IOWA FALLS, IOWA -- The Ellsworth Panthers battled conference-leading Indian Hills on nearly even terms for 32 minutes Saturday until the Warriors were able to pull away late for a 75-65 win at Dittmer Gym.  

ECC, which had lost at Indian Hills 100-61 early in the season, hung tough with the Warriors the entire first half.  And when Panther guard Adam Jackson nailed a 3-pointer right before the halftime buzzer, Ellsworth had a 39-36 lead at the midpoint of the contest.  The Panthers built their largest advantage, 44-39, early in the final half before IHCC erased the deficit by scoring eight straight points.  The margin was still only four at the 8:00 minute mark before Indian Hills was finally able to open up a double-digit lead and escape Iowa Falls with the win.

The Panthers did a solid job defensively, holding IHCC to 38 percent shooting from the floor, just 27 percent from behind the arc.

Leading the scoring for Ellsworth was Jackson with 23 points, hitting four 3s and snaring six rebounds.  Josh Kamara pumped in a season-high 15 points and Junior Bodden grabbed 10 rebounds. 

Next up for ECC is a game at Iowa Central on Wednesday with the Panthers getting the chance to avenge a two-point loss to the Tritons in January.  DMACC visits the Dittmer Gym next Saturday.