17 Point First Round Win Sends Tampa To SSC Semifinals

Daytona Beach, Fla – The University of Tampa Men's Basketball team tipped off the Sunshine State Conference Tournament tonight in the quarterfinal round. The Spartans earned the No. 5 seed after a 19 win (11 in SSC) regular season and traveled to the No. 4 seed Embry-Riddle Eagles. Both teams split the regular season series, winning each game at home. After falling short on the road in overtime earlier in the season, Tampa was not just looking to avenge that road loss but also punch their ticket into the semifinal. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: Tampa 90, Embry-Riddle 73

Regular Season Records: Tampa 19-9 (11-9 SSC), Embry-Riddle (17-11, 11-9 SSC)

Location: ICI Center l Daytona Beach, Fla

All-time series: This was the 22nd meeting between these two programs. Tampa has tied the all-time series 11-11. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

FIRST HALF: In a contest that started fast and never slowed down, Bryan Williams recorded his first steal of the game in the first 10 seconds. While the Spartans were unable to turn this stop into points, they went on to keep Embry-Riddle scoreless for the first three minutes of the game. Ian Higdon got the scoring going for Tampa with a free throw, before another Williams steal led to Kaden Froebe adding another make from the line. Embry-Riddle was also able to get to the line and hit a free throw before Tyson Leitao got the game's first basket to fall with a strong take to the rim. This gave Tampa a 4-1 lead before Trey Lane Drilled a three from deep and the Spartans were settling in very nicely to this contest. They continued to hold the Eagles without a made basket through the first five minutes of the game before they went on a quick 5-0 run. This was ended by a high flying Bryan Williams alley-oop layup and the Spartans led 9-6. Amarion Nimmers provided another spark for the Spartans, going on a 5-0 run by himself to stretch the lead out to 7. After some back and forth, Tampa led 18-13 with under 11 minutes to play when the Eagles were able to find steady momentum. They hit shots to pull within two but the Spartans had other ideas. Ryan Bluount drilled a three before Tray Lane knocked down two in a row from long range and the Tampa lead was up to double digits. With under seven minutes to go and the score 31-20, ERAU got back on the board to end the run but the damage had been done. The Spartans defense continued to put the clamps on Embry-Riddle, holding the Eagles to just 22 points after 15 minutes of play. With Tampa leading 35-22, Ian Higdon made two more layups before Amarion Nimmers drilled another big three to further extend the lead out 43-24. As the first half crossed into the final two minutes, Embry-Riddle was able to get some shots to fall but Kyler Lamb, Amrion Nimmers, and Tray Lane kept up the strong play offensively for the Spartans. In what was a near perfect quarter for the Spartans, they were rewarded with an 18 point halftime lead. 

Score: Tampa 49, Embry-Riddle 31

SECOND HALF: To start the second half, Embry-Riddle hit back to back jumpers before Kaden Froebe responded with a jumper from beyond the arc. While the Eagles got off to a solid offensive start, Tampa continued to roll. The Spartans defense held Embry-Riddle to just four points through the first four minutes of second half action. The Spartans lead extended out past the 20 the point mark as Tyson Leitao, Ryan Blount, and Amarion Nimmers contributed baskets. With their season potentially on the line, Emrby-Riddle tried everything they could to spark a run. With 13 minutes left, the Eagles converted a scoreless minute for Tampa into back to back baskets and had cut the lead to 13. However, Ryan Blount drilled a three and ended any hope of a big comeback run. Kaden Froebe and Amarion Nimmers followed this big three up with points in the point and the Spartans were back in full control. As this contest transitioned into the final ten minutes of play, Tampa was dominating almost every aspect of play. Trey Lane controlled the pace of the game while also knocking down more three pointers and Tyson Leitao was a force downlow, scoring back to back buckets for a 78-56 lead. Embry-Riddle found some late offense but the level of intensity from start to finish from the Spartans was too much for them to handle. Lane along with Bryan Williams closed out the win with free throws in the final minutes but the ticket to the semifinals had already been punched. 

FINAL: Tampa 90, Embry-Riddle 73

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Six Spartans dropped double digit points, three spartans recorded 7+ rebounds

• Tampa led the entire contest with largest lead of the game being 22 points 

• First 20 win season for the Spartans in over a decade (2013-2014, 20-10)

UP NEXT: Tampa Men's Basketball will be back on the road this Thursday, March 6th to face No. 1 seed Nova Southeastern. This contest is the semifinal round of the SSC Tournament and tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm.  

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