INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Florida Tech 77, #1 Nova Southeastern 89
Records: Florida Tech (13-13, 7-13 SSC), NSU (26-0, 20-0 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF: 

• A slow start to the game for the Panthers allowed NSU to jump out to a 25-8 advantage with 12:08 left in the first half. 
• Tech responded with a 10-0 run including consecutive threes by Runako Ziegler, Sean Houpt and Sesan Russell to cut the margin to 25-18 with 10:07 to go. 
• Panthers ensued on a 10-2 run later in the half to trim the deficit to three, 31-28, following a dunk by Ameer Bennett with 5:58 remaining. 
• Sharks outscored Tech 23-12 the rest of the half and the Panthers went into the halftime break trailing 54-40. 

 
SECOND HALF: 

• Tech opened the half with a 9-1 run and cut the margin to 55-49 on a layup by Mate Papai, off an assist from Niall Harris, with 16:10 left.
• NSU responded with a 22-8 run to grow its lead to 77-57 with 8:57 remaining in the second half. 
• Panthers were able to cut the NSU lead to 81-69 on a layup by Ziegler with 3:45 left.
• A three by Sam Grant with 47 seconds to go closed out the scoring for the Panthers this season as the Sharks went on to win by a 12-point margin and earned their 26th win of the season. 

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Sesan Russell led Tech with 21 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds on 8-18 shooting, including 4-9 from three-point range.
• Runako Ziegler concluded his Panther career with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists on 8-11 shooting.
• Sean Houpt added 14 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 4-12 beyond the arc.
• Ameer Bennett closed out his collegiate career with 8 points and 4 rebounds on 3-5 shooting. 
• Niall Harris recorded 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks while making 3-8 from the field.
• Mate Papai tallied 4 points and 6 rebounds in his final game as a Panther. 

 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech made 44.4% (28-63) from the field, including 35.7% (10-28) from three, and 84.6% (11-13) from the charity stripe.
• NSU shot 49.3% (35-71) in the game, 45.2% (14-31) beyond the arc and 50% (5-10) at the free throw line. 
• Sharks won the rebounding battle 40-34.
• NSU finished with an edge in points off turnovers (12-8), points in the paint (38-30) and fastbreak points (13-6), while Tech had more bench points (11-4) and second chance points (8-6).

 
OUTSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Tuesday's SSC quarterfinal marked the 14th conference tournament appearance for Florida Tech under head coach Billy Mims. 

This concludes the 2021-22 season for Florida Tech men's basketball. 
 
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.