MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Tech men's basketball team earned its third straight win, 81-56, over UPR-Rio Piedras to begin the 2023-24 season behind double-digit scoring efforts from three Panthers.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 81, UPR-Rio Piedras 56
Records: Florida Tech (3-0, 0-0 SSC), UPR-Rio Piedras (0-2, 0-0 DII Ind.)
Location: Charles and Ruth Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF:

• Niall Harris and David McCullough scored two baskets each for the Panthers to start the game on an 8-0 over the first two minutes of the game.
• Erick Rivera stifled the run with a layup for Rio Piedras, but McCullough answered right back with a trey from the corner to make it 11-2 at the 17:16 mark.
• A layup by Harris and two free throws from McCullough made it 15-2 heading into the first media timeout.
• Following the timeout, Tech used a 15-6 run to extend its lead out to 30-8 with 8:17 remaining in the first half. During the run, Harris and Chase Thompson combined for 10 of the 15 points.
• Emmanuel Negron made a tough layup for Rio Piedras at the 7:41 mark, but Max Polk came right back with a fast-break layup for the Panthers to spark a quick 6-2 run and make it 36-12 heading into the final media timeout of the half.
• Both teams traded shots in the final few minutes of the half. Polk drained a three-point jumper in the corner for Tech with two seconds left to send the teams into the halftime locker room with a score of 45-20.

 
SECOND HALF:

• The Gallitos began the second half on a quick 4-2 run with two baskets from Gian Rivera to cut into the Panther's lead.
• Both teams began to trade baskets and possession for the next few minutes and the teams went into the first media timeout with a score of 56-30.
• A tough driving layup by Elias Martin started up an 8-0 run to make 64-30 with just over 10 minutes left to play.
• A free throw and a triple over the next minute for Rio Piedras cut the lead down to 64-34.
• Both teams began to trade baskets again over the next few minutes and went into the final media timeout with a score of 76-47.
• The back-and-forth continued for the rest of the game to give it its final score of 81-56.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Tonight's Player of the Game sponsored by Jacobus Fielding Injury Attorneys was David McCullough. The graduate transfer finished with a game-high 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting, hauled in nine boards, dished out three assists, stole the ball twice, and registered one block.
• Niall Harris scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.
• Max Polk scored 16 points off the bench and totaled four rebounds.
• Rahsaan Edwards scored eight points and had a game-high eight assists for the second straight night.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 12-2 all-time against Rio Piedras. This was their first meeting with the Gallitos since Dec. 18, 2016.
• Tech finished the game shooting 53.2 percent (33-for-62) from the floor, including 25.0 percent (6-for-24) from three-point range.
• Rio Piedras finished the game shooting 34.4 percent (21-for-61) from the floor, including 33.3 percent (6-for-18) from beyond the arc.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will next play on Friday, Nov. 24 in the PBA Thanksgiving Classic. The Panthers will take on UPR-Bayamon at 2 p.m. at the Rubin Arena in West Palm Beach, Fla.
 
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.