Spartans Defeat Palm Beach Atlantic To End Skid

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The University of Tampa (9-8) men's basketball team snapped its five game losing streak with a 66-61 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic University (2-18). The Spartans rebounded from a 13-point halftime deficit to top the reeling Sailfish.

The Spartans suffered through a disastrous first half as Richard Schmidt's squad headed to intermission facing a 36-23 deficit. PBA held a commanding 28-10 lead at the 5:53 mark of the opening as it shot 69.6 percent from the field and outrebounded UT by a 13-6 mark.

UT quickly found its way back into the game coming out of the break as it opened the second half with an 18-1 run to grab a 41-37 lead. The Spartans stretched the lead to 49-39 with 10:57 to play and led for the remainder of the half.

Palm Beach Atlantic did not go away, fighting to within one at 62-61 with 42 seconds on the clock. UT's Rashad Callaway had the answer as he connected on 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 17 seconds to give his team the victory.

Freshman Callum Townsend and Callaway led Tampa with 20 points apiece. Townsend scored 17 points in the second half, including five 3-pointers. Callaway had 14 in the final frame for the Spartans, connecting on 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.

Callaway also paced the Spartans with eight assists and four steals as the lone Spartan to play all 40 minutes. Townsend led Tampa with four rebounds.

Tampa returns home to the Bob Martinez Sports Center where it will play host to Florida Tech on Saturday at 4 p.m. in a Sunshine State Conference meeting. The Spartans and Panthers will meet for the second time after UT notched a 77-70 triumph over the Panthers in its SSC opener on Dec. 5 in Melbourne.

UT will offer live stats and a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com.

Fans may also follow Unive rsity of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers eScores, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.