INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Florida Tech 76, Palm Beach Atlantic 64
Records: Florida Tech (12-12, 6-13 SSC), PBA (7-18, 7-12 SSC)
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF: 

• Panthers were trailing 7-3 early on before Sean Houpt knocked down his second three of the game to cut the margin to one with 15:05 remaining.
• PBA went on a 10-3 run to grow its lead to 17-9 with 8:39 to go.
• Tech answered with a 12-3 run to grab a 23-22 advantage following threes by Josh Mims and Sam Grant with 4:21 left.
• Grant then scored 8 straight points for the Panthers, including a three and a pair of dunks, to put Tech up 32-24 with 1:21 remaining in the half. 
• Sailfish cut the margin to 32-28 with 21 seconds to go before Mate Papai made a layup at the buzzer to give the Panthers a 34-28 edge at halftime.

SECOND HALF: 

• PBA opened the half on a 7-0 run to grab a 35-34 lead with 18:14 left.
• Back-to-back threes by Grant and Houpt gave the Panthers a 45-39 advantage with 15:06 to go.
• Sailfish answered with a 9-0 run to corral a 48-45 lead with 11:04 remaining. 
• Panthers picked up their play and outscored PBA 23-8, capped by a three from Runako Ziegler, to grab a 68-56 edge with 2:17 to go.
• Tech would cruise the rest of the way en route to a 12-point win at home.
   

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Sean Houpt posted his first career double-double on 21 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists on 7-15 shooting and 5-10 from beyond the arc.
• Sam Grant tallied a season-high 15 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block on 6-10 shooting, including 3-7 from three-point range. 
• Runako Ziegler just missed a double-double with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists while making 4-11 from the field and 2-4 beyond the arc. 
• Mate Papai tallied 13 points, 7 rebounds and a career-high 5 blocks on 5-9 shooting.

 
BILLY MIMS POSTGAME SHOW PRESENTED BY AL'S TROPHY SHOP:



INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech made 40.9% (27-66) of its shots, including 44.8% (13-29) beyond the arc, and 60% (9-15) at the free throw line.
• PBA shot 39.4% (26-66) from the field, 22.2% (6-27) from three and 75% (6-8) at the charity stripe. 
• Tech controlled the rebounding battle 51-34, including a 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
• Panthers outscored the Sailfish in second chance points (16-8), bench points (21-9) and fastbreak points (14-9). PBA finished with an edge in points in the paint (38-26). 
• Tech assisted on 22 of its 27 baskets in the game. 

 
OUTSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech improve their all-time record versus Palm Beach Atlantic to 25-16.
• Panthers' 44.8% three-point percentage is the fourth highest of the season.
• Mate Papai became the first Panther to record 5+ blocks in a game since Corbin Jackson had 5 in a home game against PBA on Feb. 24, 2016.  

  
UP NEXT: Florida Tech concludes the regular season this Saturday, Feb. 26, hosting Eckerd College for Senior Day at 4 p.m. Panthers will honor Ameer Bennett, George Nehma, Mekhii Noble, Mate Papai and Runako Ziegler prior to tip-off versus the Tritons. 
 
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.