DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University men's basketball found success from outside, helping the Cougars pull away to a 62-41 win over Randolph College in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action Saturday in the Grant Center.
Down eight at halftime, the WildCats clawed back within four points but Averett (9-12, 5-7 ODAC) extended its advantage back out to nine on junior
Fermin Borbua-Watson's layup, making it 38-29. After Randolph (5-15, 1-10 ODAC) answered with a basket, the Cougars hit back-to-back 3-pointers by senior
Jalen Rowell and junior
Jamael Carter Jr. to push Averett's lead to 44-31 with 11:50 to play. Senior
Raja Milton and Carter each added more 3-pointers as the Cougars continued to find success from behind the arc on their way to a 21-point conference win. Averett nailed a season-high 11 3-pointers against Randolph.
Averett took an early 5-0 lead following a 3-pointer by junior
Jordan Lewis and a pull-up jumper from Milton, but Randolph answered with an 11-2 run to surge ahead 11-7 with 12:04 remaining in the first period. The Cougars, however, reclaimed the lead with a 17-7 run of their own that included a pair of 3-pointers by sophomore
Clay Hodges. Averett entered halftime with a 28-20 advantage thanks to a last-second putback by Rowell at the buzzer.
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The Cougars outrebounded Randolph 44-33, including 17-10 on the offensive glass.
Milton and Sellars led a balanced offensive effort from Averett with 10 points apiece. Carter added nine points, with Rowell and Lewis chipping in eight points each. Sellars also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds with Lewis adding eight boards and Borbua-Watson had a career-best six rebounds.
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Averett returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Roanoke College. That matchup has been moved to Roanoke's Bast Center instead of the Cregger Center due to facility repairs.
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