DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University women's basketball held off rival Greensboro College in the final seconds for a 72-70 victory Saturday afternoon at the Grant Center in a battle among the top two teams in the USA South Conference East Division standings.
Averett (14-7, 10-3 UAS South) led the entirety of the game entering the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Down by six, Greensboro (14-5, 8-3 USA South) steals led to back-to-back baskets to get within 69-67 with 1:27 to play. After the Cougars added a free throw to extend their lead back to three with 19.7 seconds remaining, Greensboro answered with a huge, game-tying 3-pointer by Nichelle Jeffries with 12.6 seconds on the clock.
Out of the timeout, Averett got the ball to senior
Alixis Roccia, who drove down the lane and hit a go-ahead runner to give the Cougars a 72-70 lead with 7.1 seconds left. Greensboro had several looks to tie or win the game, but Averett's defense held strong as the Cougars escaped with a huge conference win.
Junior
Kiara Smith was a key factor in the Cougars' win, scoring a career-high 19 points. ROccia finished with 15 points and seven assists, while junior
Brooke Carthon added 12 points. Senior
Amani Ajayi led the team with 11 rebounds to avenge an 83-67 loss to the Pride in Greensboro on Dec. 13.
Averett opened on a tear, jumping out to an 11-4 advantage in less than three minutes. Propelled by two 3-pointers from Smith and several fastbreak baskets, the Cougars built a 24-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Greensboro trimmed its deficit to four late in the second quarter. Averett, however, responded with a 10-2 run to end the half and secure a 39-27 lead entering halftime.
The Cougars thwarted a Greensboro comeback attempt in the third quarter as the Pride cut the Averett lead to five just before the end of the period, which saw the Cougars take a 56-49 lead into the final frame. Although the Pride got within two early in the fourth, Averett had some key answers. Smith hit a runner in the lane, and Ajayi got a steal and fed Carthon, who eventually hit a baseline jumper to push the Cougars' lead back to 66-59 before Greensboro made one final run in the waning minutes.
Averett returns to action at home on Wednesday when the Cougars play host to N.C. Wesleyan College.
