RALEIGH, N.C. — Averett University women's basketball fell 101-55 to conference foe William Peace University in its season opener Friday night in the Hermann Athletic Center.

William Peace (1-0, 1-0 USA South) opened up with a 21-9 lead in the first quarter over Averett (0-1, 0-1 USA South) by taking advantage of turnovers and early foul trouble for the Cougars. The defending USA South East Division champion Pacers built a 47-29 lead by halftime.

Averett came out with great energy in the second half with a 7-2 spurt to pull within 13 before the Pacers went on an 11-0 run to halt that momentum. William Peace's depth and defensive presence created the opportunity to pull away from the young Cougars, who only returned four players from last year's 18-win team.

Junior Camryn Lunsford led Averett with 15 points and four assists. Freshman Natija Pate added eight points and six rebounds, while freshman Lanie Bethel was solid from beyond the arc, going 3-for-7 with 9 points. Junior Genesis Weiters also chipped in eight points, four rebounds and three steals.

William Peace was led by Lauryn Cross, who led all scorers with 38 points while shooting 63.6 percent from the field.

Averett returns to action on Sunday when the Cougars host William Peace at the Grant Center at 2 p.m.