Valient Comeback Effort Falls Short For #24 Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. - A furious second-half rally was not enough for the No. 24 University of Tampa (18-5, 7-5 SSC) men's basketball team as it dropped an 84-79 decision to Sunshine State Conference opponent Eckerd College (16-6, 7-5 SSC).

The Tritons put Tampa in a first-half hole as led by as many as 15 points while carrying the momentum throughout the initial period. An 8-2 UT run to close of the half cut the Eckerd advantage to 40-31 at the half.

Rashad Callaway scored the first eight Spartan points of the second half as UT closed the gap to 42-37 just under two minutes into the second half. Eckerd's edge surged back to double figures before the Spartans went on a 13-2 run to grab its first lead since early in the first half. The run resulted in a 64-62 UT lead at the 9:46 mark courtesy of a Corey Pelot 3-pointer.

The game remained a one-possession affair until the Tritons forced a defensive stop and converted on a free throw to give them an 80-76 lead with 22-seconds showing on the clock. The Tritons helped their cause by hitting 9-of-10 free throws inside the final two minutes.

Callaway led all scorers with 25 points, as the senior guard also turned in a team-high three assists. Fred Woods turned in 17 points as Ashton Graham and Anthony Griffis were each in double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively.

Graham and Woods each had a team-high six rebounds apiece while Pelot and Griffis each had two steals. Eckerd finished with a sizable advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Spartans 40-25 in the game.

The Spartans will take a week off and return to action on Wednesday at Saint Leo University in a 7:30 p.m. contest. Live stats will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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