LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- Will Crumly scored 32 points with nine rebounds, but the Covenant men's basketball team could not overcome Averett in a 76-63 loss in the USA South Tournament championship inside Barnes PE Center.

The loss ends the outstanding season for Covenant (18-7). The Scots saw a nine-game win streak snapped with the loss, it was the longest streak in the NCAA era of the program.

Averett (17-11) earns its first USA South Tournament title since 2009 and advances to the NCAA Tournament. Corey Baldwin was named the tournament MVP after scoring 12 points with eight rebounds and three steals in the title game. Baldwin averaged 13.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in the tournament.

Covenant never led in the game as the visiting Cougars got out to a 7-2 lead after an old-fashioned three-point play from KeShawn Lewis with 17:07 left in the first half. Averett stretched the lead to 15 (30-15) later in the half and took a 35-23 edge into the break.

Facing a double-digit second-half deficit for the second time in as many days, Covenant looked poised to repeat a comeback on Saturday. 

Crumly connected on a jumper to trim the margin to 46-36 with 13:19 left and followed with a 3-pointer on the Scots' next possession to get within 46-39. However, Baldwin answered with a key 3-pointer to stretch the margin back to 10.

Covenant got the deficit under 10 briefly once more, but Averett had all the answers en route to a tournament title.

Crumly finished 10-of-19 from the floor with three 3-pointers for his 32 points and was named to the All-Tournament team. The fifth-year player ends his illustrious career with 2,082 points, fourth-most in program history, to go with 913 rebounds. He averaged 16.5 points in 126 career games.

Chris Barnette added 14 points in his final game as a Scot and collected All-Tournament honors. The senior eclipsed 1,000 career college points earlier this season and ends his time as a Scot with 979 career points.

Brady Palmer tallied eight rebounds and three points in his final game with the Scots, while Jackson Fitzgerald had three rebounds and two assists to conclude his Covenant career.

Five players scored in double figures for Averett, led by Bryson McLaughlin's double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Jordan Lewis had 12 points, Jalen Rowell 11, and KeShawn Lewis 10. McLaughlin and Jordan Lewis were both named to the All-Tournament team.

Covenant ends the year with an 18-7 overall record, setting a program record for winning percentage in a season (.720). The Scots continued a current program-record streak of seven consecutive winning seasons.

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