DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University men's basketball pulled away in the second half for a 77-55 conference win over Brevard College on Tuesday night at the Grant Center.

Averett (6-4, 2-0 USA South) opened the second period with a 17-3 run to turn a six-point halftime lead into a 49-29 advantage versus Brevard (1-6, 1-1 USA South) in a little over eight minutes. The Cougars maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way as four Averett players finished in double-figure scoring — led by senior Vince Contreras' 20 points off the bench.

The Cougars got a huge boost from their non-starters, who accounted for 62 of the team's 77 points. In addition to Contreras, junior Raymond Bullock III and freshman Corey Baldwin each added 15 points, with Bullock grabbing seven rebounds. Among the starters, junior Montre' Cash also chipped in 11 points and senior Timothy Henry had a team-high 10 boards.

As a team, Averett shot 55.2 percent from the floor in the second half and 45.9 percent for the game. The Cougars also controlled the glass, out-rebounding Brevard 44-30.

Averett inched ahead late in the first half, building as much as a 29-21 lead on senior Vince Contreras' jumper in the paint with just over a minute left in the period. Brevard closed the gap to three quickly on its next two possessions before freshman Corey Baldwin hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 32-26 just before the end of the half.

Averett plays host to conference foe Huntingdon College on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Grant Center.