Spartans Falter In Second Half In Loss To Sailfish

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team was defeated by Palm Beach Atlantic, their first loss in Sunshine State Conference play this season. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Tampa 73, Palm Beach Atlantic 82
Records: Tampa (5-3, 1-1 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (5-2, 2-1 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Center | Tampa, Fla.
All-time Series: Tampa falls to 21-3 in the all-time series.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | Tampa and Palm Beach Atlantic swapped leads on eight occasions, with the Spartans remaining on top for 7 minutes and 46 seconds compared to 9 minutes and 13 seconds for the Sailfish. UT took the final lead change near the five-minute mark on a dunk by Austin Rettig, part of what was an 18-6 stretch for Tampa to close out the first half  and turn a four-point deficit into an eight-point advantage. Rettig tied with Marcel Robinson for the team lead with 11 points, with Robinson leading with three shots from beyond the arc. Duke Shelton led UT on defense with two blocked shots and was the only Spartan with multuple defensive rebounds, finishing with seven defensive and eight total rebounds at the break.

2nd Half | Palm Beach Atlantic stormed back and outshot Tampa by 14 percent from the field, 55 percent to 41 percent. This included three different runs of at least seven points in the final 11 minutes, including a 10-0 run over three and a half minutes after the 11-minute mark. That was part of an overall 19-3 stretch by the Sailfish that turned an eight-point deficit into an eight-point lead that the Spartans never recovered from. PBA concluded the game on a 7-0 run. Robinson led UT with 10 points while Shelton followed right behind with eight.

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Tampa shot 43 percent from beyond the arc and 86 percent from the line compared to 27 percent and 71 percent, respectively, for Palm Beach Atlantic.
• Marcel Robinson led the Spartans with 21 points, eight total field goals made and five from beyond the arc.
• UT had four players finish with double-digit points.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Tampa saw its five-game winning streak this season and perfect 11-0 record at home against Palm Beach Atlantic come to an end.
• Duke Shelton posted his team-leading fifth double-double of the season and fourth in as many games.

UP NEXT:
Tampa returns to action on Saturday, December 3rd when they host Embry-Riddle University at 4:00 p.m. Live stats will be available through TampaStats.com.

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