DANVILLE, Va. – Led by a 6-for-10 shooting night from sophomore forward Tyler Stephens, the Averett University men's basketball team escaped a ferocious Mary Baldwin University front for a 66-60 win on Monday night at the Grant Center in the team's season opener.
Mary Baldwin (0-2) held serve first, as the Fighting Squirrels came out on a 13-7 start, with DJ Via starting with 10 points. Senior guard Timayahs Bracey made two straight 3-pointers to help keep pace for Averett (1-0).
The tides gradually shifted in favor of the Cougars. With their strong defensive strategy and efficiency in getting to the foul line, Averett took off on a 17-6 run, courtesy of Bracey's eight points in that stretch. Drawing constant fouls in the paint, the home side made 7 of 8 free throws, a trend that continued later in the contest.
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Both teams split the next 12 points scored going into the half, as Averett held a narrow 34-29 lead. The Cougars utilized 13 free-throw attempts to their advantage, as they made 11 in the first 20 minutes.
Averett looked to run away with the game, as it held Mary Baldwin to just two made field goals in the opening seven and a half minutes of the second period. The Cougar unit held its own with five field goals in that same stretch, as Stephens, senior guard Josh Seiler, Bracey and freshman forward Corbin Guerry contributed to 14 points to help the home team establish a 48-35 advantage.
The Fighting Squirrels chipped away in the following seven minutes of play; as the Cougars went cold, Mary Baldwin caught fire. Forcing three Averett turnovers and a 15-6 run culminated in the Cougars' lead being shrunk to two, 54-52, with four minutes to play.
Following that stretch, the Fighting Squirrels continued on offense, but Stephens timed the opponents' pass perfectly, swiping the ball away and taking off for Averett's only dunk of the evening, but a pivotal one to double the Cougars' lead.
Stephens called his number once more, as Bracey found him in the corner for what seemed to be the most important outside shot made of the night, as Averett stretched its advantage to 59-53 with two minutes and change remaining. Followed by junior guard/forward Timothy Robinson and two icy free throws, the Cougars were up 61-55.
Mary Baldwin had its say right after with two straight field goals, which included an and-one, and the Fighting Squirrels were within three at 63-60. That was the closest the visitors were to Averett late, as Bracey and Robinson sealed the deal with three combined foul-shot makes and a six-point victory at the sound of the final buzzer.
The aforementioned Stephens had the best field-goal percentage on the night for Averett, as he finished with 21 points, a team-high four assists and a game-leading five steals. Bracey topped all scorers with 21 and made five of six free throws.
Robinson turned in a true "junkyard dog" debut in an Averett uniform, falling two rebounds shy of a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds. He also had three steals and made an astonishing 10 of 12 from the line.
Skogen hauled in nine rebounds for the Cougars and also had two assists. As a team, they had their most efficient night from the line with at least 27 free throws attempted since Feb. 7, 2026, when Averett made 26 of 32 free throws versus Bridgewater.
The Cougars trek down to Greensboro, N.C., for their USA South reunion tour on Nov. 11, when they take on Greensboro College. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
