Panthers Capture Win Over Spartans

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team traveled to Melbourne to take on the Florida Tech Panthers for a midweek matchup and were defeated by the Panthers, 105-90 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Tampa 90, Florida Tech 105
Records: Tampa (16-11, 9-8 SSC), Florida Tech (15-12, 7-10 SSC)
Location: Clemente Center | Tampa, Fla.
All-time Series: Tampa leads the all time series 51-24 with the Panthers. 
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

 
1st Half | Sophomore Pat Bacon recorded the first points for the Spartans on a deep three pointer. The Panthers tied the game after a layup and a free throw make. Senior Austin Rettig mimicked Bacon on a three pointer of his own. Junior Duke Shelton came out fired up as he made a dunk assisted by Bacon followed by a layup assisted by sophomore Freddy Ibrahim. After a steal by Ibrahim, he tossed it up to Shelton for another dunk, making the score 13-6 with 15 minutes left in the first half. The Panthers closed in on the Spartans lead after a string of baskets. Rettig slammed in a dunk assisted by Bacon, putting the Spartans back up by 5 points. But the Panthers went on a run of their own as they took the lead over the Spartans with 12 minutes left on the clock. The Panthers held on to their lead heading into half time with a score of 45-39. Rettig led all Spartans in the first half with 17 points.     

2nd Half | The Panthers came out of half scoring on a dunk. Marcel Robinson hit had back-to-back baskets after a jumper and a three point shot. But the Panthers had six unanswered points that put them up by as many as 13 points with 15 minutes left in the game. The Panthers offense continued to dominate as they led by 15 points with a minute left in the game. The Spartans made an effort to cut into the Panthers lead, but they were unsuccessful as the Panthers went on to win 105-90.        

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Bacon led all Spartans with 26 points and going 9-9 from the free throw line. 
• Rettig was the second leading point scorer with 25 points.
• As a team, the Spartans shot 54 percent from the field. 

UP NEXT:

Tampa returns to action on Saturday when they host Lynn University at 4:00 p.m. Seniors Marcelo Ruediger, Matt Johnson, and Austin Rettig will be honored prior to tip off for their contributions to athletic progrma. Live stats will be available through TampaStats.com. Fans can watch through TampaSpartans.com.

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