Averett Men’s Basketball was officially crowned USA South Conference Tournament champions after beating Covenant College on the Scots’ home floor, 76 – 63. The Cougars entered the tournament as the top seed in the East Division. Covenant held the top spot in the West.

Before advancing to the final the Cougars fought hard to take a double overtime victory against a scrappy LaGrange team. Averett took the lead in the last three minutes and held on for the 81-77 win.

“No words can describe how this finally felt coach, “David Doino, head coach for the men’s basketball team, said. “So proud of our guys for the toughness, passion, and togetherness they put on display this weekend.” Doino was named conference coach of the year for the fourth time in his eight season at the helm.

The championship win guaranteed the Cougars a spot in the NCAA tournament. This is the Cougars’ fifth tournament appearance in program history and its first since 2008-2009.

“I’m very proud of this group of young men for competing with everything they had and leaving it all out on the court,” Brandon Baker, men’s basketball assistant, said. “We came together as a team and did something that no one thought we would be able to do outside of our program. Bringing home two trophies and a net was a goal of ours at the beginning of the season. Having done that and earning a spot in the NCAA tournament is more motivation to keep proving everyone wrong. Excited for the opportunity and ready to get back to work.”

Averett University will be playing in the NCAA tournament versus a top-seeded Emory University on March 4th at 7:10 on Emory’s home court. You can support the team by visiting averettcougars.com to watch their games live-streamed and watch for updates.