DANVILLE, Va. — Sophomore
Jordan Lewis hit a pair of free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining to seal Averett University men's basketball's 84-79 conference road win at Mary Baldwin University on Wednesday in a key matchup between the USA South East Division's top two teams.
Two Cougars scored more than 20 points as junior
Jalen Rowell had a personal-best 28 points and junior
Corey Baldwin added 21 points for Averett (10-8, 7-1 USA South), which extended its winning streak to eight games.
Although Lewis hit crucial free throws at the end, it was Rowell and Baldwin who hit big shots down the stretch in a tight battle. With Averett clinging to a 69-67 lead, Baldwin drilled a 3-pointer from the wing to give the Cougars a five-point advantage with 3:21 remaining. After Mary Baldwin (6-9, 5-3 USA South) answered at the other end, Rowell hit jumpers on the Cougars' next two possessions to increase Averett's lead to 76-69 with just over two minutes to play.
That breathing room, however, would be short-lived. With Averett up 79-72, the Fighting Squirrels hit a 3-pointer to get back within four points. Following a timeout, Mary Baldwin then forced a jump ball on the inbounds play and regained possession with the arrow facing its way. Moments later, Mary Baldwin pulled within 79-77 on a put-back layup with just over 30 seconds left.
Baldwin hit both free throws as the Squirrels fouled quickly, giving the Cougars an 81-77 lead. At the other end, Mary Baldwin got a layup on an inbounds play from under the basket to get back within two. Baldwin was again fouled with 13.0 seconds to go, and he hit one of two free throws to make it a three-point game. Mary Baldwin got a wide-open look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer in transition, but it didn't fall. Rowell corralled the loose ball and pushed it ahead to Lewis, who was fouled in the waning seconds and promptly hit the two ensuing free throws to help snap Mary Baldwin's four-game win streak.
Rowell's career-night was near-perfect. He finished 11-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, while also grabbing a career-best seven rebounds. He had 15 of his points in the first half while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 in the opening period.
Averett led for most of the first half before Mary Baldwin inched ahead in the final minutes of the period. After trading leads, Mary Baldwin looked like it would take a two-point lead into halftime on a 3-pointer with three seconds left, but Baldwin took the inbounds pass and drained an 80-foot 3-pointer from inside the opposite paint as time expired. The heave gave Averett a 42-41 lead at the break.
Rowell and Baldwin became the first two teammates with 20 or more points in the same game since December 2019. Baldwin also had a team-high nine rebounds.
Jordan Lewis and sophomore
Jason Sellars II each had 10 points, with Lewis adding a career-best seven assists. Senior
KeShawn Lewis added eight points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals and junior
Bryson McLaughlin had seven rebounds and three steals off the bench.
Although Averett won most of the statistical categories, Mary Baldwin stayed close by getting to the foul line. The Squirrels, who were 21-for-26 on free throws, made twice as many trips to the charity stripe as Averett, which didn't attempt a free throw until almost 25 minutes into the game and had 10 of its 13 total free attempts come in the final minute and a half of the game.
Averett returns home Thursday for a rescheduled non-conference game with the University of Mary Washington at 6 p.m.
