GREENSBORO, N.C. — Averett University men's basketball got career nights from senior Timothy Henry and freshman Corey Baldwin as the Cougars held off conference foe Greensboro College 71-65 on Wednesday night.

Averett (16-6, 12-2 USA South) notched its 10th consecutive victory, but it didn't come easy in the always hostile Hanes Gym. The Cougars traded the lead 16 times with Greensboro (12-10, 6-8 USA South) with six tied scores throughout the game. Henry, however, proved to be the difference in the final minutes.

Tied 57-57 with three minutes to play, Henry scored nine of Averett's final 14 points. The Cougars also got a key 3-pointer from sophomore Isaiah Jones to extend the Averett lead to 62-57 following Henry's first basket of that stretch. Greensboro got within three with 1:20 to play, but Henry's three-point play pushed the Cougars' lead back to six.

Henry finished with a career-high 26 points for the Cougars, who also got career-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds from Baldwin. The victory clinched at least a share of the USA South East Division crown for Averett, which has three regular season games remaining. The Cougars can claim the East Division outright with one more win in the regular season.

Although Averett was up by one point at halftime, Greensboro came out strong to start the second period and took a six-point lead. Henry and Baldwin helped Averett catch up midway through the half as the two conference rivals battled down the stretch.

Perhaps Averett's most crucial stat of the night came at the foul line. The Cougars went 23-for-26 on free throws, including Henry's 12-for-12 effort at the line. It marked only the third time an Averett player had ever shot 100 percent from the foul line with at least 12 attempts. Marcus Tucker holds the record with his 15-for-15 effort against Methodist University in 2001.

Averett opened with a 6-0 advantage before hitting a cold spell on offense. Meanwhile, Greensboro inched ahead 16-12 midway through the period before the Cougars charged back to take a 31-30 halftime lead on freshman Bryson McLaughlin's bucket in the final seconds of the period. Henry and Baldwin were largely responsible for Averett's offense in the first half as the two combined for 25 of the Cougars' 31 points before the break. Henry had 11 of Averett's first 15 points, which helped the Cougars stay close to Greensboro early, and Baldwin's personal 5-0 run allowed Averett to surge back in front, 22-21.

With Henry and Baldwin combining for 46 of Averett's 71 points, the Cougars also got eight points each from Jones and McLaughlin. Junior Raymond Bullock III added seven points, while junior Montre' Cash accounted for the other two on a pair of key free throws in the final 15 seconds.

Averett's 10-game winning streak is its longest since the Cougars won a record 12 games in a row in 2008-09, which included three USA South Tournament victories and a win in the NCAA Tournament First Round.

The Cougars travel to USA South West Division standings leader Covenant College on Saturday.