UT Holds Off Rollins for SSC Victory

Freddy Ibrahim had a career-best 10 assists in the victory.

UT Holds Off Rollins for SSC Victory

Team Stats

January 9, 2019
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team picked up a Sunshine State Conference victory over visiting Rollins College on Wednesday at the Martinez Center.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final Score: Tampa Spartans 75, Rollins Tars 62
Records: Tampa (9-5, 3-3 SSC), Rollins (8-7, 2-5 SSC)
Location: Martinez Center || Tampa, Fla.
All-Time Series: Tampa now holds a 66-36 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 1961. This is UT's second straight win over the Tars.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Half | Rollins would net the first basket of the game, which would go down as the lone lead of the night for the Tars. The Spartan lead would reach double figures at the mid-way point of the first half. Tampa would then outscore the Tars 12-6 over the final five minutes of the half to take their largest advantage of the game to the break at 38-23.

2nd Half | Tampa would hold its significant lead for the remainder of the game, leading by as many as 19 points. The Tars were only able to get as close as nine points. UT would hold the Tars to just two points in the final three minutes of the contest as they pulled away for the league win.

INSIDE THE STATS:

  • Vincent Biffle was the top scorer with 23 points as the junior from Indianapolis was 6-for-7 from the free throw line.
  • Senior Anthony Gamble added 22 points while connecting on three from beyond the arc.
  • Cedric Belemene pulled down a team-leading 14 rebounds as he registered his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points.
  • Freddy Ibrahim tallied a career-best 10 assists as he also matched Biffle for team honors with two steals.
  • Despite being outshot 46.4 to 42.6 percent from the field, UT connected on 15 free throws compared to just three for the Tars.
  • Tampa won the battle of the boards with 41 rebounds compared to 27 for the visitors. Of the 41 boards, 16 were on the offensive end.

BEYOND THE BOX:

  • Tampa has now won five of its last six games.
  • UT is now 5-2 at the Martinez Center this season.
  • The game featured a pair of 700-plus win coaches in UT head coach Richard Schmidt (704) and Rollins' Tom Klusman (701).

UP NEXT: Tampa faces a stiff road test as it travels to Fort Lauderdale for a meeting with No. 4 Nova Southeastern on Saturday at 4 p.m.

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