VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Averett University men's basketball missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, falling short in a 64-62 loss to Belhaven University Saturday during the first day of Virginia Wesleyan University's North Beach Plastic Surgery X-Max Classic.
 
Averett (1-10) held a 58-55 lead after junior Bryce Shaw's jumper with 2:31 to play. Belhaven (7-2) got a layup at the other end, then got a stop before knocking down two free throws to inch ahead 59-58 with 1:46 remaining. Another empty possession for the Cougars led to another Blazers basket, giving Belhaven a three-point lead with a minute to play.

Senior Jordan Lewis hit a pair of free throws with 25.1 seconds remaining to get the Cougars back within 61-60. Belhaven drew a foul at the other end, and the Blazers hit both foul shots with 17.8 seconds left to extend their lead back to three.

Senior Jason Sellars II made a post move to get a wide-open dunk with 4.5 seconds to go, pulling Averett back within one. After a timeout, Averett fouled Belhaven with 3.4 seconds remaining. The Blazers missed the first and hit the second, giving the Cougars a chance for a last shot. However, the 3-pointer missed as Belhaven escaped with the win in the first-ever between the two programs.

Sellars finished with a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds, while Shaw added 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Freshman Jamison Graves also finished in double digits with 10 points and Lewis chipped in nine points, seven rebounds and three assists as Averett shot 47.2 percent.

In a close first half, Averett eventually led by as many as seven points when Shaw's floater gave the Cougars a 29-22 advantage with 2:17 left in the opening period. Averett settled for a 31-28 halftime lead. Although Belhaven jumped back in front early in the second half, the Cougars clawed back to regain the lead on a Lewis layup with 7:40 remaining.
 
Averett takes on Johnson & Wales (R.I.) University on Sunday at 1 p.m. to finish off the two-day tournament. Johnson & Wales lost 78-45 to host Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday.


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