WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Florida Tech men's basketball team took the court at Rollins College's Warden Arena for the third time in less than a week on Wednesday evening. Just like the previous two games, the Panthers were unable to leave with a victory and dropped their Sunshine State Conference opener against Rollins, 83-72.

Florida Tech (0-3, 0-1 SSC) is off to its first 0-3 start since the 1992-93 season. Rollins (1-2, 1-0 SSC), on the other hand, picked up its first home win of the season.

Sam Daniel paced FIT with 24 points and six rebounds. Jordan Majors added 14 points, five assists and three rebounds and Richard Coil recorded 12 points and six rebounds.

The Panther shot 45.6 percent from the field and made 14-for-41 from three-point range. Rollins made 52.5 percent of its shots, including 16-of-35 attempts from long range. The Tars won the battle on the glass, 32-29.

The teams went back-and-forth and exchanged baskets in the early parts of the game. A three-pointer by Majors gave the Panthers a 12-11 lead with 12:48 left in the first half.

The Tars ensued on an 8-0 run and took a 19-12 edge with 10:16 remaining. Daniel tied the game at 21-21 after converting a four-point play with 7:27 to go in the stanza. From there Rollins outscored FIT, 23-7, the remainder of the half and grabbed a 44-28 advantage heading into halftime.

Florida Tech opened the second half in impressive fashion, making 6-for-7 from three-point range, and cut the Tars' lead to single-digits, 58-51, with 12:16 left on the clock. Rollins quickly pushed its lead back to double-figures thanks to a 15-6 run and led by 16 points, 73-57, with 6:02 remaining.

Treys by Majors and Darius Wright, and three makes at the charity stripe by Daniel, helped cut the Panthers' deficit to 73-66 with 4:04 left. However, the Tars, again, increased their lead to double-digits before eventually holding on for an 11-point victory.

Florida Tech will look to pick up its first "W" of the season in its home opener on Saturday, Nov. 18, against Lindenwood. Tipoff for the game is set for 2 p.m. at the Clemente Center.