MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Tech picked up their fourth win of the season on Monday afternoon, defeating Flagler on day one of the Florida Tech Holiday Classic. The Panther defense forced 20+ turnovers for the third consecutive game.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 68, Flagler 57
Records: Florida Tech (4-5, 0-0 SSC), Flagler (4-5, 0-0 PBC)
Location:  Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
FIRST QUARTER:

• Flagler took the opening points in the game, scoring two off a layup from Sharale McCormick.
• Back-to-back baskets by Lina Stranger-Johannessen gave the Panthers their first lead of the game with 6:48 to go before a three by Flaglers Dane Bertolina allowed them to tie it up 7-7.
• Teams traded leads four times and tied it up once before Flagler went on a 2:52 scoring drought, allowing the Panthers to take a 9-0 run.
• Amuk Tong ended the drought for the Saints with a layup before Tai Roberts hit a jumper at the buzzer to take a seven-point lead into the second period.

SECOND QUARTER:

• Teams opened the second quarter trading baskets for the first 3:22.
• On the Panther's next possession and one second remaining on the shot clock, Kyandra Poitier was sent to the free-throw line and extended their lead, 29-18, with 5:51 to go.
• A turnaround jumper by Sarah Liberatore gave Tech their largest lead of the half, 33-20.
• The Saints answered back, scoring six straight points to cut Tech's lead back to seven with 2:14 remaining.
• A layup by Roberts and a made free throw by Liberatore bring the Panthers back to a double-digit lead, but a Panther foul with two seconds left in the quarter would make it a 38-30 ball game with the Panthers up by eight.

 
THIRD QUARTER:

• The Panthers came out on a 6-0 run with baskets by Stranger-Johannessen, Poitier, and Divine Guthrie.
• The Saints saw their first points of the quarter after 4:05 minutes with a jumper by Destiny McClendon.
• Flagler went on a 5-3 run to close out the third quarter. Tech's three points came from a fast break layup by Poitier after Guthrie collected the defensive rebound and a free throw by Poitier in the final four seconds.
• Tech took a nine-point lead into the final period, 47-38.

 
 
FOURTH QUARTER:

• The Panthers opened the final quarter with a 6-0 run to begin to pull away from the Saints. Back-to-back layups by Dalma Ehmann and a jumper from Roberts after collecting an offensive rebound give Tech a 15-point lead with 8:52 remaining.
• The Saints answered back with a 7-0 run of their own on a pair of free throws, a jumper, and a three.
• Emily Acampora sunk a three-pointer before Flagler scored another six straight points, cutting Tech's lead to five, 56-51, with 4:16 to go.
• Over the next 2:44, each team posted four points, both on two free throws and a layup.
• With 1:59 remaining, Flagler took their final timeout.
• Saints came out of the timeout getting a steal for a fast break layup before Tech answered back with a fast break layup of their own.
• Two technical fouls and an intentional foul on the Saints awarded Tech with six free throws. Acampora sunk all six free throws to bring Tech's lead back to double-digits, 68-57, with 1:12 to go.
• The Panthers don't allow a Saints shot in the final minute to take the 11-point win at home.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Emily Acampora led the Panthers with 13 points and one assist.
• Tai Roberts posted 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
• Kyandra Poitier tallied 11 points, shooting 50% from the field and 63% from the charity stripe. She also collected seven rebounds.
• Olivia Stephens collected a team-high eight rebounds while adding four points, four assists, and two steals.

 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 17-6 all-time against the Flagler Saints. The teams have split the last 10 meetings.
• Tech's last win at home vs. Flagler was an 82-73 victory on Nov. 16, 2021.
• The Panthers have forced 20+ turnovers in the last three games.
• Tech finished the game shooting 44.6% (25-56) from the field, 25% (3-12) from beyond the arc, and  71.4% (15-21) on free throws.
• Flagler shot 39.6% (21-53) in the contest, 26.7% (4-15) from the three-point range, and 73.3% (11-15 from the line.
• Florida Tech held a slight advantage in rebounds (38-31), points in the paint (30-26), second-chance points (10-6), and bench points (31-19).

 

UP NEXT: Florida Tech returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 19, to take on Clayton State in day two of the Florida Tech Holiday Classic. Tipoff is set for noon.
 
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