DANVILLE, Va. -- The Covenant men's basketball team could not keep the momentum going from its victory on Friday at Ferrum as the Scots fell 72-57 at Averett on Saturday in USA South action at the Grant Center.
Covenant drops to 2-9 overall on the season and 1-1 in conference play. Averett, picked to finish second in the USA South, improves to 6-5 on the year and 1-1 in league play.
TJ Cox led Covenant with 12 points, all coming from behind the 3-point line, but the Scots shot just 35 percent in the second half and were outrebounded 45-21. Robby Bell drained three 3-pointers for nine total points while Chris Boyd added eight points. Nate Frierson dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds.
The Scots made six of their first nine shots from the field, but still trailed 20-17, after a Bell 3-pointer, at the first media timeout in the first half. Averett stretched its lead to 40-28 later in the period and led 45-35 at the half after shooting 54.3 percent.
Covenant picked up its defensive intensity in the second half as they limited the host Cougars to seven points through the first 10 minutes of the period. During that time, the Scots cut their deficit to four points and 52-48 after a Will Portlock free throw. Bell drained a triple to once again trim the margin to 54-51 with 9:30 remaining. That would be as close as the Scots would get as Averett stretched its lead back out over the final minutes.
Four players scored in double figures for Averett led by Carter Jones' double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds. Charles Bryant also recorded a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Bradley Robinson and Trevor West had 15 and 12 points, respectively. Averett connected on 39.4 percent (26-of-66) for the game and made 13-of-14 free throws.
Covenant made 46.7 percent (21-of-45) for the game, including eight 3-pointers. The Scots had 12 assists on their 21 field goals.
The Scots will be back in action on Jan. 9 at Fayetteville, North Carolina, against USA South member Methodist. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.
Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.
