Spartans Ready for Senior Night
The University of Tampa will celebrate the career's of this years senior class.
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's, women's basketball programs will take the court for the final regular season home game on Wednesday night against the Eckerd Tritons. The women's team will celebrate four seniors while the men are honoring three Spartans prior to tip-off of each game.
WOMEN'S:
The Matchup: University of Tampa Spartans (20-6, 14-4 SSC) vs. Eckerd College Tritons (19-7, 13-5 SSC)
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 27th at 5:30 pm.
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla. | 400 N Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606
Series History: Tampa leads 77-18; On January 23, UT defeated Eckerd 71-66 at the McArthur Center in Saint Petersburg. Melijah Sullivan scored 13 points in the second half and led the Spartans with 19 points.
Last Time Out: UT held on against Nova Southeastern, 66-59, as the Spartans held an 18-point lead in the third quarter. Staja Tyghter and Dori Nagy registered double-double's with 20 points apiece and a combined 24 rebounds. Nagy led the team with six assists while Lauren Kotey had a pair of blocks off the bench.
About the Spartans (Women): Tampa is on a six-game winning streak and UT has been victorious in 11 of the last 12. UT sits in second place in the Sunshine State Conference behind No. 19 Florida Southern. On Monday, Feb. 25, Nagy was named SSC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. Nagy and Tyghter have scored 20 points apiece in each of the last two games, as well as double-digit rebounds in both games, and the duo has a combined 20 double-doubles on the season. Tyghter ranks 22nd in the nation with 7.5 defensive rebounds per game. The Spartans have two rebounders averaging over 8.5 rebounds per game for the first time since 2005-2006 (Erica Woodard 10.0, Sheena Walton: 8.6). The Spartans rank 7th in the NCAA, allowing 52.8 points per game and they've held the opponent to 50 points or less in 12 games this year. Tampa leads the SSC and ranks 29th nationally with 29.2 defensive rebounds per game.
About the Tritons (Women): Eckerd is coming off a 47-44 victory over Rollins College in which the two teams scored a combined seven points in the fourth quarter. Chelsea Johnson led the Tritons with 21 points on 7-of-14 from the field, and she went a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Despite being out-rebounded, 45-37, Eckerd held the Tars to 25% shooting from the field. The Tritons are in third place in the SSC, trailing only the Spartans and Moccasins.
MEN'S:
The Matchup: University of Tampa Spartans (13-13, 7-11 SSC) vs. Eckerd College Tritons (18-8, 11-7 SSC)
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 27th at 7:30 pm.
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla. | 400 N Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606
Series History: Tampa leads 52-36, but the Spartans have lost the last five games in the series.
Last Time Out: UT took the third-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks to overtime on Saturday afternoon, but ultimately lost by two possessions, 97-91. Marco Downer registered the first triple-double in UT history since Jordan Davis in 2014. It was the first triple-double in the SSC this season. He scored 12 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and logged 10 blocks which tied the UT record set by Chris Evans in 2008.
About the Spartans (Men): Tampa has won four of the last five games, and sit in eighth place in the SSC. Anthony Gamble leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game and hes logged double-figures in 17 of the last 20 games. Downer leads the SSC in blocks, and ranks 5th in the NCAA with 3.0 blocks per game. The freshman from Jamaica was named SSC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Feb. 25 after his performance against No. 3 Nova Southeastern. Devon Colley registered 20 points, six rebounds and four assists against the Sharks and the junior's scored in double-digits in seven of the last nine games since returning from injury.
About the Tritons (Men): After losing three straight, Eckerd bounced back with a 70-62 victory over Rollins College on Saturday. Drushaun McLaurn led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds against the Tars. Eckerd logged a season-low 3 three-pointers made and snapped their losing streak as Marco Behori dished out a career-high nine assists. Behori moved into third place on the program's career steals list with 181 after swiping three in the last game.
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.
Watch Live: Fans may watch the game through TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are available through TampaStats.com.
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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.