Melbourne, Florida – The Florida Tech Holiday Classic tipped off this evening for the Panthers as they played host to #9 Michigan Tech.

FLORIDA TECH HOLIDAY CLASSIC – GAME ONE
Final: Florida Tech Panthers 52, #9 Michigan Tech Huskies 64
Records: Florida Tech (5-6, 2-2 SSC) | #9 Michigan Tech (10-1, 2-0 GLIAC)
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Florida

GAME NOTES:
First Half:

• Michigan Tech opened the game on a 13-6 run on the strength of three three-pointers.
• Buckets from Noah Van Bibber, Greyson Williams and Matt Daulerio brought the Panthers to within one.
• The Huskies used a quick 5-0 spurt to gain some breathing room and the teams traded buckets before Florida Tech eventually shrunk the gap to one on a Xavier Ford-Belton layup with 3:37 remaining.
• A Grant Lovette three-point tied the game at 24 with 3:01 left but MTU re-took the lead on the ensuing possession with a Matt Schmainda triple that ultimately held up as the halftime score.

HALFTIME SCORE - Florida Tech 24, Michigan Tech 27

Second Half:

• The Huskies began the second half on an 8-2 run, backed by two threes from Marcus Tomashek.
• After briefly cutting the deficit to eight, Michigan Tech stretched the lead to 22 courtesy of a 14-0 that was powered by seven points from Tomashek and five from Ty Fernholz.
• MTU's lead reached as high as 60-36 with 6:19 remaining when a mixture of Panther reserves shut down the Huskie offense and gave Florida Tech a lifeline.
• The Crimson and Gray rallied with a 16-0 run to shrink the deficit to within eight with 47 seconds remaining. Six different Panthers scored during the stretch with Sterling White's five being the most.
• Ultimately, two Tomashek free throws with 32 seconds left extinguished the rally and Gabe Smith's dunk ended any possibility of a grand comeback.

FINAL SCORE - Florida Tech 52, Michigan Tech 64

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

· This was the first ever meeting between the schools.

UP NEXT: The Florida Tech holiday classic continues into tomorrow with a three-game slate. Panther women's basketball will play Southern New Hampshire at 1:00 PM before men's hoops takes on Claflin at 5:00 PM. Saturday will wrap up with a 7:00 PM matchup between Lynn and Michigan Tech.

For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech Men's Basketball, 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.