Rollins Salvages Season Split With #21 Tampa

WINTER PARK, Fla. - The No. 21 University of Tampa (17-4, 6-4 SSC) men's basketball team was handed its fourth loss in five games as Rollins College (17-4, 9-1) prevailed by a 78-65 score over the visiting Spartans in a Sunshine State Conference matchup between two of the league's top-three teams.

The Spartans grabbed a quick lead out of the gates, needing less than two minutes to take a 9-2 advantage. UT held its lead until Rollins claimed a 20-19 edge with 7:05 to go in the first half. The teams would trade leads five times for the remainder of the period with UT scoring the final four points of the half to take a 32-29 lead to the break.

Tampa would carry its momentum to the second half as it took a 38-31 lead before Rollins turned the tide with a 10-1 run to go up by a 41-39 score. Rollins led by as many as 11 points before Tampa cut the advantage to 62-61 with 3:14 on the clock.

Rollins capitalized on its lead as it proceeded to hit 11-of-12 free throws in the final 2:02 to dispel any UT comeback bid. The Tars were able to stretch a 70-65 advantage with 38-seconds remaining to a 13-point victory.

Anthony Griffis enjoyed a career effort for Tampa as the junior guard led all scorers with 28 points as he reached double figures for the ninth straight game. He connected on six 3-pointers in 38 minutes of action.

Rashad Callaway added 12 points to go with team highs of seven assists and two steals. Fred Woods added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Rollins finished the game with a blazing 56.8 field goal percent, shooting at a 75 percent clip in the second half (15-20). The Tars also received a boost from its bench, which outscored the Spartan reserves 21-6.

Tampa will return home for its next contest, where it hosts Lynn University on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Bob Martinez Sports Center. UT will offer live stats and a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com.

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