DANVILLE, Va. – Led by a career day at the office from freshman
Jy'Lyia Mizell and her 18 points, Averett University women's basketball slayed through an intense fourth quarter to survive the visiting Warren Wilson College Owls, 60-58 on Wednesday night at the Grant Center.
Picking up after both schools played each other on the men's side, Averett (2-6) and Warren Wilson (0-12) begun slow out of the gates, but eventually picked up its offensive momentum midway through the first. The Cougars were only a point behind, 14-13, until the Owls flew out on an 8-2 run. Ellie Martin's deep three-pointer concluded the first period with a 20-15 lead.
Reliable as she has been off the bench, freshman guard
Jy'Lyia Mizell glided her way to four quick points, lifting the team's spirits on its way to tie the game at 23-all. Her and other freshman teammate
Crishya Sellers were the only scorers for the Cougars down the stretch, combining for Averett's last eight points to hold a two-point lead at half.
The Cougars overcame offensive struggles to lead 29-27, helped by 25 points from the bench. Averett also lead Warren Wilson in rebounds, 28-24.
The Cougars labored through a third period, as they only scored two field goals compared to Warren Wilson's five, but the Owls only led 41-45 with a crucial ten minutes to go.
Averett got right back in the game once more, stifling Warren Wilson to just a made field goal up until the 7:34 mark in the fourth, as the Cougar bench provided life. All freshman scored eight points in this frame to shrink the visitors' advantage to one, 44-43. Dealing points back and forth, Warren Wilson still led by a point until a clutch takeaway from Sellers. Running through traffic, she dealt the ball over to
Kyjana Jordan for the driving layup and Averett's first lead since the late second quarter.
Up 47-46 with under seven minutes to go, the Owls took the lead right back until Mizell's career-game continued on with her 16th point, and another lead change to put the home side up 49-48.
Aniya Cotton added on to grow Averett's lead to three, but a quick 4-0 swing resulted in favor of Warren Wilson to go up 52-51.
Mizell found equitable space with a pull-up jumper to swing the lead back over to the Cougars again, added on with a split free-throw trip from Sellars to hold a two-point lead for Averett. However, the Owls found their own way to the charity stripe, sinking a pair to tie the game up at 54.
With little time to go on the ensuing possession's shot clock, Mizell dished the ball through to an open Jordan in the paint, dinking it through the net for yet another lead change in the home side's favor, 56-54. After the Owls split a journey to the free-throw line on their next possession, the road seemed clear for the Cougars to hold on for the comeback win.
A few missed jump shots and contested rebounds followed with a
Zariia America rebound that was not relinquished, fouled directly after said action. With a clean trip to the free-throw line concluded, Averett led 58-55 with just over a minute left.
Warren Wilson ended up with the ball following an unsuccessful last possession from the Cougars, but Jordan played hero, swiping her fifth takeaway of the ball game, then hit the two most important foul shots to put the contest away from the visitors.
A last second heave and unlikely long-shot make from the visitors left too little time on the clock, with Averett holding on for its second win of the season.
Mizell also attributed a career-high four assists to go along with her game-high 18 points.
Kyjana Jordan and
Aniya Cotton both hit double figures off the bench, scoring 11 and 10 separately. The two aforementioned freshmen dominated in the defensive leader boards, as Jordan swiped a team-high five steals, while Cotton recorded five blocks to man the paint. Sellers, also off the bench, corralled nine rebounds.
The Cougars play their last home game of the calendar year on Monday, Dec. 15, hosting Johnson & Wales University of North Carolina at 3 p.m.
