DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Panthers went into the ICI Center and gave the No. 17 Eagles their second straight loss in a 80-77 victory on Wednesday night. Coach Ashley earned her first ranked win during her first season coaching.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 80, No. 17 Embry-Riddle 77
Records: Florida Tech (6-13, 3-9 SSC), Embry-Riddle (14-4, 9-3 SSC)
Location: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
FIRST QUARTER:
- Embry-Riddle opened the scoring with a quick layup, but Florida Tech answered as Mikayla Morin connected on a fadeaway jumper in the paint at the 7:59 mark.
- On the ensuing defensive possession, Morin made her presence felt again by swatting an Eagles shot out of bounds.
- After a brief stretch of missed shots on both ends and a lone free throw from Embry-Riddle, Tai Roberts knocked down a midrange jumper to give Tech its first lead, 4–3.
- The Eagles briefly reclaimed the advantage with a layup seconds later, but Roberts drew a foul on a three-point attempt at the five-minute mark and calmly sank all three free throws to put the Panthers back in front, 7–5.
- Elif Bayrak drilled a three-pointer at 2:07, and baskets from Deirdre Miller and Roberts helped Tech close the quarter with the score tied at 16–16.
SECOND QUARTER:
- Roberts opened the second quarter with a quick score just 11 seconds in, setting the tone early.
- After the Eagles briefly pulled even, back-to-back three-pointers from Bayrak and Miller sparked a Panther run that stretched the lead to 12 with five minutes left in the half.
- Roberts continued her strong play, finishing at the rim and knocking down free throws to push the advantage to 14 at the 4:15 mark.
- Embry-Riddle closed the half on an 11–4 run, trimming the margin to single digits as Florida Tech carried a 40–31 lead into the break.
THIRD QUARTER:
- The Eagles opened the half with a basket, but Tech answered immediately as Tai Roberts buried a deep jumper to make it 43–33 at the 8:21 mark.
- Florida Tech stretched the lead to 13 behind a McKenzie Winder three and another smooth jumper from Roberts.
- Embry-Riddle responded with a surge, scoring nine unanswered points across three of four possessions to cut the margin to one possession with 2:48 remaining.
- The Panthers steadied themselves late, as jumpers from Roberts and Amanda Ogbonna pushed the lead back to eight heading into the fourth quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER:
- Ogbonna opened the fourth quarter with an immediate impact, scoring three points in the first 30 seconds to keep Tech in control.
- Embry-Riddle answered with a 12–4 run over the next three and a half minutes, trimming the margin to 62–59.
- Ogbonna responded again midway through the quarter, finishing an and-one to steady the Panthers' lead.
- The Eagles surged late, tying the game at 69–69 with 2:57 remaining before briefly taking the lead at the free-throw line.
- Florida Tech capitalized on the bonus down the stretch, knocking down eight consecutive free throws to build a 79–74 advantage.
- After an Eagles three-pointer, Remingtyn Smith calmly converted a critical free throw to seal the Panthers' 80–77 win over No. 17 Embry-Riddle.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
- Tai Roberts led all scorers with 27 points, building off a nine-point first quarter and shooting an efficient 9-of-13 from the field.
- Elif Bayrak added 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting, knocking down three triples while also pulling in seven rebounds.
- Remingtyn Smith anchored the defense with a career-high six steals and paced the Panthers offensively with a team-best five assists.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- It's the first win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 23 Tampa on January 13, 2018.
- The Panthers secured their first road ranked win since defeating no. 25 Tampa on November 18, 2015.
- Tech took down Embry-Riddle for the first time since January 4, 2020.
- Bayrak's three triples made her the third Panther to make 50 threes in their first season in the Crimson and Gray since Hannah Roney in 2021-22. That would also make her the 17th Panther ever with 50 threes in a season and the first since Emily Acampora made 62 in 2023-24.
- Smith became the 22nd player in program history with 150 career assists.
UP NEXT: The Panthers travel to Saint Leo on Saturday, January 31 for a 2 p.m. ET tipoff.
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.
