WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Florida Tech men's basketball team improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2014-15 season with an 88-45 win over UPR-Mayaguez in the Panthers' final game of the PBA Thanksgiving Classic.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 88, UPR-Mayaguez 45
Records: Florida Tech (5-0, 0-0 SSC), UPR-Mayaguez (0-4, 0-0 DII Ind.)
Location: Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF:

• Both teams struggled to make a basket in their first few possessions. Mayaguez got on the board first with a two-point jump shot by Jeriel Torres at the 18:03 mark of the first half.
• Niall Harris answered for the Panthers with a triple on the following possession, but the offenses would remain stagnant, and the teams went into the first media timeout with a score of 3-2.
• Following the timeout, Tech went on an 11-2 run that was capped by a three-point jumper by Chase Thompson to extend its lead out to 14-4 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the half.
• After a made layup by Thompson extended the Panthers run to 13-2, Nick Sojo drained a mid-range jumper for Mayaguez to stifle the run and make it 16-6 with 10:02 on the clock.
• A free throw and a layup by Thompson followed by a trey by Manos Dimou sparked another run for the Panthers over the next few minutes. Max Polk capped the 9-0 run with a three-point play to make it 25-6 with 6:55 left until halftime.
• The Tarzans went on a 10-2 run to cut into the Panthers lead, 27-16, at the 2:46 mark.
• Tech responded with back-to-back baskets by Polk and Darragh O'Sullivan to make it 31-16 and force Mayaguez to take a timeout with 2:02 on the clock.
• Both teams traded a few baskets over the final minutes to send the teams into halftime with a score of 33-19.

 
SECOND HALF:

• A dunk by David McCullough got the Panthers going to start the second half. McCullough's dunk sparked a 12-3 run to extend Tech's lead to 45-22 and force Mayaguez to take a timeout at the 15:33 mark.
• The Tarzans came out of the timeout and knocked down a jumper, but a Rahsaan Edwards trey on the following possession led to an 8-0 over the next few minutes to give the Panthers a 53-24 lead with 11:53 to go.
• Again, Mayaguez knocked down a basket out of a timeout, and the teams began to trade baskets during the next several minutes. A layup from Elias Martin with 7:26 remaining gave Tech a 30-point lead, 62-32.
• A minute later, The Panthers started a 15-5 run capped by a fast break layup from Konstantinos Lagos to send the teams into the final media timeout with a score of 77-37.
• Two free throws from Donovan Murphy and a dunk by Elhadji Thiam extended Tech's run to 19-5 before Sojo knocked down a jumper to stymie the Panthers with just under three minutes remaining.
• Both teams added a few more baskets in the closing minutes to give the game a final score of 88-45.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Chase Thompson led the Panthers scoring with a game-high 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Thompson added two rebounds and three steals to his line.
• Niall Harris did it all with 12 points, eight rebounds (including five on the offensive end), eight assists, seven steals, and one block.
• Max Polk added 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists off the bench.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Florida Tech shot 47.8 percent (32-for-67) from the floor, including 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from beyond the arc.
• UPR-Mayaguez shot 30.4 percent (17-for-56) from the floor, including 29.6 percent (8-for-27) from three-point range.
• The Panthers move to 17-1 all-time against the Tarzans. This was the teams first meeting since Nov. 20, 2018.
• The Panthers' 5-0 start to the season marks the first time Tech has started 5-0 since the 2014-15 season which saw the Panthers start with a 7-0 record.
• Harris' seven steals were the first time a Panther reached that statistic since Pat Anderson did the same against Tampa on Jan. 13, 2018.
• The 21 steals as a team are tied for second-most in a single game in program history. The Panthers matched the 1996-97 squad that recorded 21 steals against the University of the Virgin Islands on Dec. 18, 1996.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will return to the confines of the Charles and Ruth Clemente Center on Tuesday, Nov. 28 when the Panthers open up Sunshine State Conference (SSC) play against Rollins. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Melbourne, 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.