Spartans Slay Cougars With An 87-69 Victory

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team took on the Cougars of Colorado Christian. The Spartans offense led them to their first victory of the tournament.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Tampa Spartans 87, Colorado Christian Cougars 69
Records: Tampa (4-2), Colorado Christian (3-2)
Location: McArthur Center | St. Petersburg, Fla.
All-time Series: This was the first competition between the Spartans and Cougars, and UT now leads the series 1-0. 
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | The Cougars were the first to score and went up 5-0 in the first two minutes of the half. But a Duke Shelton tipin followed by a dunk would put the Spartans on the board. The Cougars offense was strong going into the media timeout, however, the Spartans offense was sparked when freshman Mekhi Biffle came off the bench and sank a three point shot assisted by Freddy Ibrahim to tie the score. Sophomore Pat Bacon made a layup to take the lead followed by a three pointer from Ibrahim and a layup from Shelton. The Spartans lead by eight, forcing the Cougars to call a timeout. A three point shot by senior Austin Rettig would put the Spartans up by 10 points with three minutes left on the clock. The Cougars could not keep up with the UT offense, as the Spartans led 48-32 going into halftime. 

2nd Half | The Spartans started the second half with a three pointer by Ibrahim assisted by Rettig. Halftime recharged the Cougars as they came out cutting the Spartans 16 point lead to a nine point lead. The Spartans found their rhythm and led by a 69-53 advantage after a three pointer by Biffle, assisted by Bacon. Rettig followed suit with a three point shot of his own, increasing the Spartans lead to 22 points. Tampa's momentum remained consistent as they continued to lead the Cougars by at least 19 points throughout the rest of the second half. The Spartans solidified their win at 87-69.          

INSIDE THE STATS:
• Shelton led all Spartans with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and one assist. 

• Rettig was the third leading point scorer with 16 points, followed by Bacon, Bryant, and Biffle who had 15, 14, and 14, respectively.

• Tampa shot 51.7 percent from the field, as the Cougars came in at 42.4 percent. 

• UT outrebounded its opponent 37-32. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
• Bryant secured his first double-double of the season.

• Shelton tallied his third double-double of his junior season.

• Five Spartans scored in double figures. 

• A total of 14 Spartans saw the floor against Colorado Christian.

UP NEXT:
Tampa will play their second and final game of the Eckerd College Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday at 5:30 p.m., against Puerto Rico-Bayamon. Live stats will be available through TampaStats.com.

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