MELBOURNE, FLA. - For its final SSC game before Christmas, Florida Tech hosted a big one against No. 18 Florida Southern. The Panthers saw a 13-point early second half lead disappear before ultimately falling to the Mocs in a tight game 74-67.  

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:  
Final: Florida Tech 67, No. 18 Florida Southern 74 
Records: Florida Tech (8-2, 3-1 SSC), Florida Southern (8-1, 3-1 SSC) 
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.  

 
FIRST HALF:  

• After the Panthers missed nine of their first ten shots, Mekhii Noble in his first game of the season, got one to go inside to tie the game at four. 
• The Panthers used a 13-3 run to open out a 18-8 lead with 12 minutes left in the half, four of those points coming from Noble in the paint. 
• The Mocs cut the lead back to two with a 3-pointer from E.J. Dambreville with 8:47 left that capped a 7-0 run. 
• Sesan Russell called his number with a pull-up 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 28-22 lead.  
• A 3-pointer from Sean Houpt pushed the Panthers lead back to nine at 39-30. 
• A defensive stop from Tech as time expired ensured a 41-32 lead at the break. For the last 2:21 of the half, neither team scored. 

SECOND HALF:  

• Buckets from Noble and Houpt on the Panthers opening two possessions pushed their lead to 45-32 early on.  
• Eight consecutive points from the Mocs cut the lead to 45-40. 
• Southern took its first lead of the half with 14:48 left on two made free throws. 
• Back-to-back 3-pointers in the corner from Harris and Russell pushed the Panthers lead to 53-48 at the under-12 media timeout. 
• Jadin Booth was key for the Mocs hanging around scoring eight points in a row for them to tie the game at 58.  
• A 3-pointer for Florida Southern gave it the lead at 66-65 going into the final media timeout.  
• Tech managed to score just two points the rest of the way to fall 74-67.

• Russell, the defending SSC Player of the Week, scored a game-high 24 points to lead the way for the Panthers. He made four 3-pointers and brought down six rebounds.  
• Noble had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The forward was 5-of-6 from the free throw line.  
• The last Panther in double-figures was Houpt with 15 points. He made three triples.  

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: 

• The Panthers shot 35.9% (23-64) from the field and 37.5% (9-24) from three. The Mocs were 46.4% (26-56) shooting and 36.8% (7-19) from behind the arc.  
• Both teams were efficient from the free throw line with the Panthers shooting 92.3% (12-13) and the Mocs shooting 83.3% (15-18). 
• On the glass, Tech out-rebounded Southern 39-33. 
• The Mocs had 12 bench points while nobody off the bench scored for the Panthers.  
• Tech had 17 assists and 17 turnovers while Southern had 19 assists and 14 turnovers.  
• Southern led for just 8:12 of game time. 
• The Panthers drop to 26-71 all-time against the Mocs.  

Coach Billy Mims postgame show presented by Sonny's BBQ 

UP NEXT: Florida Tech will return to action for the Winter Classic on December 18th at the Clemente Center. The Panthers first opponent is Johnson University and tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

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