INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 73, Puerto Rico-Bayamon 47
Records: Florida Tech (3-1) | Bayamon (1-0)
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.

FIRST HALF: 

• Teams exchanged baskets early on before a three-pointer from Josh Mims with 8:09 left gave Tech a 20-18 lead and kicked off a 10-3 run by the Panthers. 
• Bayamon answered with a 6-1 run to bring Tech's lead to 28-26 with 2:22 to go. 
• Panthers scored the final 6 points of the half, on a pair of fast break layups by Runako Ziegler and Sesan Russell and a bucket by Mate Papai, as Tech carried a 34-26 advantage into halftime. 
• Florida Tech shot 37.5% (12-32) from the field in the first half, including 21.4% (3-14) from three, and 50% (7-14) from free throws. The Vaqueros made 31.6% (12-38) from the field, 8.3% (1-12) beyond the arc and 1-3 at the charity stripe. 

SECOND HALF: 

• Bayamon opened the second half on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 34-34 with 17:46 left.
• Tech answered with a 13-2 run of its own, including 4 points each from Niall Harris and Sam Grant as well as three from Elias Martin, to jump out to a 47-38 advantage with 10:55 remaining.
• Panthers built their lead to double-figures, 54-43, with 8:03 to go on a two-handed slam by Mekhii Noble.
• Vaqueros scored 4 straight points to cut the margin down to 54-47 with 6:10 left on the clock. 
• However, those were the last points of the game for Bayamon as the Panthers closed the game on a 19-0 run over the last 5:44. Russell accounted for 12 of the final 19 points as the Crimson & Gray stretched their win streak to three in a row.
• Panthers hit 43.2% (16-37) of their shots in the second half, including another 3-14 effort from long range and made 66.7% (4-6) at the line. Bayamon was limited to 24.2% (8-33) shooting after halftime while making just 1-8 from three and 4-6 on free throws. 

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Sesan Russell paced Tech with 18 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal on 6-13 shooting and 4-6 from the free throw line
• Mekhii Noble posted his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 16 rebounds on 6-10 shooting
• Sam Grant ended with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks on 4-8 shooting, including 1-3 beyond the arc
• Sean Houpt recorded 8 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist on 3-8 shooting
• Josh Mims had 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal and finished with a team-efficiency rating of +36 over his 29 minutes of play, the highest of any Panther this season.
   

COACH BILLY MIMS POST GAME presented by Jacobus & Fielding, Injury Attorneys:


INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Florida Tech outrebounded Bayamon 57-40, including an 18-13 advantage on the offensive glass which led to 18 second chance points. 
• Panthers finished with an edge in bench scoring (28-12), points in the paint (42-28), fast break points (17-10), blocks (6-0) and assists (18-12).
• Teams combined for 25 turnovers in the game, 14 coming from the Panthers.  

UP NEXT: Florida Tech is back in action Wednesday, Nov. 24, hosting Johnson University at the Clemente Center. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. 

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