Strong Second Half Sends Panthers to Victory

Sam Daniel - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography 

The Florida Tech Panthers had six players in double figures Wednesday, storming back from a 42-36 halftime deficit to take down the Lynn Fighting Knights, 97-89 at the Clemente Center.

“This was like a playoff game,” said Panthers head coach Billy Mims. “If we wanna play beyond next week, we needed this win.”

Sam Daniel led the charge for the Panthers, scoring 27 points. Rafael Casanova scored 20, Derek Murphy 17, Jordan Majors 13 and Robert Booth rounded out the scoring with 11. Michael Milligan started and played eight minutes, but he did not score.

Things looked bleak for the Panthers as the game got underway. The Fighting Knights went on a 10-0 run to start and the Panthers were missing both their inside and outside shots, getting nothing to fall.

“I think we spotted them the first six minutes and 10 points,” said Mims, who was issued a warning during that early stretch, for jawing at the officials. Thankfully, for the Panthers, he stayed out of any further trouble the rest of the night.

Daniel finally got the Panthers on the board with a deep three, with 14:07 left in the half. Majors followed that up with a dunk that got the crowd going and cut the deficit to five. A three by Marquan Botley with 6:32 left the half, got the lead back up to nine, 28-19.

With 3:50 to go, Daniel hit another three, cutting it to 32-28 but that was answered by Juwan Frazier. Botley hit another one later to 38-31 and after two free-throws, the Panthers were down by nine again, 40-31. Patrick Anderson hit a three with nine seconds left, cutting the Knights advantage to 42-36, at the break.

Botley was 7-of-10 from the field at the half, including 5-of-7 from three. Jamal Palmer finished the half with 12 for the Knights. Daniel was the only Panthers player in double figures at the half, with 11. He was 3-for-4 from long range.

“Sam Daniel came alive,” said Mims. “We could’ve been blown out in the first half, but Sam didn’t let that happen.”

Florida Tech 13-12, 6-10 SSC) trailed 46-36 with 18:05 to go in the second half. That’s when they
turned it up a notch. Daniel led an 8-0 run with two more threes', cutting it to 46-44 with 16:27 left. Daniel hit another triple with 15:15 left, cutting it to 51-50. The teams traded baskets until the Panthers grabbed their first lead of the game, 54-53 with a Casanova bucket, with 13:21 to go.

Casanova would hit another layup moments later, moving it to a three-point lead. Botley came right back and hit a three, tying the game at 56 with 12:09 to go. With as much damage as he did in the first half, that three could’ve been a bad omen, but the Panthers clamped down on him defensively.

“In the first half, Botley and Palmer combined for 31 of their 42 points,” said Mims. “In the second half, Botley had eight and Palmer had six.”

The teams went back-and-forth for a bit, before a three by Casanova made it 64-59 Panthers, with 9:52 left. The teams would then be tied at 64 and 66, before Murphy got the hoop and the harm on a layup, giving the Panthers a 69-66 lead with 7:07 to go.

After Lynn tied the game at 74 with 4:24 to go, the Panthers went on a 6-0 run, to gain some distance. After Lynn cut it to four, Majors hit a three with 2:17 to go, giving the Panthers an 83-76 advantage. The Panthers never let the Fighting Knights back in it, building up as much as an 11-point lead, primarily from the free-throw line.

For more info: Lynn @ Florida Tech Box Score

“Late in the season when your back is against the wall and you’ve gotta win, I’m gonna take the guys that are playing the best basketball, I’m gonna put a saddle on ‘em and ride them to the finish line,” Mims said.

That finish line is within site, as the Panthers will play their final road game of the season on Saturday, at Embry-Riddle. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.



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