Panthers Suffer 80-61 Setback at PBA

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Men’s Basketball) – Florida Tech dug a hole too deep to recover from against Palm Beach Atlantic Tuesday as the Sailfish topped the Panthers 80-61 with four players in double figures for PBA. Justin Sedlak led all scorers with 24 points and paced the Panthers on the boards with eight as Tech drops to 7-2 overall.

Florida Tech was facing an 18-point deficit just under two minutes into the second half, but came back on a 15-3 run to cut it to 47-41 on a freebie by Sedlak. A jumper by the senior a minute and a half later made it a six-point game once more. However, PBA stormed out on a 16-3 spurt of its own to reclaim control of the game.

From that point, there wasn’t much the Panthers could do as the Sailfish went on top by as much as 22, ultimately capping off the 80-61 victory over Tech.

Julius Reid contributed 12 points for the visitors, adding seven rebounds and a team-high four assists. The Panthers managed just nine points from its bench and, unfortunately, turned the ball over 24 times. All was even on the boards with each team grabbing 38.

The Panthers found themselves in a 37-26 hole after the first period of play as the Sailfish defense held Tech to just 31.3 percent shooting. Florida Tech, down by as many as 15 in the opener, was paced by Sedlak with eight before the break.

PBA was led by Jonathan Lawrence with 19 points while three others notched double figures, including David Wood who had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, all on the defensive end.

Now the Panthers must prepare for their Sunshine State Conference opener as the Saint Leo Lions head to Melbourne for a 7:30 p.m. showdown in the Clemente Center on Saturday, Dec. 4.