Spartans hit 15 Threes, Win Home Opener by 20

Tampa, Fla – The University of Tampa Men's Basketball team took the floor this afternoon to face Claflin University. Not only was this the Spartans first home game of the year but the game doubled as a Canned Food Drive. Tampa Men's Basketball partnered with Feeding Tampa Bay to collect donations at today's game to support ongoing hurricane relief efforts. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: Tampa 96, Claflin 76

Records: Tampa 3-0, Claflin 1-3

Location: Bob Martinez Center l Tampa, Fla

All-time series: This was the second meeting all-time between these programs, Tampa now leads the all-time series 2-0. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

FIRST HALF: After opening up the year 2-0 on the road, the Spartans wanted to keep the momentum going for their home opener. Both teams would trade baskets to open the game but after an Amarion Nimmers three, the Spartans would take a 5-3 lead. This is important to note because once Tampa took this two point lead, they would not give it up. Tampa would outscore Claflin 9-3 in the first few minutes of the game to quickly energize a packed Bob Martinez Center. By the 10 minute mark, the Spartans had exploded and grew the lead to 24-9. Nimmers continued to hit shots, Trey Lane was dropping dimes, and Tyson Leitao was not giving Claflin any easy looks offensively in the paint. These individual efforts plus 10 points from Kaden Froebe kept the Spartan lead hovering around 20 points for the remainder of the first half. The Tampa defense held Claflin to under 30 points in the first half, taking a 48-29 lead into the break. 

Score: Tampa 48, Claflin 28

SECOND HALF: The second half of this contest saw both teams combine for almost 100 total points, multiple players diving off the court for loose balls, and a few big time dunks. However, this crazy half of basketball started with six straight missed shots and a few sloppy turnovers from both sides. It would take a few minutes, but after Claflin opened the scoring, the flood gates opened. At the 16 minute mark of the second half Ryan Blount would sink a three from the corner, 30 seconds later Trey Lane would hit a three from the left wing,  and 30 seconds after that, Trey Lane would hit another three. This 9-0 swing helped Tampa re-extend the lead back out to 20 and the Spartans would be in control from there. Any attempt by Claflin to claw back into this game was met by a Spartan run to regain any momentum they might have lost. With the fans behind them in the final minutes, the Spartans continued to hit shots and close out their home opener with a solid 20 point win. 

Final: Tampa 96, Claflin 76

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Five Spartans recorded 10+ points 

• Amarion Nimmers - Third straight game with 9+ rebounds 

• First 3-0 start for Spartans since 2018-19 season 

UP NEXT: The Spartans will have over a week to prepare for their next game against Puerto Rico Mayaguez. That game is scheduled for Monday, November 25th at 7:00pm. 

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