DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University women's basketball charged back from a fourth-quarter deficit to knock off Mary Baldwin University, 60-55, to give head coach Liz Hudy her 100th career victory on Wednesday night at the Grant Center.

Averett (13-7, 9-3 USA South) got 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds from junior Brooke Carthon, and the Cougars knocked down crucial shots in the final minutes to overcome a seven-point deficit late and beat Mary Baldwin (13-8, 7-5 USA South) for a big win in the USA South's East Division race.

Freshman Camryn Lunsford sunk two huge free throws with 10.9 seconds to play to extend Averett's lead to 58-53, which all but sealed the Cougars' comeback win. Mary Baldwin's Leah Calhoun hit a jumper with 2.0 seconds remaining to get the Squirrels back within three before Carthon clinched the win with two free throws with 0.9 seconds left, giving her head coach the milestone victory in her eighth season.

"I'm very thankful and excited," said Hudy, who also gave thanks to all of her previous players during her time that helped her reach 100 career wins.

However, the victory didn't come easy. Mary Baldwin, which controlled the lead for most of the third quarter, gained momentum with a pair of baskets in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter as the Squirrels extended their lead to 38-31 with 8:21 to play. Averett got key 3-pointers from junior Kiara Smith and Lunsford, the latter of which tied the game at 42-42 with 4:19 remaining.

The Squirrels held off the Cougars for several minutes until junior Ravyn Johnson knotted the game, 49-49, with a layup at the 1:54 mark. Lunsford forced a turnover at the other end, which led to a Smith layup in transition to put Averett in front 51-49 with 1:23 to play. Smith and senior Alixis Roccia each hit a pair of free throws to thwart Mary Baldwin's comeback attempt, yet the Squirrels remained within 55-53 on a Calhoun jumper with 22 seconds left. A Lunsford free throw with 22.7 seconds to go extended the lead back to three points until she hit her final two free throws moments later after getting a huge defensive rebound.

Averett, currently second in the USA South East Division standings, overcame a cold-shooting night in a tense battle. Mary Baldwin took an early 15-7 lead before Averett used a 9-0 run to take a brief 16-15 advantage early in the second quarter. The Squirrels went ahead 23-20 by halftime as both teams had a cold-shooting first half. Mary Baldwin stayed in front for most of the third quarter as well, with Averett jumping ahead momentarily on a three-point play by Carthon toward the end of the period until the Squirrels crept back in front 34-31 entering the final quarter.

"I thought we kept our composure and we fought hard the whole game," Hudy said. "We never let them get up by too many points. Then at the end, we were able to hit some clutch baskets and finish it off with free throws."

In addition to Carthon's big night, Smith added 14 points and a career-high four blocks and Johnson finished with 13 rebounds, nine points and three steals. Lunsford also played one of her best all-around games, totaling eight points, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists.

Calhoun led Mary Baldwin with 27 points and 10 boards.
 
Averett plays host to conference rival Greensboro College on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Grant Center.