Ferrum’s Men’s Basketball team won a big home game in Conference Carolinas action Wednesday night, defeating Lees-McRae College 85-67 at Swartz Gym.

The Panthers (11-7 overall, 9-3 Conference Carolinas) built a strong lead early and kept control throughout the game. Lees-McRae (8-12, 5-7 CC) fought hard, but Ferrum’s balance of scoring and defense helped the Panthers pull away for the win.

Lees-McRae took an early 8-5 lead before Ferrum responded with a run to take command. Rodrigo Farias scored seven of Ferrum’s first nine points, including free throws at 14:03 of the first half, to get the Panthers going. Senior Alfredo Abel-Rivera and Abdulh Diaby, senior, also scored key baskets, pushing the lead to 28-12 midway through the half. Ferrum led 43-36 at halftime after strong contributions from Farias and Abel-Rivera.

In the second half, Ferrum continued to extend its lead. The Panthers opened up a 22-point advantage at one point behind steady scoring from Gerren Jones and strong inside play from Abel-Rivera and Diaby. Lees-McRae kept fighting, and Dwight Canady hit a jumper and free throw late in the game to trim the margin, but it wasn’t enough to slow the Panthers’ offense.

Ferrum’s balanced scoring was a key to the win. Jones led all scorers with 23 points, while Abel-Rivera contributed 21 points and 8 rebounds. Farias added 17 points, and Diaby scored 16 in a strong team effort. Lees-McRae was led by Canady with 17 points and Cedric Patterson with 10.

“(We played) with great energy on both ends of the floor,” said Head Coach Patrick Corrigan.