MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Tech women's basketball team begins its Holiday Classic with an 80-62 loss to Southern New Hampshire on Saturday.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 62, Southern New Hampshire 80
Records: Florida Tech (4-6, 1-3 SSC), SNHU (4-4, 0-2 NE10 )
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.

FIRST QUARTER:

• The Lady Penmen struck first with a layup, but the Panthers answered with two made free throws.
• Both teams traded baskets before SNHU scored five straight to take a 9-4 lead.
• Tech responded as Tai Roberts drove to the basket and then knocked down two free throws, trimming the deficit to one.
• Nandinkhusel Nyamjav tied the game at 13-13 with 1:25 remaining, drilling a top-of-the-key three-pointer.
• SNHU closed the quarter on an 8-2 run to carry a 20-15 advantage into the second.

SECOND QUARTER:

• Two three-pointers from the Lady Penmen opened the second quarter, extending their lead to 24-17.
• After two baskets from Amanda Ogbonna and another from Mikayla Morin the Panthers made it 24-21 at the 6:24 mark.
• SNHU made another three-pointer, but Tech's Elif Bayrak answered with her first.
• However, the Lady Penmen scored 11 consecutive points, helped by three shots from deep, for a 38-24 edge over the Panthers.
• The Panthers made two more baskets, but the Lady Penmen cashed in on two threes for a 44-28 halftime advantage.

THIRD QUARTER:

• The quarter opened with both teams trading missed threes before Southern New Hampshire extended its lead with a jumper and a fast-break layup to go up 48–28.
• Tech finally broke through when Mikayla Morin converted a tip-in off multiple offensive rebounds, stopping the early SNHU run.
• The Penmen capitalized on second-chance opportunities and paint touches to push the margin to 53–32.
• Roberts got Tech back on the board at the line, but SNHU continued to answer, stretching the lead to 55–34 midway through the quarter.
• Remingtyn Smith provided a spark, scoring on a putback layup and finishing a fast-break opportunity to keep the Panthers fighting.
• Despite brief scoring bursts from Bayrak and Smith, Southern New Hampshire closed the quarter strong with multiple baskets and a late three-pointer.
• The Penmen took a 69–42 advantage into the fourth quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER:

• Florida Tech opened the fourth with energy as Elif Bayrak knocked down a three at 9:48 off a Tai Roberts assist to cut into the deficit.
• Moments later at 9:14, Roberts finished a layup, then followed it up with a block on the defensive end to spark the Panthers.
• After SNHU responded with a three at 8:18, Mikayla Morin answered at 7:59 with a layup off another Roberts assist.
• Bayrak stayed hot from deep, drilling another triple at 7:39 to pull Tech within 22.
• Following back-to-back steals by Morin around the 7:10 mark, the Panthers created extra possessions but couldn't capitalize from long range.
• Bayrak buried her fourth three-pointer of the quarter at 5:47, once again trimming the margin.
• Remingtyn Smith added a free throw at 5:11, while Tech continued to pressure defensively and force turnovers.
• McKenzie Winder connected from beyond the arc at 3:15, assisted by Nandinkhusel Nyamjav, giving the Panthers another late boost.
• Despite continued hustle on both ends, SNHU maintained control down the stretch.
• Bayrak capped the quarter with her fifth three-pointer at 0:06, closing out the scoring for Tech.

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Elif Bayrak led all scorers with 19 points, knocking down five three-pointers on 10 attempts while adding seven rebounds in 29 minutes.
• Amanda Ogbonna was dominant on the glass, posting a game-high 11 rebounds, including five offensive boards.
• Tai Roberts finished with 10 points, three assists, and three steals.
• Mikayla Morin provided strong interior production with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, six rebounds, and four assists, finishing even in plus-minus.
• Remingtyn Smith added eight points, three rebounds, and a team-high six assists while logging 32 minutes.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• First-ever meeting between the schools
• The Panthers are 2-1 all-time against Northeast-10 schools. 

UP NEXT: Florida Tech wraps up the Holiday Classic with a 1 p.m. game versus Mercy on Sunday, December 21.

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.