Moraes Dunks’ Sink the Bucs

Box score

TAMPA, Fla.-The University of Tampa men's basketball team (12-6, 5-4 SSC) held off the Barry University Buccaneers (14-4, 5-4 SSC) with a 68-67 nail-biting victory Saturday afternoon in the Bob Martinez Athletics Center.

The Spartans trailed the Bucs throughout the majority of the first half. A late three-pointer by junior guard Jordan Davis pulled the Spartans within five at the half.

Senior Forward Eric Moraes contributed six points and six rebounds in the first half, while senior guard Ryan Kidd added eight points for Tampa.

Midway through the second half the Spartans captured their first lead of the game off of a Kidd layup assisted by Davis. From there the two teams went back and forth, neither team giving an inch.

Tampa pushed a late comeback led by the electrifying dunks from Moraes. The victory was clinched by six straight free throws down the stretch from Davis. The Spartans held the Bucs to shooting 32 percent from the field in the second half.

Moraes finished with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds. Davis added 15 points to go along with his eight assists for the game. The Spartans got a key contribution from Kidd who shot an efficient 6-for-9 from the field and ended with 14 points. Vincent Cornu added 11 points and six rebounds for Tampa.

The Spartans will travel Wednesday night to Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. UT defeated the Tars earlier in the season 76-63 in the Bob Martinez Athletics Center. Tampa owns a 69-43 all-time record versus Rollins.

UT will offer live stats and a webcast for the match through TampaSpartans.tv.

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