MELBOURNE, Fla. - On Wednesday night, Florida Tech (6-6, SSC 3-3) fell short to Florida Southern (9-3, SSC 4-2), 80-57 at home during the first SSC contest of the new year.

Senior DeLise Williams led the offensive effort for the Crimson and Gray with 18 points, as she went 6-of-12 from the hardwood. Staying perfect from behind the arc, Williams went 2-for-2 with three boards and two blocked shots to add to her overall performance.

Junior Gracie Doane followed up after draining 12 points, which tallied a 4-for-4 performance from the line. Adding 11 points to the Panthers total, junior Tereza Sedlakova ended the mid-week outing with six boards and one block in 28 minutes of action.

As a team, Florida Tech shot 35.3 percent from the field (18-of-51) and amassed 30 rebounds, 10 assists, three blocks and a match-best eight steals.

Williams got things started early for FIT, hitting a quick jumper to put the Panthers ahead, 2-0. However, Florida Tech only scored one more bucket before FSC went on an eight-point run that overlapped the Melbourne lineup, 8-4. Nearing the end of the first quarter, a solid defensive pressure by the Mocs ceased the Crimson and Gray, who entered the second stanza trailing by 10, 22-12.

As the second quarter opened, Williams sank a 3-pointer to decrease the Panthers deficit to seven, 22-15. As Florida Tech fought back, a combined effort from Williams and Sedlakova further reduced the margin by four to bring the score to 25-21. However, at the 5:48 mark the Mocs took a five-point streak to surpass FIT by double digits, and entered halftime up 39-23.

After the intermission, FSC held the Panthers scoreless for three minutes and cashed in 12 consecutive baskets to widen the margin once more. Although Williams would go on to produce four more points for FIT, her scores remained masked under an additional nine-point run by the Mocs that ended the third quarter, 60-41.

In the final frame, the teams traded points through the entire quarter, with Doane knocking down back-to-back shots from behind the arc in a two-minute span. Unfortunately, the offensive hustle was not enough to shrink the gap, as FIT eventually dropped to Florida Southern, 80-57.

The Panthers will now travel to Miami Shores to face the Barry Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 6. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET.

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