YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The Ferrum Panthers came up just short in a thriller Saturday afternoon, falling 82–81 to Young Harris in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action. Ferrum was led by Gerren Jones' 29 points, while Alfredo Abel-Rivera added 21 points in the setback.

RECORDS
Young Harris 20-6, 16-2 CC
Ferrum 15-10, 13-6 CC

THE BASICS
Ferrum set the tone early, knocking down six first-half three-pointers to build a 40–32 lead at halftime. The Panthers shot 40 percent from the floor in the opening period and limited the Mountain Lions to 34.6 percent shooting before the break.
Young Harris responded in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the field and an impressive 70 percent (7-of-10) from beyond the arc. Despite the surge, Ferrum maintained control for much of the period and held a 10-point advantage with just over two minutes remaining following a Jones three-pointer that made it 81–72.

The Mountain Lions closed the game on a 10–0 run, fueled by clutch free throws from Justin Payne and a late three-pointer from Carl Cleveland. Payne converted two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to give Young Harris its first lead of the final minutes at 82–81. Ferrum had a final look at the buzzer, but the shot would not fall.

Young Harris finished the game shooting 42 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from three-point range, while converting 31-of-37 free throws. Ferrum shot 39.3 percent from the floor and 88.5 percent from the stripe, scoring 18 points off turnovers in the contest.

KEY STATS
Young Harris: Cleveland 30 pts; Payne 23 pts
Ferrum: Jones 29 pts; Abel-Rivera 21 pts; Farias 11 pts

UP NEXT
Coach Pat Corrigan's team returns to action Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. when the Panthers host Mount Olive. This will be the Panther's last regular season game prior to the Conference Carolinas tournament.