MELBOURNE, Fla. - On Saturday afternoon, three Panthers combined for 39 points, as Florida Tech (8-7, SSC 5-4) earned a 51-44 victory over No. 23 Tampa (12-4, SSC 5-4) on the hardwood of Clemente Center.
Senior guard DeLise Williams kept the offense hot with a team-best 15 points that came from a 5-for-10 shooting performance from the field, while counting five boards and four assists.
Sophomore forward Tanease Richardson shot 4-for-8 to tally 13 points in 20 minutes of action. Joining in double-digit scoring, sophomore Amanda Allen drained 11 points to go with four rebounds and one assist.
Bringing down a team-high seven boards, senior forward Kailyn Ebb recorded two steals, two assists and a block during the outing.
Florida Tech bested Tampa in points off turnovers by a 22-4 margin and held an 11-8 advantage in bench points. As a team, the Crimson and Gray amassed 30 rebounds, 12 assists and eight steals, while recording a 34.7 shooting percentage from the floor.
Starting off the game, Tampa held an early 8-4 lead midway through the first quarter, until Allen knocked down a three-pointer to close the gap at 8-7. However, the Spartans used a 6-3 spurt to close the first stanza, 14-10.
The Panthers cut into Tampa's lead after Allen sank back-to-back baskets to take the lead 17-16 with 3:55 left to play in the second. After two more leading changes and one tie, Allen shot from behind the arc with two ticks left in the first half to send FIT in the locker room ahead, 22-21.
Returning from the break, the Panthers took a quick 7-4 run to enlarge their stretch, 29-25. However, Tampa turned the game around after draining consecutive baskets with 3:01 left in the third quarter. Now trailing by three, FIT answered with a jumper by Williams to shrink the lead back to one, 32-31. After the Spartans sank another good jumper, Williams tied things up at the 34-second mark with a basket from downtown to make it, 34-34.
After entering the final period with a tied score, a three-pointer from Williams pushed the Panthers ahead, 41-38. From there, the Crimson and Gray never looked back and clinched the game, 51-44.
Next up, Florida Tech will hit the road and travel to Daytona Beach to square up against the Embry-Riddle Eagles on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. ET.
For additional information, please visit FloridaTechSports.com!
