MELBOURNE, FLA. – Tech battled hard on the road against No. 2 Nova Southeastern, but the Sharks' fast-paced offense proved too much as the Panthers fell 110-84. Despite the loss, Max Polk and Logan Allen achieved career-highs, assists for Polk, and points for Allen.

FINAL: Florida Tech 84, No. 2 Nova 110
Records: Florida Tech (5-21, 2-16 SSC) No. 2 Nova (25-1, 17-1 SSC)
Locations: Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | Rick Case Arena
 
STATS OF THE MATCH:

First Half:

• Logan Allen started the day for the Panthers with a layup at the rim to answer a three-pointer from the Sharks.
• Allen scored the first seven of 11 for the Panthers with the other two baskets coming from Xavier Ford-Belton.
• Max Polk got the Panthers on the board with free throws as the Panthers faced an early double-digit deficit, 24-12 with just over 10 minutes to play before halftime.
• For the remainder of the half, Tech fought from behind trying to keep up with the Sharks.
• Allen led the Panthers at the half with 12 points on 62% shooting with Ford-Belton behind him with 10 points.
• Uncharacteristically Donovan Brown only registered two points and played only 12 minutes in the half; in every game this season that he made an appearance in up to this point; he had played the entire first half.
• The deficit heading into halftime would be 61-35 with the Sharks up.

 
Second Half:

• Polk, Allen, and Can Kaan Turgut, continued the scoring for the Panthers early in the second half.
• Isaiah Edden downed a three-pointer followed by a Turgut layup just before Polk came alive in the half knocking down three three-pointers, two back-to-back.
• Polk and Turgut would then be in control of the offense for the Panthers down the stretch with AJ Lieuwen, Marko Malekinusic, Donovan Murphy, and Manos Dimou making an appearance and scoring late.
• With all their efforts, the Panthers finished the game on a 15-5 run but would suffer the loss 110-84 on the road.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Max Polk led the game in scoring with 20 points and a career-high six assists while shooting 53% from the field and 50% from three-point range.
• Logan Allen finished with a career-high 18 points and collected seven rebounds while shooting 53% from the field.

COACHES CORNER:

• "So proud of the effort and never-quit attitude of our team tonight on the road against the No. 2 ranked team in the nation and the best offensive team in the country!" Said Head Coach Billy Mims. "Nine Turnovers and sloppy play against relentless full-court pressure of Nova doomed us to a 26-point halftime deficit, 61-35, but we only turned the ball over three times in the entire second half where we played toe to toe with them for the full second stanza, 49-49. Both teams shot the ball well all night and from our shooting percentages, you'd think we could have won the game, 48% from the floor, 41% from three, and 87% from the free throw line. The disparity in free throw attempts, Nova shot 26 and we shot only 15, were a contributing factor to the final deficit, as well as our turnovers that led to 16 points off turnovers for the Sharks. Max Polk had another great game leading our team with 20 points, nailing 3-6 threes, and dishing out six assists. Logan Allen probably had his best performance of the season with 18 points and seven rebounds. Senior Can Kaan Turgut came off the bench and provided a second-half spark with 14 points, two of three from three. We placed four players in double figures and 10 of the 11 players we played in the game scored. If we had handled their first-half pressure with a little better composure, it might have been a different result tonight. Nova has now won 77 straight home games, so they're very difficult to beat there, but our young team never backed down and fought hard the entire second half against the best team in the SSC who might just go on to win another National Championship."

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• All-time vs. Nova Southeastern: 38-30
• Tech is 15-18 all-time at NSU but has not won at the Rick Case Arena since December 9, 2017.

 
UP NEXT: The Panthers will return home for Senior Day as they will host Palm Beach Atlantic University on Wednesday, February 26, with tipoff at 7:30 pm

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