Ferrum, Va. - Sophomore Shanice Goree netted 15 points and freshman Derreon Cole had 12, but it would not be enough as league-leading Ferrum College snapped North Carolina Wesleyan's three-game winning streak with a 98-79 victory over the Bishops on Saturday.
With the Panthers ahead 23-15 at the midway point of the first half, FC used an 8-0 run to increase its lead to 16, 31-15, at the 7:55 mark. The Panthers eventually went into break up 51-38.
The first five minutes of the second half saw the Bishops cut the lead to eight at 60-52 thanks to a Monet Edwards three-pointer and a Goree jumper. Unfortunately, the Panthers went back up by double-figures on their next possession, and Wesleyan would get no closer the rest of the way.
In addition to Goree and Cole, freshmen Shelby Jackason and NeTaih Davis each had nine points, while Edwards, Tiffany Bell and A'leisha Henderson had eight apiece. Junior Leann Breeden pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
Seven Panthers reached double-figures, including all five starters. As a team, Ferrum shot 54.2 percent from the floor and knocked down half of its 3-point attempts. The Panthers (13-3, 8-1 USA South) also won the rebounding battle, 43-37, while forcing an up-tempo pace that led to a 37-20 advantage in fast-break points.
The Bishops (7-7, 4-5 USA South) travel to Peace College on Tuesday night for a 7:00pm conference match-up with the Pacers.