MELBOURNE – Florida Tech women's basketball looked to keep its streak alive as they welcomed the Barry Buccaneers to Melbourne for the second yearly installment. Sadly, the result was different from first meetings as the Panthers were defeated 51-55.
Fanny Hakanson traded in her dimes for buckets as she led the Panthers and tied the game high with 13 points.
Gudlaug Juliusdottir and
Fanny Paulin both tallied six rebounds while
Amanda Allen paced the team in assists with three.
The Crimson & Gray had the hot hand to start the game as the women jumped out to a 9-2 in the first 5:10. However, a six-point Barry run brought it back within one point only a 1:25 later. However, Tech made it 19-14 after the first 10 minutes thanks to a couple of later threes and a pair of converted free throws.
The second quarter saw the scoring slow down as neither team manage to consistently score the rock. The Panthers scored the only five points of the first 4:20 of the period and this gave the team a 24-14 lead. But it was soon cut to four points as the Bucs rattled off six straight points. The rest of the quarter had the teams each sink two baskets and made the halftime score, 28-24.
The beginning of the second half was not kind for Florida Tech as a 5-0 Bucs run put Tech behind for the first time. The lead went back and forth for the next few minutes until Barry scored eight straight and put them ahead for good. The quarter ended with a score of 36-43.
The final quarter began with the two teams holding course as neither could grab the momentum. This changed late as the Panthers mounted a late charge and their nine-point outburst brought it back to a one-point ballgame. Unfortunately, they could not find the bottom of the cylinder in the final 1:11 and gave up a few late free throws that put the final tally at 51-55.
Florida Tech will be back on the hardwood Saturday, Feb. 8, when they head to Lakeland, Florida, for a rematch with Florida Southern. Tipoff will take place at 5:30 p.m. ET in the George W. Jenkins Field House.
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.
