Spartans Wrap Up Regular Season With Road Victory
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The University of Tampa Spartans men's basketball team battled the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Saturday afternoon, coming away victorious on the road against the Sunshine State Conference opponent.
Final Score: Tampa Spartans 74, Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 67
Records: Tampa Spartans (16-9) SSC (12-8) , Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish (7-19) SSC (7-13)
Location: Rubin Arena || West Palm Beach, Fla.
All-Time Series: The Spartans are 25-10 in matchups against the Sailfish. Their last matchup was on Jan 2nd with the Spartans taking the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: The Spartans came out more aggressive early in the first half, trading blows with the Sailfish. It wasn't until the 14 minute mark, the Sailfish would take the lead (8-6). However, that lead was short lived as Max Jones layed-in the basket to tie up the score (10-10). The game was relatively close, with the Spartans holding a brittle lead over the span of a few minutes. It wasn't until the two minute mark, the Sailfish made a push against the Spartans going on 12-3 to take the lead at the half. II Score: 30-27 (Sailfish)
Second Half: Although, they were trailing by three at the end of the first half, the Spartans quickly reversed their deficit and regained the lead to hold it at five early. The next few minutes were intense, both teams trading basket after basket. There actually were four times where the game was tied. The last tie was at the six minute mark. After that, the Spartans would again make their run. Going on an 11-1 run to increase the lead 10; the Spartans led all afternoon (66-56). During crunchtime, the Sailfish tried to crack that lead with only a minute remaining. However, once again Jones came to the rescue, knocking down clutch free throws to hold the lead. Jones scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half. Martin Lakovic, also assisted in closing out the game with free throws to seal the deal for Spartans. || Score: 74-67 (Spartans)
INSIDE THE STATS:
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Jones; 24points 9-19FG 4 rebounds; only Spartan to score in double-digits
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Sailfish Lee; 19 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds; five threes
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Spartans outrebounded the Sailfish 45-38
BEYOND THE BOX:
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Jones; Finishes regular seasons averaging 21.5 PPG
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Jones; Seven out of the last 10 games scoring at least 20 points
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Tampa are seeded No. 5 in the 2022 SSC Championships
UP NEXT: Tampa will travel to Lakeland, Fla., to face Florida Southern College on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.