Daniel Buzzer-Beater Lifts FIT over Embry-Riddle

Sam Daniel (0) and Jordan Majors combined for 68 points on Wednesday

In one of the most exciting finishes you will see, Sam Daniel hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer Wednesday night, giving the Florida Tech Panthers a heart stopping 109-106 victory over Sunshine State Conference foe Embry-Riddle.

Jordan Majors was the man with the ball in his hands as the read 4.7 seconds. He was going to the hoop, but the Eagles sealed it off and Majors found Daniel open and got it to him. Daniel beat the clock and the Eagles, with the biggest shot of his career.

“Jordan driving down the court and I credit him for being focused enough to see me open and it was ballgame from there,” said Daniel after the game. “Coach tells us if you feel like you’re open take the shot. Him giving us that green light builds everyone’s confidence, it’s good to know that you have that green light and you’re not gonna be faulted, if you do take the shot.”

“This is my 13^th season here and I don’t know if there’s been a game more exciting that that one in my entire time at Florida Tech,” head coach Billy Mims said, after the game. “I’ve been coaching 36 years overall now, professionally in Europe and Division I and Division II in the states and in those 36 years, I’ve had some great games, but this might be one of the best ever.”

Daniel led the Panthers with 37 points, including hitting six of his 10 three-pointers. He was also 13-for-13 from the line. Jordan Majors had 31 points, while Robert Booth and Patrick Anderson had 14 each.

With his 31 points, Majors went over 1,000 points for his career. Congratulations to him on the milestone.

“When he released it, I knew it was good, Mims said. As the ball was getting close to the basket, I heard the horn go and the red light come on and the next thing I see is nothing but net.”

“Sam had 37 points, 11 rebounds, 13-for-13 from the free-throw line and 6-of-10 behind the arc,” Mims continued. “If that’s not the Sunshine State Player of the Week, something’s wrong, period. No one’s gonna have a better week than that.”

Mims said that Daniel’s performance should also put him in the running for national Player of the Week honors. “That’s just an incredible performance,” he said. “He played 40 minutes and was solid in every area of the game.”

Embry-Riddle put six players in double figures, led by Skylar Hogan’s 29.

On top of the exciting finish, the Panthers set a school record, hitting all 28 free-throws and per the school, it is three off the Division II record for foul shots made in a 100 percent performance.

“Everybody was pretty much going to the free-throw line with confidence and knocking it down,” said Daniel. “Missing one free-throw could be the difference in the ballgame, so I pretty much credit everyone who went to the free-throw line for doing their thing.”

Majors was the man with the ball in his hands as the clock ticked under five seconds. He was going to the hoop, but the Eagles sealed it off and Majors found Daniel open and got it to him. Daniel beat the clock and the Eagles, with the biggest shot of his career.

“Jordan driving down the court and I credit him for being focused enough to see me open and it was ballgame from there,” said Daniel of the final play. “Coach tells us if you feel like you’re open take the shot. Him giving us that green light builds everyone’s confidence, it’s good to know that you have that green light and you’re not gonna be faulted, if you do take the shot.”

With the Panthers down 106-104, during a late timeout, coach Billy Mims told his team that if Embry Riddle’s Luka Majstorovic got a rebound, to foul him. With 51 seconds left, that’s exactly what happened. Majstorovic, who shoots less than 50 percent from the line, missed both shots.

Robert Booth rebounded the second miss and Daniel hit two free-throws on the other end to tie the game. “I credit coach Mims for calling the hack-a-Shaq on number 40,” Daniel said. “Coach called the play to hack him and him missing those two free-throws pretty much led to that last bucket.”

The Eagles (8-5) did have another chance to get the lead with 34 seconds left, but the Panthers defense clamped down and forced a shot clock violation, which left just enough time for the final shot.

The Panthers bounced back from a 12-point deficit with less than nine minutes left in the first half, but Florida Tech answered with a 13-0 run and the teams went back-and forth for the rest of the half, with the Panthers leading 57-51, before a hoop from Majstorovic and a three from Hogan cut the lead to 57-56, as the teams headed to the locker room.

The second half offered more of the same, with the Panthers building a 66-61 lead, before Embry-Riddle tied things at 66. Florida Tech built it back to a six-point game, 80-72 with Patrick Anderson hitting two free-throws with 12:39 to go.

Patrick Anderson scored 14 points on Wednesday

It was 91-82 in favor of the Panthers with 7:28 to go, but the Eagles answered the bell again, closing to 91-90, thanks to a basket by Shaquan McArthur, with 5:45 to go, for two of his 13 points.

The game would be tied seven more times in the last five minutes, including 106-106 with 34 seconds left.

“It was a heavyweight fight tonight,” said Mims. “It was like two heavyweight boxers standing toe-to-toe in the center of the ring and both boxers kept throwing knockout blows, but nobody would go down.”

For more info: Embry-Riddle @ FL Tech Box Score | Game Replay (Anthem starts about 32 minutes in)

“You knew somebody was gonna win and somebody was gonna lose and no matter who won, who lost, you knew somebody was gonna be disappointed,” said Mims. “Hats off to Embry-Riddle, they played a great basketball game. You can’t look at anyone on their team and say they didn’t play well.”

The Panthers (10-5, 3-3 SSC) improved to 9-1 at home. They will now hit the road for a game against Florida Southern, in Lakeland. That game will tip off at 7:30 p.m.

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