Spartans Avoid Upset In Victory Over Lynn

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 21 University of Tampa (18-4, 7-4 SSC) men's basketball team had its three-game losing streak snapped as it overcame a deficit to defeat Lynn University (5-16, 3-8 SSC) by a 65-62 score in a Sunshine State Conference matchup at the Bob Martinez Sports Center.

The Fighting Knights gained an upper hand early in the contest as it built a 15-point lead with under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The Spartans whittled the lead to as low as two points before Lynn grabbed a 37-31 halftime lead.

Lynn carried a slim lead to begin the second half before UT's Ashton Graham gave the Spartans its first lead of the half at 45-44 with 10:58 showing on the clock in regulation.

In the sixth lead change over a 10-minute period, UT's Corey Pelot gave his team the lead for good on a tip-in with 1:37 to play. After a Lynn turnover, Fred Woods converted on a dunk and an ensuing free throw as he was fouled on the play, giving Tampa a 63-59 edge with 24-seconds to go.

Lynn refused to go away easily as leading scorer Chris Hall answered with a 3-pointer to trim Tampa's lead to 63-62. The Fighting Knights were then forced to foul, with Anthony Griffis being the target after fielding the inbounds pass. Griffis proceeded to make both free throws to push UT ahead 65-62. The score remained the same as the game-tying jumper was blocked by Callaway.

Callaway led all Spartans with 20 points as Anthony Griffis added 17. Fred Woods contributed 11 points to go with a team-high 13 rebounds, good for his sixth double-double of the year. Callaway also added team-highs with seven assists and five steals while Woods had six blocked shots.

After shooting 32.4 percent in the first half, Tampa shot at a 41.2 clip in the final half and also outrebounded the Fighting Knights 47-37. The Spartans also held Lynn to 23.3 percent from the field in the deciding half.

Tampa hosts Eckerd College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., a battle that will feature a pair of teams in contention for the SSC title. Live stats and a webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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