The Cougars (10-9), who haven’t been over .500 this late in the season since 2001, were 62.5 percent from behind the arc. Paving the way was freshman Cameron Brown, as he netted seven trifectas in the contest and poured in a career-high 25 points.
After a seven-point Averett advantage was whittled down to one at 55-54 with 1:52 remaining, Brown hit a huge 3-pointer with 48 seconds showing on the game clock to extend Averett’s advantage to 58-54. Hood answered with a two-pointer on the other end, and had a late shot to win the game, but their prayer wasn’t answered. Averett prevailed 58-56 for their first five-game winning streak since the 2001 season.
The contest was evenly matched throughout, with neither team advancing a lead to double figures. The Cougars, who were playing their second game in two days, showed periods of fatigue on the defensive end, as they gave up a number of interior buckets. Standing 6 feet and eight inches tall, Hood center Jesse Gutekunst converted 7-of-9 shots for a team-high 21 points. Additionally, Santo Provenzano scored on 7-of-9 attempts for 17 points. However, their play was not enough.
Brown led all scorers, while Sterling Williams and Andrew Boor followed with eight points each. Jeremy Haskins added six for the Cougars and joined Boor with five boards to lead Averett.
Averett will have a tall order on the agenda on Tuesday, as they travel to Methodist College to face the Monarchs. Methodist is currently riding a 12-game winning streak and stands at a perfect 8-0 in USA South Conference play. Game time for that contest is 5:30 p.m., with the women’s game to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Hood vs Averett 02/06/05 1:00 PM at Danville, VA (Grant Center) At Danville, VA (Grant Center) AVERETT 58, HOOD 56 HOOD (10-10) Gutekunst, Jesse 7-9 7-8 21; Provenzano, Santo 7-9 3-6 17; Robine, Sean 3-6 0-0 8; Wilson, David 1-9 2-2 4; Edmonds, Darnell 1-4 0-0 3; Tressler, Dennis 1-2 0-0 3; Morris, Brian 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-40 12-16 56. AVERETT (10-9) BROWN, Cameron 8-12 2-5 25; WILLIAMS, Sterling 3-8 0-0 8; BOOR, Andrew 3-6 2-2 8; HASKINS, Jeremy 3-7 0-0 6; GREGORY, Lymon 1-3 2-2 4; McDANIEL, Cory 1-3 0-0 3; GARDNER, Billy 1-5 0-0 2; HAMMOND, Luke 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 21-46 6-9 58. Hood.......................... 22 34 - 56 Averett....................... 26 32 - 58 3-point goals-Hood 4-13 (Robine, Sean 2-4; Tressler, Dennis 1-2; Edmonds, Darnell 1-4; Morris, Brian 0-1; Wilson, David 0-2), Averett 10-16 (BROWN, Cameron 7-10; WILLIAMS, Sterling 2-3; McDANIEL, Cory 1-1; HAMMOND, Luke 0-1; HASKINS, Jeremy 0-1). Fouled out--Hood-None, Averett-None. Rebounds-Hood 25 (Wilson, David 5), Averett 24 (BOOR, Andrew 5; HASKINS, Jeremy 5). Assists-Hood 16 (Edmonds, Darnell 5), Averett 16 (WILLIAMS, Sterling 7). Total fouls-Hood 12, Averett 14. A-343 Cougars win fifth straight.