Spartans to Take on Saint Leo Lions at Home
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's and women's basketball teams are set to take on the Saint Leo Lions in a midweek matchup.
WOMEN'S:
The Matchup: No. 17 University of Tampa Spartans (16-3, 13-0 SSC) vs. Saint Leo Lions (10-11, 6-7 SSC)
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 5th, at 5:30 pm.
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla. | 400 N Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606
Series History: The Spartans have a dominating lead in the all time series at 83-16. UT has won the last nine matchups with the Lions, and the Spartans are 45-7 at home against the Lions.
Last Time Out: No. 17 Tampa handled Rollins College, 70-58, to remain still perfect in the SSC with a record of 13-0. Despite being outscored in the first quarter 18-14, Tampa came together to overtake Rollins in the second quarter and never looked back. As a team, the Spartans shot 55.8 percent from the field compared to the Tars 32.1 percent. Melijah Sullivan tallied a career high 29 points, shooting 12-15, and also added eight rebounds to her stats.
About the Spartans (Women): Tampa remains undefeated in the Sunshine State Conference and is on a 14 game win streak. The Spartans are ranked first in the nation in fewest fouls committed overall, and they are ranked second in the nation in field-goal percentage, shooting 49.9 percent. They rank third in NCAA Division II in committing the fewest personal fouls per game with only 11.8.
Individually, Dori Nagy ranks tenth in the nation in defensive rebounds per game with an average of 8.2, and Nagy ranks second in scoring in the SSC with an average of 16.7 points per game. LaShayla Wright-Ponder ranks second on the team with an average 14.4 points per game.
About the Lions (Women): The Lions rank seventh in the SSC and are on a one game win streak. Saint Leo has the highest scoring offense in the conference with an average of 72.2 points per game. They rank in the top 20 in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage (36.7 percent) and the top thirty in the nation in free throws made. In their last game, the Lions beat out the Nova Southeastern Sharks in an 82-72 victory.
MEN'S:
The Matchup: University of Tampa Spartans (5-14, 1-7 SSC) vs. Saint Leo Lions (13-8, 7-6 SSC)
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 5th at 7:30 pm.
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla. | 400 N Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606
Series History: Tampa leads the all-time series 60-22. The Spartans are 34-8 at home against Saint Leo, however the Lions narrowly own the last ten matchups 6-4. The last time the two teams matched up was earlier this season when the Lions edged the Spartans with a score of 69-65 on Saturday, December 14, 2019.
Last Time Out: Tampa slipped to the Rollins College Tars earlier this week, losing the game 87-74 on the road. Despite consistent performance from Pat Bacon and Martin Lakovic this season, the team could not hold on and the Tars pulled away from the Spartans late in the second half to secure the victory. Bacon led the team in scoring with 24 points, and added seven rebounds, six assists, and converted a perfect 13-13 from the free throw line. Lakovic finished with 17 points on 7-9 from the field and added six rebounds. Rollins' field goal percentage was 60 compared to Tampa's 51.5, and Tampa's 15 turnovers, compared to Rollins' six, made for a difficult results.
About the Spartans (Men): Point guard Pat Bacon leads The Spartans. Bacon averages 22.8 points per game this season, a statistic that places him second in the SSC in scoring. Forward Martin Lakovic has scored double-digit points in four of his last five games, and he leads the team in rebounds per game with 7.4. As a team, UT is shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from deep. The Spartans are 4-2 at the Martinez Athletics Center this season.
About the Lions (Men): Saint Leo is on a three game losing streak, having lost their most recent contest to #6 Nova Southeastern. Prior to the start of their current losing streak, the Lions narrowly edged out Eckerd 79-77 and torched #19 Barry 105-86 on January 22nd and January 18th, respectively. The Lions are led in scoring by Kyran McClure with 21.1 points per game; McClure ranks fifth in the conference in scoring as a result. McClure is followed by Isaiah Hill in scoring for the Lions, as Hill averages 17.1 points per game. As a team, Saint Leo averages 80 points per game, and are 4-3 on the road.
Tickets: General admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. UT students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid Spartan ID.
Watch Live: Fans may watch the game through TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are available through TampaStats.com.
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