BANNER ELK, North Carolina – Eleventh-seeded Ferrum College saw its bid for a second straight upset come up short, falling 60–48 to fifth-seeded Lees-McRae College in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Tournament at Williams Gymnasium on the campus of Lees-McRae.

Sophomore Maslyn Mosbacher led the Panthers with 13 points, while fellow classmate, Kleiauna Riddick added 12 points and seven rebounds.  Freshman Sofia Ponce chipped in seven points for Ferrum.

RECORDS
Ferrum 10-20 (7-13)
Lees-McRae 20-7 (15-5)

THE BASICS
Coming off an opening-round upset victory, Ferrum started strong once again, jumping out to an 18–14 lead after the first quarter behind four three-pointers. The Panthers maintained control through much of the first half and carried a narrow 26–25 advantage into the break.

In a tightly contested third quarter, Ferrum extended its lead to as many as seven points after a fast-break three-pointer by Riddick made it 36–29. Lees-McRae responded late in the period to trim the deficit to 38–36 heading into the fourth.

The game was tied 43–43 midway through the final quarter before the Bobcats took control with an 11–0 run. Lees-McRae shot 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) from the field in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Panthers 24–10 over the final 10 minutes to secure the 60–48 victory.

Ferrum finished the game shooting 28.3 percent (15-of-53) from the floor and 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from three-point range, while converting 11-of-14 free throws. The Panthers outrebounded Lees-McRae 38–37 but committed 20 turnovers that led to 14 Bobcat points.

KEY STATS
Ferrum: Mosbacher 13 pts; Riddick 12 pts, 7 reb; Ponce 7 pts
Lees-McRae: Hairston 23 pts; Carson 12 pts; Gueterman 8 pts, 8 reb

UP NEXT
The loss concludes the 2025-26 season for Ferrum, which finished with 10 overall victories and seven conference wins under head coach Bryan Harvey in his 21st season and first leading the program at the NCAA Division II level.