Spartans Wounded in Lions Den

SAINT LEO, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team took on the Saint Leo Lions and were defeated by a close 68-64.

Final: Tampa 64, Saint Leo 68 
Records: Tampa (3-4, SSC 0-3), Saint Leo (6-5, 3-0 SSC)
Location: Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.
All-time Series: Tampa leads the all-time series over the Lions 59-19.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | The first half opened up with a foul on Saint Leo that sent Marcel Robinson to the line. Robinson went 1-1 from the line giving the Spartans the first points of the game. The Lions retaliated with a three point shot that would give them the lead. Shelton and Marijan both tallied their first points of the game on back-to-back dunks, tying the score 5-5. At the first media timeout, the Lions led 8-5. After the media timeout, the Lions offense was sparked as they increased their lead to 12 points with nine points left in the half. The Spartans closed in on the Lions lead after Malik Tunc made a layup. The Spartans trailed the Lions 34-22 heading into halftime. 

2nd Half |  The Lions went on a 6-0 lead to open up the second half play. Robinson interupted the Lions run after making a jumper, followed by a jumper from Shelton. The Lions kept the Spartans at a distance until Tampa's offense was sparked by junior Pat Bacon who scored back-to-back points on a jumper and layup, causing Saint Leo to call a timeout. Out of the timeout Mekhi Biffle hit a deep three pointer that would bring the Spartans within four points of the Lions. Both teams traded points for the remaining six minutes, the Spartans staying within five points of the Lions. The Spartans fell short of the win as they fell 68-64 in a tough fought battle. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Shelton was the leading point scorer with 15 points and 11 rebounds
• Robinson was the second highest point scorer for the Spartans with 14 points
• Freddy Ibrahim collected three steals on the night

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Shelton notched his fifth double-double of the season.

UP NEXT:
Tampa returns to action Saturday as they host Lynn University for a Saturday matchup with the Fighting Knights at 4:00 pm. Live stats and video will be available through TampaSpartans.com.

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