ST. AUGUSTINE –
Tori Pearce poured in a game-high 28 points and tied her career-high with 10 assists as Flagler College rallied past Florida Tech 76-63 in a non-conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Flagler Gymnasium.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Flagler (5-3) and avenged a loss at Florida Tech 11 days earlier. The Panthers suffered their third loss in a row and fell to 1-5.
"This was a hard-fought win against a well-coached team," said head coach
Mo Smith. "I thought in the second half we got more consecutive stops and rebounded the ball better, which keyed our transition game."
The Saints used a 21-7 run in the third quarter that wiped out a 35-32 lead by the Panthers. A
Jaziana Mathis three-pointer tied the game at 35 with 8:32 left in the quarter to start the run.
Flagler played the final minute of the game with a double-digit lead.
Mathis finished with 25 points and five rebounds. Pearce added eight rebounds and a career-best six steals to her final line.
Sadie Russell added eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Saints defense forced 23 Florida Tech turnovers and those were converted into 23 points. Flagler also held a 40-18 scoring advantage in the paint. The Saints shot a sizzling 64.7 percent from the field in the third quarter, which helped Flagler outscore Florida Tech 23-12.
Hannah Roney led the Panthers with 17 points while Fanny Paulin added 14 points. Fanny Hakanson tallied seven assists.
Flagler is idle until Dec. 13 when it hosts Palm Beach Atlantic University at 3:30 p.m. at Flagler Gymnasium.
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