Tampa Outlasts No. 17 in Overtime For Seventh Straight Win

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team took a hard-fought victory over No. 17 Barry University in a 104-98 overtime win on the road.

Final Score: University of Tampa Spartans 104, Barry University Buccaneers 98 (OT)
Records: Tampa (11-3, 6-2 SSC), Barry (11-3, 5-3 SSC)
Location: Barry Arena || Miami Shores, Florida
All-Time Series: Tampa holds a 45-31 lead in the all-time series. Saturday's victory ends a four-game losing streak against the Buccaneers.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half: Barry gained early control in the game, building a double-figure lead before taking an eight-point advantage to the break. Max Jones hit double figures, scoring 10 points in the half, followed by Derrick Felder with nine. The Spartans struggled from long-distance, shooting 0-for-9 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes. || Score: 47-39 Barry

Second Half: The Spartans closed the gap, and came through with a pair of defensive stops inside a minute remaining to force an extra period. Jones continued to lead Tampa, netting 18 second-half points. Bryan Williams contributed 12 off the UT bench. After failing to make a 3-pointer in the first half, Tampa connected on 6-of-13 from beyond the arc for a 46.2 percent mark. UT hit 55.9 percent from the floor, and also came away with seven steals in the second. || Final: 88-88 Tie

Overtime: UT played a clean overtime period, which saw zero Spartan turnovers as Tampa drew six Barry fouls. The Spartans were 10-for-12 from the free-throw line, holding the lead to secure the victory. Jones scored 10 overtime points on 3-of-3 shooting and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. He would account for 10 of UT's 16 overtime points. || Final: 104-98 Tampa

INSIDE THE STATS

• Jones had a career-high 38 points. He was 12-for-20 from the field and also made 12 free throws.
• Felder netted 19 points as Williams had 18.
• Felder, Jones and Williams led the way with three assists apiece.
• Williams had a team-best five steals.
• Martin Lakovic grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Spartans. He also had three blocked shots.

BEYOND THE BOX

• This is UT's seventh consecutive victory on the season.
• The win over a ranked opponent is the first since defeating then-No. 9 West Florida, 81-63, on November 16, 2018.
• The seven consecutive wins is the longest streak since the 2016-17 season.

UP NEXT: Tampa heads home for a pair of games next week. UT hosts SSC rival Florida Southern on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

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