Florida Tech Shocks #16 Tampa In SSC Meeting

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The No. 16 University of Tampa (17-2, 6-2 SSC) men's basketball team had a Sunshine State Conference setback as it fell to Florida Tech (13-9, 3-5 SSC) by an 81-67 score on Wednesday at the Clemente Center.

Tampa's trio of Rashad Callaway, Anthony Griffis and Fred Woods accounted for each of UT's 27 first half points as Glyn Hunter became the fourth Spartan to score on a basket with 16:39 to play in the second half.

The Panthers went on a seven point run to take a 27-17 first half lead, its first double figure lead of the evening with 9:30 to go in the initial half. FIT would lead by as many as 13 in the half as it carried a 37-27 advantage to halftime.

Florida Tech led by as many as 19 points in the second half and held on for the victory despite a late Tampa run that cut the lead to single digits at 65-57 with 5:44 on the clock. The Panthers connected on 8-for-8 free throws inside the four-minute mark to thwart any Tampa comeback bid.

Woods turned in his fourth straight double-double with a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds. He was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line for UT. Griffis and Callaway added 14 and 13 points respectively as Callaway also led Tampa with six assists and four steals.

Tampa will return home to host SSC opponent Barry University on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Bob Martinez Sports Center. UT will offer live stats and a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com.

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