Florida Tech experienced two closely contested games against Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) competition to start the season, but after being held intact for roughly the first 30 minutes Friday night, exploded for a 22-2 run en route to a 103-82 rout of Lane on day one of the Florida Tech Winter Classic. (FIT Image)
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech experienced two closely contested games against Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) competition to start the season, but after being held intact for roughly the first 30 minutes Friday night, exploded for a 22-2 run en route to a 103-82 rout of Lane on day one of the Florida Tech Winter Classic.
Tied at 72-72 midway through the second half, the Panthers ramped up the tempo and turned the game into exactly what they wanted…a track meet. Five players finished in double figures, led by Corbin Jackson and Jordan Majors, who paved the way with 18 points apiece.
Meanwhile, Pat Anderson and Randy Echols each added 17 points of their own, combining for 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
Billy Mims
“That’s a good SIAC basketball team that might win their league,” said head coach Billy Mims.
“Tonight, they gave us everything we could handle for 33 minutes and we had to find a way to win. We made some defensive adjustments that worked and I thought all our guys stepped up when we needed them to.”
Majors converted the harm and the foul in transition to help the Panthers open up an early 12-6 cushion less than five minutes into the contest.
Lane regained a 24-22 later in the half, but it would only last for a mere 30 seconds as Majors’ confidence continued to grow on the offensive end of the floor. The redshirt sophomore poured in six of his 14 first-half points in a span of 1:19 to give Florida Tech a seven point advantage, its largest in the opening period.
However, a late 12-1 run by the Dragons, coupled by the Panthers’ rough 2-of-10 display from beyond the arc, evened the score up at 45-45 heading into the locker room.
Still knotted at 57 all, Echols broke the tie with a jumper from deep with 12:30 to play, his first field goal of the night.
Consecutive treys on back-to-back trips down the floor by Lane’s Jean-Marc Lucien, though, would keep the Dragons within striking distance before the top eventually blew off the Clemente Center.
Jump-starting the ensuing onslaught, Echols and Sam Daniel drained a pair of three-point buckets to stretch the margin to double-digits at 83-72.
Moments later, Jackson found himself on the receiving end of an Echols dish for a rim-rocking two-handed slam to close the door on the Dragons, sending Florida Tech to its third straight victory.
“That’s why I love Corbin Jackson to death,” said Mims.
“At the half, I thought he wasn’t all there and let him know that. He responded, though. He got active, defended and got on the glass, which is what we expect from him.”
Daniel chipped in a quiet 11 points in the effort, topping double-figures for the sixth game in a row.
Four-of-five from deep, Echols has now moved into the top-10 in NCAA Division II in three-point field percentage.
Mims and company will now turn its focus towards Arkansas Tech, a 76-61 victor over Nova Southeastern earlier in the day, as the Panthers round out the Florida Tech Winter Classic Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage will be available at FloridaTechSports.com/live.
