WINTER PARK, Fla. (Women's Basketball) – The Florida Tech women's basketball team took care of business in its season opener against LeMoyne-Owen on Friday afternoon, as the Panthers defeated the Magicians 73-50 on the first day of the Rollins College Classic in Winter Park, Florida.
After leading the squad in scoring a season ago, senior
Shequana Harris picked up right where she left off, pacing the Panthers with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting and five rebounds. Sophomore
Gracie Doane had an impressive showing in her debut with the Crimson & Gray, posting 12 points on 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and three assists.
Sophomore
Tanease Richardson also had a strong outing in her first game as a Panther, recording nine points on 3-of-5 shooting, while freshman
Aniquah Swan collected eight points and five boards. Senior
Julie McCarthy controlled the paint for FIT, notching seven points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
FIT outshot LOC 46.2 to 27.3 percent for the game and finished with a 44-34 edge in rebounds.
Florida Tech got off to a fast start with
DeLise Williams and
Markeema Crawford knocking down threes on consecutive possessions. However, the momentum slowed as eight turnovers plagued FIT in the first quarter and it trailed the Magicians 19-12 at the end of one.
The Panthers outscored LOC 18-12 in the second quarter to draw within one, 31-30, heading into halftime. At the break, FIT was 10-of-28 from the field and made 4-of-9 from long range, while LeMoyne-Owen shot 11-of-34, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Swan paced FIT in the first half with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and four rebounds. Doane made 2-of-3 from deep for six points. McCarthy had an impressive first 20 minutes of action, collecting six rebounds, four blocks and two points.
Champale Grays guided the Magicians' offense with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 from long range. Ariyan Hines notched eight points, while Courtney Banks led all players with seven boards in the first half.
The Panthers opened the third with 10 straight points to take a 40-31 advantage just 3:13 into the quarter en route to a 53-41 lead heading into the fourth. Florida Tech cruised through the final stanza as they outscored the Magicians 20-9 to earn the 23-point victory.
Harris led the Panthers' second half charge with 10 points on 5-of-5 from the field, while Grays was held to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting after a double-digit first half for LOC.
The Panthers shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) over the final 20 minutes of action, including 8-of-10 in the third quarter alone. FIT's defense was most impressive, limiting LOC to just 7-of-32 shooting and 12 turnovers.
Florida Tech returns to action tomorrow, in the second day of the Rollins Classic, when the Panthers square off with St. Michael's at 4 p.m. ET. Fans can access links to live coverage at FloridaTechSports.com.
