DANVILLE, Va. – Seemingly out of the contest with a large deficit early on, Averett University nearly pushed its way to a near upset before falling in overtime to receiving votes Bridgewater College on Saturday afternoon, 82-72 at the Grant Center.
Bridgewater (7-1, 2-0 ODAC) exploded out of the gates led by lead guard Riley Corcoran and her 10 points, as the visiting Eagles were already up 24-4 when the first quarter expired.
The adverse conditions were no match for Averett (1-6, 0-2 ODAC), battling back to shock the crowd in Danville, and tied the game at 26 thanks to a 22-2 run. Capped off by a
DaiShaundria Giggetts pull-up jumper and her 10 points, Averett was poised to capitalize.
Then, Bridgewater rattled the home team with a trio of turnovers, which turned into key points that helped the Eagles go up 40-30 when halftime arrived.
A healthy 9-5 split in favor of Bridgewater to begin the third period put Averett on the brink, 49-35, five minutes into the swing of action. Help from the bench was key for the Cougars, as
Kiera Perkins shined in the latter stages with seven points. The Eagles' offense still produced possession after possession, but the home side hung around to only trail, 58-47 heading into the fourth.
Sparks flew in the supposed last period between the two ODAC squads. This time, Averett had Bridgewater's number for an extended period of time, outscoring the Eagles 15-6 and being lights out from beyond the arc to bring the game within two under the four-minute mark. At 64-62, the red-hot freshman guard
Jy'Lyia Mizell forced a takeaway from Corcoran, then took the ball down the court, driving in the and-one bucket for Averett's first lead of the game.
Bridgewater wasted no time and immediately took the lead back with a layup. Multiple turnovers ensued between the teams until the next score, coming from none other than Mizell with a driving layup to put the Cougars back up, 67-66 with under two minutes to go. The Eagles then split a pair of foul shots to tie it up again, and Averett almost had the game-winner before a shot clock violation.
Bridgewater's last-second jumper rattled out, forcing overtime. For the first time since opening night of the 2016-17 season, the Cougars entered a fifth period.
Mizell drove in the first points of overtime, but that was all the Cougars mustered, falling short as the Bridgewater squad made key plays on both ends, driving its way to the ten-point win.
Giggetts scored the most for Averett with 18 points while setting a career-high in boards with 12. Mizell had her career-best outing with 16 points, followed by Perkins and
Zariia America having 12 and 11, respectively.
Lily Strittmatter also set a new best in assists with five. As a squad, Averett tied for its season-high in three-pointers made with eight, while also besting the Eagles on the offensive boards 23-15.
The Cougars take to the Grant Center next on Wednesday, Dec. 10, hosting Warren Wilson College in the second leg of a basketball doubleheader. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
