Nick Chase scored a career-high 20 points to help key a 70-63 win over Averett in Hampden-Sydney Basketball's regular season opener. 

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Hampden-Sydney 70, Averett 63
• Records: H-SC 1-0, Averett 0-1
• Location: Danville, VA – Grant Center

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Hampden-Sydney didn't take long to establish control of the game, scoring 11 straight points to go ahead 11-2 at the 15:22 mark
• Following four consecutive points from the Cougars to make it an 11-6 game, the Tigers used a 9-0 run to surge ahead by 14, 20-6, midway through the first half
• The Tigers continued to lead by double digits, 30-17, with 4:26 to play, but Averett scored 10 of the next 13 points to trail by just six, 33-27, with 18 seconds left.
• Chase sent the Tigers into the halftime with momentum as he got an offensive rebound and a put-back layup at the buzzer to make it an eight-point game
• H-SC wrestled back control of the game early in the second half and led by double digits for most of the first eight minutes, finding themselves up 52-39 with 12:18 to play
• The Cougars proceeded to go on a 10-2 spurt over four minutes to trail by just five, 54-49 with 8:06 left on the clock
• A media timeout 22 seconds later help halt Averett's momentum, and the Tigers went back up by double digits, 62-51, with 4:33 to play.
• Averett kept within fighting distance, trailing by eight on two separate occasions, but was never able to cut the deficit to less than eight

TIGER TOP PERFORMERS

• Chase posted an efficient stat line, shooting 6-8 overall, 1-1 from three, and 7-9 from the foul line. He added five rebounds and a steal
• Jake Duncan posted 15 points, going 3-6 from three range, to go with a team-high seven rebounds
• Logan Samuels contributed nine points and four rebounds
• Josh Katowitz tallied six points, six rebounds, a team-high four assists, and one block

FOR THE FOES

• Charles Bryant led Averett with 19 points and eight rebounds
• James Contreras Jr. posted 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals
• Accheaus Fields tacked on 14 points and five boards

STATS OF THE GAME

• The Tigers shut down the Cougars from the three-point line, holding them to just three made triples on 13 attempts
• H-SC shot 43.1% for the game while Averett shot 37.9%
• Both teams had struggles at the foul line as Hampden-Sydney made just half of their 26 attempts and Averett converted 16 of 23
• H-SC held a 42-36 advantage on the boards 

NEXT GAME

• The Tigers make a rare trip to Ohio to participate in the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Basketball Tournament hosted by Case Western Reserve University. H-SC plays Brockport State on Friday at 6 pm and plays in either the consolation or championship game on Saturday.