MELBOURNE, Fla. – The women's basketball team got into foul trouble early, hurting them in a 72-45 loss to No. 20 Nova Southeastern, where the Sharks attempted 37 free-throws.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 45, Nova Southeastern 72
Records: Florida Tech (5-10, 2-7 SSC), Nova Southeastern (15-2, 8-1 SSC)
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
FIRST QUARTER:

• Nova Southeastern grabbed the opening possession, but Kyandra Poiteir swatted their shot under the basket and grabbed the rebound. On the other end, Mikayla Morin landed a fade-away jumper in the paint for the Panthers' 2-0 lead.
• After two free throws from the Sharks, Sarah Liberatore dropped a three-pointer from the right arch with a defender in her face.
• Both offensive teams stalled for four minutes, except for one free throw by each team. The Sharks were under the field goal drought, taking a steal for an easy layup. In the following possession, the Sharks took the lead with another layup.
• Remingtyn Smith proceeded to take the ball from the Sharks. Despite missing the shot, Jessica Lange was there to clean it up, retaking the 8-7 edge with two and a half minutes remaining.
• Free throws were the order of the game, as the Sharks attempted 10, and the Panthers attempted six. Tech was down 11-10 going into the second quarter.

 SECOND QUARTER:

• The Sharks were back at the line to begin the second, only making one. Tai Roberts responded by driving the length of the quarter, making a tough jumper, and drawing the foul for a three-point play. Tech grabbed the 13-12 lead back.
• Nova Southeastern had the 18-15 advantage at the media timeout, helped by back-to-back buckets.
• Roberts saw a mid-range jumper hit the back of the rim and fall in, then grabbed the defensive rebound on the other end as the Panthers were down 20-17.
• While the Sharks kept finding themselves at the line, cashing in on four of them down the stretch, Smith was doing the work for the Panthers. She scored the Tech's final five points of the half.

 THIRD QUARTER:

• Roberts was still in overdrive to start the second half, going right to the rim and forcing a foul, making one free throw. However, the Sharks made a free throw right after.
• Up 27-25, Nova Southeastern extended their lead even further with a 7-0 stretch before Tech took a timeout.
• Out of the timeout, Roberts continued to drop dimes, splashing in another jumper and cashing in on the free throw. The Sharks would answer with a three-pointer from the top of the key, remaining ahead by nine points.
• Each team traded blows, with the Sharks getting to the line enough to increase their advantage to 50-37 with a quarter left.

 FOURTH QUARTER:

•  Down 55-38, Nadine Johnson snatched the ball away from the Sharks and took it all the way to the basket for a layup.
• On the defensive end, Poitier denied the Sharks a basket under the net and then dealt it to Smith from a left-handed layup, making the score 57-43.
• From that Johnson layup, Nova Southeastern went on a 13-0 run in three minutes. Liberatore stifled the run by getting into the lane, creating an opportunity at the line, and capitalizing, making both.
• The Sharks won the game 72-45.

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Tai Roberts led the Panthers, tallying 13 points while also grabbing two rebounds and two steals.
• Kyandra Poitier brought down seven rebounds and was a menace on defense with three blocks and two steals.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• The Panthers are 27-26 against the Sharks and 15-12 at home.

UP NEXT: Florida Tech is back on the road, heading to West Palm Beach to play Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday, January 22.
 
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech women'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.