FERRUM, Virginia -- The Ferrum College men's basketball team fell short in their home opener against William Peace University inside of Swartz Gymnasium Thursday night, 93-85. This was the second time in as many games that the two teams saw each other, with the Panthers taking the game prior, 76-73.

Tonight's contest served as the last game before the Panthers enter Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play, where they open up with defending conference champion Randolph-Macon at home on Saturday, Jan 23.

THE BASICS
The first 10 minutes of the first half were played evenly throughout both of the teams, with Wiiliam Peace holding onto the slim 24-21 lead from a Tyler Parton trey at the 10:02 mark. Both teams continued to trade buckets down the stretch of the first half with neither team able to build a sustainable lead. After a James Smith Jr. three with 3:20 to play to make it a 38-35 Panther lead, William Peace closed the half on a 12-2 run to take a 47-40 lead into the locker room.

It was the John Burwell show on the offensive side of the ball in the first half. The guard recorded 21 points on 9-14 shooting from the field to lead the Pacer offense. Jalen Owens was the next closest with 7, followed by Smith Gupton with 5. Owens led the team on the boards with 5 early in the half. The Panthers were in foul trouble early, limiting the productivity of transfer guard Darius Kemp. Smith Jr. was the hot hand for Ferrum in the first half, scoring 11 points. Carrington Young had a strong half as well, recording six points and six rebounds.

The second half saw both teams trading buckets early just like in the first. Kajuan Madden-McAfee would draw the Panthers within six with a trey with 14:04 to play, but that was as close as Ferrum would come. A Beau Bryant three with 9:42 put the Pacers on top 72-56, and eventually put the game out of the reach of Head Coach Tyler Sanborn's squad.

Madden-McAfee had a big second half for the Panthers, recording 16 points to add to his four rebounds and 4-6 shooting from the field. Kemp made his way back on the floor in the second half as well, recording five points and six rebounds. On the other side, Burwell continued his dominate scoring night, recording 13 points and four rebounds. Donolly Tyrell Jr. had a solid second half as well, scoring 11 points.

KEY STATS
Ferrum: Madden-McAfee 21 pts, 6 reb; Smith Jr. 17 pts, 4 reb; Kemp 10 pts, 10 reb; Helton 11 pts
WPU: Burwell 34 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast; Tyrell Jr. 15 pts, 8 reb; Owens 10 pts, 5 reb; Bryant 10 pts, 4 reb

BEHIND THE WHISTLE
"Tough one tonight, we did not play the way we wanted to. We have a lot of things for us to work on as we move forward. I am appreciative that we had the opportunity to play, it's gives us an idea of where we are, but now it's time to get back to work. Speciat thanks to our administration and training staff in helping organize a safe environment for us to compete in." --Head Coach Tyler Sanborn

UP NEXT
The Panthers will open ODAC play at home, taking on defending champion Randolph-Macon Saturday, Jan 23 inside of Swartz Gymnasium. The matchup with the Yellow Jackets is slated for a 2 p.m. start.