MELBOURNE, FLA. – The Panthers have just four field goals in the final nine minutes of play as they fell short in their comeback attempt vs. the Tritons.

FINAL: Florida Tech 64, Eckerd 72
Records: Florida Tech (2-7, 0-4 SSC) Eckerd (6-5, 2-3 SSC)
Locations: Clemente Center | Melbourne, FL


STATS OF THE MATCH:

First Half:

• A Max Polk jumper put the Panthers on the board to start this one and the teams would continue to trade baskets to open the game up.
• Donovan Brown, Manos Dimou, and Logan Allen would all register buckets for Tech in the exchange, 9-10.
• The Tritons would take the first extended lead of the game as Tech would struggle to get shots to fall, 13-17.
• Xavier Ford-Belton would throw down the first dunk of the game via an outlet pass from Brown and follow that up with a jumper to keep the Panthers within reach, 17-21.
• The Panthers would be outscored 13 to six as they would face their biggest deficit heading into halftime, 23-34.
• Down 11 to start the second half, the Panthers were going to need to hit some shots down the stretch to get back involved in this one after shooting 30% from the field and just eight % from the three-point line.

 
Second Half:

• After a back-and-forth exchange and seven straight points from Logan Allen, the lead would stay in double-digits at 10, 32-42.
• With the help of Brown, Polk, and Aj Lieuwen, Tech would cut the Tritons lead to six, 43-49.
• The Tritons would respond and push their lead back up to nine with just over three minutes to play, as free throws would keep Tech involved in this one.
• The Panthers would go scoreless on the floor for over five and a half minutes up to this point when Brown would convert a much needed and-one to cut the Triton lead to four.
• A steal and coast-to-coast trip for Polk would cut the lead to just two, 60-62, the closest the game had been since the score was (11-13) in the first half.
• The Panthers would only score one more time from the floor over the last two minutes as they would fall to the Tritons 64-72.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Donovan Brown tied for the lead in points in the game with 19 and finished with four assists and three rebounds in the loss.
• Max Polk finished with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• All-time vs. Eckerd: 34-65
• Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Tritons have won 13 of 18 meetings. However, the Panthers have won four of eight matchups since January 8, 2020.
• Tech is 18-29 at home vs. Eckerd since 1977/78 and has won three of the last five between the teams at the Clemente Center.

 
UP NEXT:
The Panthers will host the Winter Classic tournament this coming weekend, 12/20 - 12/21, as they will face Trinity Baptist College on Friday and Dominican University of New York on Saturday.

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.