TAMPA, Fla. – The Florida Tech men's basketball team overcame a 12-point deficit at halftime, but ultimately fell short in a defensive battle on the road to the Tampa Spartans, 57-56.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 56, Tampa 57
Records: Florida Tech (11-4, 4-4 SSC), Tampa (6-10, 2-6 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF:

• Both teams struggled to find a rhythm offensively for the first few minutes of the game. Tampa took a 3-0 lead into the first media timeout.
• Elias Martin put the Panthers on the board with a free throw to make it 5-1. A David McCullough dunk made it 7-3 with 14:28 on the clock.
• The Spartans came back with an 8-0 run to make it 15-3. A McCullough three-point jumper stifled the run for Tech and brought the lead down to 15-6 with just under 10 minutes left in the half.
• Both teams would trade baskets over the next several minutes. Another triple from McCullough made it a 26-15 game with 3:30 on the clock.
• Once again, the teams would trade baskets and possessions to close out the period. Tampa took a 34-22 lead into halftime.

 
SECOND HALF:

• Both teams traded layups to begin the second half. Niall Harris went on to score the next nine points of the game to bring the Panthers to within three, 36-33, with 17:07 on the clock.
• A quick 4-0 run put the Spartan up 40-33, but eight unanswered points by Tech, capped off by a Chase Thompson trey, gave the Panthers a 41-40 lead with 13:31 left to play.
• The teams went back and forth in a tremendous defensive effort over the next several minutes. Another Thompson three-point jumper put Tech up, 47-46, with just under seven minutes left.
• Thompson's triple sparked an 8-2 run over the next three and a half minutes to put the Panthers up 52-48.
• Back-to-back layups and a free throw put Tampa up 53-52 with just over a minute to go.
• Martin put Tech back up by one, 54-53, with 48 seconds left on the clock, but the Spartans came right back with a mid-range jumper to go retake the lead, 55-54, with 38 seconds left to go.
• On the next Panther possession, Max Polk drained a jumper to go up 56-55 with 13 seconds to play.
• Following a timeout, Cole Gingeleski made a second-chance layup to give Tampa the lead with just five seconds remaining.
• Tech looked to answer on the final possession, but a turnover in the final seconds gave the Spartans the 57-56 win.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• David McCullough led the Panthers with 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting. He also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked two shots, and recorded a steal.
• Chase Thompson added 11 points and seven rebounds.
• Niall Harris scored nine points and hauled in 16 rebounds.
• Max Polk chipped in eight points and four rebounds off the bench.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 31-59 all-time against Tampa. The Panthers are now 7-35 all-time on the road against the Spartans.
• With his second rebound in tonight's game, Elias Martin recorded his 300th career rebound as a member of the Panthers.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will next play on Saturday, Jan. 20 when the Panthers travel to Lynn for a weekend SSC matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center in Boca Raton, 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.