Tampa Dominates Barry In Regular Season Finale

TAMPA, Fla – The University of Tampa Men's Basketball wrapped up the regular season tonight with a home game at the Bob Martinez Center. The Spartans played host to Barry University with a lot at stake in the season finale. Entering tonight, Tampa held the fifth seed in the SSC Tournament with a chance to move up to #4 and host a first round contest. The program was also hunting a program record 19th win, the most since the 2010-11 season. In what was a dominant game from the Spartans, multiple players stepped up in different ways. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final Score: Tampa 97, Barry 62

Records: Tampa 19-9 (11-9 SSC), Barry 11-16 (7-12 SSC)

Location: Bob Martinez Center l Tampa, Fla

All-time series: This was the 42nd meeting between these two programs. Tampa extends the all-time series lead to 29-13.  

Game Sponsor: Tampa Men's Basketball would like to thank the Nursey Foundation for sponsoring tonights game. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

FIRST HALF: After a week in which the Spartans had to climb out large first half deficits twice, tonight was complete flipping of the script. The Spartans defense had been elite in the second half of both games last week but it was time for them to showcase the ability to hold a team down for 40 minutes. The game started out with both teams trading layups and after Barry went up 4-2, Kaden Frobe knocked down a three to give the Spartans their first lead of the night. This is important to note because after taking this 5-4 lead, Tampa was out front for the rest of the game. Froebe then added another bucket and Tampa was off and running. Ryan Blount drilled a three and Tyson Leitao made a layup leading to a 12-6 Spartan lead before the 15 minute mark. The Tampa defense did not give up double digit points to Barry until after the ten minute mark had passed. This almost perfect defensive start allowed the Spartans to grow their lead out to ten points at 21-11. This lead was also in part due to back to back threes from Amarion Nimmers and Ryan Blount. Both Nimmers and Blount went for 11 points in the first half, helping Tampa further extend the lead. With under six minutes to go, Tampa had built a 38-19 lead and were looking unbreakable before Barry finally went on a small run. They used the only multi-minute scoring drought for Tampa to cut into the lead but the damage had been done. Grady Schwartz ended the run with a strong put back and De'Andre Harvey hit a three to give the Spartans a 22 point first half lead. 

Score: Tampa 45, Barry 23

SECOND HALF: Coming out of the break, the Spartans knew a win was coming if they kept playing with high energy and effort on both sides on the court. Tampa began the second half with a physical Tyson Leitao layup before Bryan Williams drilled a three from the wing. Kaden Froebe added to this hot start by going to coast to coast for an easy lay off a rebound and Tampa had stretched the lead to 54-29. The Spartans continued to play dominant defense and led by 30+ points with still over 14 minutes to play. Barry was able to find some offense but every bucket was met with two more Spartan makes. With 11 minutes remaining Tampa had double the amount of Barry points, leading 70-35. The final ten minutes of this contest saw both teams trading basket after basket in what was an offensive explosion. Both teams scored 25 or more points as the game winded down but Tampa remained in full control for the rest of the game. Jaxon Toney slammed home a monster dunk, B.J. Schaeffer came up with multiple steals, and Zach Johnson hit a few shots to keep the lead hovering over 30 points. While the ending of this contest saw a lot of shot making, the Tampa defense was outstanding today. As a whole, the Spartans forced over 20 turnovers, three shot clock violations, and were on pace to hold Barry under 50 points through the first 30 minutes of this game. In the end the Spartans could not have ended the regular season on a higher note and will go into the SSC Tournament with a lot of confidence. 

FINAL: Tampa 97, Barry 62

INSIDE THE STATS

• 19 wins in the regular season is the most wins since 2010-11

• Five Spartans recorded 11+ points and 13 Spartans recorded at least 2+ points 

• Spartan defense came away with 13 total steals and forced 26 turnovers

Gameday Sponsor

The Nursey Foundation was founded in 2022 by Aaron and Heidi Nursey, along with Roddy and Nandy Premsukh. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting underserved communities by providing funding and strategic guidance to other nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. Our mission is to empower individuals in the Greater Tampa Bay area by offering access to resources to live a dignified and meaningful life.

UP NEXT

Tampa finishes the regular season on a five game win streak to head into the SSC Tournament with a full head of steam. The Spartans will have to wait until this Sunday to find out who their opponent is and where they will be playing. Tampa could earn the fourth seed and host a first round game or head out on the road as the five seed.

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