MASON CITY, IOWA -- The Ellsworth Panthers failed to protect a slim halftime lead and fell to NIACC, 69-58, in an ICCAC contest Saturday afternoon.

ECC took a 33-32 advantage into the locker room at intermission, but was outscored, 37-25, over the final 20 minutes as the two schools resumed their long rivalry in the NIACC gym.  The Panthers had one more field goal than the Trojans and made 8 threes to 5 for the hosts.  But Ellsworth couldn't overcome a big disparity at the foul line.  NIACC went 20-for-30 at the stripe to 4-for-6 for the Panthers.

Rich Ashu turned in a strong overall game for ECC, narrowly missing a triple-double with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 8 blocks.  Tom Stanley led the scoring with 14 points and Jake Watson pitched in 10 and handed out 4 assists.  Richie Warren, coming off the bench, provided 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

With the loss, the Panthers drop to 13-13 overall and 4-8 in the ICCAC.  Next up is a trip to Kirkwood on Thursday night followed by a home game against Iowa Central Saturday.