Spartans Relieve Paine in Double-Overtime Thriller

Box score

TAMPA, Fla. - Taking down Paine College in a double-overtime thriller, the No. 22 University of Tampa men's basketball team improves to a pristine 12-0 for its 2012-13 campaign. The 83-80 victory is good for its second best program start behind the 2010-11 season that saw 16 straight Spartan wins.

The Paine College Lions drop to 2-4 on their season as the Tampa Classic drew to a close. The Spartans, who defeated Miles College on Friday, were part of a 4-0 effort from the Sunshine State Conference as Eckerd College also won both of its games.

Tampa was led by senior Anthony Griffis who tallied 22 points, including 12 free throws to edge PC in overtime. The guard also tied the team lead in rebounds, picking up eight alongside Eric Moraes. Junior Moraes finished the contest with three blocks to go along with seven points for the home squad.

Guard Da'Markco Foster shot 7-for-11 from the field, totaling 19 points while Terrell Pritchett contributed 11.

Paine finished the first half ahead of UT as the Lions owned a 31-22 lead heading into halftime. The resilient Spartans fought back to score 12 straight points as Vincent Cornu connected for two layups and Griffis scored seven straight points to follow. The back and forth play continued as the game saw four lead changes and three tied scores as the two teams finished regulation knotted at 56-56.

In the first overtime, Paine jumped ahead as Jerel Stephenson had two straight scores for the Lions. Tampa rebounded thanks to a crucial three-pointer from Callum Townsend to give the Spartans a 63-61 edge. Guard Jon Riles padded the UT lead with a pair of free throws, increasing the margin at 69-63. Some heroics from Paine guard Kenny Fluellen sent the game into its second overtime, as he drained a crucial three-pointer at the buzzer tying the score at 69-69.

Griffis and Foster each contributed four points in the second overtime as Tampa ended the match with a 83-80 score, good for the twelfth straight win to start their season.

The Spartans will bring in the New Year, facing Sunshine State Conference foe Rollins College on Jan. 5. The SSC opener will have a 4 p.m. start time at the newly renovated Bob Martinez Athletics Center. Live stats as well as a live video webcast are available through www.tampaspartans.tv.

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