DANVILLE, VA  – The William Peace University men's basketball team earned their first conference win of the season Wednesday night, holding on for a 67-66 win against preseason favorites Averett University.   

WPU (6-8, 1-2 USAS) jumped out to a 28-8 lead less than nine minutes in, as the Pacers got off to a 12-of-17 (71%) start from the field and forced the Cougars to cough it up six times. Averett turned things around though, cutting it to a five-point game by the break.

The second half played out nearly identically to the first. WPU came out on a 20-4 run, extending their lead to as many as 21 with less than 10 minutes to go, but Averett (10-4, 1-2 USAS) closed the game out on a 29-9 run. The Pacers shot 2-of-13 (15%) and turned it over six times during that stretch, but they did just enough to preserve the victory.

"The first ten minutes of each half we played very well and showed what we can do, but we still have to learn how to finish games," said head coach Claude Shields. "It wasn't pretty, but regardless of what happened the last couple minutes, we were able to pull it out, which is huge for us going into a home game Friday night."

"We really challenged them to make the little plays, get to the 50-50's and loose balls, and I thought we did a really good job with that tonight," Shields added.  "We really wanted to rebound with them and we tied them on the boards. I also think it says a ton to not only be that hot out of the gates, but to also play the kind of defense we did."

Three Pacers finished in double-figures.  Nate Strother registered 13 points, five rebounds, an assist and two steals, while Dakota King also had 13 points, three rebounds, one block and a steal. Jalen Vince added 10 points, three boards, two assists and two steals. Chris Thomas and Sam Johnson scored nine points apiece. Ryan Emfinger scored seven points to go with 12 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal.

Trevor West and Carter Jones led the way for Averett. West finished with 21 points, three assists and five rebounds. Jones recorded 18 points on 9-of-11 (82%) shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Charles Bryant also scored seven points to go with a game-high 15 rebounds.  

The WPU men's basketball team will be back at the Hermann Athletic Center this weekend for games against Covenant and Maryville. The Pacers host Covenant Friday at 7:30 p.m., followed by Maryville Saturday at 6:00 p.m. 

Video coverage and live stats will be available throughout the weekend with Daron Vaught on the call for the Pacers' Basketball Network.

For the latest news and updates from William Peace University Athletics, please visit: http://gopeacepacers.com/.