FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Florida Tech traveled to No. 1 Nova Southeastern for the SSC Semifinals looking to give them their first loss of the year. The Panthers gave the Sharks all they could handle but ultimately fell in overtime. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:   
Final (OT): Florida Tech 89, No. 1 Nova Southeastern 95 
Records: Florida Tech (19-11, 11-9 SSC), No. 1 Nova Southeastern (29-0, 20-0 SSC) 
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

FIRST HALF:   

• Sean Houpt hit the Panthers first 3-pointer as they trailed Nova 6-5. 
• A dunk from RJ Sunahara for the Sharks gave them a 17-11 advantage. 
• A 7-2 scoring run for Tech capped off by another triple from Houpt cut the Nova lead to 25-23 with 8:29 remaining.  
• Houpt's third and fourth 3-pointers of the half, kept Tech within four points with 5:20 before halftime. 
• The Sharks rode an 11-2 scoring run to push their lead to 44-31. 
• Houpt capped off a strong first-half performance with a step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Tech to the locker room down 10.  

SECOND HALF:   

• Tech got the ball inside to Mekhii Noble and Elias Martin for three early buckets to cut the Nova lead to 48-42. 
• A 7-2 run for the Sharks pushed their lead back to 11 at 55-44. 
• A layup from Sunahara for Nova kept its lead in double figures at 63-51 with 11:45 remaining. 
• A 3-pointer from Will Yoakum for the Sharks gave them a 73-59 advantage. 
• A 6-0 scoring run for Tech cut the Nova lead to eight points with 5:05 remaining.  
• The Panthers continued to battle late in the game and then one free throw by Elias Martin cut the Sharks lead to six points with 1:16 left in the game. 
• Houpt cut Nova's lead to three points with three free throws after being fouled while shooting a 3-pointer. 
• Houpt then hit a deep triple to tie the game and a ensuing defensive stop sent the game to overtime. 

OVERTIME: 

• Nova scored the first six points at the start of overtime. 
• A old-fashioned 3-point play from Russell got Tech on the board with 2:46 remaining. 
• One free throw from Houpt and two free throws by Martin cut the Nova lead to 91-89 with 19 seconds remaining. 
• Nova made the free throws they had to, and the Panthers couldn't get another basket to fall as the Sharks held on 95-89. 

• Houpt scored a career-high 36 points. The Illinois native drilled eight 3-pointers on the night. 
• Harris recorded his fourth consecutive double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. 
• Russell tallied 18 points with five assists. During tonight's game, Russell broke the program's all-time record in career assists with 442. 
• Martin and Noble each had 10 points for Tech. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:  

• The Panthers shot 46% (29-63) from the field and 33.3% (10-30) from the 3-point line. The Sharks were 47.8% (32-67) shooting and 36.4% (8-22) from behind the arc. 
• At the free throw line, Tech was 72.4% (21-29) and Nova was 82.1% (23-28). 
• Nova narrowly outrebounded Tech 38-36. 
• The Sharks won the bench point category 24-5. 
• Tech had 18 assists and 17 turnovers while Nova had 16 assists and 15 turnovers. 
• The Panthers drop to 37-27 all-time against the Sharks. 

UP NEXT: The Panthers will now wait and see if its makes the cut for the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is scheduled for Sunday, March 5 at 11 p.m.  

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