The Florida Tech Panthers (9-13, 6-10 SSC) gave the Florida Southern Moccasins (20-3, 15-2 SSC) all they could handle on Saturday, before falling 58-50 in a women’s basketball Sunshine State Conference game.

DeLise Williams (13 points) and Tereza Sedlakova (12 points) led the way for the Panthers in this one. Markeema Crawford chipped in with seven. The Panthers as a team shot 44 percent (20-of-45) but they came up empty again behind the arc (0-for-8) and to make matters worse, they were 10-of-22 from the free-throw line (45.5 percent). In an eight-point game, those last two statistics are the difference in the game.

For the Moccasins, this was their 13th straight victory and for the Panthers, it was their fourth straight loss and dropped their road record to 2-8.

The first quarter was a feeling out quarter for both teams. Florida Tech held an 8-4 lead before FSC made a run that eventually led to a 12-12 tie at the end of the first 10 minutes.

A three by the Mocs leading scorer Camile Giardina made it 17-13 with 8:35 to go. Just over 2:00 later, the lead was 23-15. The Panthers worked it back to a four-point game 27-23 and 29-25 with both baskets coming from Sedlakova. A free-throw by Crawford made it 29-26 with 36 seconds left. It was 31-26 at the half after Giardina hit two late free-throws.

The Panthers struggled a bit in the third, turning it over five times in about six minutes and going 4:00 without making a shot from the field. Even with all that, they were only down 44-37 at the end of the third quarter.

Down 46-39, the Panthers went on a 7-0 run with baskets by Gudlaug Juliusdottir along with free throws from Kailyn Ebb. Williams put the exclamation point on the run with the hoop and the harm. She made the free-throw,  tying the game at 46 with 6:32 left.

Aniquah Swan followed a Mocs basket with one of her own and that made it 49-48 FSC, but a free-throw and a three by Giardina stretched the lead to 53-48 with 2:15 left. That was the dagger, as the Mocs hit their free-throws down the stretch. They were 15-of-20 from the line for the game.

For more info: Florida Tech @ Florida Southern Box Score 

Things don’t get any easier for the Panthers, who will host Barry on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Clemente Center.