FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12-21-04

Men's College Basketball: AASU 69, Florida Tech 59

Release Courtesy of Florida Tech Sports Information

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Armstrong Atlantic State University junior guard Alex Carter (Miami, Fla.) scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Pirates to a 69-59 win over Florida Tech Tuesday night in the Clemente Center. Carter also grabbed seven rebounds and three assists to help the Pirates improve to 7-3.

Junior forward Titus Vainauskas (Vilnius, Lithuania) led the Panthers in scoring with 16 points, including a 3-for-3 effort at the free throw line. Vainauskas also grabbed six rebounds. Florida Tech junior guard Desmond Greene (Rockledge, Fla.) scored 11 points with three assists and three steals. Panther sophomore guard Matt Hill (Fort Myers, Fla.) came off the bench and scored eight points.

The first half started even, as the lead flip-flopped back and forth for the first 10 minutes. The Pirates began pulling away and would take a 10-point lead with six minutes to go, but the Panthers staged a comeback with five minutes left in the half. Florida Tech tied the Pirates 27-27 with two minutes left on the clock. The visitors retook the lead at the end of the half 29-27.

The Pirates increased their lead to four at the beginning of the second half only to watch the Panthers retake the lead a minute and a half later. The Pirates quickly regained the lead again and held onto it, pulling away from Tech by as much as 11 points with 5:20 left in the half. The Panthers attempted numerous comebacks, coming within one point twice, with 13:55 remaining in the half (39-40) and again with 9:37 left (45-46). The game ended a 69-59 defeat for the Panthers, the first road win of the season for AASU.

Armstrong Atlantic sophomore forward Bryan Taylor (Timmonsville, S.C.) scored 18 points and led the game with nine rebounds and shot 7-11 from the floor. Pirate senior guard Lorenzo Lawrence (Jacksonville, Fl) tallied 14 points and led the game with six assists.

The Pirates outshot the Panthers from the floor, shooting 49.0% (25-of-51) versus Tech's 38.3% (23-of-60) performance. Armstrong also led from three-point range with 42.1% (8-of-19) shooting against the Panthers 24.1% (7-of-29). The Pirates dominated the boards as well, grabbing 40 boards compared to Tech's 28 caroms.

-Pirates-