LYNCHBURG, Va.- The Randolph men's basketball team hosted Averett on Friday evening at Giles Gymnasium. The WildCats made a furious comeback in the second half but ultimately fell short in the end as the Cougars won by the score of 89-82.

Averett jumped on the WildCats in the early stages of the first half as it led 11-0 less than three minutes into the period. Randolph came back to pull to within three points, 16-13, at 11:03. The 'Cats trailed 25-20 just under the nine-minute mark of the half. AU went on a 15-5 run to go ahead 40-25 with under five minutes left until halftime. The Cougars would go on to lead 51-35 at the break.

The Cougars increased their advantage to 17 points, 56-39, at the 18:48 mark of the second half. Randolph started to chip away at its deficit as it closed to within eight points, 65-57, with 12:52 showing on the game clock. Down 72-61, the WildCats went on a 15-4 run to ultimately tie the game at 76-76 with 4:20 left in regulation. It was a one-possession game, 83-80 Averett, with 2:32 remaining and the Cougars then edged ahead 86-80. Randolph closed to 86-82 but the Cougars made three free throws in the final 15 seconds to secure the win.

On the night, Randolph was 32-of-67 (47.8%) from the floor and 5-of-23 (21.7%) from behind the three-point arc. The WildCats had advantages in second chance points 18-4, points in the paint 44-40, bench points 42-28, and fast break points 12-6. The 'Cats also led on the board 42-34.

Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) led the team with 21 points to go with five assists and three rebounds. Moustapha Diop (Fuquay Varina, N.C./Apex Friendship) added 15 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Amari Gorham (Yorktown, Va./Yorktown) added 10 points and Bryce Watlington (Newport News, Va.) had a double-double effort of 10 points and 10 rebounds to go with three steals and two assists which were all season-highs.

Randolph heads on the road Wednesday when it faces Bridgewater. Game time will be at 7:30 p.m.