Spartans Overwhelm District Of Columbia

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa (4-0) men's basketball team remained perfect with an 82-60 romp over visiting University of the District of Columbia (0-5). With the victory, UT has won each of its first four games for the first time since 2004.

Trailing 9-8, Tampa outscored District of Columbia 13-0 over a five-minute span in the first half. UT carried a 39-24 lead to the half and stretched the margin to 21 with 15:55 remaining in regulation.

The Spartans led by as many as 28 points as it finished off two-time NBA all-star Jeff Ruland's Firebird squad.

Glyn Hunter led the Spartans as he scored a career-high 19 points. The senior connected on 7-of-8 field goals and was 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Hunter also registered six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.

Rashad Callaway added 17 points and a team-leading five assists while Callum Townsend connected on three long-range shots to finish with nine points. Townsend also led all Spartans with seven rebounds.

Head coach Richard Schmidt used all 16 players in the rout, with 12 scoring. 11 Spartans also registered multiple points as freshmen Ryan Kidd, Eric Moraes and Stefon Barfield each notched their first career points as Spartans.

The team effort saw UT outshoot the Firebirds by a 47.5 to 38.5 percent clip while Tampa also outrebounded its opponent 41-24. The Spartans also finished with 10 baskets from beyond the arc.

The Spartans are back in action on Friday as it encounters a pair of games at the Eckerd Classic in St. Petersburg. UT will face Queens (N.C.) University on Friday at 5:30 p.m., followed by the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon on Saturday at 5 p.m. Live stats will be available through www.tampaspartans.com. Fans may follow the link for stats on the schedule to access live stats.

Fans may also follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers blAst, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register atwww.tampaspartans.com.