WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Florida Tech men's basketball team went back and forth all night on the road against the Sailfish of Palm Beach Atlantic, and came away with the overtime victory, 74-70.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 74, Palm Beach Atlantic 70 (OT)
Records: Florida Tech (14-8, 7-8 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (15-9, 9-7 SSC)
Location: Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF:

• Both teams traded baskets and possessions for the first few minutes of the game. A layup by Chase Thompson gave Tech a 6-5 lead at the 16:03 mark of the half.
• Three straight layups by PBA over the next two minutes would give the Sailfish an 11-6 lead.
• Back-to-back layups by PBA's Jamaal Walker extended the lead to 16-10 with 12:12 to go.
• A three-point jumper by Niall Harris sparked a 12-0 run for the Panthers to take a 22-16 lead with 7:26 on the clock.
• After some more back-and-forth, a Thompson layup pushed Tech's lead to 10 points, 30-20, with just under four minutes left in the half.
• Both defenses would lock in over the final few minutes of the half. The Sailfish would close out on a 5-2 run to send the teams into halftime with a score of 32-25.

 
SECOND HALF:

• PBA opened the second half on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 32-32 just two minutes into the half.
• Three straight layups by Elias Martin, Thompson, and Rahsaan Edwards gave the lead back to the Panthers, 38-32, with 16:20 on the clock.
• The back and forth continued, but a two-point jumper for PBA cut the lead down to 42-38 going into the under-12-minute media timeout.
• A few minutes later, a triple from Edwards extended Tech's lead out to 49-43 with just under 10 minutes left to play.
• The Sailfish came back with three straight baskets to tie the game again, this time 49-49 with 8 minutes left in the game.
• Once again, the back and forth ensued. A layup by Marcus Montalvo with 3:18 on the clock gave PBA its first lead since the 11-minute mark of the first half.
• Edwards would come down and knock down a clutch three-point jumper to retake the lead for the Panthers, 59-57, with 2:50 to go.
• Neither team could find the bottom of the net for the next two minutes as the defenses locked in. David McCullough and Martin each picked up a block during the sequences.
• Edwards would drill another clutch triple with 44 seconds to play to give Tech a 62-57 lead.
• PBA would add three more points at the free throw line to make it a 62-60 game with 20 seconds to go.
• Edwards would be fouled and go one-of-two at the line to give Tech a 63-60 lead with 14 seconds left.
• The Sailfish would get fouled on a three-point attempt. Montalvo would go to the line and sink all three attempts to knot the game at 63-63 with 10 seconds on the clock.
• Following a timeout by the Panthers, Martin would get a good look at a driving layup but his attempt would bounce on the rim and just off the mark as the buzzer expired, sending the teams into overtime tied at 63-63.

 
OVERTIME:

• The Sailfish would strike first in overtime with a layup by Walker just over a minute in.
• Edwards would answer right back with a two-point jumper to tie the game at 65-65.
• After another trading of baskets, Edwards would put Tech ahead, 69-67, with 1:35 left on the clock.
• After a defensive stand with less than 25 seconds to go, Edwards was sent to the charity stripe. He went two-for-two at the line to extend the lead to 71-67.
• The Panthers would force a turnover on the next Sailfish possession and once again Edwards would be fouled and head to the free throw line. He would make both attempts to further the lead to 73-67.
• PBA would not give in after Grant Ledford drilled a trey with five seconds left. Martin would be fouled on the next Panther possession with two seconds left. He would go one-for-two at the line to make it a 74-70 game.
• The Sailfish would be unable to get a shot off in the final seconds and Tech would come away with the 74-70 win.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Rahsaan Edwards finished just shy of a triple-double with 25 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and a block. He would score eight points, including going 5-for-6 at the free-throw line, in overtime.
• Chase Thompson scored 19 points and hauled in four boards.
• Niall Harris recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He also dished out four assists.
• Elias Martin blocked four shots and stole the ball twice. He also added seven points and four rebounds.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 27-19 all-time against PBA, including 10-10 in West Palm Beach.
• This was Tech's first road win against PBA since Feb. 17, 2018.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will next play on Saturday, Feb. 17 when the Panthers travel to Barry for a weekend SSC matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Miami Shores, 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.