MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Tech men's basketball team cruised to a 75-60 victory over Barry in their midweek SSC matchup on Wednesday night at the Clemente Center.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 75, Barry 60
Records: Florida Tech (12-5, 5-5 SSC), Barry (11-7, 4-6 SSC)
Location: Charles and Ruth Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF:

• Barry came out and scored the first basket of the game on a layup, but Tech responded with a 10-0 run capped off by a fast-break dunk by David McCullough to make it 10-2 at the 18:13 mark of the half.
• The Panthers continued to dominate on both ends of the floor and ripped off a 7-2 run, capped with a Chase Thompson triple, over the next four minutes to make it 17-4 and force Barry to use an early timeout with 14:30 on the clock.
• Another dunk by McCullough and a layup by Rahsaan Edwards gave Tech a 21-6 lead with just under 12 minutes left in the half.
• The teams went back and forth over the next four minutes. A made jumper by Barry made it a 26-12 game with 7:51 on the clock.
• The Buccaneer's offense got hot and rattled off a 17-5 run to cut into the Panther's lead, 31-29, going into the final media timeout of the half.
• Barry took the lead, 33-32, on a pair of free throws. But Max Polk would come down and knock down a three-point jumper to make it 35-33 with 2:42 remaining.
• Tech would close out the half on a 5-2 run to head into the halftime locker room with a 40-35 lead.

 
SECOND HALF:

• Both offenses were cold over the first three minutes of the second half, with the lone field goal during that span belonging to Barry to make it 40-37.
• Thompson put the Panthers on the board for the half with a pair of free throws to make 42-37 with 16:32 on the clock.
• A trey from Edwards sparked a 7-2 run over the next two minutes that would extend Tech's lead to 49-39 with 14:21 to play.
• The teams would trade baskets over the next five minutes. Back-to-back baskets by McCullough and Edwards gave the Panthers a 55-44 lead with under 10 minutes to go.
• The back-and-forth continued and Tech would take a 59-48 lead into the under eight-minute timeout.
• Both defenses would lock in once again over the next few minutes. A converted three-point play by Elias Martin would give the Panthers a 62-52 lead with five minutes to go.
• Martin's three-point play would spark a 10-4 run to give Tech a 13-point lead, 69-56, with just under two minutes to play.
• Both teams would add a few more baskets in the waning moments of the game, but the lead was too much for the Buccaneers to overcome and the Panthers came away with the 75-60 victory.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Tonight's player of the game, sponsored by Sonny's BBQ, was Chase Thompson. Thompson scored 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.
• Rahsaan Edwards scored 14 points, dished out eight assists, and stole the ball five times.
• Niall Harris scored 13 points, grabbed nine boards, dished out three assists, blocked the ball twice, and stole the ball twice.
• Elias Martin scored 11 points, hauled in five rebounds, blocked the ball four times, and stole the ball twice.
• David McCullough added 10 points and eight rebounds.
• Max Polk chipped in nine points and three steals off the bench.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 30-46 all-time against Barry, including a 20-18 record at home against the Bucs.
• Tech has now won four straight meetings against Barry.
• With his second steal of the game, Niall Harris tied Ryan Ballard ('09) for 10th all-time in program history in career steals with 144.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will next play on Tuesday, Jan. 30 when the Panthers travel to Rollins for a midweek SSC matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Warden Arena in Winter Park, 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.