LEXINGTON, Va. — Averett University men's basketball couldn't overcome a first-half deficit as the Cougars dropped their Old Dominion Athletic Conference opener 75-55 at unbeaten Washington and Lee University on Wednesday night.

Averett's offense got off to a slow start, falling behind 16-7 midway through the first period. Washington and Lee (6-0, 1-0 ODAC) then rattled off a 16-0 run to extend its lead to 32-7 with 5:59 left in the first half before a quick 8-0 run by the Cougars trimmed the gap to 32-15. Averett (4-2, 0-1 ODAC) shot only 24.1 percent from the floor while the Generals shot better than 53 percent on its way to a 41-17 halftime advantage.

The Cougars outscored the Generals in the second half, shooting 43.8 percent in the second half. Down 68-44 with 5:23 left, Averett used an 11-2 run for the next three minutes to trim Washington and Lee's lead down to 70-55 with 1:46 remaining. However, it wasn't enough for Averett to overcome the 24-point halftime deficit.

Averett was missing sophomore Jackson Sellars — the team's leading scorer and rebounder — from the lineup but got career-highs of 13 points and 12 rebounds from freshman Tyler Stephens, who made his first career start. Stephens also had two steals and two blocks, while sophomore Mason Mitchell also scored in double figures with 10 points to go with five rebounds. Redshirt sophomore Blair Crumbie finished with nine points and five rebounds.

Washington and Lee, which improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1987, got 15 points from A.J. Thomas, who was the only General to score in double digits.

Averett travels to Shenandoah University for another conference showdown on Saturday at 2 p.m.  

  Read Full Article