TAMPA, Fla. - For its final SSC game of the year, Tech traveled to the Gulf Coast to take on Tampa. A season-high 56 points at the half set the tone for a large victory for the Panthers on the road. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:   
Final: Florida Tech 94, Tampa 76 
Records: Florida Tech (18-10, 11-9 SSC), Tampa (8-18, 7-13 SSC) 
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla. 

  
FIRST HALF:   

• Florida Tech jumped out to a 7-0 lead with the help of inside buckets from Niall Harris, and Mekhii Noble then a triple from Sean Houpt. 
• Harris knocked down a 3-pointer to give Tech a 10-3 advantage. 
• A 24-0 scoring run for the Panthers that lasted over five minutes pushed the lead to 34-6. 
• A 3-pointer from Harris and a layup from George Nehma extended the Panthers lead to 46-17 with 4:55 remaining. 
• The lead reached 30 points on a triple from Can Kaan Turgut. 
• Stephen Merritt capped off the first half for Tech with a 3-pointer that gave Tech a 56-26 lead at the break. 

SECOND HALF:   

• Sesan Russell knocked down two jumpers and Harris drilled a layup to push the Panthers lead to 62-26 right after halftime.  
• Noble threw down a dunk to push the winning margin to 27 points with 14:35 remaining.  
• Another inside bucket from Noble gave the Panthers an 81-47 lead. 
• A 12-2 run for the Spartans cut the Panthers lead to 87-62. 
• Theo Klimanoglou hit a jumper and Nehma hit a triple in the final two minutes to cap off a 94-76 victory for the Panthers.  

NOTABLE PANTHERS:   

• Noble scored a team-high 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and also secured seven rebounds.  
• Harris recorded a double-double for the second consecutive game with 17 points and 11 rebounds. 
• Russell scored 17 points with seven rebounds and six asissts. 
• The last Florida Tech player in double-figures was Houpt with 12 points and seven rebounds. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:  

• The Panthers move to 31-58 all-time against Tampa. 
• Florida Tech shot 52.1% (38-73) from the field and 44.4% (12-27) from the 3-point line. Tampa was 43.5% (30-69) shooting and 8-30 (26.7%) from behind the arc. 
• At the free throw line, the Panthers were 50% (6-12) while the Spartans were 62% (8-13) 
• On the glass, Florida Tech dominated with 52 rebounds to Tampa's 26. 
• The Panthers had 20 second chance points on 15 offensive rebounds. 
• Points in the paint were in favor of Tech 44-32. 

COACHES CORNER: 

"I'm really pleased with how our guys ended the regular season this week with two huge wins," said Head Coach Billy Mims. "We had a 100-point performance on Wednesday then followed that up with a 94-point performance on the road, where we have been good in the SSC this season with a record of 6-4." 

"Obviously we have some big performances with four of our five starters scoring in double figures," Mims said. "Niall Harris with another double-double, Sesan Russell with 17 points and six assists with just one turnover. Then look at the performance of Mekhii Noble with 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting with seven rebounds. He and Elias Martin, who was 3-of-4 from the field, were great inside today." 

"We did a tremendous job holding Tampa on its home floor to just 26 points at halftime," Mims said. "We exploded for 56 points at the half and I tell my team a bunch if you come out ready to play a game you can put a dagger in them by halftime, and that is exactly what we did." 

"We are extremely excited for a top-four finish in the SSC conference and hosting a postseason game at the Clemente Center on Tuesday," Mims said. "Whatever it takes, we want to pack the house for that game. These guys deserve the support!" 
 

UP NEXT: Florida Tech begins postseason play with the first round of the SSC tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 28 as the No. 4 seed. Tech's opponent will be No. 5 seed Palm Beach Atlantic. 
  
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