MELBOURNE, Fla.-  The Florida Tech Men's basketball team battled with Embry-Riddle to overtime on Saturday night, but ultimately fell to Eagles, 79-71.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 71, Embry-Riddle 79 (OT)
Records: Florida Tech (12-7, 5-7 SSC), Embry-Riddle (13-7, 7-5SSC)
Location: Charles and Ruth Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF:

• Embry-Riddle opened the contest with a three-point jumper 59 seconds into the game before Niall Harris responded thirty seconds later to tie it up early on.
• The Panthers and Eagles continued to trade points as Embry-Riddle would maintain a close 11-10 lead throughout the first six minutes of the contest.
• The Panthers' first lead of the contest came a few possessions later as Rahsaan Edwards hit a jumper to give Tech a one-point 12-11 lead.
• Tied at 14-14 the Eagles looked to pull ahead, gaining an 18-14 lead following two made free throws by Dru Nickson and a layup from Jon Alessandro.
• Harris would next record his second three of the contest to bring the Panthers' deficit to just one.
• Still down 22-21, David McCullough would give Tech the lead on a big slam dunk with 8:46 to play in the first.
• Eight straight points by ERAU would allow them to gain a 30-23 lead.
• Tech would answer with a triple by Harris that would spark a 15-0 run over the last six minutes of the half to take a 38-30 lead into halftime.

 
SECOND HALF:

• A jumper by Edwards would start off the second half before Embry-Riddle would make a three 11 seconds later.
• 46-40, Harris would continue to make his shots from beyond the arch with his sixth successful three of the game 4:31 into the second half.
• Six straight points from ERAU inside the paint made it a one-point game, 49-48, before another trey and three successful free throws from Harris would cushion the Panthers to a seven-point lead.
• ERAU would record a layup at the 12:30 mark as for the next three minutes neither team would record a point until Harris would score on a fast break at 9:34 shortly followed by two successful free throws by Edwards to make it 59-50, Florida Tech.
• The Panthers' next six points would come at the line with Rahsaan Edwards, Chase Thompson, and Elias Martin all going 2-2 at the charity stripe to give Tech a 63-53-point lead before the Eagles recorded seven straight points to make it a one-possession game with Tech still ahead 63-60.
• A layup and a three from the Eagles would tie it at 65-65 before Embry-Riddle would knock down another three to take its first lead since the first half.
• Edwards would knock down a three and deep jumper from inside the arc to make it 70-68, Florida Tech with just over a minute in the half.
• With 13.2 seconds to play in the half, Milan Skoric would give the Eagles the 71-70 lead with a three-point jumper from the top of the arc before a Florida Tech timeout.
• David McCullough would be sent to the line with 2.3 seconds left in the game and would go one for two, making it a 71-71 game at the end of the second half. For the second time this season, the teams would go into overtime. 

OVERTIME:

• ERAU would score eight unanswered points in overtime to take a 79-71 victory against the Panthers.

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Niall Harris led the Panthers with a career-high 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting, including 7-for-11 from beyond the arc. He also brought in six boards, dished out four assists, and stole the ball three times.
• Rahsaan Edwards scored 21 points on 8-for-18 shooting. He also added six assists to his line.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 9-12 all-time against the Eagles.
• The Panthers are now 5-6 against Embry-Riddle at home.
• With his first block of the game, Elias Martin tallied his 100th career block.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will next play on Wednesday, Feb. 7 when the Panthers travel to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. to take on Nova Southeastern on the road. Tip-off is scheduled 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.