DANVILLE, Va. — Huntingdon College stunned Averett University men's basketball 86-84 with a tip-in as time expired in the USA South Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday night in the Grant Center.
 
Huntingdon (14-13), which erased a 10-point deficit with a little over two minutes to play, got a defensive stop in the final seconds and threw the rebound ahead to Aaron Washington, who missed a contested layup. Yet, Jacob Champion was there to tip it in as time ran out, lifting the Hawks and ending the Cougars' tournament run while snapping their program-record 14-game win streak. It was Huntingdon's only lead of the game.
 
Huntingdon will face Methodist University in the USA South Tournament championship game on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Grant Center. The Monarchs topped Covenant College 76-71 in the first semifinal.
 
Averett (20-7) opened the game on a 9-0 run sparked by six consecutive points by Isaiah Jones, which included a 3-pointer and a steal, dunk and foul for the and-one. Huntingdon, however, settled down and closed the gap to pull within 19-18 on a Damien Madison layup with 7:57 left in the period. However, Averett held off the Hawks down the stretch and used a 12-4 run over the final three minutes of the period to take a 44-32 lead into halftime.
 
The Cougars looked to be headed to the championship with a 15-point lead with 5:56 remaining. However, Huntingdon slowly chipped away. Champion hit two off-balanced 3-pointers to help the Hawks get within 83-80 with under a minute to play. An Averett turnover led to a James Harris runner to get Huntingdon within 83-82 moments later.
 
After Averett hit one of two free throws, Harris tied the game with a layup with 16.9 seconds to play.
Averett pushed the ball and missed a layup, leading to the game-winning sequence for Huntingdon. The Hawks ended the game on a 9-1 run.
 
The Cougars' tournament run ends in the semifinals for the third time in six seasons. Despite the loss, Averett's season likely comes to a close with several notable program records. The Cougars set the program marks for consecutive wins (14) and conference wins in a single season (15) while tying the overall single-season victories record with 20 wins in 2019-20.
 
Senior Timothy Henry and junior Montre' Cash each had 20 points, with Jones added 12 points, seven steals, five rebounds and three blocks. Henry led the Cougars with six boards. Freshman Corey Baldwin added 10 points and four assists with freshman Bryson McLaughlin chipping in nine points.
 
Madison led Huntingdon with 19 points, with Champion and Harris each finishing with 14 points. Harris also had a team-high 10 rebounds.