Last Second Three Stuns Men's Basketball

St. Pete, Fla – The University of Tampa Men's Basketball team took a trip across the bay this evening to take on SSC opponent Eckerd College. This contest ended up being another classic in the Spartan-Triton matchup history as it came down to the last possession. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: Tampa 64, Eckerd 66

Records: Tampa 10-4 (2-4 SSC), Eckerd 8-7 (3-4 SSC)

Location: Gibbs Campus, St. Pete College l St. Pete, Fla

All-time series: This was the 98th meeting all-time between these two programs. Even with the loss tonight, Tampa still leads the series 60-38. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

FIRST HALF: Tonight's SSC battle got off to a slow start but quickly ramped up into an electric game. Tyson Leitao got the scoring going with a pair of free throws before Eckerd got on the board moments later. The Spartans answered with a quick 5-0 run at the 18 minute mark which saw Amarion Nimmers hit his first three of the night. The fast pace ball movement and speed that Tampa plays with was too much for the Tritons to handle in the first few minutes. The Spartans seemed in full control of the first five minutes as they led 13-7 with 15 minutes to go in the first half. Eckerd found some offense but after every bucket they made, the Spartans came right back with an answer. By the halfway point of the first half, The Spartans were up 19-12 and looking to go up big early. After a fantastic defensive possession in which the Spartans forced a shot clock violation, Kaden Froebe hit an easy layup to put Tampa up double digits. The Spartans did not look back as they held a sizable lead for the rest of the half. A combination of Trey Lane, Cole Gingeleski, and Amarion Nimmers was a big part of the Spartans going into the break with a 14 point lead. 

Score: Tampa 43, Eckerd 29

SECOND HALF: To start the second half, Eckerd came out with a big push. They held the Spartans to just three points in the first five minutes and used a 6-0 run to cut the lead back to single digits. However after another forced shot clock violation by the Tampa defense, Tyson Leitao was able to muscle his way to the line and put the Spartans back up double digits at 48-37. However, Eckerd would not go away and by the halfway point of the second half had cut the lead to just five points. The Spartans responded at the hands of Trey Lane who drilled a big three to push the lead back to eight at 52-46. Tampa used this big three to swing the momentum back in their favor, getting a stop on defense followed by Amarion Nimmers hitting a three of his own. The Spartans held Eckerd without a made field goal for over three minutes as they attempted to retake control of this contest. Both teams traded baskets as the contest crossed into the final five minutes of play but after an Eckerd three, the Spartan lead was cut to only seven. They followed this up by hitting another big three and a transition layup to bring the scoreline to 64-62 with under a minute to go. The Spartans unfortunately turned the ball over on the next possession leaving Eckerd with a chance to win the game. With 2.4 seconds left on the clock, Eckerd hit another huge three to take a 66-64 lead and complete the comeback. The game came down to one final shot but it did not fall for the Spartans. 

Final: Tampa 64, Eckerd 66

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Spartans shot 47% from the field in the first half

• Tyson Leitao records another double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds)

• Every Spartan who took a shot tonight made 2+ FG 

UP NEXT: The Spartans will stay on the road for one more game this week. Tampa Men's Basketball will travel to Daytona Beach, Fla to face Embry-RIddle. This contest is scheduled for Saturday, Jan 11th at 6:00pm. 

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