The University of Tampa men’s basketball team will likely remain in the top 25 for another week after a 95-89 victory over Florida Tech. The Spartans (16-4) were ranked 17th going into the game and improve to 9-2 in the Sunshine State Conference. The Spartans got a huge lift from guard Chris King who led all scorers with a career high 27 points. King, who came into the game averaging 11.6 points per contest, shot 11-of-16 from the floor, including 5-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc. “I’m getting more comfortable shooting the ball now,” said King”I’ve been getting in the gym and shooting more jumpers, just trying to find my rhythm.” Jeremy Black also had a big game with 19 points and 18 rebounds. Black went to the free throw line 11 times, utilizing his body to get Florida Tech’s big men in foul trouble. “I was trying to take control of the game by getting them in foul trouble,” said Black. “I used a lot of pump fakes. They didn’t really have a force down low so I used my body to my advantage.” It was a game of mainly back-and-forth basketball, with several lead changes in the first half. Florida Tech led 43-42 at intermission, but the Spartans pulled away after they went on an 11-1 run late in the second half. This was especially a sweet victory for the Spartans as Florida Tech beat Tampa 84-67 on January 12. However, head coach Richard Schmidt wasn’t too pleased with the performance despite the win. “Any win is good,” said Schmidt, “but I don’t think we played our best basketball. Defensively we could’ve been better. Offensively we were good. Chris (King) got hot offensively and carried us tonight.” Johnathan Ball had 19 points for the Spartans, and Rashad Callaway added 16.