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The Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) men’s basketball team let a double-digit lead get away in the final 10 minutes and fell 80-73 to visiting Thomas Nelson Community College in Lawrenceville Saturday afternoon, Feb. 15.

The Panthers got off to a hot start as six straight points by DeAndre Miles gave them a 22-14 lead at the 7:57 mark of the opening half.

Thomas Nelson closed the gap on the scoreboard, but a bucket by Tae Holmes gave SVCC a 33-32 lead with 1:45 left to play in the first half, and Miles buried a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 36-32 lead at the halftime break.

A 3-pointer by Miles at the 19:03 mark of the second half allowed Southside to establish a 40-34 advantage.

The team got back-to-back 3-pointers from Rick Sullivan for a 47-40 lead at the 13:56 mark.

Aaron Logan hit two treys in a two-minute span to give SVCC a 61-50 lead near the midpoint of the half.

The Panthers went cold for more than five minutes and did not score again until a 3-point play by Sullivan gave SVCC a 65-64 lead with 4:56 to play.

A bucket by Sullivan with 3:26 left gave Southside its last lead at 69-67, but the visitors outscored the home team 13-3 the rest of the way.

Sullivan led SVCC with 23 points, while Miles scored 18, Logan tallied 11 and Holmes added 10.

The Panthers are set to host Chesapeake College, of Maryland, Saturday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. Then they will host Germanna Community College Saturday, Feb. 29, at 2 p.m.

Following this are the USA National Post- Grad Championships March 5-7.