FERRUM, Va. – The Ferrum Panthers closed out the regular season in dramatic fashion Wednesday night, outlasting Mount Olive 93–91 in overtime in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action at Swartz Gymnasium. Ferrum was led by Sterling Charles' 22 points off the bench, while Alfredo Abel-Rivera added 20 points in the win.

RECORDS
Mount Olive 10-18, (7-13)
Ferrum 16-10, (14-6)

THE BASICS
Mount Olive carried a 43–36 lead into halftime after shooting over 60 percent from the floor in the opening period. Ferrum regrouped in the second half, erupting for 43 points while shooting 57.7 percent from the field to even the score at 79–79 and force overtime.

The Panthers were efficient throughout the contest, finishing the night at 53 percent shooting and knocking down nine three-pointers. Ferrum also controlled key stretches inside, scoring 46 points in the paint and getting a double-double performance from Abdulh Diaby, who totaled 15 points and 11 rebounds.

In overtime, a three-pointer from Charles gave Ferrum early momentum. Buckets from Rodrigo Farias and Abel-Rivera helped extend the lead to seven with under a minute to play. Mount Olive answered with late three-pointers to cut the deficit to two, but Ferrum converted crucial free throws in the closing seconds to secure the 93–91 victory.

Ferrum received 25 points from its bench and shot 73.7 percent from the free-throw line (14-of-19) in the contest.

KEY STATS
Mount Olive: Shane Peterson 18 pts; Jaevian Alston 17 pts; Christian Ananaba 14 pts
Ferrum: Charles 22 pts; Abel-Rivera 20 pts; Farias 18 pts; Diaby 15 pts, 11 reb

UP NEXT
Coach Pat Corrigan's team will turn their attention to the Conference Carolinas tournament. Ferrum is the #3 seed. They will get a bye for the first weekend of the tournament. They face a yet to be determined opponent on March 6th at 1:30 pm. That game will be held at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC.