Benedict Edges Tampa In South Region Matchup As Callaway Nets 1,000th Career Point

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The University of Tampa suffered a 78-72 loss to Benedict College in an NCAA South Region meeting. The Spartans fall to 4-2 on the year as BC now stands at 3-2. UT junior Rashad Callaway surpassed the 1,000 point plateau in defeat.

Benedict headed to halftime with a 42-39 lead following a first half that included 19 lead changes and five ties. BC's depth provided a lift as it held a 21-4 advantage in points off the bench.

In the second half, Tampa stayed within striking distance for the first 10 minutes as it trailed by just two points with 11:06 to play. The Tigers then surged past UT with an 8-1 run that gave them a nine point lead with 6:02 on the clock. Tampa battled back, coming within two points on a pair of occasions inside the final two minutes of the contest.

Marcus Morrison led all Spartans with 20 points 8-12 shooting from the field. The sophomore from Tampa was also 4-4 from the free-throw line and grabbed a team-high five offensive rebounds. He also finished with eight total rebounds.

Callum Townsend and Rashad Callaway also added 18 points apiece while Mounir Benzegala chipped in 11. Townsend pulled down a team-high nine rebounds while Callaway registered seven assists and was a perfect 9-9 from the stripe.

Callaway, a junior from Bayonne, N.J., now stands at 1,001 career points in 64 career games. He became the 22nd player in program history to reach the milestone.

The teams were nearly identical from the field with each team connecting on eight 3-pointers. Benedict won the battle of the pain as it outrebounded the Spartans by a 42-31 mark. Each team committed nine turnovers as UT was 14-15 (93.3 percent) from the charity stripe.

The Spartans return to Tampa to host Valdosta State University on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The game is another non-conference contest between South Region foes.

UT will offer live stats along with a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com, accessible by clicking on the Multimedia link. Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers eScores - a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The University of Tampa suffered a 78-72 loss to Benedict College in an NCAA South Region meeting. The Spartans fall to 4-2 on the year as BC now stands at 3-2. UT junior Rashad Callaway surpassed the 1,000 point plateau

Benedict headed to halftime with a 42-39 lead following a first half that included 19 lead changes and five ties. BC's depth provided a lift as it held a 21-4 advantage in points off the bench.

In the second half, Tampa stayed within striking distance for the first 10 minutes as it trailed by just two points with 11:06 to play. The Tigers then surged past UT with an 8-1 run that gave them a nine point lead with 6:02 on the clock. Tampa battled back, coming within two points on a pair of occasions inside the final two minutes of the contest.

Marcus Morrison led all Spartans with 20 points 8-12 shooting from the field. The sophomore from Tampa was also 4-4 from the free-throw line and grabbed a team-high five offensive rebounds. He also finished with eight total rebounds.

Callum Townsend and Rashad Callaway also added 18 points apiece while Mounir Benzegala chipped in 11. Townsend pulled down a team-high nine rebounds while Callaway registered seven assists and was a perfect 9-9 from the stripe.

The teams were nearly identical from the field with each team connecting on eight 3-pointers. Benedict won the battle of the pain as it outrebounded the Spartans by a 42-31 mark. Each team committed nine turnovers as UT was 14-15 (93.3 percent) from the charity stripe.

The Spartans return to Tampa to host Valdosta State University on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The game is another non-conference contest between South Region foes.

UT will offer live stats along with a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com, accessible by clicking on the Multimedia link. Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers eScores - a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events.