Spartans Silence Mountain Lions Roar

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team played a tough Young Harris team but came out on top, winning 68-60. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final:  Spartans 68, Young Harris 60
Records: Tampa (3-2), Young Harris (3-2)
Location: Martinez Center | Tampa, Fla.
All-time Series: Spartans now lead the all-time series 1-0 against the Mountain Lions.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | Tampa shot 48.2 percent from the field to take a 32-20 lead to the break. The Spartans started out hot with sophomore Pat Bacon recording a jump shot. Sophomore Freddy Ibrahim and senior Austin Rettig followed suit with a layup and three point jumper, respectively. However, the Mountain Lions retaliated with a few layups and three point shots of their own. Rettig led all Spartans in the first half with nine points. Junior Duke Shelton also contributed eight points of his own while playing for the full 20 minutes. The Spartans headed into halftime leading by a 12 point deficit. 

2nd Half | Young Harris was on the board first with a jump shot that would cut the Spartans lead to 10 points. But Rettig responded with a three point shot to increase the lead once again. It wasn't until the last four minutes of the game that the Mountain Lions started to chip away at the Spartans lead. The Spartans only led by eight as the time on the clock started to dwindle. But two momentum changing dunks from Shelton with less than two minutes left ensured the Spartans 68-60 win.  

INSIDE THE STATS:
• Shelton led all Spartans with 18 points, 16 rebounds, and three assists. 

• Rettig was the next leading point scorer with 16 followed by Bacon who contributed 10.

• Tampa shot 48.2 percent from the field, as the Mountain Lions came in at 38.1 percent. 

• The Spartans tallied 43 rebounds while Young Harris only collected 30. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
•  Shelton had a double-double, making it his second of the season. 

• A total of three Spartans scored in double figures.

UP NEXT:
Tampa will play Colorado Christian on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Live stats will be available through TampaStats.com, and video will be streamed through TampaSpartans.tv.

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