TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men’s basketball team defeats Florida Tech in a closely contested game start-to-finish.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Tampa 59, Florida Tech 51

Records: University of Tampa Spartans (7-18, 4-13 SSC), Florida Tech Panthers (11-15, 5-13 SSC)

Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center | Tampa, Fla.

All-time Series: Tampa leads the all-time series 54-27. The Spartans are 34-8 when home versus the Panthers.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Half | In a low scoring first half, the Spartans came away with a two point lead after twenty minutes of play. Tampa shot 29.6% from the field, on 8-27 shooting, while holding Florida Tech to 26.9% on 7-26 shooting accuracy. Tampa struggled with ball security in the half, turning it over ten times. The Panthers had seven steals along with a block, compared to zero combined blocks and steals for Tampa. Martin Lakovic for Tampa and Jalen Hodges for Tech both had a half-high six points. Brent Duncan lead both teams in rebounding with nine in the half (one shy of his career-high total). || Tampa 22, Florida Tech 20

2nd Half | Tampa and Florida Tech exchanged baskets for UT to lead 28-26 with 17:06 to go. The Spartans then went on a 9-0 run to lead the Panthers 37-28. Derrick Felder scored eight of nine points during that span. The Panthers kept the game close, cutting the Tampa lead to two (45-43,) with 5:37 remaining. Florida Tech stayed close to Tampa for the remainder of the game, but they were unable to cut the deficit and regain the lead at any point in the second half (game tied 22-22 with 19:40 remaining). The Spartans would go on to win their seventh game of the season. || Tampa 59, Florida Tech 51

INSIDE THE STATS:

• The two teams both made one three pointer each in the first half, shooting a combined 11 percent from deep (UT 1-8, FT 1-10).

• Tampa out-rebounded Florida Tech 49 to 33

• The Spartans were aggressive on the glass with 14 offensive rebounds.

• Derrick Felder led the game in scoring with 23 points on 7-21 shooting (8-8 FT).

• The Spartans only scored 2 bench points compared to 28 for the Panthers. 

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Brent Duncan‘s 16 rebounds set a new career-high for the Junior Forward. He has now set consecutive career-highs in back-to-back games played.

• Martin Lakovic recorded another double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

• The Spartans have ended a four game losing skid and picked-up their first victory in the month of February.

• The Panthers are now 0-12 playing on the road this season.

• This is the first game that the Spartans played without star guard Pat Bacon this season.

UP NEXT: The Spartans play again in front of the home crowd on Saturday at 4 p.m. versus Barry University. The Buccaneers are 17-7 this season (11-6 in the Sunshine State Conference). 

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