Boca Raton, Florida – Florida Tech Men's Basketball was back on the road tonight to face Lynn University. Tonight's Sunshine State Conference contest marks the halfway point in the season for the Panthers.
SSC PLAY – GAME SEVEN
Final: Florida Tech Panthers 72, Lynn Fighting Knights 85
Records: Florida Tech (6-9, 2-5 SSC)
| Lynn (10-4, 5-2 SSC)
Location: de Hoernle Sports Center
| Boca Raton, Florida
GAME NOTES:
First Half:
- Ty Harpring opened tonight's game with a three after the Panthers won the opening tip.
- After a Greyson Williams putback, Xavier Ford-Belton stripped his man and threw down a ferocious dunk for an early 7-2 lead.
- Greyson Williams continued his hot start to the game by using an elite spin move to split a double team on a fast break for an easy lay.
- Grant Lovette knocked down a three from the corner, Ca'Darrius Sowell hit a floater and Noah Van Bibber drilled his first three of the game to give Tech a 20-12 lead with 11 minutes left in the half.
- Lynn was able to cut into the deficit, but a Harpring three-pointer followed by three ball from Sterling White III kept the Panthers out in front.
- As the first half crossed into the final seven minutes, the Fighting Knights hit back-to-back threes but the Panther offense stayed hot with Van Bibber hitting a running floater and White III knocking down another three for a 31-24 lead.
- In the final minutes of the first half, Harpring connected on another three and Williams added another.
- However, Lynn scored on seven straight possessions, including two threes to take their first lead of the game at 41-39 with 1:24 left in the half.
- Tech answered with a Noah Van Bibber three and a pair of free throws from Sowell to take back the lead and head into the break up 42-41
HALFTIME SCORE - Florida Tech 42, Lynn 41
Second Half:
- To begin the second half, Ty Harpring drilled three straight three-pointers to give him six on the night as the Panthers and Fighting Knights stayed within one possession of each other through the first five minutes.
- Xavier Ford-Belton came away with another steal and finish on the other end as Tech led 53-52 with 12 minutes left in the contest.
- However, Lynn scored on five straight possessions to take back the lead and hold it as the game reached the final seven minutes.
- A steal and fast break layup from Ford-Belton and three pointers from Greyson Williams and Ca'Darrius Sowell kept Tech within striking distance, trailing 65-61.
- Unfortunately for the Panthers, Lynn used a 12-0 run in the final five minutes to grow the lead to double-digits and pull away.
- Noah Van Bibber hit a three to end the run and Harpring drilled another as the Panthers tried to spark a comeback, but they were unable to get stops in bunches.
FINAL SCORE - Florida Tech 72, Lynn 85
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Ty Harpring becomes the first Panther Freshman to hit 30 threes in a season since Trey Schaneville in 2018-19
- Ty Harpring's seven threes in tonight's game places him in the top 15 for threes made in a single game in Panther history.
UP NEXT: The Panthers will return home to the Clemente Center this Saturday. Tech will host Florida Southern at 4:00 PM.
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.
