Spartans to Host Nova Southeastern in Basketball Doubleheader
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's and women's basketball teams will both be in action on Saturday afternoon, playing host to Nova Southeastern University.
WOMEN'S:
The Matchup: No. 18 University of Tampa Spartans (18-3, 9-1 SSC) vs. Nova Southeastern University Sharks (10-7, 5-5 SSC)
Date/Time: Saturday, January 22, 2022, at 2:00 pm
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla. | 400 North Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606
Series History: Tampa owns the advantage in the all-time series, 31-16. In a series dating back to 1999, the Spartans took the last meeting with a 74-66 victory on November 20th, 2021. UT has won four in a row over the Sharks.
Last Time Out: The Spartans won at home against Florida Southern and picked up a 70-65 SSC victory over the Mocs. Aliyah Abney and Dori Nagy both had a team-leading 17 points, while LaShayla Wright-Ponder was close behind, scoring 13 points while Kayla Bonilla had a team-high 10 rebounds on the day. The Spartans shot 56.3 percent from the floor, and also capitalized on 23 trips to the free-throw line, making 14 of the attempts. UT also won the battle of the boards, 39-28.
About the Spartans (Women): Tampa has won 6 in a row since falling to No. 23 Eckerd on December 31. The top team in the SSC has four players averaging double figures. Aliyah Abney leads all Spartans in scoring (14.4 ppg) as Wright-Ponder follows at 14.3 points per game. Dori Nagy and Melijah Sullivan average 12.8 and 11.8 points respectively as guard Mya Giusto continues to play well as the sophomore has netted double figures in three of the last five games. As a team, the Spartans are shooting 47.4 percent from the field.
About the Sharks (Women): Nova Southeastern is coming off a 76-70 win over Saint Leo on Wednesday, and has won three of its last four games. Mckenah Peters and Hailey Conley lead the Sharks at 16.4 points per game.
MEN'S:
The Matchup: University of Tampa Spartans (11-4, 7-3 SSC) vs. No. 3 Nova Southeastern University Sharks (15-0, 10-0 SSC)
Date/Time: Saturday, January 22, 2022, at 4:00 pm
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla. | 400 North Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606
Series History: The Sharks lead 24-19 in the all-time series. The Sharks are on an eight-game winning streak with Tampa's last win coming on January 25th, 2017. In the last meeting between these two teams, the final score came out to be 90-81 in a Sharks victory.
Last Time Out: Tampa went on the road and came away with an 87-83 loss against Florida Southern on Wednesday. Max Jones had a team-high 27 points. He was 9-for-21 from the field and also made 8 free throws. Martin Lakovic netted 17 points as Mykah Brown had 10. Derrick Felder and Lakovic led the way with three assists apiece as Lakovic also had a team-best four blocks and 13 rebounds.
About the Spartans (Men): Jones, the reigning SSC and National Player of the Week, averages a team-high 22.8 points per game and is coming off of a game where he scored games 27 points against Florida Southern. Lakovic, averaging 1.3 blocks per game, leads the Spartans in blocks and also has the team lead with 8.2 rebounds per game.
About the Sharks (Men): Nova Southeastern is looking to carry on their dominant start to the season with their undefeated streak still intact. Sekou Sylla is the Sharks leading scorer with 351 points on the season. Sylla is also leading the Sharks in the rebounding category with 9.5 rebounds per game.
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.
Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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.