SAINT LEO, Fla. (Men’s Basketball) – Florida Tech (15-5, 7-4 SSC) never found its offensive rhythm Saturday at the Marion Bowman Activities Center, and in the end got outworked and outsmarted by a stubborn Saint Leo (10-10, 4-6 SSC) team that sent the Panthers back into a second-place tie in the Sunshine State Conference.   

“We lacked the intensity, the passion and the explosion that we usually have,” head coach Billy Mims said. “We were never able to guard their shooters well enough. They had too many open looks and it cost us dearly. They lived by the jumper and we died by the jumper.”

After leading 30-29 at halftime, Saint Leo took control of the game in the second half with its three-point shooting. The Lions connected on 7-of-14 from the arc in the final 20 minutes. The Panthers tried to erase a nine-point deficit with 12:36 to go by coming within one point and then two points, but their surge was met with timely baskets by the Lions.

“What really hurt us were missed layups and free throws,” Mims added. “They outworked us, outplayed us and were very smart with the basketball, while controlling the tempo of the game.”

Anthony Jackson led the Panthers in scoring with a season-high 24 points to go along with six rebounds. Jermaine Jackson and Julius Reid scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.  Simon Cummings had a team-high five assists and tied for the team lead with three steals.

The Panthers will jump start a three-game homestand by playing Nova Southeastern Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Clemente Center. Live video, audio and stats will be available through the Panthers’ GameCentral portal at FloridaTechSports.com/live.