FLORENCE, SC – Despite a pair of double-doubles from the senior duo of Adonis Cole and Cole Deptula on Monday (Jan. 19), Francis Marion University suffered a narrow 99-93 loss to Ferrum in double-overtime in Conference Carolinas play at the Smith University Center.

The Patriots (4-13, 4-5) will play their next three contests on the road, starting with a Wednesday night (Jan. 21) matchup at Erskine in Conference Carolinas play in Due West, S.C.

Cole scored a career-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting while converting five-of-five from the free-throw line. He added 10 rebounds, one steal, and one block in 42 minutes on the court. Deptula finished with 23 points on 8-of-18 attempts and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in a game-high 47 minutes.

Sophomore forward Clyde Mauldin tallied a career-high 15 points and pulled down four rebounds in 39 minutes. Fellow sophomore Troy Santos recorded 11 points, two rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench. Junior guard Kennard Davis matched his career-high with 11 assists while adding four points and two rebounds in 22 minutes.

Rodrigo Farias and Gerren Jones of Ferrum (10-6, 8-2) combined for 58 points in the win.

In the first half, the Panthers climbed in front by an 11-6 margin behind a pair of three-pointers in the opening five minutes of the contest. Mauldin countered with a three-pointer to cut into the deficit, but Ferrum maintained its lead and eventually took a 26-17 advantage with 8:06 remaining. The Patriots responded with seven consecutive points to trail 26-24 before the Panthers made six-of-six from the free-throw line to stretch their lead to 32-24. Francis Marion rallied with an impressive 11-2 run, led by Deptula with five points, to take the lead 35-34 with 1:34 to go. The sides traded points in the closing seconds, with the game heading into halftime tied at 39-39.

The game remained close with six different ties in the initial nine minutes of the second half. Ferrum managed to pull ahead with a 9-2 run to build a 62-55 edge with 8:23 left in regulation. FMU answered with a 9-1 rally, led by Cole with six points, to put the Patriots in front, 64-63. Ferrum regained the lead at 74-71 with 2:06 remaining, but Francis Marion scored four straight points to take a 75-74 edge in the final minute. The Panthers tied the game at the line before the contest went into overtime, 75-75.

In overtime, the Patriots claimed the lead behind a three-pointer from Santos to hold an 80-77 advantage, but Ferrum remained within striking distance with a 4-1 rally, 82-81. Deptula reestablished the three-point lead at the free-throw line before the Panthers scored three consecutive points to send the game into double overtime, 84-84.

Ferrum started the second overtime period with a 7-0 run to establish a 91-84 lead with 2:55 to go. A three-pointer from Mauldin and a floater from Davis trimmed the deficit to 91-89. The Panthers hit a clutch step-back jumper on the next possession before sealing the victory at the charity stripe, 99-93.

Francis Marion finished the contest shooting 35-of-89 (39.3 percent) from the floor while converting 75.0 percent (15-of-20) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Ferrum posted a .438 field goal percentage (28-of-64) and made 33-of-44 (75.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Patriots finished with a 50-47 rebounding advantage with 23 second-chance points and 50 points in the paint.