Spartans are Set to Host the Tampa Invitational

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men's and women's basketball teams will host multiple teams on Sunday and Monday. The men will start with a battle against the Lane College Dragons at 5:30 pm on Sunday and the Miles College Golden Bears on Monday at 5:30 pm. The women will take on the Albany State Golden Rams on Monday at 1:00 pm.  

The Matchup (Men's): University of Tampa (7-3) vs. Lane College (4-5)

The Matchup (Women's): University of Tampa (6-3) vs. Albany State (1-8)

Date/Time (Men's): Sunday, December 18 at 5:30 pm.

Date/Time (Women's): Monday, December 19 at 1:00 pm. 

Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla.

Last Time Out (Men's): The Spartans took down the top-ranked Panthers of Florida Tech in a tough conference matchup. The Panthers and the Spartans traded leads for the majority of the first half. It wasn't until the six-minute mark that the Spartans offense found a consistent rhythm. A deep three-point jumper from freshman Mekhi Biffle along with a handful of three point shots from sophomore Anthony Gamble sparked the Spartan offense and carried them into halftime with a score of 42-35. Gamble had 20 points alone in the first half, which set him up for his record-breaking evening. Coming out of halftime the Spartans were energized, they went up by as many as 30 points with just under five minutes left in the game. The Panthers could not keep up with the seamless play of the Spartans, which lead UT to a 96-66 victory. Gamble scored 32 points, set the UT record for three point attempts in a game with 22, and tied the school record for three point shots made in a game with 10. Senior Matt Johnson had a season high 11 assists and Biffle posted his first double-double as a Spartan. As a team, the Spartans were 52 percent from the field, tallied 45 rebounds and 25 assists.

Last Time Out (Women's): The Spartans took on the Florida Tech Panthers in a tough battle and came out victorious. The teams traded points consistently through the entire first half, as they headed into half time with a score of 31-30, Spartan advantage. Coming out of halftime the Spartans offense was sparked and they increased their lead by 10 points. A deep three-pointer from junior Griffin Dempsey put the Spartans up by 13 heading into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter the Panthers started to rally back and close in on the Spartans lead. They cut Tampa's lead to as few as six points. The Panthers could not keep up with the Spartans as FIT went scoreless for nearly four minutes of the last quarter. Tampa solidified their win with a score of 66-53. Senior Elena de Alfredo was the leading point scorer with 19 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. She was followed by junior Karma Jeremie who had 12 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. As a team, the Spartans shot 53 percent from the field compared to the Panthers 37 percent.

About the Spartans (Men's): UT is led offensively by sophomore Pat Bacon, tallying 15.1 points per game. He is followed by junior Duke Shelton and senior Austin Rettig with 13.8 and 12.1, respectively. Shelton sits in second place in the SSC for rebounds with 10.2 per game and in second place for blocked shots with 1.6 per game. As a team, the Spartans are second in conference for defensive rebounds with 27.2 per game and first in conference for blocked shots averaging 4.10 per game.

About the Spartans (Women's): The Spartans are led offensively by senior de Alfredo who is leading the SSC for points per game with 15.1. She is followed by junior Jeremie and Morgan Lumb with 12.7 and 10.6, respectively. As a team, the Spartans are averaging 64.7 points per game and have a 47.7 field goal percentage.

About the Dragons (Men's): The Lane College Dragons are led offensively by Maurice Alexander and Terrance Bridgeman who are averaging 15.1 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. As a team, Lane is shooting 42 percent from the field and collecting 43.4 rebounds per game. The Dragons are averaging 10.2 steals per game and 3.3 blocks per game.

About the Golden Rams (Women's): Zuri Frost leads the Golden Rams with 90 points averaging 11.3 per game. She is followed by Elesha Foster who has 62 points, averaging 7.8 per game. As a team, the Golden Rams are averaging 47.8 rebounds per game and shooting 29.5 percent from the field. 

Series History (Men's): This is the first matchup between the University of Tampa and Lane College.

Series History (Women's): The Spartans lead the all-time series record over the Golden Rams with a perfect 2-0 record. 

Tickets: Tickets for are $5 for adults, senior citizens and coaches. Children under 12 will be admitted free. UT students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid student ID.

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