Spartans Nip Sharks In SSC Battle

TAMPA, Fla. - A game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer by Nova Southeastern University (7-4, 1-1 SSC) did not fall as The University of Tampa (7-3, 2-0 SSC) registered a 66-63 victory in Sunshine State Conference action from the Bob Martinez Sports Center.

The Spartans got out to a 13-6 advantage before Nova rallied to take a six point lead with 3:23 to play in the first half. It took UT six second to erase the deficit as a Mounir Benzegala 3-pointer was followed up by a steal and a layup by Glyn Hunter that resulted in a 3-point play following a foul. Tampa took a 35-35 lead to the half scored five points in the final 2:29 of the opening half.

After trading leads in the second half, the Spartans grabbed hold of the contest while never trailing in the final 9:44. UT led by as many as seven points on two occasions and carried a six point margin with nine seconds to play.

NSU made it a one possession game as Alex Gynes drained a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 66-63 with nine seconds remaining in regulation. The Sharks quickly fouled LaBruno, who missed both free throws. A last second 3-pointer by Nova then went off the rim, securing a UT victory in its SSC home opener.

Callaway led Tampa with 25 points, including 20 in the second half. He also shared team honors with Marcus Morrison with three steals. Benzegala added 16 points and a team high four assists while leading the Spartans with 121 points in the first half.

Glyn Hunter missed a double-double by one point as he finished with nine points and a team high 11 rebounds. Hunter also added three assists and two steals while playing all 40 minutes.

Despite being outshot (.463 to .361) and outrebounded (41-35), Tampa connected on 10 3-pointers while forcing 17 Nova Southeastern turnovers. UT was also successful on 12 free throws.

The Spartans return to action on Wednesday as it hosts Saint Leo University in an SSC contest. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

UT will offer live stats and a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com, accessible by clicking on the Multimedia link. Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers eScores, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events.