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Panthers Dominate Warriors in Tampa Classic

Gracie DoanePhoto credit: James Ragan Photography

The Florida Tech women’s basketball team got back to .500 Tuesday, beating the Southern Wesleyan 87-51 on the final day of the Tampa Classic. The loss dropped the Warriors to 1-8.

Florida Tech had four double-figure scorers led by DeLise Williams‘ 16 points. Tereza Sedlakova finished with 14, Gracie Doane had 13 in just nine minutes of playing time and Tanease Richardson chipped in with 12. Gudlaug Juliusdottir just missed a double-digit output finishing with nine points, to go with her game-high nine rebounds.

Jessica Sparks led Southern Wesleyan with 14 points, including four three-pointers in seven attempts.

The Panthers (5-5) were big on the boards on Tuesday, pulling down 53 rebounds, to Wesleyan’s 23. Florida Tech shot 51.4 percent from the field, hitting 37-of-72 shots. They were 4-of-17 from downtown, (23.5 percent).

Florida Tech took control early after the game was tied at 4, they went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a three-point play by Aniquah Swan, making it 12-4. The Warriors got it to 14-10 before the Panthers scored the final six points of the first quarter, giving them a 20-10 lead at the buzzer.

The second quarter was much closer, with Florida Tech outscoring Southern Wesleyan 24-21. Sedlakova led the way in that quarter, scoring seven points in six minutes. Williams hit a three early in the quarter, giving the Panthers a 25-14 lead at the time. They led 44-31 at the break.

The game was put out of reach in the third quarter, with the Panthers outscoring the Warriors 30-14. Doane had eight points in the quarter, including two made three-pointers. The first came with 7:49 to go, making it 51-36. That was answered by Tatiyana Mahone with 7:38 left, making it a 51-39 game. Mahone was the only other Warriors player in double figures, finishing with 11.

Those would be the last points the Wesleyan would score until Noelle van Zadelhoff hit a free-throw with 2:21 left in the quarter. In between the Panthers went on a 19-0 run. Doane hit a three with 5:30 to go, making it 62-39, but the majority of the Panthers points in the quarter came in the paint. They dominated the points in the paint stat 48-14 and points off turnovers 22-7.

The fourth quarter was a quiet one as you would expect. The Panthers scored 13 points, with the first four coming from Richardson. Doane hit another three-ball and led FIT with five points in the quarter. The Warriors managed just seven in the final 10 minutes.

For more info: Southern Wesleyan @ Florida Tech Box Score

The Panthers return home on December 30, for a Sunshine State Conference showdown against Palm Beach Atlantic. The opening tip is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.