DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Florida Tech traveled to Embry-Riddle looking to complete a season sweep of the Eagles. The Panthers played another tight game, but fell short at the end.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:   
Final: Florida Tech 78, Embry-Riddle 81 
Records: Florida Tech (16-10, 9-9 SSC), Embry-Riddle (17-7, 10-7 SSC) 
Location: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.   

  
FIRST HALF:   

• Sesan Russell scored the first bucket of the night on a contested jumper, but the Eagles responded by scoring the next six points.  
• Sean Houpt tied the game at nine with a floater from just outside the paint.  
• A 6-0 run for the Panthers gave them a 15-11 advantage.  
• Embry-Riddle took back the lead at 19-18 on a fast break layup from Michael McCallister with 5:55 remaining in the half.  
• A 8-0 run for Tech gave it a 26-19 lead. 
• 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions from Jack Dillard for the Eagles cut the Panthers lead to 29-26. 
• Right before the halftime buzzer a tip-in at the rim from Chris Murray cut the Florida Tech lead to 34-33. 

SECOND HALF:   

• A put-back lay in from Mekhii Noble gave the Panthers a 43-41 advantage. 
• An 8-2 run for the Eagles gave them a 55-51 lead with 12:38 left in the game. 
• Back-to-back triples from Houpt gave Tech back the lead at 57-55. 
•  The Eagles rode a 10-2 scoring run to take a 66-61 lead.  
• A 4-point play from Russell cut the lead to 66-65. 
• Tech retook the lead 71-70 when Russell hit a jumper with 4:22 left in the game.  
• A 5-0 run for the Eagles gave them a 77-72 lead. 
• The Eagles made all the free throws it needed to pull out an 81-78 victory over the Panthers. 

NOTABLE PANTHERS:   

• Russell scored a game-high 21 points with six assists. 
• Houpt also scored a game-high 21 points with four 3-pointers.  
• Elias Martin was the last Panther in double-figures with 13 points. 
• Noble scored nine points and brought down a team-high eight rebounds.  

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:  

• The Panthers drop to 9-10 all-time against Embry-Riddle. 
• Florida Tech was 48.1% (26-64) shooting and 33.3% (6-18) from behind the arc. Embry-Riddle shot 43.9% (29-66) from the field and 31.8% (7-22) from three-point range. 
• At the free throw line, Tech was 80% (20-25) while Embry-Riddle was 84.2% (16-19). 
• The Eagles outrebounded the Panthers 40-29. 
• Each team had 17 turnovers.  
• Bench points were in favor of the Eagles 23-8. 

 UP NEXT: Florida Tech returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 18 for a road exhibition game at Georgia Tech from the Atlantic Coast Conference in Division-I. Tip-off from Atlanta is set for 2 p.m. 

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.