GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Averett University men's basketball team used a decisive first-half advantage to come away with a 69-61 victory on the road against Greensboro College in USA South Conference action on Wednesday night.

Averett (5-15, 5-7 USA South) led for all but 53 seconds in the game with junior Timothy Henry knocking in the first bucket, and the team didn't look back from there. Collectively, the Cougars played a well-rounded game, shooting 23-for-55 from the floor and 18-for-24 from the free throw line, while Greensboro (2-17, 1-10 USA South) shot 24-for- 61 from the field. Additionally, Averett was active on the boards, outrebounding the Pride 40-30.

The Cougars set the tone early by jumping out to an 8-0 run to start the game. Greensboro climbed back from the deficit to cut into Averett's lead, 16-15, with 10:15 left in the first half. That's when the Cougars fought back with a dominant 10-0 run of their own, outscoring the Pride 27-12 to close out the first half with a 43-27 lead.

To start the second half, Averett expanded its lead to 51-31, its largest of the game, following a 3-pointer from freshman Isaiah Jones with just over 15 minutes left in the game. However, Greensboro didn't go away without a fight, eventually cutting the lead to seven with 28 seconds on the clock. It was too late, though, as the Cougars shot 13-16 from the free throw line in the second half to come away with the win.

The Cougars got the bulk of production from their forwards as Jones led the team with 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks on the night. Henry was next on the scoresheet with 13 points on 4-for-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line and adding six rebounds, while sophomore Raymond Bullock III joined them in double figures with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Next, Averett returns home on Feb. 2 to take on Piedmont College at 2 p.m.