FORT SMITH, Ark.— Drury fought back from 15 points down in the second half to pull within two late in the game at Arkansas-Fort Smith, but the Lions held off the Panthers for an 89-76 win over at Kaundart Arena in Fort Smith on Saturday.
 
The Panthers dropped to 6-4, while the Lions improved to 6-5.
 
Arkansas-Fort Smith owned a 61-46 lead with 11:32 remaining, but Drury chipped away and a Logan Applegate three-pointer got the Panthers within a basket of the lead, 73-71, with 4:06 left.
 
The Lions, though, built their lead back to 10 points two minutes later and made free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
 
"We fought back, but we still have to work on our consistency," said Drury head coach Chris Foster. "We picked the wrong to make some bad decisions and the game got away from us."
 
Drury was able to rally despite Ark.-Fort Smith shooting 80 percent in the second half. The Lions made 17 of their 20 shots in the second half, including 7 of their 10 three-point attempts.
 
Colin Hardrick led the Panthers with a game-high 18 points on 8 for 11 shooting from the field. The freshman added six rebounds, two steals and two assists. Quenton Shelton added 14 points and Applegate finished with 13 points and seven assists.  
 
VJ Reeves led the Lions with 16 points and Roland McCoy added 14.
 
Drury goes into a seven-day 'Life In Balance' break as mandated by the NCAA. They return to action on Jan. 3 at William Jewell.