INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: Tampa 99, Florida Tech 69

Records: University of Tampa Spartans (5-4, 1-2 SSC), Florida Tech Panthers (5-3, 0-2 SSC)

Location: Charles & Ruth Clemente Center || Melbourne, Fla.

All-Time Series: Tampa lead 53-26; The Spartans snapped a three game losing streak to Florida Tech. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Half | The Spartans opened the game with a fast start, in part to Anthony Gamble‘s back-to-back three-pointers. Tampa continued to find success from three-point range as UT went 5-for-7, shooting the long-ball, in the opening ten minutes. Devon Colley splashed two three-pointers during the scoring stretch, while dishing out three assists in the first ten minutes. After the half-way mark, both teams went scoreless from the field for over three minutes. Colley ended the drought with a fast-break layup to extend the lead to 38-22. Colley, a junior from Las Vegas, tied his career-high with three made three-pointers. Freddy Ibrahim, a guard from Ontario, recorded five rebounds in the first half which led the team. Florida Tech’s Derek Murphy notched 19 points, while RJ Coil logged eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks for the Panthers. Gamble finished the half as the team-leader with 13 points, however he found himself in foul trouble, therefore he only played ten minutes. The Spartans shot 48.5% from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Tampa did not trail in the first half, ultimately bringing a 46-30 lead into the locker-room.  

2nd Half | Gamble started the second half identically with two consecutive long-range buckets, extending the Spartans lead to 20+ points for the first time on the afternoon. The senior from Riverview, Florida splashed five three-pointers in the second half. He recorded his season-high with 27 points, shooting 7-of-12 from long-range. In the middle of the half, Florida Tech began to find their rhythm as they made 7-of-9 field goals and cut the lead within 20. The Spartans found their own groove after the half-way mark, going on a 24-9 scoring stretch. The game went cold down the stretch as the game was out of reach following the UT scoring spurt. Coming off the bench, Ibrahim ultimately led the team with seven rebounds.

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Tampa shot 56% (15-27) from 3-point range, the best shooting percentage from long-range this season. 
• Five players logged double-digit scoring for the Spartans.
• The Spartans defense held FIT to 7-29 (24%) from long-range.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Gamble registered his season-high 27 points, as Colley tied his season-high with 14 points. 

UP NEXT: The University of Tampa will host a mid-week round robin with Limestone College and Shaw University on December 18 and 19th, respectively. Both games are set to tip off at 7 p.m. at the Martinez Athletics Center. 

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