Nationally-Ranked Women's Basketball Showdown Headlines New Year's Eve Matchup
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa women's basketball programs will host Sunshine State Conference opponent Eckerd College in an afternoon matchup, featuring two women's teams who both appear in the national rankings. The previously scheduled men's game between the Spartans and Tritons has been canceled due to Covid-19 protocols.
The Matchup: No. 12 University of Tampa Spartans (12-2, 3-0 SSC) vs. No. 23 Eckerd College Tritons (8-0, 4-0 SSC)
Date/Time: Friday, December31, 2021, at 2:00 pm
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla. | 400 North Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606
Series History: Tampa leads the all-time series 80-19 as the teams did not meet in the 2020-21 season as the Tritons did not compete due to Covid-19. Eckerd picked up a 75-69 win in the last meeting, capturing the 2020 SSC tournament championship at the Martinez Center. UT has won four of the last five games against Eckerd.
Last Time Out: Tampa last competed the Las Vegas Classic, picking up victories over Wisconsin-Parkside and Southern Indiana. In the 79-71 victory over USI, Aliyah Abney posted a game-high 23 points for the second consecutive contest. Melijah Sullivan added 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting while LaShayla Wright-Ponder registered 14 points with a team-high nine rebounds. Mya Giusto provided a spark off the bench, scoring a career-best 18 points while connecting on 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.
About the Spartans: The Spartans have been nationally-ranked all season, and enter the matchup as the No. 12-ranked team according to the WBCA Coaches Poll. Head coach Tom Jessee's squad is riding an 11-game winning streak. A talented and deep Spartan lineup features many weapons, including four players in double figures. LaShayla Wright-Ponder leads all Spartans with 16.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in five games. Dori Nagy sits at 12.9 points per contest, followed by Abney and Melijah Sullivan at 12.8 and 12.6 respectively. Eleanore Marciszewski looks to return to the floor for the Spartans, shooting 60.7 percent from 3-point range while connecting on 17-of-28 from long range.
About the Tritons: The Tritons are undefeated and also perfect in league play. Eckerd has won seven of its eight games by 10-plus points, as it last won a pair of games at the Florida Southern Terrace Hotel Classic, topping Davenport (85-57) and Rockhurst (54-40). Maya Price leads the Tritons in scoring, averaging 17.0 points while teammate Sofia Persson also sits in double figures at 13.8. The Tritons are shooting 41.7 percent from the field, while holding their opponents to a 29.2 percent clip.
Tickets: General admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $10. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted for $5. 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.
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.