Behind a second half explosion, Florida Tech dealt Lynn a 101-85 Sunshine State Conference loss Saturday evening at the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center. (FIT Image)
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Behind a second half explosion, Florida Tech dealt Lynn a 101-85 Sunshine State Conference loss Saturday evening at the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center.
In the final 20 minutes, the Panthers put up 61 points on 72.7-percent shooting from the field, 50-percent from the arc and 90-percent from the foul line.
Jordan Majors scored 17 of his 31 career-high points.
Jordan Majors
Jermohn Queen pitched in 13, and Rafael Casanova and Corbin Jackson both scored 10 second half points as FIT moves to 10-3 overall and 3-1 in the SSC. Lynn, meanwhile, drops to 6-5 overall and 1-4 in the conference.
“I can’t say enough about our second half performance,” head coach Billy Mims said.
“We were right where we wanted to be at halftime. The key to the ballgame was the comeback we made to end the first half. We were down by two at the half. A few minutes before, we were down 11 points with 4:31 to go in the first half.”
“If we went into the locker room down 10, 11, 12 points, we would’ve been in the same position as we were a few days ago against Stetson. If we did that again, we would’ve learned nothing. The last 4:31 of the first half was when our second half began,” said Mims.
Majors chipped in seven points in the final minutes of the first half, including four in the final 29 seconds. Along with his career-high scoring output, he recorded a game-high nine rebounds and a game-high seven assists, while committing just two turnovers.
Billy Mims
“What a game by Jordan Majors,” Mims added.
“That’s the Jordan Majors we recruited out of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He had just an incredible performance.”
FIT led by 13 points with 10:42 to play. However, in a span of less than two minutes the Panthers’ lead was down to two following a three-pointer by Russell Wilson. After the Panthers called a timeout, a layup by Queen sparked a 12-2 run punctuated by a trey from Casanova.
The Fighting Knights would quickly cut their deficit to six. Any hope they had was dashed following a three-pointer by Echols, which put the Panthers up 95-81 with 1:21 to go.
Mims was happy with the redshirt senior’s performance in 23 minutes as well as his supporting cast.
“We received 20 points from Corbin Jackson,” Mims said.
“Rafael Casanova had a great game. He played outstanding defense. He did everything we asked him to do. I’m very pleased with his effort. Randy Echols is Randy Echols. He went 2-for-4 from behind the arc. His last one was the dagger. Derek Murphy and Robert Booth contributed four points each. Both came on the floor and made plays. Booth had a couple of rebounds and gave us three of our 10 blocks. They both play as hard as anyone I’ve ever coached. I couldn’t be more pleased with the overall performance of our basketball team.”
The Panthers will return to the Clemente Center to play seven of their next 10 games starting on Wednesday against Saint Leo. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
“Through four conference games, we’re 3-1,” Mims said.
“All four have been on the road. Our only loss was on the road, 104-100, in overtime without Corbin Jackson. I couldn’t be prouder. We have a long way to go. We still have 12 tough SSC games. We now need to play well at home. Five of our next six conference games are back at home in the Clemente Center. Four of them will be with our great student body. Even with school not in session next week, I hope we can get a great crowd for Wednesday’s game.”
Live video, audio and stats will be available for the SSC doubleheader against the Lions at FloridaTechSports.com/live.
The women will tip-off the evening at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are only $7 for adults, and $5 for children ages 5-16 and senior citizens ages 65 and up. Children ages four and under are free.
Tickets can be purchased online at FloridaTechSports.com and prior to the game at the entrance leading into the varsity gym. One ticket is good for both games.
