Eckerd Rallies To Defeat Spartans

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team came out on the wrong side of a back-and-forth battle as Sunshine State Conference foe Eckerd College picked up a 63-54 victory. The Spartans drop to 10-13 and 4-10 in the SSC while the Tritons improve to 15-8 and 8-5 in league play.

Eckerd put UT in an early hole as it got out to a 10-0 lead to start the game. The Spartans quickly regrouped, going on a 25-3 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 25-13 advantage. The Spartans held the momentum to take a 31-17 lead to the break.

The Tritons scored the first 13 points of the second half to regain the lead. UT would fight back on two occasions to grab the lead before Eckerd took a 46-45 advantage with 8:22 on the clock. The Tritons stretched the margin to eight points with 2:50 to go in regulation and were about to thwart any comeback bids from the Spartans.

Anthony LaBruno led Tampa in scoring for the second straight contest as the senior guard netted 14 points. He finished as the lone Spartan in double figures, going 9-for-9 from the free throw line.

Rashad Callaway added six assists and four steals to lead UT. Ted Amendola provided a spark off the bench for Tampa, finishing with a career high seven points in 17 minutes of play.

Tampa will travel to Miami Shores for a Saturday afternoon meeting with Barry University. The SSC matchup is slated for 4 p.m. Live stats and a webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.com

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