INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final OT: Florida Tech 89, Notre Dame College 82
Records: Florida Tech (9-2) | Notre Dame College (8-3)
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.

FIRST HALF: 

• Panthers jumped out to an early 10-4 lead with 13:40 left on a jumper by Mekhii Noble off an assist from Mate Papai.
• Tech grew its lead to 21-12 when Sean Houpt knocked down three free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt with 10:14 to go.
• Falcons went on a 12-0 run to grab a 24-21 advantage with 5:28 remaining. 
• Consecutive threes by Sam Grant and Josh Mims gave Tech back the lead, 27-26, with 3:46 to go. 
• Panthers scored six straight to corral a 33-28 advantage with 1:33 to go. 
• NDC closed the half on a 5-0 run to tie it up at 33 at halftime.

 
SECOND HALF: 

• Momentum continued to shift back and forth at the start of the second half as the teams exchanged baskets and the lead. 
• Harris went on a streak of scoring eight straight points for the Panthers, including a pair of threes, to tie the game at 50 with 9:32 remaining. 
• Panthers were able to grow their lead to as much as five points, 70-65, on a three-point play by Runako Ziegler, who knocked down a contested jumper in the lane and then converted the and-1 with 1:40 to go. 
• It looked as though Tech was going to hold on in regulation as Ziegler hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back to five, 72-67, with 44 seconds remaining. However, the Falcons came soaring back to tie the game with 8 seconds left to force overtime. 

 
OVERTIME:

• Panthers held the Falcons scoreless for the first 3:37 of overtime as they built their lead to 80-72 following a three-ball from Grant. 
• Florida Tech closed out the game at the line as they made 9-12 free throws over the final 1:07 of overtime to secure the win and improve to 7-0 at home. 

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Runako Ziegler recorded his first career-triple on 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds on 5-17 shooting and 10-15 at the line. 
• Sean Houpt finished with a team-high 22 points to go along with 3 rebounds on 3-9 shooting and 14-15 on free throws.
• Mekhii Noble tallied his 10th double-double of the season on 18 points and 12 rebounds in addition to 2 blocks and 2 steals on 7-9 shooting and 4-6 at the charity stripe
• Niall Harris scored a season-high 14 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks while making 5-10 from the field and 4-6 beyond the arc. 
• Sam Grant tied his season-high with 9 points on 3-6 shooting from three-point range 
   

COACHES CORNER:


INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Tech finished the game shooting 44.6% (25-56) from the field, 44% (11-25) from three and 73.7% (28-38) at the line. 
• NDC made 39.7% (29-73) of its shots in the game, including 35.7% (10-28) beyond the arc, and 87.5% (14-16) on free throws. 
• Panthers won the rebounding battle 43-32, including a 31-21 edge on the defensive glass. 
• Falcons finished with an edge in second chance points (13-10) bench points (13-12), points in the paint (32-24), fastbreak points (19-8) and points off turnovers (17-8). 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• This was the first ever meeting between Florida Tech and Notre Dame College. 
• Panthers improve to 7-0 this season. It's their best start to the home schedule since Florida Tech won its first 9 games at the Clemente Center during the 2010-11 season. 
• It's the Panthers' first overtime win with fans in the stands since Jan. 25, 2020 against Saint Leo (99-93). Tech won a double-overtime game last March vs. Tampa (90-84) in the SSC Tournament, but no fans were in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions. 
• Runako Ziegler becomes just the fifth Panther to record a triple-double since 2010. 
• Sean Houpt's 14 made free throws are tied for ninth most in a single game in program history. 

UP NEXT: Florida Tech is back in action Monday night as the Panthers conclude the Health First Winter Classic versus Lake Superior State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Clemente Center. 
 
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.