Men's Basketball Decidedly Upsets Embry-Riddle

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of TampamMen's basketball team pulled off the upset against conference front-runner Embry-Riddle in a midweek Sunshine State Conference matchup.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Final Score: Tampa 92, Embry-Riddle 81 
Records: Tampa Spartans (4-10, 1-5 SSC), Embry-Riddle Eagles (12-3, 4-3 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center || Tampa, FL 
All-Time Series: With the win tonight, Tampa still leads the all-time series with a record of 8-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Half || Tampa started off hot as they went on an early 11-2 run. The game opened up with a Derrick Felder assist to forward Brent Duncan. A few possessions later, 7-foot center Khadim Gueye recorded a monster block that was converted into a fastbreak layup for senior guard Pat Bacon. After a few missed shots, Duncan was able to grab the offensive rebound and convert the and-one layup on the putback, which gave him an early seven points in the half. Felder was once again able to find his open teammate Duncan, this time coming off of a steal. Felder would finish the first half with five assists. The Spartan's defense proved to be the difference early on as they held Embry-Riddle scoreless for just over six minutes to start the first half. || 43-26 Tampa

2nd Half || Both teams came out of the half firing up shots, but it was the Eagles offense who gained the early advantage in the start of the second half. Embry-Riddle was able to knock down three 3-pointers within their first five possessions of the half, which narrowed the deficit to single digits. Felder, however, was able to grab an offensive rebound, and hit an off-balance mid-range jumper to stop the momentum. Right before the 12-minute media timeout, the Spartans offense seemed stagnant as they went over three minutes without converting a basket, in which the Eagles went on an 8-0 run of their own. This time, though, the Embry-Riddle momentum was ceased by a Bacon 3-pointer off an assist by Felder. The Spartans were able to go on a run of their own as they were led by the play of their guards. Felder had 11 points and six assists in the half and Bacon had 23 points and went perfect from the free throw line in the half. || 92-81 Tampa

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Four Spartans finished in double-figures tonight: Pat Bacon (40), Derrick Felder (20), Brent Duncan (13) Martin Lakovic (10)
• Pat Bacon lead all scorers with 40 points, shooting 59% (13-22)
• Derrick Felder posted a double-double; 20 PTS, 8 REB, 11 AST
• Felder was just two rebounds shy of a triple-double
• Martin Lakovic also finished with a double-double; 10 PTS, 10 REB

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Pat Bacon scored a career high 40 points tonight; beating his previous career high of 31
• Pat Bacon's 40-point performance is the first in Spartans history since Rashad Callaway scored 40 on January 1^st, 2010
• Pat Bacon has scored in double-digits figures in every game this season
• Derrick Felder has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 11 games
• Derrick Felder set his career high in assists tonight with 11
• Pat Bacon is now the second leading scorer in the Sunshine State Conference (22.4 PPG)
• Tampa shot 90% (18-20) from the free throw line tonight

UP NEXT: The University of Tampa Men's Basketball team will return to action this Saturday, January 11^th as they are set to tipoff against the Buccaneers of Barry University at 4:00pm.  

Tickets: General admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. UT students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid Spartan ID.

Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.