Tampa Holds Off Fort Valley State For Victory In Season Opener

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The University of Tampa (1-0) men's basketball team picked up an NCAA South Region victory, defeating Fort Valley State University (0-1) by a 76-70 score in the 2010-11 season opener. The game was played at Florida Tech as part of the Tip-Off Challenge.

Following a first half where the score was even at 27-27, the Spartans built a 36-29 advantage just three minutes into the second half. Fort Valley proceeded to go on a 10-2 run to claimed its third lead of the half before the Spartans enjoyed another spurt.

Down 44-40, UT scored 10 straight points to earn the lead for good. The Spartans built its biggest lead of the day at 67-50 before receiving a small scare from the Wildcats. After allowing Fort Valley to cut the lead to just one point, Rudy Jean and Osby Kelly both hit a pair of free throws in the final minute to thwart the rally.

All-American Rashad Callaway led the Spartans with a team-high 22 points, hitting 8-for-15 from the field. The senior guard also finished with a team high five assists and two steals.

Anthony Griffis added 13 points while Rudy Jean and Ashton Graham chipped in 12 and 10 points respectively. Callum Townsend led all Spartans with nine rebounds.

The Spartans return to action on Saturday versus Albany State University in another non-conference game that counts as a regional contest. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Florida Tech. Live stats and a webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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