Panthers Look To Finish Strong In Last Month Of Season
By Florida Tech Athletic Communications // February 4, 2015
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Florida Tech (12-8, 2-7 SSC) will begin February by playing host to Saint Leo (11-10, 3-6 SSC) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Clemente Center.
For the game, head coach Billy Mims and his staff will participate in a National Association of Basketball Coaches initiative, the Second Annual Coaches Powering Forward for Autism benefitting Autism Speaks.
Coaches and support staff will wear blue puzzle piece lapel pins to raise awareness for autism.
Donations will be collected for The Scott Center for Autism Treatment, an on-campus facility that specializes in working with children with autism and other related disorders.
Autism now affects one in 68 children and one in 42 boys and there is no medical detection or cure for autism.
Wednesday will also be Greek Night as FIT’s fraternities and sororities will cheer on the Panthers and compete in a halftime competition.
Both teams know what is at stake. Saint Leo enters in seventh place in the SSC, one game ahead of FIT. One month ago, the Lions secured a four-point win thanks in large part to a career night from forward Cale Girten.
He led all scorers with 21 points, 12 were totaled from the three-point line. Jordan Majors was the lone Panther to score in double figures at 19.
Corbin Jackson corralled 15 of his team’s 27 rebounds and accounted for eight points.
Since the meeting, the two squads have had a tough time finding the win column. The Crimson and Gray are 2-3 in their last five games and the Lions are 1-4.
Despite the challenges both teams have faced, Wednesday’s game is sure to be a contested showdown between two squads hungry for a win.
Jackson leads four Panthers averaging double figures in scoring at 14.4 points per game.
In the Sunshine State Conference, he is first in rebounds per game (14.3), blocks (63) and defensive rebounds (130). He is second in field goal percentage (64.8) and offensive rebounds (76).
Ron Foxx has steered the Lions in scoring, averaging an SSC best 15.4 points per game.
Girten continues to be the team’s primary threat from the three-point line, connecting on 46.1-percent of his attempts.
Live video, audio and stats will be available for the game and the 5:30 p.m. women’s game between the Panthers and Lions at FloridaTechSports.com/live
