MISENHEIMER, N.C. — Sophomores
Jackson Sellars and
Mason Mitchell combined for 54 points and the Cougars got keep stops on defense as Averett University men's basketball defeated Pfeiffer University 86-74 in non-conference action on Tuesday afternoon.
Tied at halftime, Sellars initially fueled Averett (8-3) through his offense and defense as the Cougars opened the second period with a 14-7 run in the first five minutes to go up 56-49. Pfeiffer (4-6), a physical veteran team, stayed within striking distance even as Averett pushed its lead to double digits midway through the half. The Falcons inched back within six points with under five minutes remaining, but a 3-pointer by Mitchell with 4:09 left kept the momentum in Averett's favor as the Cougars extended their lead back to 80-71 on their way to a victory.
"We had some guys in the second half, where maybe the stats don't show it, but they picked up their energy and effort — and it became contagious," Averett head coach
David Doino said. "I think we gave up 15 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half and it allowed us to go on that run. Anytime our defense can create our offense like that, we usually have success as a team. I was happy to see us be able to string some stops together and see us maintain our composure in a tough environment versus a very veteran team."
Sellars finished with 29 points, six rebounds and three steals and Mitchell added 25 points and seven rebounds as Averett recorded a season-high 13 steals against Pfeiffer.
"Those guys are starting to play with a ton of confidence, but it's because they are doing other things on the floor really well," Doino said. "They're not just playing offense. Defensively, I felt they both had a real impact on the game and both rebounded the ball really well. It's allowing them to get into a flow offensively. … It was a really special performance and I'm really happy those guys were able to step up and make some plays to help us win."
Sophomore
Zach Skogen grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, redshirt sophomore
Timayahs Bracey had eight points and three assists and freshman
Tyler Stephens chipped in six boards for the Cougars.
Despite a slow start in which Averett trailed 11-3 in the first four minutes the Cougars slowly chipped away at their deficit before taking an 18-17 advantage on junior
Isaiah Ramazani's driving layup. Pfeiffer used a 12-2 run later in the period to surge ahead 34-27 with 3:28 left in the first half. However, Averett stayed on the Falcons' heels. After Averett hit a free throw to get back within one with nine seconds to go, Ramazani stole the rebound and dished it to freshman
Kofi Williams for a game-tying layup in the final seconds to knot the score at 42-42 at the break.
"I thought we got off to sluggish start, similar to how we looked at Longwood University," Doino said. "The movement wasn't a full-game speed. But I thought we really battled them in the first half. They had some opportunities to extend the lead, but our guys found a way to come up with a steal or an offensive rebound to keep us in the game."
Averett returns to action on Jan. 7 in a key Old Dominion Athletic Conference home game against No. 2 Randolph-Macon College.
"This is a great game going into games like Randolph-Macon and Virginia Wesleyan University next after that," Doino said. "They are games going against experienced players who, when the game comes down to the line, you've got to man up, be tough and be physical and fight through contact and non-calls. Hopefully this game will help us prepare for that."
