Jasmire Brown lead the team with 20 pts. ( FIT image)
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – As quite a few teams have done thus far this season, Flagler hung around for about the first 10-12 minutes Monday night before Florida Tech put their foot on the gas and rode away with an 82-53 victory in front of the home crowd.
The win is even more impressive considering the Panthers last played back on Dec. 6.
“For having eight days off and still scoring 80 points, I can be happy with that,” said head coach John Reynolds.
One of four Panthers to score in double figures on the evening, forward Jasmire Brown led the way with a season-high 20 points to go along with eight boards.
“Jas has been our steadiest player, especially in terms of percentages,” said Reynolds. “Night after night she gets the job done. Last week she was 5-of-6 from three, and follows it up by going 5-of-7. The two she missed she shouldn’t have been taking anyways.”
Despite 14 first half turnovers, Florida Tech took a 36-23 advantage into the locker room.
“You could see the rust falling off our girls when we first started playing,” said Reynolds. “We were forcing bad passes, had poor shot selection, and there was no execution. I told them at halftime we had 20 minutes to get all the nonsense out of us, now it’s time to show who we really are.”
John Reynolds
Reynolds message certainly appeared to get through to his players, as Florida Tech blew the door off the hinges with a 30-10 run through the first 9:45 of the second half to extend its lead to its largest of the game at 66-33.
“In the second half we were able to get out and run,” said Reynolds. “The group who started the second half did a real nice job for us.”
Guard Shequana Harris filled up the stat sheet in the win, registering 19 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists in 23 minutes of action. In addition to Harris, junior Tiesha Flagler quietly recorded a double-double, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Crimson and Gray will tip-off the FIT Holiday Tournament against LeMoyne on Friday at noon.
