The Greensboro College women’s basketball team rallied from a 27-20 deficit to beat Averett on the road Saturday 56-48. The Pride outscored the Cougars 36-21 in the second frame and built an 11-point margin to roll in the USA South opener for both teams.
The first half featured back-and-forth action with neither team able to gain control until the waning minutes. Leading 23-20 with 3:01 on the clock, Averett scored the final four points of the half to take a 27-20 advantage into the break.
Greensboro chipped into the deficit in the second half, tying the game at 32-32 with 14:37 to play. The Pride regained the lead, 36-34 following two free throws by Bianca Richburg with 13:10 left.
Chevena Pickard burried a jump shot just over four minutes later to push the score into double figures at 47-37. Alicia Burr added a free throw to bring the margin to its largest point at 48-37.
The Cougars briefly fought back, pulling to within 48-42 before Greensboro pulled away for the win.
Richburg recorded her fourth straight double-double with game highs in points with 25 and rebounds with 16. Jena Cabe also chipped in with 12 points to go along with eight rebounds. Also having a big day on the boards for The Pride were Pickard and Burr with nine apiece.
Overall, Greensboro shot 35.4% from the field, including a 46.9% performance in the second half. Defensively, The Pride limited Averett to 33.3% shooting, with a 24.1% mark in the second. Greensboro won the battle on the boards 48-38.
“It is always good to win on the road, especially a conference win,” said head coach Randy Tuggle. “Fortunately, we came out and played hard in the second half and it allowed us to pick up the win. Bianca, Jena and Chevena played big for us in the second half.”
The Pride are now 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the USA South. Greensboro will conclude the weekend on Sunday with a 2 p.m. contest at Mary Baldwin.