#16 Tampa Breaks School Record In Win Over Saint Leo

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 16 University of Tampa men's basketball team set a program record with its 15th consecutive victory to start the season, breaking a 20-year mark. The Spartans defeated Sunshine State Conference opponent Saint Leo University by a score of 78-66.

With the victory, UT improves to 15-0 on the season and remains perfect at 5-0 in the SSC. The Lions fall to 9-5 and 1-4 in the SSC.

The Spartans shot at a 42.4 percent clip in the first half while holding the Lions to 32.3. Behind 12 points by Anthony Griffis, UT took a 40-27 advantage to the half as it grabbed a 6-5 lead with 17:28 to play and held the advantage for the duration of the period.

After a pair of Rashad Callaway free throws to start the second half, Saint Leo went on a 10-0 run to cut the Spartan lead to 42-37 with 16:53 on the clock.

Tampa responded with a 9-0 run of its own to grab a 14-point lead with 15:07 remaining in regulation. The Spartans led by as many as 21 points late in the second half as nine unanswered points by the Lions to close the game was not enough to stop the historic evening for head coach Richard Schmidt's team.

The duo of Griffis and Callaway each scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game as Griffis netted 25 and Callaway 22 on the evening. Griffis also matched teammate Glyn Hunter for the team-lead with 10 rebounds as the junior guard was also 9-for-14 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

Callaway also led UT with five assists and a steal while connecting on all six free throw attempts. While leading the team in rebounds, Hunter also had nine points and was successful in defending SLU leading scorer Matt Kendrick, who finished with just two points.

While outshooting the Lions 43.4 to 37.7 percent, UT held a sizable advantage on the boards as it outrebounded Saint Leo by a 44-30 mark. Tampa also connected on 25 free throws while carrying an 83.3 percentage from the charity stripe.

The Spartans look to extend its record start on Saturday as it faces Palm Beach Atlantic University at 4 p.m. at the Bob Martinez Sports Center. Live stats and a webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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