LAKELAND, Fla. – Florida Tech hung with one of the Sunshine State Conference's best for 22 minutes on Saturday night but an avalanche early in the second half by Florida Southern allowed the Moccasins to pull away for a 99-76 victory. 
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 76, No.22 Florida Southern 99
Records: Florida Tech (2-6, 0-3 SSC), No.22 Florida Southern (9-2, 3-1 SSC)
Location:  George W. Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla. 
 
FIRST HALF: 

• After the Moccasins scored the game's first two buckets, Tech got on the board just under two minutes through an Elhadji Thiam three-point play. 
• Thiam was responsible for the Panthers' first five points of the game after knocking down a pair of free throws on their next possession. 
• Donovan Brown would score his first points of the day with a layup and a Xavier Ford-Belton three tied the game at 10. 
• The teams traded baskets until the 10-minute mark when Florida Southern proceeded to go on an (3-11) run over the ensuing 3:50.​
• The Mocs would keep the Crimson and Gray at arm's length for the next and grew their lead out to nine points with 4:33 remaining when Florida Tech countered with a (13-6) run over the next 4:04 to close within two. ​
• The surge was powered by five points from Ford-Belton, three from Thiam and Max Polk, and two from Brown
• Jadin Booth's three-point play with seven seconds remaining gave the Mocs a 42-37 lead at halftime. ​

• The Crimson and Gray opened the second half on a 5-0 run with a Brown triple, and then, following a Thiam block, Isaiah Edden's jumper brought the Panthers level. ​
• After a Thiam jumper matched an FSC jumper, FSC responded with a (5-20) run over the following 5:42 to break the game open. 
• Powering the sequence for the Mocs were Alex Steen's eight points and five from Joe Moon IV.​
• The run proved to be the game's deciding sequence as from there, Florida Tech would not draw closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
• Booth was Florida Southern's leading scorer on the night with 20 points, while Steen added 19, Peyton Gerald added 17 and Dominick Denny contributed 14. 

• Elhadji Thiam recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds along with two steals, a block, and an assist. 
• Donovan Brown led Florida Tech in scoring for the fifth time this season, this time with 21 points to go with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. 
• Max Polk added 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
• Xavier Ford-Belton provided 12 points, six rebounds, a block and an assist.

• Florida Southern leads the all-time series 74-27 and has won the past eight meetings in Lakeland. 
• Tech finished the game shooting 42.4% (25-59) from the field, 27.8% (5-18) from beyond the arc, and 72.4% (21-29) on free throws. 
• The Moccasins shot 51.3% (39-76) in the contest, 16.7% (3-18) from the three-point range, and 72.0% (18-25) at the line. FSC shot 55% (22-40) from the field in the second half. 
• Florida Southern held the advantage in points in the paint (50-34), fast break points (38-5), second chance points (16-7), points off turnovers (24-3) and bench points (22-10). 

 
UP NEXT: 
The Panthers have the week off before returning to action on Tuesday, December 17th for an SSC matchup with Eckerd at the Clemente Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 P.M.
 
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.