INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 55, Florida Atlantic 78 (Exhibition)
Records: Florida Tech (8-2) | FAU (6-5)
Location: FAU Arena | Boca Raton, Fla.

FIRST HALF: 

• Sesan Russell knocked down a three-ball to get the scoring started and put the Panthers up 3-0 less than a minute into the contest. 
• Ameer Bennett made a contested layup off an assist from Russell, and Tech trailed 17-14 with 13:05 to go in the half. 
• A three by Sam Grant and a four-point play from Sean Houpt tied the game at 26-26 with 8:19 left. 
• Owls went on a 12-2 run to grab a 38-28 advantage with 2:12 remaining. 
• Houpt knocked down a long three and Niall Harris made consecutive baskets to trim the margin to 40-35 with 24 seconds left in the half. 
• A pair of free throws by the Owls with 7 seconds to go gave FAU a 42-35 edge at halftime. 

 
SECOND HALF: 

• Owls came out with a 23-4 run to start the second half to jump up 65-39 with 12:18 to go. 
• FAU held on to a 20-plus point lead the rest of the game as they cruised to a 78-55 win. 

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Sean Houpt led Tech with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals on 4-14 shooting, 3-8 beyond the arc and 3-3 at the line.
• Sesan Russell, who left the game with an injury in the first half, finished with 11 points, 2 assists and 1 steal on 4-7 shooting and 2-5 from three. 
• Runako Ziegler finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 3-6 from the field. 
• Niall Harris recorded 6 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists on 3-5 shooting
• Sam Grant had 6 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks on 2-5 shooting beyond the arc.
   

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Tech finished the game shooting 40% (22-55) from the field, including 30.4% (7-23) from three and 4-5 at the line.
• FAU shot 41.8% (28-67) from the field, 36.7% (11-30) beyond the arc, and 64.7% (11-17) on free throws.
• Owls finished with a 44-35 edge in rebounding
• FAU ended with advantages in points in the paint (30-22), points off turnovers (13-7), second chance points (9-6) and fastbreak points (16-5).

UP NEXT: Florida Tech hosts the Health First Winter Classic on Dec. 19-20 at the Clemente Center. Panthers face Notre Dame (Ohio) on Sunday at 7 p.m. and Lake Superior State on Monday at 7 p.m. 
 
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.