INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 72, Tampa 92
Records: Florida Tech (9-4, 3-5 SSC), Tampa (9-3, 5-2 SSC)
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.

FIRST HALF: 

• Sean Houpt scored the first points of the game for the Panthers as hit a layup off the opening tip and then drilled a three from the wing to give Tech a 5-0 lead with 19:22 to go in the half.
• Tampa answered with a 15-0 run to jump out to a 10-point advantage with 16:14 left. 
• Runako Ziegler scored 8 consecutive points for the Panthers, including two makes beyond the arc, to cut the deficit to 21-15 with 11:54 remaining.
• A three by Houpt set off a 12-4 run by the Panthers that gave Tech back the lead 28-26 with 5:55 to go. 
• Spartans quickly regained momentum and outscored Tech 18-3 the rest of the half to carry a 44-31 into the break. 

SECOND HALF: 

• Tampa opened the second half 3-3 from beyond the arc and increased its lead to 55-36 with 17:38 to go.
• Panthers scored 5 in a row, including a layup by Mekhii Noble and a one-handed three by Houpt that beat the shot clock, to cut the deficit to 55-41 with 15:44 left. 
• Spartans ensued on a 13-2 run and pushed their lead to 68-43 on a fastbreak dunk by Max Jones with 12:17 remaining. 
• Tech answered with a 10-3 run, capped by an acrobatic finish at the basket by Ziegler, to trim the deficit to 71-53 with 8:44 to go.
• Teams went back-and-forth with baskets the rest of the way and the Spartans walked away with a 92-72 win.

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Runako Ziegler finished with a game-high 23 points to go along with 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block on 10-20 shooting and 2-3 beyond the arc.
• Sean Houpt recorded 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals on 6-14 shooting, 4-9 from three and 2-3 on free throws.
• Mekhii Noble just missed a double-double with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks on 5-9 from the field.
• Darragh O'Sullivan scored 7 points and dished out an assist on 2-3 shooting.
   

BILLY MIMS POST GAME SHOW



INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech finished the game shooting 41.2% (28-68) from the field, 31.8% (7-22) beyond the arc and 60% (9-15) at the line. 
• Tampa made 52.4% (33-63) of its shots in the contest, including 54.5% (12-22) from three, and 60.9% (14-23) on free throws. 
• Spartans won the rebounding battle 36-35, including a 26-21 edge on the defensive glass. Panther collected more offensive boards (14-10), which led to an 11-9 edge in second chance points.
• Tampa finished with an edge in bench points 27-25 while both teams scored 38 points in the paint.
• Florida Tech ended with a 17-14 advantage in fastbreak points.
• Panthers finished with 5 blocks in the game compared to 0 for Tampa. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• With the win, Tampa improves to 57-29 all-time versus Florida Tech, and ends the Panthers' 2-game winning streak in the series. 
• Panthers move to 7-2 on their home court this season. 
• Runako Ziegler has now scored 21+ points in three of the last four games. 

UP NEXT: Florida Tech resumes SSC play as the Panthers travel to Miami Shores on Wednesday to take on No. 18 Barry at 7:30 p.m. at the Health and Sports 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.