MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Tech men's basketball team dropped its SSC matchup with rival Rollins College on Wednesday as the Panthers fell to the Tars, 84-72, in their home finale and Senior Night Game at the Clemente Center.

Florida Tech's lone senior, RJ Coil, was honored prior tonight's game with all of his family in attendance. However, the night was bittersweet for Coil as his senior season was cut short due to a shoulder injury that has kept him sidelined the past 10 games since the Panthers played Palm Beach Atlantic on Jan. 19. 

Derek Murphy had the best game of his career, despite the loss. The redshirt-junior scored a career-high 40 points (15-of-28 FG) and collected 10 rebounds and two blocks against the Tars. Trey Schaneville was the only other Panther in double-figures, scoring 15 in the second half alone to go along with four steals.

Rollins got off to an 11-2 start following Daniel Loh's layup with 15:50 to go in the first half. The Panthers responded with their own 9-1 run to trim the Tars' lead to 12-11 with 11:59 remaining before halftime.

RC eventually pushed its advantage to 20-13 at the 10:40 mark following threes by Connor McKim on consecutive possessions. Murphy helped Tech cut it to 24-20 after he hit his first three of the game with just over six minutes to go in the half. 

However, the Tars built their lead to double-digits, 35-25, with less than two minutes to go. Rollins eventually increased its lead to 39-28 on a last second tip-in by Hutton Yenor just before halftime.

Schaneville started getting into the mix for Tech early in the second half, including knocking down a fast break three to start the frame. The freshman hit another a few minutes later to make it a four-point game, 44-40, with 15:54 to go. 

The Tars responded by, again, increasing their lead to double-digits, 63-49, with 8:36 remaining in regulation. Although, not out of the game yet, the Panthers came back with a 19-9 spree capped by Schaneville's third three of the game, to make the score 72-68 with 3:25 left. 

However, the Tars would tally seven straight points in less than a minute and increase their lead back to 11. Rollins then pushed its lead to 12 on a trey by Jakobi Bonner with 1:28 to go. The Tars would cruise the rest of the way and hand Florida Tech its ninth loss in a row. 

The Panthers finished the game shooting 28-of-64 (.438) from the field and 6-of-26 (.231) from three-point range. The Tars made 32-of-65 (.492) in the game while also knocking down 11-of-27 (.407) from beyond the arc. Both teams made just .500 from the line in the game.

Rollins won the rebounding battle, 46-31, which led to an edge in second-chance points, 19-17. The Tars also scored six more points in the paint than Tech (36-30), while the Panthers tallied 21 points off RC's 10 turnovers. 

The Florida Tech men's basketball team will look to finish the 2018-19 season on a high note this Saturday, Mar. 2, as the Panthers head south to West Palm Beach for a matchup with Palm Beach Atlantic. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at Rubin Arena. 

For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men'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.