Sports Lowdown

Tereza Sedlakova - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Eckerd Tritons (26-4) showed why they are the number one team in the Sunshine State Conference and number one in the South Region, as they took down the Florida Tech Panthers 77-56 in Sunday’s SSC title game. The Panthers (15-14) were a game bunch to say the least, but they were outscored 24-8 in the second quarter and the uphill climb from a 40-26 halftime deficit, just proved to be more than they could handle. Tereza Sedlakova led Florida Tech with 15 points, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the field including one three pointer. She also pulled down eight rebounds. DeLise Williams finished with 14 points, six rebounds, one block and four steals. DeLise Williams - Photo credit: - James Ragan Photography Florida Tech trailed by as many as six, 16-10 in the first quarter, but hoops by Williams, Sedlakova and two free-throws and a shot at the buzzer by Michaela Gelbaugh , helped the Panthers finish the...

DeLise Williams (22), Julie McCarthy (33) and Michaela  Gelbaugh (back right)  - Photo Credit: James Ragan The Florida Tech women’s basketball season will roll on, after they upset Rollins 73-70 Wednesday night, in the first round of the Sunshine State Conference tournament. The loss snapped a 12-game win streak for the Tars, who hadn’t lost since January 11, to Nova Southeastern. The Panthers (14-13) were led by Julie McCarthy , who scored 18 points and eight rebounds, including a huge board with 10 seconds left, securing the Panthers upset victory. DeLise Williams finished with 17 points, seven assists and six steals. Gudlau Juliusdottir had 14 points and Tereza Sedlakova capped the Panthers double-digit scorers, with 12. Four Tars scored in double figures, led by Marie Gilbert with 19 points and seven rebounds. Julia Ingler also had a strong game for the Tars, scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds. Carly McLendon and Jasmine Stone each had 10 ...

Julie McCarthy - Photo credit: James Ragan Julie McCarthy scored 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds Saturday, in her final regular season game with the Panthers, helping Florida Tech secure a 56-46 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic and finish the regular season on a winning note. “Obviously, there was no hangover for Julie with the corrective measures we took on Wednesday ,” said Florida Tech coach John Reynolds. Give her credit for being a good teammate, I’m proud of her.” “This group of kids has faced all kinds of adversity throughout the year, as much as any team I’ve ever coached,” he continued. “Today what we did was battle ourselves back to be 13-13. We got back to .500… and I thought that was the goal.” Florida Tech (13-13, 8-10 SSC) dominated the first quarter, leading 17-8 and played well in the second quarter, getting three pointers from Markeema Crawford and Amanda Allen early. DeLise Williams made her defense pay off after a steal, she dished to A...

Panthers coach John Reynolds - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography It was not as good night on the court for the Florida Tech women on Saturday, as they were beaten soundly by the Embry-Riddle Eagles, 65-45. The Panthers never led in this game and shot just 31.4 percent from the field, while the Eagles were 25-of-47 from the field, for 53.2 percent. DeLise Williams 11 points led the Panthers, she also had four steals. Tereza Sedlakova tallied nine points and three rebounds. “If there’s one positive that comes out of this game, it doesn’t mean anything,” said Panthers coach John Reynolds. “It doesn’t affect us in the league, it doesn’t affect us in the standings, but it sure as hell showed me whose got heart and who doesn’t.” The reason the game doesn't affect the Panthers conference standing, is because Embry-Riddle is a provisional member of the Sunshine State Conference, which means they are not eligible for conference tournament play until next season. S...

Julie McCarthy - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography Julie McCarthy hit the game-winning layup with 11 seconds left in overtime Wednesday night, helping the Florida Tech women get a much-needed Sunshine State Conference win over the Lynn Fighting Knights, 71-70. “I thought she was dominant tonight,” said head coach John Reynolds of McCarthy. “They didn’t have an answer for her.” McCarthy’s final points put the exclamation point on her big night. She recorded a double-double, with 28 points and 15 rebounds. She was also credited with two blocks and two steals. Things did not start well for the Panthers, who were down 22-15 after the first quarter and watched Lynn start the second stanza with a 7-0 run. The Panthers were able to stay afloat though, as Lynn scored just three points in the last five minutes of the second stanza. Despite the Fighting Knights struggles, the Panthers couldn’t make up much ground, scoring their first points with 2:48 to go in th...

Gudlau Juliusdottir (11) scored a career-high 19 points on Saturday - Photo Credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech women got a huge conference win over defending Sunshine State Conference Champion Nova Southeastern Saturday, erasing an eight-point halftime deficit and leave Fort Lauderdale with a 77-73 victory. The girls are happy,” said Florida Tech coach John Reynolds, in his post-game interview with Jim Mitchell. “It’s been hard on us with lately with the injuries and the distractions we’ve had. We’re gonna just enjoy this one.” The victory completed the season sweep for the Panthers against Nova and kept their conference tournament hopes very much alive. The Sharks only have four conference losses this season, with two coming at the hands of Florida Tech. DeLise Williams led the Panthers with 25 points and Gudlau Juliusdottir added a career-high 19. Both players hit 7-of-11 shots from the field. Julie McCarthy and Markeema Crawford chipped in w...

