SAINT LEO, FLA. - Coming off two wins at the NCAA South Region Tip-off, Florida Tech traveled to Saint Leo for its first Sunshine State Conference game. The Panthers continued their strong start to the year with an 82-66 win over the Lions.  

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:  
Final: Florida Tech 82, Saint Leo 66  
Records: Florida Tech (3-0 1-0 SSC), Saint Leo (2-2, 0-1 SSC) 
Location: Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.  

 
FIRST HALF:  

• Off the back of two early 3-pointers from Sean Houpt, Florida Tech opened a 11-4 lead.  
• The Panthers put together a 7-0 run to push their lead to 20-8, which forced a Saint Leo timeout with 12:34 remaining in the first half.  
• Saint Leo battled back with a 7-0 run of their own that was capped off by a 3-pointer at the top of the key to cut the Panthers lead to five points.  
• Can Kaan Turgut made an instant impact off the bench with three buckets in a row, including two triples to give Tech a 33-22 lead.  
• A couple of triples kept the Lions in the game towards the end of the half, but a final possession stop for the Panthers gave them a 46-34 lead.  
• Florida Tech drew 10 fouls and converted 14 of 18 free throws.  

SECOND HALF:  

• The Lions cut the lead to 48-42 early on, scoring seven of the first nine points. 
• With both teams struggling to find the bottom of the basket, Florida Tech battled to push its lead back to 10 at 56-46 at the second media timeout.  
• At the 9:22 mark, Saint Leo made a lay-up before calling a timeout. At this time the Panthers led 61-50 and both teams had made 19-of-48 shot attempts.  
• After the timeout, the Lions scored six consecutive points to put the score at 61-56 with 6:45 left and anyone's game to take.  
• With the lead cut to four points, back-to-back 3-pointers from Niall Harris and Houpt pushed the Panthers lead back to 10.  
• Key defensive stops and made free throws down the stretch allowed Tech to pull out a 16-point win. 
   

NOTABLE PANTHERS:  

• Making his first start of the season, Harris tied a career-high with 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 8-of-9 from the charity strike.  
• Reigning SSC Player of the Week, Houpt continued his strong start to his senior year with 19 points. He made four 3-pointers. 
• Sesan Russell had his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.  
• Konstantinos Lagos continued to score in double-figures with 10 points. He also brought down six rebounds.  
• Turgut was efficient with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.  

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:  

• The Panthers shot 41.1% (23-56) from the field and 37.5% (12-32) from behind the arc. The Lions were 39.1 % shooting (25-64) and 26.3% (5-19) from three.  
• Florida Tech outrebounded Saint Leo 42-36. 
• The Panthers had 14 assists and 10 turnovers while the Lions had 11 assists and 11 turnovers. 
• Tech shot 34 free throws, converting 24 attempts while Saint Leo was a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity strike. 

ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES 

• In a series that dates back to 1971, Florida Tech moves to 47-64 all-time versus Saint Leo. 
• This is the Panthers first win at Saint Leo since an 88-83 triumph over the Lions on January 10th, 2018. 

UP NEXT: Florida Tech will have its home opener Tuesday, November 22 against Johnson University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.