Tampa Holds Off Florida Memorial To Win Home Opener

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa (3-0) men's basketball team remained perfect on the season with a 68-63 victory over Florida Memorial University (1-2) on Tuesday night at the Bob Martinez Sports Center.

The Lions started strong, picking up a 12-4 lead before the Spartans scored 19 unanswered while holding Florida Memorial scoreless for 11 minutes in the first half. Tampa built an 11-point lead and carried a 34-30 advantage to the half.

FMU remained pesky in the second half, taking a 39-36 lead and holding a lead until the 7:58 mark when UT's Ashton Graham broke a tie with a layup and 3-pointer to put his team up 57-52. Tampa led for the remainder of the game, hitting 5-of-6 free throws in the final 14 seconds.

Anthony Griffis led all Spartans with 22 points, while Rashad Callaway added 20. Graham also finished in double figures, netting 14. Osby Kelly came off the bench to lead Tampa with seven rebounds while Griffis pulled down six.

Callaway also registered a team-high five assists as Callum Townsend and Rudy Jean each had a steal apiece. With each team shooting at a similar clip (40 percent for UT, 39.3 percent for FMU), the difference in the outcome could be attributed to turnovers as the Spartans committed just seven compared to 14 by the Lions.

The Spartans are back in action on Tuesday when it hosts the University of the District of Columbia at 7 p.m. Live stats and a webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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