DeLise Williams - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech women dropped their third straight game on Wednesday night, falling to the Eckerd Tritons 67-52 at the Clemente Center.  “In the last five minutes, the team the wanted it more, went and got it,” said Panthers head coach John Reynolds. “That’s the game in a nutshell.” DeLise Williams led the Panthers with 14 points and three assists, while Michaela Gelbaugh scored 10 points. Julie McCarthy and Tereza Sedlakova had six boards each for the Panthers. The Panthers (9-10, 4-8 in SSC) struggled in the first half, shooting 37.5% (9-for-24) and were struggling to dig out of the hole that created, the rest of the night. Their shooting did not improve in the second half, as they were 6-for-27 (22.2%), but their defense did. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. In the first quarter, Florida Tech got a three-point play by Gelbaugh with two minutes left and a three-pointer from Markeema...

Tereza Sedlakova - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech women’s basketball team fell to 1-6 away from home Wednesday, losing to Barry, 66-61 in Miami Shores. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak for the Buccaneers. The Panthers (9-9, 3-7 SSC) made a late charge in the contest, as they were down 59-46 with 4:16 left in the contest before making a 10-0 run, capped by a three-point basket by Tereza Sedlakova . Amanda Allen hit a three earlier in the run. After a couple free-throws by Barry, Kareese Johnson got the Panthers to within three again, 62-59 with 19 seconds left. Barry was able to seal the game from the free-throw line and send Florida Tech home with a tough loss. “I think we played really hard tonight, just some things didn’t fall our way,” said Florida Tech head coach John Reynolds, in his post-game interview with Jerry Durney. “I’m proud of them, I thought we worked hard.” Florida Tech scored the first five points of the conte...

Tereza Sedlakova - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography Things got off to a good start at Rollins for the Florida Tech women on Saturday, but three turnovers to start the second half started a downward spiral and the Panthers fell, 59-50. They are now 1-5 on the road this season. The Panthers played good defense and scored 14 points in the first quarter, holding a five-point lead as the second quarter got underway. The Panthers kept the momentum at the start of the second quarter, as they went on a 7-0 run in the span of 2:35, while the Tars were 0-for-5 and that translated to a 21-11 lead for the Panthers with 7:07 to go. Things were looking good at that point, but the Panthers went ice cold, as they turned the ball over six times in a stretch of 4:42. Rollins went on a 6-0 run and that grew to a 10-0 run, as Rollins tied it up at 21, as the half came to a close. The Panthers scored seven points in that second stanza. When all was said, and done, the Panthers drou...

Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech women’s basketball team got a much-needed conference victory Wednesday night against the Saint Leo Lions, at the Clemente Center. “We stole a win tonight,” said Panthers coach John Reynolds. “I’m not sure we outplayed them and we certainly didn’t outshoot them. We outworked them at times, but we’ve gotta become better communicators and we’ve gotta understand what the role is of the player on the floor.” Freshman Amanda Allen led the Panthers with 12 points, while Gudlau Juliusdottir , Tereza Sedlakova and DeLise Williams all had 10 points. Williams also had five assists, three steals and eight rebounds. Juliusdottir had two steals and five helpers. “That’s probably the most balanced scoring that we’ve had all year,” said Reynolds. “ The first quarter was knotted at 17, with the Lions shooting well beyond the arc. They hit three of their nine three-pointers in the game in that opening stanza, while the Pan...

DeLise Williams - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography Following a big win last Wednesday at home against Embry-Riddle, the Florida Tech women’s basketball team was hoping to make it two in a row against Florida Southern. Unfortunately, the Panthers were overmatched by the Moccasins and dropped an 87-73 decision at Jenkins Field House on Wednesday night. “They (Florida Southern) did a good job offensively, they did a good job defensively,” said Florida Tech coach John Reynolds, in his postgame interview with Jerry Durney. “Sometimes it’s not that you played so poorly, sometimes just gotta give the other team some credit.” Florida Tech (7-7, 2-5 SSC) did get out to an early 6-2 lead in the game, but the Panthers got some good defense, including a steal by Michaela Gelbaugh with 1:38 left to go in the quarter. DeLise Williams followed that with two free-throws, putting the Panthers up 14-11 with 1:35 to go. Gianna Vastola scored four of the next six points for the ...

