Rollins Knocks No. 22 From Ranks of Unbeaten in SSC Opener

Box score

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 22 University of Tampa (12-1, 0-1 SSC) men's basketball team got off to a hot start but came up short in the end with a 72-66 loss to Rollins College (9-2, 2-0 SSC) in the Sunshine State Conference opener for the Spartans.

UT started strong, holding a 25-12 lead with 11:18 to play until halftime. The Spartans would then go nearly 10 minutes without a field goal as the Tars would close the half on a 20-4 run during that span.

The second half remained close, though Rollins did not trail for the entire period. Tampa cut the deficit to 66-63 on an Anthony Griffis 3-pointer with 2:27 left in regulation, though the Tars proceeded to go on a 4-0 run to put the game out of reach.

Griffis led all Spartans with 18 points, connecting on six field goals from long range. Da'Markco Foster added 16 points as Callum Townsend contributed 13 off the bench. Foster also held team honors with seven rebounds while Griffis and Jon Riles each had five assists.

Tampa shot 47.1 percent from the field, as Rollins was 55.6 as a team. The Spartans kept the game close as they made 15 shots from 3-point range, compared to just four for the visiting Tars. While the Spartans were effective from long range, the Tars dominated the paint with a 38-14 advantage.

Tampa will next play a pair of SSC road games, beginning at Eckerd on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and a webcast will be available through TampaSpartans.com.

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