MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University men's basketball team lost for the third time in four years in the Martinez Center Wednesday night, falling to previously 20th-ranked Tampa to end the first half of Sunshine State Conference play.
The Buccaneers trailed by as many as 17 in the second half, but trimmed the deficit to three before the Spartans came up with the finishing touches on what was an off-night for Barry shooting the ball. The Bucs, who entered the game ranked second in the nation in free throw shooting, went 10 of 19 from the stripe, while hitting just eight of 26 three-pointers for 30.6 percent.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Tampa 88, Barry 80
Records: Barry 14-2, 7-2 SSC; Tampa 13-5, 6-3 SSC
All-Time Series: Barry trails 26-42
SUMMARY:
- Tampa opened up the game knocking down over 70 percent of its triple tries in the first half. The Spartans connected on 10 of 14 field goals beyond the arc, and shot 69 percent overall in the first half. Meanwhile, the Bucs went 17 of 33 from the floor in the first half.
- Sawyer Glick came off the bench to score 11 first-half points to pull the Buccaneers within nine at the break. He snapped a streak of three straight games being held under double figures.
- The Spartans built a 65-48 lead with 12:05 remaining, but Barry recovered, using a 22-12 run over the next 6:52 to cut it to seven on a pair of Elvar Fridriksson free throws.
- The Buccaneers cut the gap to 83-80, following a 10-4 run that culminated in a three-point play by Adrian Gonzalez with 1:23 to go. But the Spartans scored the game's final five points as the Bucs couldn't convert on the offensive end the rest of the way.
NOTEWORTHY:
- Barry coach Butch Estes is 1-3 all time in the Martinez Center.
- Fridriksson scored in double figures (17 points) for the fourth straight game.
- Barry outscored Tampa, 20-7, in points off turnovers.
- The Bucs were held to under 20 assists for the second straight game. Barry leads the nation in assists.
ON THE HORIZON:
Barry plays at Nova Southeastern 4 p.m. Saturday.