DeLise Williams scored 23 points in Wednesday's win Florida Tech’s women’s basketball team got the new year off to a good start, with a 73-60 win over Embry-Riddle Wednesday night, at the Clemente Center. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Panthers and moved them to 5-1 at home. Embry-Riddle fell to 9-4 overall, suffering their first loss in Sunshine State Conference play this season. DeLise Williams led the home team with 23 points, while Julie McCarthy and Tereza Sedlakova had 15 apiece. “We haven’t had three guys in double figures in a while,” said Panthers Coach John Reynolds. “Every kid on that team played hard tonight and I was pretty happy with the effort.” The Eagles had four players in double figures, led by Tara Fields, who scored a career-high 20 points. The Panthers (7-6, 3-4 SSC) led 20-17 after a back-and-forth first quarter, but the Eagles stormed back in the second quarter, outscoring the Panthers 22-10. The Panthers, who h...

The Florida Tech Women’s basketball team made a late run at a comeback Wednesday against Rollins, but ultimately the Tars hung on for a 72-67 Sunshine State Conference win. “It comes down to Rollins wanted that game more than we did,” said Panthers head coach John Reynolds. “I’m thinking that and it hurts me to say something like that, but you can’t come out in a conference game and go 3-for-14 on three’s.” Florida Tech (5-2, 1-2 SSC) led 14-11 after one quarter, The Panthers were within a point at 27-26, but a six-point run by Rollins late in the second helped them outscore the Panthers 25-14 in the quarter and go to the locker room with a 36-28 advantage. The visitors were 5-of-13 beyond the arc in that first half, while the Panthers went 0-for-8. Shequana Harris had eight points and three rebounds in the first 20 minutes, to pace the Panthers. “I think she played as hard and as good as she could,” said Reynolds of Harris. Marie Gilbert gave the Tars a 42-33 adv...

Ready for tip-off  The Florida Tech women won their third straight game Saturday afternoon, beating Webber International, 84-66 at the Clemente Center. Shequana Harris led all scorers with 17, Delise Williams and Kareese Johnson both had 10. Julie McCarthy just missed a double-double, with eight points and 12 boards. “Kareese was key for us off the bench,” said Panthers coach John Reynolds. She rebounded the ball, she handled the ball, she attacked the basket and played really solid for us.” “I’m really proud of my bench players, Reynolds continued, they played hard all day.” The Panthers led from the get-go, with Williams hitting a three-pointer 25 seconds into the game.  After Webber got to within 5-4, went on a nine-point run, highlighted by a Gracie Doane three. The Panthers carried that to a 22-15 lead after 10 minutes. With 3:43 left in the quarter, the Panthers led 37-28 and they went on an 8-2 run to end the half. FIT took a 45-30 lead to...

The Florida Tech Women’s basketball team picked up their first Sunshine State Conference win of the season, with a 65-58 victory over the Barry Buccaneers. The game was tied at four early, but the Panthers went on an 11-point run, to take a 15-4 lead. After expanding the lead to 18-7, Florida Tech watched the Buccaneers rattle off 11 of their own, to tie the game at 18. Julie McCarthy ’s layup at the end of the first quarter, gave the Panthers a 20-18 lead after the first 10 minutes. “It’s a conference game and a big start just means we made our run first,” said Panthers coach John Reynolds. “You know conference teams are gonna make a run right back at ya, leads like that fall apart.” McCarthy had a double-double in this game, with 10 of her 20 points coming in the first half. She also pulled down six offensive boards and 10 on the defensive glass. “I thought Julie was really good today on both ends of the floor,” said Reynolds. “Kiara Palmer is averaging 16 point...

The Florida Tech women never got their offense going Wednesday at Eckerd, as their slow start doomed them in a 65-53 loss, to open the Sunshine State Conference schedule. The Panthers trailed from the outset in this one, turning the ball over 11 times in the first half and hitting just 15-of-60 shots from the field in the contest. “Eckerd returns a bunch of juniors and seniors. Three starters are from last year and the first three kids off the bench are from last years’ team,” said Florida Tech coach John Reynolds in his post-game interview with Paul Van Scott. “We knew we’d be playing a team that was a month and a half ahead of us preparation wise." The Panthers (2-1, 0-1 SSC) did just enough in the first quarter to stay afloat. They shot 7-of-12 from the field and got six points from Tanease Richardson . Delise Williams hit a shot at the buzzer and concluding a 6-0 run by the Panthers to get within three at 18-15. Seven Panther turnovers were the difference in the ...

Two games, two victories for the Florida Tech women’s basketball team. Coming off an opening night win over LeMoyne-Owen on Friday, the Panthers took care of business again on Saturday, beating St. Michael’s College, 66-59 on day two of the Rollins College Classic. Julie McCarthy led the Panthers with a double-double Saturday, with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The first quarter went back-and-forth with the score tied three times. Shequana Harris hit a lay-up with 29 seconds left, putting the Panthers up 16-14 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was more of the same, with the Panthers leading throughout, with a five-point advantage in the quarter on two occasions, before St. Michaels closed the gap to one. Both teams scored 19 points in the quarter and the Panthers maintained a two-point advantage at the half, 35-33. The Panthers (2-0) put their best quarter together in the third, outscoring the Purple Knights, 20-14. SMC tied the score at 35 withi...