FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Florida Tech women's basketball team were back on the road on Wednesday night, taking the trip south for a Sunshine State Conference matchup with Nova Southeastern. The Panthers made it a tough game for the SSC leaders through three quarters but the Sharks were able to separate themselves early in the fourth and pull away for a 69-56 victory.  
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 56, Nova Southeastern 69
Records: Florida Tech (6-18, 1-12 SSC), RV Nova Southeastern (18-3, 13-1 SSC)
Location:  Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

FIRST QUARTER: 

• Dalma Ehmann got the Panthers on the board on their opening possession with a turnaround layup. 
• Nicole Scales tied the game just over a minute and a half later with a layup of her own
• Tai Roberts gave Tech the lead on their next possession and that lead would hold for nearly three minutes. 
• The Sharks went back in front on a Kailyn Terrell three at the 4:25 mark. 
• Roberts knotted the game up at six on the Crimson and Gray's next possession. 
• NSU re-took the lead thanks to a Morgan Kane layup on their next time down the floor.
• A pair of Sarah Liberatore free throws brought Florida Tech on terms with 3:07 to go in the quarter. 
• The Sharks closed the quarter on a 5-0 spurt inside the final minute thanks to a Kyarrah Grant three and Scales layup to take a 13-8 lead into the second. 

 
SECOND QUARTER: 

• Nova Southeastern extended the run to 8-0 at the free throw line courtesy of Terrell and Kane. 
• The Panthers responded with a 6-0 run of their own thanks to layups from Divine Guthrie and Roberts as well as a pair of Jessica Lange free throws that brought them to within two at the 6:07 mark. 
• The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half and while Tech would never trail by more than seven points, they would not pull closer than within four.
• Suzan Kinran's three just before the halftime buzzer gave NSU a 30-23 lead heading into the locker room. 

THIRD QUARTER: 

• Both teams continued to trade baskets to start the second half before a 7-0 Panther run knotted the game at 36 with 4:01 remaining in the frame. 
• Liberatore ignited the run with a triple. 
• Lange added to it on the following possession with a close range layup. 
• Guthrie's layup off a turnover brought the Crimson and Gray level.
• India Shepherd put the Sharks back in front out of the media timeout with a banked three as the shot clock was winding down. 
• Kane pushed the lead out to five on a layup before a Roberts floater in the paint would shrink the margin to 41-38 with just over a minute to go.
• Guthrie nearly tied the score at the buzzer as her attempt from beyond half court hit the back iron. 

 
FOURTH QUARTER: 

• An 11-3 NSU run over the first three minutes of the final frame ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. 
• The defining sequence happened over a 1:27 span after Roberts had split a pair of free throws to bring Tech within 43-39 with 8:39 left.
• On Nova Southeastern's next possession, Alana Ellis buried a three for her first bucket of the game. 
• Ellis added to her total on a fast break layup as the result of a Panther turnover. 
• Following a Roberts jumper, Shepherd's layup brought the Sharks' lead to nine and forced Florida Tech to call timeout.
• From there, the Crimson and Gray were unable to bring the margin any lower than nine points. 
• For the quarter, NSU shot 81.8% (9-11) from the field. 

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Tai Roberts put up 17 points for the second consecutive game, doing so this time on 7-of-17 shooting. She also grabbed four rebounds. 
• Sarah Liberatore reached double figures for the sixth time in eight games with 13 points on four-of-seven shooting. 
• Lina Stranger-Johannessen added 10 points and three assists. 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech is now 27-25 all-time against Nova Southeastern and 10-14 all-time in Fort Lauderdale. 
• The Sharks have won six straight matchups dating back to Dec. 11, 2021, and nine of the last 11 meetings since Feb. 24, 2018. In addition, they have won five straight matchups at Rick Case Arena since Feb. 16, 2019. 
• Tech finished the game shooting 47.7% (21-44) from the field, 30.0% (3-10) from beyond the arc, and 64.7% (11-17) on free throws.
• Nova Southeastern shot 48.8% (21-43) in the contest, 37.5% (6-16) from the three-point range, and 72.4% (21-29) from the line.
• Florida Tech held the advantage in bench points (23-18) and points in the paint (34-28). 

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech returns to action on Saturday, February 10 when they host Lynn at the Clemente Center. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.
 
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