C. — Averett University women's basketball's fourth-quarter lead was erased by William Peace University as the Pacers rallied in the final minutes to steal an 82-79 conference win from the Cougars on Wednesday night.

Averett (10-7, 6-3 USA South), which led since midway through the first quarter, held a nine-point advantage as late as the 6:29 mark of the fourth quarter following junior Samantha Tecson's made free throw to complete a four-point play after she was fouled on a made 3-pointer from the corner. Yet, William Peace (10-7, 7-3 USA South) continued to chip away before finally tying the game, 76-76, on Lanesha Hawkins' layup with 1:52 remaining.

The Cougars, who struggled from the foul line all night, missed four of five free throws in the final two minutes. Meanwhile, William Peace took a 78-76 lead on Mikayla Ray's layup with 56 seconds to play and hit all four free throws in the final 15.2 seconds to extend the lead to five — all but sealing the win. Averett got a putback in the final seconds to get within three before the Pacers ran out the clock.

Averett dominated for most of the game after taking a 14-11 lead on junior Kiara Smith's 3-pointer with 4:36 left in the first quarter — a lead the Cougars didn't relinquish until late in the fourth quarter. Averett led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter and took a 46-38 lead into the locker room at the half. The Cougars led by 10 points multiple times in the third quarter and took a 58-53 lead into the final frame.

The Cougars dominated most aspects of the game, including outrebounding William Peace 49-34 and outscoring the Pacers 24-13 on second-chance opportunities. However, a 12-for-26 night from the foul line proved to be the difference.

Senior Amani Ajayi finished one rebound shy of her career high after grabbing 16 boards. Junior Brooke Carthon led five Cougars in double-digit scoring with 15 points. Smith added 14 points, senior Alixis Roccia and junior Ravyn Johnson had 11 points and Tecson finished with 10 points. Ajayi and freshman Camryn Lunsford chipped in nine points as well.

Ray, who surpassed 1,000 career points during the game, led William Peace with 24 points.

Averett travels to play Methodist University on Saturday at 4 p.m.