WINTER PARK, Fla. - Closing the Tars Thanksgiving Classic, Florida Tech (3-1) powered past the Talladega Tornadoes (7-5) in an overwhelming 83-46 win on Saturday afternoon at Warden Arena. 

The Panthers shot 58 percent (29-for-50) for the game and recorded a match-best 75.0 percent (12-16) in the third period. Additionally, FIT outrebounded Talladega 45-23, and held a 9-4 advantage in steals over the Tornadoes.

Overpowering the Talladega defense, senior DeLise Williams led the Crimson and Gray offense with 16 points on a 6-for-10 effort from the floor, to go with three assists and one steal.

Following closely, junior Tereza Sedlakova knocked down 14 points for FIT, shooting 5-for-7 with six rebounds and team-best two steals. Kailyn Ebb and Markeema Crawford combined for eight points, five rebounds and one steal respectively, with Ebb recording a 3-5 effort from the floor.

Posting a team-high four assists, sophomore Gudlaug Juliusdottir tabbed six points and two rebounds in 16 minutes of action. Sophomore Aniquah Swan notched a team-best seven rebounds, while shooting 80 percent from the field to record nine points and one steal.

Opening the match, the Tornadoes jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, until a jumper by Swan cut the gap by three. A layup from Williams at the 6:31 mark made it a one-point game, before Sedlakova put the Panthers ahead 6-5, with a layup in the paint. After two lead changes, Tanease Richardson drained two back-to-back baskets to move past Talladega, 10-7. With six seconds left, Williams knocked down another basket for FIT, closing the first period 17-14.

Entering the second, Ebb found the paint at the 8:50 mark to increase the Panthers stretch 21-16. From there, FIT never lost the lead, taking a 9-4 run to overlap the Tornadoes 36-24 headed into the half. 

A 5-0 run spanning 4:41 minutes in the third quarter, widened the Panthers lead by double digits, 46-24. With 3:18 left to play, the Crimson and Gray took a nine-point streak to seal the third period, 62-33.

In the final frame, Florida Tech left little room for scoring, as the Panthers held the Tornadoes to 10 points and amassed 21. Closing the game with 14 seconds left, Vaughne Chavez-Gray stepped to the line for the final bucket of the game.

Florida Tech returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 27 when they take on SSC rival Lynn at the Clemente Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET.

For live coverage of the event, fans can access FloridaTechSports.com!