FERRUM, Va. – Easily the most competitive game of the season for Averett University women's basketball, a late three-point make from
Emma Jones was just enough for the Cougars to squeak by rival Ferrum College on Wednesday night, 51-49. With the win, Averett claimed its first conference win of the 2024-25 campaign.
In one of the last outings the two long-standing foes will face off against one another at the Division III level, the first quarter was as tenacious and gritty as could be. Ferrum (11-8, 5-5 ODAC) held the upper edge early in the first quarter, but was only up four points on visitors Averett (3-16, 1-9 ODAC). Ranked second in the conference in opponent turnovers per game, the Cougars led the takeaway battle 3-2, but the Panthers did sink three out of a possible trio of attempts from the foul line, and led 8-4 in the ongoing affair.
Ferrum did maintain its advantage in the second quarter, growing it to as large as eight at 18-10 with a 3-ball from Maslyn Mosbacher, but Averett, combined with its no-quit defense and will, clawed back in parts towards the tail-end of the period. Leading Cougar scorer
DaiShaundria Giggetts and
Emma Jones combined for the visitors' next three points to pull the game back within five, but as was common in this game, the tug and pull continued as Ferrum sunk a fair of free throws to head into the locker rooms up 20-13 at half.
Defense was key in keeping Averett at arms' reach, forcing nine takeaways from the Panthers. Both squads were tied in the steal margin at four. Giggetts, back after a games' absence, led the way with five points for the Cougars.
The turnover margin kept leaning over in Averett's favor, but the offense came to match it just right to begin the third. Ferrum could only muster up a layup in over two and a half minutes of game action, as the Cougars blitzed back to tie the game at 22 each. Giggetts was especially lively, as the ODAC's third leading scorer was now up to 10 points.
The Panthers, with less turnovers committed, took its lead right back again with a 6-0 run, but the rivals entered a stage of exchanging blows back and forth. Whether it was made layups, jump shots, or free throws, the two teams kept jabs at each other. It wasn't until an Jones three-ball with just over two minutes to go in the third that Averett was once again within a possession to tie the game up, 35-33.
Just a bit later,
Zariia America gave the Cougars their first lead of the game with her first three-point make. Allyson Cassell did complete a successful trip to the charity stripe as time winded down to put the Panthers back up, but
Jaa Brown then crossed the 10-point threshold with a jumper, putting the visitors up 38-37 heading into the final frame.
Every possession meant more in the fourth quarter, and Ferrum made a large portion of theirs count. An 11-3 run in the Panthers' favor turned the tides yet again, up 48-41 in the first three minutes of play, but the visitors jabbed back immediately, with two quick scores from Giggetts and
Mariah Eberhardt made it 48-45 as the five-minute mark approached.
As the final minute arrived with no more scores from both teams,
Carmen Moore got the clutch swipe that eventually led to a made layup from
Jaa Brown to bring Averett back within one at 48-47, with little time remaining.
The Cougars had to foul late, sending Ferrum to the foul line to extend its lead, but missed both, giving Averett a lifeline to set up the potential game-winning play. The visitors did just that, as Jones hit her third three of the night, giving the Cougars a two-point advantage that they would not relinquish.
Brown crashed the glass on Ferrum's last-second attempt, locking up Averett's first ODAC win of the season.
For the fourth time this season, three Cougars scored 10 or more points, with Jones, Brown, and Giggetts in the fray. Jones scored a game and season-high 13 points, nine of them coming from beyond the arc. Brown knotted 12, along with five rebounds and two assists. Giggetts got back to scoring form with 12, also adding to her conference leading steal margin with four on the night.
America nearly matched her season-high in rebounds with nine, leading the team, and also tied Giggetts with four swipes.
The Cougar defense came up clutch when needed most, totaling 31 turnovers, the most forced from an opponent this season. Along with said turnovers, the Cougars also totaled 13 steals. Averett led in the rebounding category, 46-43, including 16 on the offensive end.
As the calendar flips over to February, the Cougars' next matchup comes at home versus Eastern Mennonite University. Tip-off on Feb. 1 is set for 2 p.m.
