MELBOURNE, Fla. – Florida Tech women's basketball was back at it in the Clemente Center as they welcomed Lynn for the latest installment of Sunshine State Conference basketball. It was a tight one for a majority of the contest but a late Lynn surge took down the Panthers, 58-66.
Fanny Hakanson had a breakout performance as the Stockholm native recorded a career-high 20 points and a game-high seven assists.
Aniquah Swan controlled the paint as the senior grabbed a team-high six boards.
The Panthers got off to a hot start as the women opened on an 8-2 run. However, the gap quickly closed as the Fighting Knights went on an 8-2 run of their own that made it 10-10 with 4:36 left in the period. Another small Panther run made it 15-10 about a minute later but Lynn closed the quarter on a 10-2 run and made the score 17-20 as the buzzer sounded.
The second quarter started with the two teams snatching the momentum from one another but eventually Lynn found the hot hand and went on an 11-2 run which gave them a double-digit lead with 3:15 on the clock. Over the final few minutes, Tech managed to bring the game back within two possessions as the teams went back to the locker room with the score at 29-35.
The third period had an eerie resemblance to the second but this time the last four minutes the Crimson & Gray dominated the Fighting Knights. Florida Tech began the 10-2 run with an
Amanda Allen trey ball that brought it within two points and the next time down the court, a Hakanson layup tied it at 43-43. Lynn managed to grab the lead again for a brief moment before the combo of Hakanson and
Cheyenne Scott tallied a combined five points and gave the team a four-point lead as the teams went to their respective benches.
The Panthers lead did not last long as Lynn opened the quarter with a 6-0 run that put them up by two with 8:10 on the board. Florida Tech followed that with a 5-0 run of their own which gave them lead back. Unfortunately, Lynn went on a huge 13-3 run in the middle of the quarter that pushed their lead to 56-63 with 1:39 remaining. Tech brought it back to five points with less than a minute left. However, the Fighting Knights sank enough free throws to ice the game as the Panthers fell, 58-66.
"I don't believe we had the focus needed to earn a win tonight," said
John Reynolds. "We weren't aggressive on the glass, we didn't take care of the ball and we did not play any team defense. I'm not happy with the coaching or the play."
The Panthers now shifts their focus to the books, as the team will get a nine-day break as they take their finals. Their season will pick back up Monday, Dec. 16, when they head down to Miami Shores, Florida, for conference showdown with the Barry Buccaneers. This game will tipoff at 5:30 p.m.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech women's basketball team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
