MELBOURNE, Fla. (Women's Basketball) – Florida Tech (6-2, 2-2 SSC) picked up a key Sunshine State Conference victory Saturday afternoon, knocking off 22nd-ranked Nova Southeastern (6-2, 3-1 SSC) 57-46 at the Clemente Center.
The victory snapped Florida Tech's four-game losing streak to the Sharks dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.
Shequana Harris led all players in the game with 16 points and six assists. The Bronx, New York native also collected five rebounds and four steals.
Markeema Crawford finished in double-digits as well, recording 11 points and six boards.
Julie McCarthy chipped a game-high 10 rebounds, five points and three blocks.
Cheray Saunders paced the Sharks with 10 points and four steals while Christen Prasse, NSU's leading scorer, was limited to nine points on 3-of-12 shooting. Samantha Logan added eight points and seven boards.
The Panthers' limited NSU to just 30 percent shooting in the game, including 16.7 percent from long range. FIT, on the other hand, shot 48.1 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle 37-27.
Florida Tech led 8-7 at the 4:04 mark of the opening quarter but the Sharks, who scored 13 points off seven Panther turnovers in the period, finished on a 10-2 run and took a 17-10 advantage into the second.
The Panthers picked up their play in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Sharks 34-13 while holding them to just 17.1 percent shooting over that span, and grabbed a 44-30 edge heading into the final frame.
FIT's lead reached as much as 14 points in the fourth quarter before being cut to six, 46-40, after a steal and score by Saunders with 6:27 remaining. However, the Panthers answered with a 7-2 run of their own, building their advantage back double-digits, and then held for the 11-point victory.
The Panthers will now have a week of preparation before traveling to face Tampa in SSC action on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Tampa, Florida. Start time for the matchup is set for 6 p.m. ET. Fans can access live coverage of the matchup at FloridaTechSports.com.
