Spartans Suffer First Loss of Season at West Florida

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team dropped a 67-54 decision at the University of West Florida, dropping the Spartans to 3-1 on the season as the Argonauts improve to 4-0.

UT took control of the game out of the gates, taking a 7-0 lead in less than two minutes to start the contest. West Florida chipped away at the lead, taking its first lead with 14:30 remaining in the first half. The two teams exchanged leads before West Florida took a 35-33 advantage to the half.

The Spartans found themselves in foul trouble in the second half as starting forward Fred Woods fouled out and point guards Rashad Callaway and Rudy Jean finished with four apiece. It took UWF less than seven minutes in the final half to take a double digit lead as it built a 48-37 tilt with 13:48 to go. West Florida held on as the closest UT got was a five point margin before the Argonauts pulled away in the final two minutes.

Callaway led all scorers with 21 points, including four three pointers. Johnathan Ball added 14 points while Callaway also held team honors with seven rebounds. West Florida held a huge advantage from the field, shooting 47.3 percent while holding the Spartans to a 29.7 clip.

Tampa returns to action on Sat., Dec. 6, when it travels to West Palm Beach to meet Palm Beach Atlantic at 4 p.m. UT will offer live stats and a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com. Fans may also sign up for eScores through the website, a free service that sends text messages on Spartan athletic events.