Tritons Overpower Spartans in Battle of the Bay

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team hosted the Eckerd College Tritons and were defeated, 59-46.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Tampa 46, Eckerd 59
Records: Tampa (14-9, 7-6 SSC), Eckerd (17-6, 10-4 SSC)
Location: Martinez Center | Tampa, Fla.
All-time Series: Tampa leads the all time series 51-32 over the Tritons. 
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

 
1st Half |  The game opened with an early three pointer by Eckerd. Austin Rettig answered quickly with a slam dunk. Eckerd jumped out to an early 9-2 lead just under three minutes into the game. The Spartans cut the lead to 15- 12 midway through the half. The Tritons extended their lead to eight by the under 5 mark. The Spartans were chasing the Tritons all half as they could not keep up with the Eckerd offense. Duke Shelton had 4 points in the final three minutes, but the Spartans trailed at the half by 10. 

2nd Half | Eckerd picked up right where they left off scoring the first nine points of the half. The Tritons were in complete control as they were in the first half. Rettig got the Spartans on the board first, but not until over five minutes into the half. The Spartans were continuing to play catch-up as they were in the first half. Midway through the half, Eckerd still had a double figure advantage, leading by 18 points. The second half looked much like the first half with Eckerd doing most of the scoring. Eckerd was still leading by 22 points with just over 6 minutes left in the game. The Tritons went on to win the battle, 59-46.  

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Rettig led all Spartans with 12 points, four rebounds, and and two steals. 
• Shelton was the second leading point scorer with 10 points.  

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• This was the second meeting of the season between the two schools with Eckerd winning the first matchup. 

UP NEXT:

Tampa returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Barry University to meet the Bucs at 5:00 p.m. Live stats will be available through TampaStats.com. Fans can watch through TampaSpartans.com.

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