ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Liberatore went 6-for-9 from behind the arch, leading the way for Florida Tech's 67-59 victory at Flagler. The Panthers have defeated the Saints in two consecutive seasons.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 67, Flagler 59
Records: Florida Tech (2-1), Flagler (1-3)
Location: Flagler Gymnasium | St. Augustine, Fla.
FIRST QUARTER:
- Kyandra Poitier gets the Panthers started right off the opening tip-off, taking the ball right to the net and scoring a layup.
- Later, down 5-2, Sarah Liberatore knocks down a three-point on the arch's right side.
- The Panthers kept answering when the Saints took the lead. Mikayla Morin boxed out and caught a missed shot, scoring the basketball while being fouled. She would cash in on the three-point play, tying the game at eight apiece.
- Down 10-8, Emily Acampora dropped a three from center, then Dalma Ehmann found an opening in the defense under the net, giving Tech the 13-10 lead.
- Coming off her missed shot, Poitier rushed in to grab the offensive rebound, leading to a Breazia Robinson bucket.
- The run turned to 10 unanswered points when Divine Guthrie snatched two steals in back-to-back offensive Flagler possessions. The first time, Guthrie passed it to Nadine Johnson, who drew a shooting foul and banked in both free throws. The next steal turned to Robinson's free throw attempts, making one.
- Florida Tech led at the end of the quarter 18-10.
SECOND QUARTER:
- Kept the run through the second quarter as Ehmann hit a baseline jumper to extend Tech's lead to 20-10.
- Poitier throws a perfect ball to Morin inside the paint for an easy bucket. With under eight minutes remaining in the half, the Panthers led the Saints 22-13.
- Both teams struggled to score for over two minutes; however, Liberatore broke the offensive rut with her second three-pointer.
- The Panthers held the lead going into the half at 30-25. Liberatore led the team with 7 points and grabbed a rebound. Poitier scored four points and was the best on the team, with eight rebounds. Guthrie swiped three team's steals.
THIRD QUARTER:
- First possession of the second half, Liberatore drives to the paint and forces free throws. The senior makes both from the charity stripe.
- As the Saints drew within four, Acampora drained a beyond-the-arch shot for a 35-28 advantage.
- Halfway through the third, Liberatore drained another shot from deep, giving the Crimson and Gray back their 10-point lead.
- A fifteen-foot jump at the free-throw line by Guthrie gave the Panthers their largest lead at 42-30 with less than four minutes left in the quarter. Then Robinson hits a baseline jumper to extend the lead to 44-31.
- The offense was on fire, cashing in on four of its last five field goals, highlighted by Liberatore's fourth three. Panthers led the Saints 49-35 at the end of the quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER:
- Again, the Panthers scored on their first offensive possession by a Guthrie mid-range jumper.
- Out of an earlier Saint's timeout, Morin takes a Liberatore pass for a layup. The following offensive possession, Liberatore took things into her own hands with another three-pointer for a 56-41 Panthers lead.
- Flagler's offense began finding its stride beyond the arch, hitting multiple three-pointers to be down just six points with less than five minutes remaining.
- Morin made two free throws, and Acampora cashes in a corner three-pointer to reignite the Panther's offense and build the lead back up to double-digits.
- Liberatore made her sixth three-pointer the following possession, sealing Florida Tech's victory.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
- Sarah Liberatore led all Panthers with 21 points on a career-high six made three-pointers. She also grabbed three rebounds and dealt three assists.
- Mikayla Morin recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. It also marks the first double-double for the Panthers since Poitier did so last February and the first freshman since Grace Speer during the 2022-23 season.
- Divine Guthrie helped the Panthers get an early lead with three first-quarter steals. She ended the night with six points, three rebounds, and two assists.
- Breazia Robinson also had a double-digit afternoon with 10 points.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- The Panthers move to 18-6 all-time against the Saints.
- Tech has won seven of the past 11 matchups dating back to the start of the 2014-15 season.
- Tech is also 9-1 all-time versus Flagler in St. Augustine, with seven of the wins coming by 10 or more points
UP NEXT: Florida Tech starts a three-game homestand, starting with facing Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on Wednesday, November 20 at 5:30 p.m.
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