Spartans Welcome #2 Valdosta State Saturday

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team (4-2) will take on the No. 2 ranked Valdosta State University (8-1) in a 4 p.m. contest on Saturday at the Bob Martinez Sports Center. The Spartans look to improve their record against the Blazers who suffered their first loss of the season last Monday.

The Spartans are 1-1 in the past two games, falling to Benedict College by a score of 78-72 on Wednesday and defeating Sunshine State Conference opponent Florida Tech last Saturday by a score of 77-70. UT lead scorer Rashad Calloway had 38 points combined in both appearances and recorded his 1,000th career point against Benedict.

The Blazers' eight game winning streak was snapped last Monday when they lost to Columbus State by a 73-71 score. Previous to that, they had defeated all opponents including Tampa's SSC foe Saint Leo by a score of 80-55. In their only meeting last season, the Spartans fell 80-79 on the road to the Blazers. Tampa, however, leads the all-time series 13-8.

UT will offer live stats 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.