DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University men's basketball held off a late run by William Peace for a 68-58 non-conference win between conference foes Thursday night in the Grant Center. With the victory, Averett head coach
David Doino became the program's all-time coaching wins leader.
Averett (4-8) controlled the game almost from the start and held a double-digit lead for the final 28-plus minutes of the contest. The Cougars' advantage grew to as many as 22 points on junior
Raja Milton's 3-pointer with 9:30 left in the second half, which put Averett ahead 53-31 over William Peace (5-6).
However, the Pacers didn't go away quietly. An 11-0 run by William Peace trimmed Averett's lead to 63-53 with 2:44 remaining. The Cougars managed to keep the Pacers from getting any closer during the final minutes.
For Doino, it was his 98th career win since taking over Averett's program. He surpassed former coach Jimmy Allen, an Averett Athletics Hall of Famer who is now the head coach at Division I Army.
Junior
Corey Baldwin led the Cougars with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Senior
Jalen Rowell added 14 points for the Cougars, who used a steady five-in, five-out rotation throughout the game.
Averett had a strong first half in which the Cougars built a 37-22 lead by halftime. The Cougars shot 50 percent over the first 20 minutes, led Baldwin's 12 first-half points. Averett's defense also stymied the Pacers, forcing 12 turnovers as the Cougars also made four blocks in the first period.
Not on the original schedule, Averett and William Peace worked together to get in a non-conference meeting after both teams had their scheduled conference games postponed on Wednesday. The Cougars and Pacers will still meet twice more in the regular season as regularly scheduled.
Averett's next scheduled contest is Saturday when the Cougars host conference foe N.C. Wesleyan College at 2 p.m.
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