Men's Basketball USA South Tournament Preview
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | 2OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Averett (7-19, 2-11 USAS) | 36 | 37 | 8 | 10 | 91 |
| Greensboro (17-9, 7-5 USAS) | 34 | 39 | 8 | 15 | 96 |
| Greensboro, NC (Hanes Gym) | |||||
| Averett | Greensboro |
|---|---|
| Pts: SETTERS, Jonathan - 23 | Pts: Luqman Tijani - 27 |
| Reb: SCOTT, Marquis - 12 | Reb: T.j. Holman - 10 |
| Ast: 2 Players (#14, #34 - 3) | Ast: Andre Porter - 5 |
| Team Statistics | Averett | Greensboro |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 41.8% (33-79 ) | 43.1% (31-72 ) |
| Rebounds | 49 | 50 |
| Assists | 11 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 22 | 21 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 17 | 32 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 20 | 11 |
| Bench Pts | 28 | 24 |
The third seeded Pride men's basketball team opens it quest for a USA South title this week. Greensboro will host the sixth seeded Cougars of Averett on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
The Pride finished the regular season with an overall record of 16-9 and 7-5 in the USA South while the Cougars carry a record of 7-18 overall and 2-10 in conference play. Greensboro swept the season series with Averett, winning 94-86 at home on January 18 and 80-66 on the road on February 18.
T.J. Holman led The Pride in the first meeting, scoring 26 points as Greensboro rallied from a 40-37 halftime deficit for the win. In the second match-up, The Pride jumped out to a 49-33 halftime lead en route to the victory. Devonta Davis, Damian Dixon and Andre Porter each tallied a game high 12 points for Greensboro.
The Cougars have lost ten of their past games, including six in a row to enter the tournament. In its final game of the season, Averett hung tough with USA South champion, Christopher Newport, taking a lead into the break before falling 99-95 on the road.
Justin Pierce and Marquis Scott lead the Cougar attack, as both average double figures in scoring. Pierce put up a team high 17.2 points per game over the course of the regular season while Scott averages 14.4.
Averett has been outscored on average 80.4-76.0 and has been outshot from the field by a margin of 46.1%-41.7%. The Cougars, however, are outrebounding opponents 44.0-37.2 on the year.
Averett is 3-10 away from home this season while Greensboro is 9-3 at Hanes Gym. The winner will advance to the second round on Friday to meet the winner of #7 seed Shenandoah and #2 North Carolina Wesleyan. The highest seed will host.
Admission for Tuesday's contest is $6 for adults and $3 for students without a Pride ID card, faculty and staff. There will be no passes but students will be admitted free with their Pride ID card.
