Spartans Hold Off Late Push for 84–78 Road Win

SAINT LEO, Fla. – Spartans win a close contest on the road, 84-78, in a conference matchup against Saint Leo Wednesday night.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final: Tampa 84, Saint Leo 78
Records: Tampa (16–10, 10–9 SSC), Saint Leo (7–20, 2–17 SSC)
Location: Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half
Ryan Blount was first on the board with a pair of free throws. Camden McCormick followed with a quick three. Ian Higdon fought for a bucket in the paint, and Blount made another trip to the line as Trey Lane took advantage of the fast break. B.J. Schaeffer joined the offensive run with a jumper, and Lane added a pair of threes. The Spartans continued to take advantage of fast breaks and force turnovers. Justin Taylor knocked down a three on the break, and Lane hit another from behind the arc. Tampa stayed hot from three as the Lions worked to break their rhythm. As time ran down in the half, Schaeffer went to the line, and Blount added a jumper to close the half with a solid 45-28 lead.

Second Half
The Lions struck first in the second with a pair of free throws and a quick three. McCormick answered with a layup in the paint, followed by a bucket from Cole Gingeleski. Saint Leo applied defensive pressure as the Spartans fought to hold their lead. Tampa got to work inside while the Lions gained energy behind the shooting of Owen Pawlikowski. Ben Southerland kept Tampa ahead with a fast-break layup, and Taylor added two more threes. The Lions began forcing turnovers and chipped away at the lead. Blount kept firing to maintain the advantage as the final minutes turned into a tight back-and-forth battle. Trey Lane and Trent Scott delivered key free throws down the stretch to secure the 84-78 win.

INSIDE THE STATS

• Ryan Blount: 24 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl
• Trey Lane: 18 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl
• Camden McCormick: 11 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl
• Justin Taylor: 11 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast
• B.J. Schaeffer: 8 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast

TEAM STATS

• Field Goal Percentage: 50% (28–56)
• Three-Point Percentage: 41% (11–27)
• Free Throws: 77% (17–22)
• Rebounds: 35
• Bench Points: 16 (19%)
• Points in the Paint: 24 (29%)
• On the Fast Break: 28 (33%)

UP NEXT

Tampa will return home for the final regular season game and Senior Day against Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday, February 28, at 4:00 p.m.