DANVILLE, Va. — Sophomore Zach Skogen stole the lob pass out of the air and dribbled out the final 2.7 seconds as Averett University men's basketball held off Apprentice School 62-61 in a wild finish Saturday in the E. Stuart James Grant Center.
 
Averett (3-1) led for all but a brief moment in the second half when Apprentice (3-3) hit a floater in the lane to take a 57-55 advantage with 3:05 to play. The Cougars responded immediately to regain a 58-57 lead on redshirt sophomore Timayahs Bracey's step-back 3-pointer.

Momentum continued to build in Averett's favor as Skogen found sophomore Jackson Sellars for a backdoor dunk, sophomore Jalen Chambers got a block at the other end and Sellars made another basket to push the Cougars' lead to 62-57 with 1:27 remaining.

Apprentice pulled back within 62-59 with 22.1 seconds left. After the Cougars missed a pair of free throws with 16.6 seconds to go, the Builders pulled within one point thanks to a goaltending call with 5.3 seconds remaining. Averett inbounded the ball only to have Apprentice force a tie-up with the possession arrow giving the Builders the ball under its own basket with a chance to win with 2.7 seconds left. Apprentice tried to pass the ball in up top, but Skogen read the play immediately and intercepted the ball and dribbled to the other end to run the clock out, preserving the Averett victory.

Notching its third win in a row, Averett was led offensively by Bracey's 16 points. Sellars finished with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Skogen and junior Josh Seiler chipped in six rebounds apiece. Junior Josh Lewis had a team-high three blocks for the Cougars.

Averett and Apprentice battled through a tight first half that saw the Builders inch ahead 24-18 with 6:33 left in the half. However, the Cougars used solid defense to spark the offense for an 11-2 run over the next few minutes as Averett surged ahead on its way to a 37-33 halftime lead. Averett slowly built a small cushion in the second half until Apprentice eventually tied the game twice before taking a quick lead.

Averett hosts William Peace University on Tuesday at 4 p.m.


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