MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Tech men's basketball team defeated Lynn, 98-83, behind a career-high 27-point performance from junior Chase Thompson on Saturday night at the Clemente Center.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 98, Lynn 83
Records: Florida Tech (13-8, 6-8 SSC), Barry (13-7, 8-6 SSC)
Location: Charles and Ruth Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF:

• The Panthers started the game with an 8-3 capped off with a layup by Chase Thompson at the 15:58 mark of the half.
• Following a Lynn basket, Tech ran off six straight points, including a monster slam dunk by David McCullough to make it 14-5 with 13:32 left in the half.
• A 13-2 run, highlighted by eight points from McCullough, put the Panthers on top 27-10 with just over nine minutes on the clock.
• Jalen Gilmore looked to breathe some life into Lynn with a made jumper, but back-to-back baskets from McCullough and Rahsaan Edwards gave Tech a 20-point cushion, 32-12, heading into the under eight-minute media timeout.
• Both defenses would lock in for some time and after some back-and-forth, a triple in the corner from Thompson gave the Panthers a 42-21 lead with just under three minutes to play until halftime.
• The teams would continue to go back-and-forth over the last three minutes and Tech took a 50-32 lead into halftime.

 
SECOND HALF:

• The back-and-forth continued into the start of the second half, with the teams taking a 56-37 score into the first media timeout with 15:56 on the clock.
• Coming out of the timeout, Max Polk would convert a three-point play for the Panthers to spark a quick 6-2 run to go up 62-39 with 14 minutes to go.
• Edwards and Martin would make back-to-back baskets to send Tech into the under 12-minute media timeout with a 72-45 lead. A layup by Polk after the break would give the Panthers their largest lead of the game, 73-45.
• A made jumper by Elhadji Thiam would make it an 82-61 game with 6:25 to go.
• Lynn would use a 12-4 run to cut Tech's lead down to 86-73 heading into the final media timeout with 3:23 left to play.
• The Panthers would respond with an 8-3 run of their own, capped off by a Niall Harris layup, to extend their lead out to 94-76, with 1:40 on the clock.
• Both teams added a few more baskets in the waning moments of the game to give it a final score of 98-83.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Tonight's player of the game, Sponsored by Sonny's BBQ, was Chase Thompson. Thompson scored a career and game-high 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. He also added five rebounds, two assists, and one block to his line.
• David McCullough finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and one block.
• Niall Harris fell one rebound shy of a double-double with 14 points.
• Rahsaan Edwards tallied a double-double with 13 points and 13 assists. He also grabbed five boards and added three steals.
• Elias Martin totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 26-39 all-time against Lynn, including a 10-21 record at the Clemente Center.
• Rahsaan Edwards' 13 assists are tied for the ninth most in a single game in program history.
• Niall Harris has now recorded at least five or more rebounds in 25 straight games dating back to February 15, 2023. 

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will next play on Wednesday, Feb. 14 when the Panthers travel to PBA for a midweek SSC matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in West Palm Beach, 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.