Second Half Surge Pushes Long Beach State Over Tampa

LONG BEACH, Calif. – The University of Tampa Spartans traveled out west as they took on Long Beach State University 49ers. The 49ers used a strong second half to come out with an 87-60 victory. With the loss the Spartans now sit at 3-6 on the season.

Marcel Robinson lead the way for the Spartans as the sophomore picked up 15 points on the night. Pat Bacon also added double figures with 11 points. Zach Hollis lead the Spartans on the boards, as the big man added seven rebounds, and David Stewart-McNair picked up six rebounds off the bench.

The Spartans relied heavily on the three ball in the first half, as the Spartans shot 41.2 percent (7-17) from beyond the arc. On the flip side, the Spartans held the 49ers to just 28.6 percent (4-14) from beyond the arc. Long beach State held the lead for the majority of the half, as Tampa only lead for 15 second, when a Matt Johnson layup gave the Spartans a 10-9 lead.

The 49ers used a strong second half, as they outscored the Spartans 49-31. Long Beach State used a strong shooting performance as they shot 52.8 percent (19-36) in the half and found their shot from three, as they connected on seven shots.

As a team, UT shot 41.2 percent (21-51) from the field and 40.7 percent (11-27) from three. 

Freshman Darien McClain scored his first career points, as he hit a three pointer at the end of the game.