Men's basketball team loses to College of Central Florida

The Eastern Florida State College men's basketball team lost a close game for the second straight time in the Mid-Florida Conference on Wednesday night.

The No. 16-ranked College of Central Florida men's basketball team hit their free throws down the stretch to claim the 81-79 victory in Ocala.

The Titans led for most of the second half, taking a nine-point lead with an Amar Tiganj 3-pointer with six minutes and 39 seconds remaining. But the Patriots went on a 9-2 run and tied the game with 2:41 remaining. From there it was tight the rest of the way with the College of Central Florida going 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the last couple minutes.

Brian Dugazon hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds to cut the lead to 81-79.

Dugazon finished the game with a team-high 23 points, five assists and four rebounds while Nick Alves had 21 points and Tiganj finished with 4-for-5 behind the 3-point line for 16 points.

The Titans (11-8, 0-2) will be back at Titan Field House Saturday afternoon for a 4 p.m. Mid-Florida Conference game against Daytona State College.