MELBOURNE, Fla. – Sesan Russell and Sean Houpt combined for 51 points to lead Florida Tech (1-3) to its first win of the season Wednesday, 73-60, over Palm Beach Atlantic (2-3) at the Clemente Center. 
 
Russell led all players with 27 points on 10-16 shooting and 5-9 from deep while making both of his free throw attempts in the game. The junior also ended the night with game-highs in rebounds (9), assists (8) and steals (3). 
 
Houpt finished with 24 points on 9-18 shooting including four makes from beyond the arc, and went 2-2 from the line, to go along with two rebounds and two steals.
 
"Sesan Russell had an All-American performance tonight," said head coach Billy Mims. "I've been saying for a long time that he is one of the best players in the country and he put it on display tonight. And Sean Houpt showed why I really wanted him a part of our team. He played smart basketball. 
 
"Two great performances from two of the best guards in the Sunshine State Conference. They're both smart, play tough and really feed of each other. One of the best shooting back courts I believe in the country"
 
Mekhii Noble added 10 points on 5-6 from the field with two rebounds, two steals and a block before getting into foul trouble in the second half. Niall Harris tallied seven points, six rebounds, two steals and tied a game-high with three blocks. Nieja Jordan contributed three points, four rebounds, three blocks and one assist while Mate Papai tied Russell with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with two assists and two blocked shots.  
 
"We really moved the basketball well and played with a lot of confidence today," Mims added. "I'm happy to see a lot of guys contributed to this win." 
 
The Panther defense held PBA, a team which came into the game averaging 84.25 points a night, to a season-low 60 points. The Sailfish shot 35% (22-63) from the field, including a 7-25 (28%) performance beyond the arc, and 9-16 (56.3%) at the charity stripe. 
 
Florida Tech made 45.3% (29-64) from the field and 32.4% (11-34) from deep in the win. Both shooting percentages and number of threes made on Wednesday are season-highs for the Panthers. 
 
The Crimson & Gray total rebounds (39) and defensive rebounds (28) in the game were both season-highs despite PBA winning the battle on the glass 40-39. Tech also recorded season-highs with 10 blocked shots and 12 steals in the contest. The Panthers finished with fewer turnovers than the Sailfish (17-13) while scoring 15 points off PBA's miscues.
 
"It was a great defensive effort by our team tonight," stated Mims. "Defensively, we did what we needed to do with blocked shots, defensive rebounding and in other areas to keep PBA at bay.
 
"Palm Beach Atlantic came into this game as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, making over 41% beyond the arc. We held them tonight to 28% shooting from three and only 60 points in the ball game."
 
The Sailfish grabbed an 8-4 advantage less than four minutes into the game following a three-pointer by Alexander Gorton. Houpt answered with a three of his own and minutes later Russell drained his lone free throws of the game to give Tech a 9-8 edge with 15:15 left in the half.

Aleksa Rakic hit a layup to put the Sailfish back on top 10-9, in what turned out to be the PBA's last lead of the night. Houpt scored seven straight points for the Panthers, turning a pair of PBA turnovers into buckets and then knocking down a three off an assist from Elias Martin to push Tech out in front 16-10. Russell then hit a fast-break three to give the Panthers a 19-10 with 11:18 remaining in the first half. 
 
PBA cut the margin to four, 21-17, after another trey by Alexander but the Panthers responded with a 7-0 run, increasing their lead to 11 points off a three by Russell with 4:40 to go before halftime. 
 
Back-to-back triples by Houpt and Jordan gave Tech a 15-point advantage, 34-19, with just over three minutes left in the first. However, PBA closed the half on a 7-0 spurt to make the margin 34-26 at the break. 
 
After Jasmin Jules hit a quick layup to open the second half for PBA, Russell sank a three on the ensuing possession, off an assist from Jordan, to push Tech's edge to nine.

The Sailfish would trim their deficit to 39-34 on a put-back by Jules. However, Tech answered with a 13-2 run, capped by a step-back three from Russell, to push its advantage to 52-36 with 10:53 left. 
 
The Panthers then went on an 8-0 run, including threes by Harris and Houpt, to increase the margin to 60-42 with just over 8 minutes remaining. A two-handed slam by Noble followed by a fast-break layup by Houpt, both off assists from Russell, gave the Panthers their largest of the game at 21 points, 66-45, with 6:31 to go. 
 
Florida Tech cruised the rest of the way, not allowing its lead to drop below 13 points, en route to its first victory since Feb. 15, 2020. It was the Panthers' first win over the Sailfish since Feb. 17, 2018. 
 
"Our guys did a great job tonight weathering the storm," said Mims. "They showed a lot of poise and we went right back to our game plan. We controlled the second half of this game.
 
"I can't be any prouder of this team and the resilience we've been showing. We keep getting a little bit better every game. We rose to the occasion and got a good win under our belt."
 
The Panthers look to continue the momentum Saturday when they face Saint Leo on the road. The Lions currently sit atop the Sunshine State Conference standings with a 4-1 record. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Marion Bowman Center in Saint Leo, Fla.
 
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