VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It was a tale of two halves as Averett University men's basketball's halftime lead evaporated in a 70-53 road loss to Virginia Wesleyan University on Wednesday night.

Averett (8-14, 3-10 ODAC) turned a 10-10 into a 23-15 lead with a 13-5 run over a five-minute stretch midway through the first half. However, that lead shrunk to 26-25 by halftime after Virginia Wesleyan (17-5, 10-3 ODAC) held Averett to only a 3-pointer over the final nine minutes of the first half.

The Marlins, who shot just 31.3 percent in the first half, got hot offensively after the break. Virginia Wesleyan drilled six 3-pointers in the second half while shooting 58.6 percent in the second period. Although Averett held tight early in the second half, Virginia Wesleyan's 15-2 run in a four-minute span proved to be the turning point for the Marlins, who are receiving votes in the top 25 poll.
 
Sophomore Jamison Graves led Averett with 22 points. Freshman Jackson Sellars chipped in 11 points and graduate Jason Sellars II grabbed a team-best six rebounds.
 
Averett returns home for Senior Day on Saturday against Randolph College at 4:30 p.m.

  Read Full Article