Ryan Blount Hits Game Winning Three, Spartans Beat Sailfish On The Road

West Palm Beach, Fla – The University of Tampa Men's Basketball team was back in action this afternoon on the east coast of Florida. The Spartans took on the Sailfish of Palm Beach Atlantic with an opportunity to keep climbing up the SSC standings. In another game where the shots took a while to start falling, the Spartan defense showcased just how good they can be.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: Tampa 64, Palm Beach Atlantic 60

Records: Tampa 18-9 (10-9 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic 16-10 (9-9 SSC) 

Location: Rubin Arena l West Palm Beach, Fla.

All-time series: This was the 41st meeting between these two programs. Tampa extends the all-time series lead to 28-13. 

Spartan History: 18 wins is the most wins in a regular season for Tampa Basketball since the 2014-15.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

FIRST HALF: After winning the opening tip, the Spartans were off and running. Kaden Froebe knocked down the first shot of the game from beyond the arc before Bryan Williams hit a floater for a 5-0 lead. The Spartan defense forced two bad shots and a turnover to start the game before PBA finally found points. The Sailfish scored six unanswered until Tyson Leitao out muscled his defender for an easy lay and a 7-6 Tampa lead. Both teams traded baskets as the game crossed the 13 minute mark until the Sailfish found another run. With the score 10-10, they again scored six straight points before making it nine with a big three. The Sailfish pushed their lead out to 21-10 before Kaden Froebe earned back to back steals for the Spartans. They used these takeaways to end the PBA run with a Bryan Williams layup and Trey Lane three ball. De'Andre Harvey followed his teammate in knocking down a three pointer and the Spartans were only down 21-18 with under eight minutes to go. The Spartans held PBA scoreless for over four minutes and after a Tyson Leitao turnaround shot in the paint fell for a basket, Tampa was only down one. However, PBA finally got back on the board with three straight finishes around the rim and the Spartans were down 27-20 with just under five to go. Ryan Blount put an end to the third run by PBA with a three from the wing but the Sailfish came right back with one of their own. As the first half crossed the final three minutes, the Sailfish knocked down another three and converted the four point play. This gave PBA another double digit lead at 35-23 before extending the lead out to 15 with another three. Tyson Leitao finished the half with a layup through contact but the Spartans still had a hole to dig out of. 

Score: Tampa 25, Palm Beach Atlantic 38

SECOND HALF: Despite the offensive struggles for the Spartans, down double digits at half is not an unfamiliar spot. The Spartans have four 11+ point comebacks this season and know what it takes to comeback from this spot. Tampa began the second half by holding PBA scoreless for the first five minutes and cutting the lead to nine at 38-29. Tyson Leitao was a force in the first few minutes of the half, snagging almost every rebound on both sides of the court. Tampa used multiple steals and great man on man defense to pull to within five with 15:30 left. Tyson Leitao converted another steal by going coast to coast for an easy lay and Tampa had pulled all the way back to only be down 38-35. It wouldn't be until the clock went under 14 minutes that PBA got on the board in the second half but Leitao came right back with another strong finish at the rim to stay within a possession. Tampa picked another Sailfish pocket and Tyson Leitao slammed home the jam. Tyson followed this up by hitting a huge three (his first of the year) to keep the Spartans in striking distance. Tampa continued to play tough defense but PBA kept finding ways to score and led 50-47 with under eight minutes left in the game. The Spartans defense kept the Sailfish to a single layup for the next four minutes and used finishes from Bryan Williams and Tyson Leitao to pull within one point. With the score 52-51, Kaden Froebe made use of an elite cut to the basket to score and give Tampa their first lead in over twenty minutes of game time. Tampa taking the lead was all it took for PBA to come back alive, as they immediately answered with a three ball and a layup in transition to retake a 57-53 lead. With under four minutes to go, The Spartans knew they needed to dig in to fully complete the comeback. Trey Lane stepped up and scored a basket by blowing past his defender for an easy lay to pull Tampa within two. The defense again stood tall once again and held the Sailfish scoreless for over two minutes. After forcing a shot clock violation, Ryan Blount hit a huge jumper with 1:03 left to tie the game up at 57. Tampa would again keep PBA without a bucket and Ryan Blount again hit a major basket. The freshman knocked down a three with 33.5 seconds left in the game to give Tampa a 60-57 lead. The Spartans defense once again forced a missed shot and Blount iced the game with two free throws after being fouled. Kaden Froebe added a pair of insurance free throws but the Spartans had completed the comeback and the regular season sweep of the Sailfish. For the second time this week, Tampa had come from down by as many as 15 to storm back and earn win. Win number 18 in Linc Darner's second year is the most wins in a regular season for the program since 2014-15

FINAL: Tampa 64, Palm Beach Atlantic 60

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Tyson Leitao extends his record breaking career double-double record to 37 after dropping 21 points and snagging 14 rebounds 

• Ryan Blount nails game winning three pointer with 33.5 seconds left for his second career game winning shot 

• Spartan defense kept the Sailfish scoreless for over 13 total game minutes 

UP NEXT: The Spartans will be back in the Bob Martinez Center for the final game of the regular season. They will face Barry University on Wednesday, February 26th at 7:30pm. 

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