Florida Southern Tops Tampa in Closely Contested Matchup
LAKELAND, Fla. - The University of Tampa Spartans men's basketball team battled longtime rival Florida Southern College on Wednesday night, coming up short against the Mocs
Final: Florida Southern College Moccasins 83, University of Tampa Spartans 80
Records: Tampa Spartans (13-7) SSC (9-5) , Florida Southern Moccasins (12-12) SSC (9-7)
Location: George W. Jenkins Field House || Lakeland, Florida
All-Time Series: The Spartans are 43-75 in matchups against the Moccasins. Their last matchup was on Jan 19.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: A close game in the first half with the Moccasins leading for the majority of the half. Florida Southern's Dambreville scored 10 points along with the help of his two teammates chipping in nine points each to help boost their team's momentum. While that momentum was occurring, Tampa's started to get their momentum when Bryan Williams subbed in at the 14:35 minute mark. Williams scored the next four out of the five consecutive baskets for the Spartans. Leaving him with 13 points in only 12 minutes in the half. This push kept the lead very close only capping the Moccasins lead at five. The Spartans actually led twice by three but it was short-lived as stated before, the score remained very close. II Score: 35-32 (Moccasins)
Second Half: The Moccasins continued their game in the second half with a balance of points coming from their starters and their bench. This was not the case for the Spartans, shooting a poor 30% from the field. However, De'Andre Harvey stepped up big time scoring 16 points in the half, as did Derrick Felder. When it came to crunch time, both guards got more aggressive and drove to the paint more. Allowing more opportunities at the free-throw line for Felder, he and Harvey both knocked down some clutch free throws to cut the deficit to five with 40 seconds remaining. The Spartans were forced to intentionally foul, which the Moccasins took advantage of. Even though Spartans' Mykah Brown knocked down a clutch three, due to the lack of time remaining the Spartans would fall short of a comeback. || Score: 83-80 (Moccasins)
INSIDE THE STATS
- FSC Booth: 18 points six rebounds
- Williams: 20 points 8-14FG
- Harvey: 19 points, 6-8FG–16 points in the second half
BEYOND THE BOX
- Felder: Second double-double of the season
- Harvey: Second consecutive game scoring double-digits points in the second half
- Moccasins now have a five-game winning streak
UP NEXT: Tampa will face Barry University on Saturday at 4 p.m., at the Martinez Center.
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