MELBOURNE, Fla. (Men's Basketball) - FIT falls to Florida Southern 86-71 Wednesday night at the Clemente Center.

Panthers keep pace during first half play but lose speed towards end of the second. Posted in double digit scoring for the Panthers was Patrick Anderson who tied a game high with 19 buckets, three assists and one steal while teammate Sam Daniel trailed closely behind with 15 points and two assists. Florida Tech's small forward Derek Murphy also posted 12 points with three assists and one steal. 

FIT showed a strong start at tip-off and only allowed five lead changes for the first six minutes of the half. However, the Panthers led for 14 consecutive minutes until the end of the half with posted leads as great as 12 points. At the half, Florida Tech led by one and finished the half with 53 percent from the field, 50 percent behind the arc, and 80 percent from the line. Daniel registered 11 of his 15 points in the first while Patrick scored only three of his 19

Headed into the second, despite Patrick's 16 point show, the Panthers trailed for 17 minutes of the second half. FIT struggled to find it's second wind and was unable to close the gap. The Moccasins'  walked away with the win and dealt the Panther's their 11th loss of the season. 

FIT next hits the hard wood for redemption in a conference match-up against Saint Leo University. The Panthers look to grab a the win to avenge their early season loss. The game will be played at Marion Bowman Center in Saint Leo, FL on Saturday Feb. 11th. Tip-off starts at 5:30 ET.