DANVILLE, Va. – Host Averett University earned its first men's basketball victory of the season Sunday with a 78-64 non-league win over Shenandoah.
 
Averett (1-4) won the first meeting between these once and future conference rivals with a 48-point second half.
 
IN BRIEF
Shenandoah (1-4) was looking for its second straight win, but the Cougars had other ideas as they expanded their three-point, 30-27, halftime lead with a strong final 20 minutes.
 
AU shot 51 percent (18-of-35) from the field in the second and scored 20 points off of 13 Shenandoah turnovers to pull away.
 
With the score 32-31 in favor of the hosts following a Mekhi Mims layup with 18:14 remaining, Averett scored the game's next 15 points in a span of 4:20 to take total control.
 
Noah Adams snapped the string with a pair of free throws at 13:39, but the Cougars had a lead they would not relinquish.
 
Shenandoah was able to cut it to four, 53-49, thanks to a 18-6 run that started with the Adams free throws and ended with him canning a 3-pointer, but Averett had another answer.
 
The Cougars scored the game's next nine points and eventually expanded their lead to 20 before coasting home to the 14-point win.
 
Jaylen Williams paced SU with 23 points with Adams adding 16 in 18 minutes off the bench.
 
Averett shot 46 percent (29 of 63) from the field and had a 50-43 advantage on the glass. Shenandoah shot 33 percent (21 of 64).
 
NOTABLE

• Today's game was the first meeting between the two programs since Jan. 28, 2012.
• This matchup becomes an annual affair as Averett joins the ODAC on July 1, 2022.
• Averett leads the all-time series 25-22.

 
UP NEXT
Shenandoah opens up ODAC play on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. game in Harrisonburg versus Eastern Mennonite.
 
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