FERRUM, Va. – Eight free throws, including four each by Josh Dudley and D'Andre Mullen, inside the final 1:45 of the contest allowed Ferrum to edge Brevard 63-57 in men's basketball action at Swartz Gym on Saturday afternoon.
Clinging to a three-point lead with 4:20 remaining in the second half, the Tornados received a clutch 3-pointer from senior Stevie Williams to make for a 57-51 contest. However, Ferrum turned up its defensive pressure and quickly trimmed the deficit to four following a series of free throws by Rashad Reed.
The Panthers continued to chip away at the lead, taking advantage of a layup and two free throws by Dudley, as they brought the contest to a climatic 57-all tie. A Brevard missed jumper at the 1:12 mark opened the door for Ferrum to take its first lead of the game since the 18:24 mark of the first with two free throws from Dudley.
Unable to answer on the offensive end, Parris committed a foul on Mullen, who hit the second of two free throws to extend the lead to three. Levi Lamb lofted a 3-pointer for the Tornados in an attempt to tie the game, which fell short, before Mullen added three free throws down the stretch to complete the Ferrum win.
Williams led the way for the Brevard offense, scoring a team-high 17 points after hitting 7-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He was joined in double figures by Shelby Parris, who ended the game with 12 by virtue of 5-of-13 shooting from the floor.
Williams was also active on the glass for the Tornados (2-8) with eight rebounds while forcing two steals and dishing out two assists.
Reed led the way for Ferrum (3-7), scoring 20 points to go along with six rebounds. He finished 6-of-11 from the floor and 7-of-9 at the charity stripe. Dudley joined his teammate in double figures with 16 points, hitting 6-of-11 from the field, as he capped off a double-double performance with 15 rebounds (12 defensive).
After hitting 17-of-26 (65.4%) from the floor in the first half, Brevard's offense got on track with a 3-pointer by JaMarquis Johnson less than two minutes into the second half. The Panthers bounced back with a layup by Dudley and free throw by Mullen, trimming the lead to 45-36, before Levi Lamb drilled a 3-pointer at the 15:55 mark.
That Lamb 3-pointer allowed Brevard to maintain a double-digit lead for the next 7:28 of the contest, before three free throws by Reed drew the Panthers within seven, 54-47. Reed was responsible for the next four Ferrum points, converting two layups, as the lead dwindled to 54-51 with just under five minutes left.
Looking to build off a win over Berea on Wednesday evening, the Tornados used nine points by Williams and five from Parris to assume a 20-8 in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Two 3-pointers by Qadhafi Turner, along with a long range conversion by Levi Lamb, allowed Brevard to stretch that lead to 35-14 at the 5:44 mark of the first.
Ferrum briefly cut the margin to 15, following a three-point play by Reed, but Williams answered with a trey to put life into the Brevard offense. The Panthers countered with six points down the stretch, but a 3-pointer by Parris closed out first half scoring as Brevard took a 42-26 lead into the intermission.
The Tornados men's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 10, when they travel to Piedmont for a 7:30 p.m. contest with the Lions.