Tech Victorious in Physical Game with Missouri-St. Louis, 77-60

Three Panthers ring up double figures; McClairen’s 20 points lead the way

WINTER PARK, Fla. (Women’s Basketball) – Florida Tech wrapped up the Rollins Thanksgiving Classic Saturday evening with a 77-60 win over Missouri-St. Louis in Warden Arena. The Panthers conclude the two-day get together with a 5-1 record on the season, while the Tritons drop to 3-2.

The referee’s whistle became a familiar sound in the non-conference affair. Fifty-two fouls were called – 20 against Tech – and three technicals. Although there were many stops in the game, the Panthers remained focused on their goal, coming out with a win.  

“We survived a very physical basketball game,” Tech head coach John Reynolds said. “It was probably a difficult game to officiate. I’m not one to compliment the referees, but they did a good job of keeping control of a game that could have gotten out of hand. I’m proud of my kids for staying composed. I’m also proud of their effort for winning a basketball game that I considered to be ugly at times.”

Ashton McClairen poured in a season-high 20 points to lead all scorers. Lynisha Nelson tallied 16 to go with nine assists and Kristen Dixon added 13 points on 5-of-9 from the floor.

The duo of McClairen and Dixon helped the Panthers take a 33-24 lead into the locker room following the first half. McClairen, a junior from West Des Moines, Iowa, and Dixon, a senior from Hawthorne, Fla., combined to score 25 points in the opening period. McClairen paced the Panthers with 14 and Dixon supplied 11 on 4-of-5 shooting and 3-of-5 from the free throw line.

Missouri-St. Louis chipped its deficit down to six, 34-28, following a layup by Kelly Mitchell at the 18:03 mark of the second half. But Nelson personally supplied her team with a 9-0 run as she converted a three-point play and followed that up with a pair of three-pointers, giving Tech a commanding 43-28 lead.

The Panthers’ advantage would hover around 20 points the remainder of the way. With just over seven minutes remaining, Tech had the luxury of being in double bonus. It would finish the second half 23-for-33 from the charity stripe.

Sharnae Ivery pulled down a game-high seven rebounds in 28 minutes to lead Tech in that category. Tamara Dowdell swatted away four Triton shots and now has 16 blocks on the season.

A trip to West Palm Beach, Fla. to square off against Palm Beach Atlantic is now in store for Tech. The Panthers and Sailfish will meet at Rubin Arena on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Following the game, the Tech men will oppose PBA at 7 p.m.