Thompson scored a career 27 points
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – The Florida Tech men’s basketball team defeated Lynn, 98-83, behind a career-high 27-point performance from junior Chase Thompson on Saturday night at the Clemente Center.
The Panthers started the game with an 8-3 capped off with a layup by Chase Thompson at the 15:58 mark of the half.
Following a Lynn basket, Tech ran off six straight points, including a monster slam dunk by David McCullough to make it 14-5 with 13:32 left in the half.
A 13-2 run, highlighted by eight points from McCullough, put the Panthers on top 27-10 with just over nine minutes on the clock.
Jalen Gilmore looked to breathe some life into Lynn with a made jumper, but back-to-back baskets from McCullough and Rahsaan Edwards gave Tech a 20-point cushion, 32-12, heading into the under eight-minute media timeout.
Both defenses would lock in for some time and after some back-and-forth, a triple in the corner from Thompson gave the Panthers a 42-21 lead with just under three minutes to play until halftime.
The teams would continue to go back-and-forth over the last three minutes and Tech took a 50-32 lead into halftime.
SECOND HALF:
The back-and-forth continued into the start of the second half, with the teams taking a 56-37 score into the first media timeout with 15:56 on the clock.
Coming out of the timeout, Max Polk would convert a three-point play for the Panthers to spark a quick 6-2 run to go up 62-39 with 14 minutes to go.
Edwards and Martin would make back-to-back baskets to send Tech into the under 12-minute media timeout with a 72-45 lead. A layup by Polk after the break would give the Panthers their largest lead of the game, 73-45.
A made jumper by Elhadji Thiam would make it an 82-61 game with 6:25 to go.
Lynn would use a 12-4 run to cut Tech’s lead down to 86-73 heading into the final media timeout with 3:23 left to play.
The Panthers would respond with an 8-3 run of their own, capped off by a Niall Harris layup, to extend their lead out to 94-76, with 1:40 on the clock.
Both teams added a few more baskets in the waning moments of the game to give it a final score of 98-83.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
Thompson was named player of the game after he scored a career and game-high 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. He also added five rebounds, two assists, and one block to his line.
David McCullough finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and one block. Niall Harris fell one rebound shy of a double-double with 14 points.
Rahsaan Edwards tallied a double-double with 13 points and 13 assists. He also grabbed five boards and added three steals. Elias Martin totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
Florida Tech moves to 26-39 all-time against Lynn, including a 10-21 record at the Clemente Center.
Rahsaan Edwards’ 13 assists are tied for the ninth most in a single game in program history.
Niall Harris has now recorded at least five or more rebounds in 25 straight games dating back to February 15, 2023.
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will next play on Wednesday, Feb. 14 when the Panthers travel to PBA for a midweek SSC matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Related Story:Florida Tech Women’s Lacrosse Defeats Team England During Friday Night ‘Friendly’ Exhibition
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