Spartans Fall in Final Minutes to Second-Ranked Sharks

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's basketball team suffered a tough loss in a down-to-the-wire matchup against the No. 2 Nova Southeastern Sharks.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Final Score: #2 Nova Southeastern 81, Tampa 77
Records: University of Tampa Spartans (0-5, 0-1 SSC), Nova Southeastern University Sharks (3-0, 1-0 SSC)
Location: Martinez Athletic Center || Tampa, Fla.
All-Time Series: Tampa trails in the all-time series with a record of 19-22 against Nova Southeastern. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Half || Both teams started the game fairly even as the lead changed a handful of times. Guard Pat Bacon led the Spartans' attack as he contributed 12 points in the first half. Also contributing to the offensive attack was forward Jonathan Bryant who posted 11 points in the first half, and Vincent Biffle who recorded 8 points and 5 assists. However, the Spartans defense did not have an answer for last year's First Team All-Conference player Mark Matthews, who had 20 points in the first half. Despite the slow start on defense, the Spartans faired well shooting the ball as they shot right around 50% from the field. || NSU 47-40

2nd Half || Tampa's offense came out of the half looking to battle as the Spartans played intense defense and grabbed a handful of rebounds. The Spartans defense was able to force 7 turnovers, while also holding Sharks' Mark Matthews to 4 points in the second half. Yet again, Jonathan Bryant and Pat Bacon had double figures in the half, while Derrick Felder was also able to record 10 points in the half. The Spartans were able to retake the lead midway through the second half. In the closing minute of the game, the Spartans were able to hold the Sharks to a three-point lead. However, the efforts of the Spartan's offense were not enough as a few missed shots down the stretch solidified Nova's victory. || NSU 81-77

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Three Spartans finished in double-figures: Pat Bacon (22), Jonathan Bryant II (22), Derrick Felder (13).
• Vincent Biffle lead the team in assists with 6, while adding 8 points.
• Tampa shot 50% from 3PT range.
• Tampa scored 46 points in the paint.
• The lead changed a total of 16 times.
• The Spartan's bench added 22 points.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Pat Bacon has scored in double-digits figures in each game this season.
• The Spartans have lost their last six matchups against the Sharks; last win dating back to January 25, 2017.

UP NEXT: The University of Tampa men's basketball team will travel to St. Petersburg to face Bemidji State on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets: General admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. UT students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid Spartan ID.

Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.