Panthers Season Ends in Heartbreaking Fashion

Jordan Majors - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography

The Florida Tech Panthers were bounced from the Sunshine State Conference tournament on Wednesday, losing to number one seed Barry, 87-84 in Miami Shores. The loss ends the Panthers season, with a record of 15-14.

Florida Tech were in a dog fight all night long and stood tall against a very high-powered Buccaneers offense. The visitors were especially strong in the first half, shooting 56 percent (14-of-25), including nine three-pointers.

Jordan Majors and Patrick Anderson led the Florida Tech attack with 22 points apiece. Antonis Pefanis was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 14.

Arie Williams triple gave the Bucs a 23-17 lead, but Sam Daniel answered, cutting the lead to three. Daniel finished with 11. Back-to-back threes by Daniel and Jordan Majors tied the game at 26, with 8:05 to go. With the game tied at 33-33, Pefanis came off the bench and hit a triple, giving the Panthers a 36-33 lead.

Elvar Fridriksson showed why he was the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year, when he hit a three of his own. He finished with 20 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds on Wednesday.  A free throw by Robert Booth and a lay-up by Derek Murphy gave the Panthers a 39-36 lead at the half.

Barry (22-5) heated up in the second half, with Daniel Mortensen hit a three out of the gate for the Buccaneers tying the game at 39. He had a career-high 27 points, with 19 in the final 20 minutes. He went 7-of-8 from the field, including five of six from three-point range in the decisive second half.

Mortensen hit another three with 15:21 to go, giving his team a 49-48 lead. They led 61-56 with 11:54 to go, but the Panthers kept it close, getting it down to one, 66-65 after a Patrick Anderson three with 8:35 to go. That three ignited a 12-0 run, giving Florida Tech a 74-66 lead with 6:30 remaining.

Barry immediately answered with a 12-0 run of their own, turning their deficit into a 78-74 lead. A free throw by Majors cut it to 78-77 with 2:13 left, but they wouldn’t get any closer, as the Bucs put the game away from the free-throw line.

For more info: Florida Tech @ Barry Box Score

It was a roller coaster season for the Panthers, who got off to a decent start in the conference, but faded down the stretch. Daniel and Majors played a huge part in the Panthers success this season and both were rewarded Wednesday, when they were named to the All-SSC Team.



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