MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – After only a 24-hour break, Florida Tech women's basketball were back on the hardwood this time for another battle with the Barry Buccaneers. This time the Panthers found themselves in the win column as they downed the Bucs, 78-65.
Fanny Paulin had a career night as the Sweden native tallied a career-high 23 points, field goals made with 8 and three made with 7.
Lina Stranger-Johannessen also put-up career numbers as the freshman had 19 points, five threes, four rebounds and two steals.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair as each team vied for the lead as neither team had an advantage of more than 10 and that quickly became one point in the next few minutes. However, for a vast majority of the half, it was the Panthers on top and this began almost immediately after the opening tip.
Aiste Vaitekunaite opened the scoring as she sank a pair of free throws 35 seconds into the game. The next time down the floor, the Panthers doubled up their lead and then the two teams began trading buckets until a six-point Tech run gave the team the lead back.
A Barry trey broke up the short Crimson & Gray run, but the women ended the quarter with four straight points as that made it 22-16.
Tech extended its advantage out to 10 points only a 1:15 into the second as back-to-back Vaitekunaite jumpers found the bottom of the cylinder. However, those were followed by a 16-6 Bucs run that brought the game even at 32-32 with 3:57 left on the clock. This tie only lasted 57 seconds as a Stranger-Johannessen three gave the Panthers the lead back for good. Two made long balls by Paulin, which extended the team's lead to 41-35, highlighted the final three minutes.
The Panthers stayed hot coming out of the break as they opened the second half on an impressive 13-0 run that took 3:31 off the clock as well as giving them a 19-point lead. Paulin's hot hand was a key contributor in the quarter as she sank three shots from beyond the arch while others also showed off their ability from deep. The final 6:30 minutes of the quarter was more like the first half as neither team could really establish dominance, but the earlier run gave the team all the breathing room they needed.
Barry did end the third with two late field goals that made it 63-50 as the game ended the final 10 minutes of play.
Florida Tech began the third with a familiar sight as a Stranger-Johannessen three brought it back to a 16-point game. However, the next few minutes were slow as each time only score five points apiece before an 8-0 Bucs run brought the contest to 71-63. Nevertheless, it was not enough as the Panthers righted the ship and finished the game outscoring Barry 7-2, and this put the final score at 78-65.
Tech hits the road again Wednesday, March 10, when they head to Winter Park, Florida for a showdown with the Rollins College Tars. The opening tip is set for 6 pm ET in the Harold & Ted Alfond Sports Center.
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.
