DANVILLE, Va. — A fast start helped Averett University men's basketball pull away to an 87-74 conference home win against rival Greensboro College on Saturday afternoon at the Grant Center.
 
Sparked by sophomore Harrison Cochran's three 3-pointers in the first six minutes, Averett (2-10, 2-2 USA South) raced out to a 20-5 advantage following junior Ian Best's 3-pointer at the 13:33 mark, which forced Greensboro (1-11, 0-4 USA South) to call timeout. The Cougars hit five of their first seven shots from beyond the arc and finished 6-for-12 in the first half while shooting 53.6 percent overall from the floor over the first 20 minutes of play. Averett's lead grew to as much as 19 points in the first half before Greensboro trimmed its deficit to 44-32 by halftime.

Although the Pride made several runs to get within as close as seven points multiple times in the second half, Averett held off Greensboro down the stretch thanks to solid second-half play from juniors Timothy Henry and Vince Contreras. Henry scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the second period, while Contreras added eight of his 14 points after the break.

The Cougars shot 51.7 percent for the game —including 42.1 percent from 3-point range — and outrebounded the Pride by a 36-28 margin. Henry finished with a team-best eight rebounds.

Additionally for Averett, Best had 15 points and three assists, Cochran finished with 11 points and three assists and second-year freshman Isaiah Jones had eight points. Sophomores Montre' Cash and Raymond Bullock III had four steals and six rebounds, respectively, to help the Cougars seal the victory.

Eric Peaks Jr. led Greensboro with 24 points and seven boards after going a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Averett returns to action on Tuesday when the Cougars play host to conference foe William Peace University at 7 p.m. in the Grant Center.