NCAA Box Score
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Behind five double-figure scorers, 19th-ranked Ferrum College was able to hold on for a 78-67 USA South marathon victory in double overtime. With the win, the Black and Gold remain a half-game up on second-place North Carolina Wesleyan College in the USA South standings.
The hosts jumped out to an early 13-5 lead with 12:51 showing on the ticker. The Panthers quickly responded, going on an 11-3 run to tie the game 16-16.
The two rivals traded blows the rest of the half before Greensboro grabbed a slim 29-26 advantage heading into break.
Coach Bill Tharp's club came out firing, hitting the Pride with an 8-0 run to take a 34-29 lead with15:31 remaining in the second frame. GC responded with a mini 6-0 spurt to reclaim the lead, 35-34 at the 14:46 mark.
Both teams could not manage a lead greater than two for nearly seven minutes. With the USA South tilt deadlocked at 43, J.T. Edwards buried a three and Keith Crump had a layup and a jumper to build a 50-43 lead. Crump netted a team-high 17 points, shooting 50% from the floor.
Ferrum (19-2, 8-1) watched its lead dwindle down to one, 50-49, after a Damian Dixon layup at the 3:59 mark. The Pride were determined to keep it close down the stretch as the visitors could not muster a lead larger than three.
Once again, GC trimmed the deficit to one with 11 seconds remaining in the second stanza. The hosts immediately fouled on the inbounds play, sending Marcus Mayo to line.
Mayo connected on both attempts at the charity stripe to establish a three-point cushion, 56-53, with eight seconds left. After a Ferrum timeout to set its defense, Dixon took a pass from Dexter and nailed the equalizer from downtown to force overtime.
Lamont King opened the first overtime by canning a two. King made 7-14 (50%) of his shots to finish with 16 points. The Panthers would hold the lead for the first three minutes of extra action.
GC reclaimed the lead on a Dexter layup, 62-61, with just under two minutes left. The Pride tacked on a free throw to bump the lead to 63-61 with 1:15 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, King drove to the bucket and cashed it in to tie the game once more. After the hosts failed to score on their end, Shon Goode stepped to the line and converted two free throws, giving Ferrum a 65-63 advantage.
Greensboro's late-game heroics had one last chance to shine. Out of a Pride timeout, Dixon kept his team's hopes alive by swishing a jumper to send the game into a second overtime.
In the second overtime session, a Dixon layup was all Greensboro could account for as the Panthers outscored their opponent, 13-2, to remain atop the USA South standings.
Behind Crump and King in scoring were Edwards with 13 points and Mayo tallying 11. Derek Mitchell posted another double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11caroms, en route to fouling out before the overtimes even started.
The Pride received a game-high performance from Dixon. The rookie from Tampa, Fla. poured in 21 points, including the shots to force both overtimes. Dexter chalked up 18 points for Greensboro (11-9, 4-4 USA South).
Ferrum converted 23 GC miscues into 27 points, racking up 14 steals in the process. The Panthers received 33 points from its reserves who come off the bench to play some very important minutes down the stretch in the tightly contested USA South battle.
The Black and Gold will step out of conference for its next contest. The Panthers entertain Hampden-Sydney College on Wednesday, February 9, inside Swartz Gym. The non-conference clash tips at 7 p.m.
