Panthers Improve to 6-1 With Win Over Florida Memorial, 65-57
Danise Fequiere debuts scoring 10 points after coming back from pre-season injury
MELBOURNE, FL- The Florida Tech Panthers improved their overall record to 6-1 today with a win over visiting Florida Memorial University, 65-57. Junior
guard Danielle Vaughn (Tallahassee, FL) scored a double-double, leading the game with 16 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. She is the first Panther of the
year to accomplish a double-double. Vaughn also managed two steals and two assists.
Two other Panthers managed to score more than 10 points. Junior guard Kristina Harrell (Melbourne, FL) sank 14 points for Tech and tallied seven rebounds.
Junior center Danise Fequiere (Miami, FL), who was sidelined with an injury the first six games of the season, scored 10 points for the Panthers in her
2005-2006 debut.
The home team’s defense was awesome coming out of the gate, holding the Lions to three points through the first five minutes of play while Tech’s offense
surged to an early 12-point lead. Harrell and Vaughn combined to score the first 15 of Tech’s points before Fequiere sank a lay-up seven minutes into the
game. With almost ten minutes left in the half the two teams began going back and forth scoring. The Panthers maintained about a 10-point lead through the
entire half, heading into the locker room leading 33-25.
The Lions began chipping away at their deficit early in the second half. Senior forward Courtney Jones (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) led the surge for FMU, scoring
two lay-ups to help pull her team to within three in the first four minutes of the half. That was as close as the visitors would get. With almost 10
minutes left in the game Tech went on a tear, scoring off two consecutive free throws by junior forward Milana Velasquez (New York, NY), a free throw and a
lay up by senior forward Lourdes Diaz (Hialeah, FL) and eventually built up a 16-point lead, their largest of the night. The closest FMU could get was
within six with under three minutes to play, and when the final buzzer rang the score stood at 65-57 in favor of the Panthers.
Three Florida Memorial players scored in double digits. Jones led her team with 14 points, grabbing two steals and four rebounds before fouling out of the
game with less than two minutes to play. Senior center Carol Duarte (New Milford, NJ) scored 13 points for her team and grabbed four rebounds before also
fouling out with less than 30 seconds to play. Sophomore guard Keisha Alexander (Chicago, IL) managed 10 points while dishing five assists, grabbing five
rebounds and two steals and shot a perfect 3-3 from behind the three-point line.
Sophomore guard Tenisha Chase (Temple Hills, MD) led the Panthers with five assists.
With the win Tech improves to 6-1; FMU falls to 4-6 on the season. The Panthers start conference play this weekend as they host SSC rivals Rollins College
Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
