DANVILLE, Virginia -- #9 seed Ferrum College led by as many as 19 points in the second half, then withstood a furious rally to beat #8 Averett University 60-56 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Men's Basketball Tournament play-in game tonight at the Grant Center.

RECORDS
Ferrum (10-16)
Averett (10-16)

THE BASICS
Averett led 5-0 to open the game, but Ferrum responded with a 10-3 run, grabbing a 10-8 lead on Deshone Hicks' jumper at the 9:30 mark. Hicks, the game's leading scorer, would add 15 points before the end of the first half, including five jumpers, a three pointer and two free throws, to put Ferrum on top 29-19 at the break.

The Panthers began to pull away in th second half, eventually opening a 19-point lead on Johnny Franklin's three-pointer with 9:27 left to play to make it a 49-30 game. Averett used a 24-7 rally over the next nine minutes, trimming the lead to just two points at 56-54 on Jordan Lewis' three-pointer with 20 seconds left in regulation.

Hicks was fouled on the ensuing possession and knocked down a pair of free throws to push Ferrum's lead to 58-54, but Raja Milton converted two free throws for the Cougars to get the lead back down to 58-56 with 12 seconds left. Tahli Oden hit two freebies with six seconds left for the final count, sending Ferrum on to the quarterfinals.

KEY STATS
Ferrum: Hicks 25 pts; Calvin Washington 18 pts; Alfredo Abel-Rivera 8 pts, 9 reb
Averett: Lewis 23 pts, 14 reb; Milton 11 pts; Bryson McLaughlin 7 pts, 13 reb

NEXT UP
Coach Patrick Corrigan's team will face #1 seed Randolph-Macon College in the quarterfinals Friday, February 24, as the ODAC Tournament shifts to the Salem Civic Center. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. in Salem, Virginia.

2023 ODAC Men's Basketball Tournament Website