FERRUM, Va. – The Ferrum College Men's Basketball Team (4-3) held off a second-half rally by visiting Emory & Henry College (0-6) for a 76-69 non-conference win at Swartz Gym.

The contest was neck-and-neck throughout the entire first half as neither team led by more than five points the entire way. After falling behind, 18-13, with 5:39 to go before the break, Emory & Henry went on a 10-4 run to take a 23-22 lead. The two squads continued to jostle for control, with Ferrum going into the half up 29-25.

Coming out of the break, the Panthers extended the lead to double digits for the first time in the game thanks to a 10-4 run. Emory & Henry battled back with a 16-6 run to cut the margin to two at 49-47 but Ferrum scored the next eight points to push its advantage back to 10,  57-47, with 8:52 to go in the game.

The Wasps continued to show determination and grit, and scored six points in a row to get within four (62-58) with 6:19 to go. The two teams traded baskets for the final six minutes of the game as the margin stayed between five and seven points with neither team giving in. Emory & Henry missed a trio of three-pointers in the final 30 seconds of the game, but remained in the mix until late as Ferrum struggled to convert its free throw attempts in the closing moments.

The Panthers were paced by Jamal Pullen's 30-point performance as he went nine-for-11 from the floor and made 12-of-13 free throws prior to fouling out. Rashawn Speas had 15 points and four rebounds while Marvin Wilson added 12 points and four boards. As a team, Ferrum shot 49.1 percent (26-for-53) for the game, hitting 70 percent of its shots in the second half. FC held a 34-28 advantage on points in the paint as well.

Sophomore guard Myles Turner (Richmond, Va.) posted a team-high 18 points on seven-for-14 shooting to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Sophomore guard Ryan Gravley (Austinville, Va.) and freshman forward Shawn McDaniel (Salem, Va.) had 11 points each with McDaniel adding seven rebounds. Freshman forward Noah Walker (Bristol, Va.) chipped in 10 points and two boards as well for the Wasps.

As a team, E&H shot 25-for-60 (41.7%) from the floor and hit four three-pointers in the game. The Wasps forced 21 turnovers, scoring 19 points off the Panthers' miscues. Emory & Henry's bench outperformed its counterpart from Ferrum by a 21-13 margin as well.

Emory & Henry will open Old Dominion Athletic Conference play on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., when the Tigers of Hampden-Sydney College visit Bob Johnson Court.

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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15