MISENHEIMER, N.C. — Averett University men's basketball withstood a second-half run by Pfeiffer University to hold on for a 99-83 conference road victory on Tuesday night.
 
Averett (7-6, 3-2 USA South) led Pfeiffer (6-6, 1-3 USA South) by 21 points early in the second half following junior Bryson Davis' steal and dunk early in the second half. However, the Falcons slowly chipped away at the Cougars' lead, getting it down to nine points multiple times midway through the period. Pfeiffer closed its deficit down to as little as eight points, 70-82, on a pair of free throws with 5:54 left. However, Averett kept Pfeiffer in check down the stretch by answering any scoring spurt that got the Falcons back within single digits.
 
The Cougars, who were led by junior Raymond Bullock III's 24 points and eight rebounds, got a big boost from junior Bryson Davis, who matched his career-high of 17 points — including a big layup with 1:05 to play. Davis also added seven boards for Averett, who got and 13 points and eight rebounds from Timothy Henry and 15 points from junior Montre' Cash.
 
Averett got off to a solid start by opening the game with a 16-4 run in the first four-plus minutes. Pfeiffer got back within eight points before the Cougars continued to stay hot from the floor, extending their lead to as much as 25 points on junior Montre' Cash's layup that gave Averett a 44-19 advantage with 4:50 left in the first period. Averett shot 48.7 percent from the floor and 85.7 percent from the foul line in the first half to take a 52-32 lead into halftime.
 
Sophomore KeShawn Lewis added a career-high nine points, sophomore Isaiah Jones had nine points and seven rebounds and freshman transfer Bryson McLaughlin had seven boards in his collegiate debut. Averett shot 47 percent as a team overall and out-rebounded Pfeiffer 50-25. The Cougars also doubled up the Falcons on points in the paint by a 40-20 margin.
 
Averett returns to action on Saturday when the Cougars travel to Maryville College for a 2 p.m. conference matchup.