Spartans Capture Panthers in Battle

TAMPA, Fla.  – The University of Tampa women's basketball team defeated the Panthers of Florida Tech 66-53.   

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Tampa 66, Florida Tech 53
Records: Spartans (6-3, 2-1 SSC), Panthers (6-2, 2-2 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Center | Tampa, Fla
All-time Series: Tampa leads the all-time series 36-34 over the Panthers.
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Vimeo

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Quarter | University of Tampa was on the score board first with a jumper from senior Elena deAlfredo. However the Panthers answered back with a jumper of their own. The Spartans and the Panthers remained scoreless for just over two minutes until a layup by FIT made the score 6-2, Panthers advantage. Senior Teresa Kucera ended the Spartans dry spell with a three point jumper, cutting the FIT lead to only one point. Both teams traded baskets and ended the first quarter tied at 11-11. deAlfredo led all Spartans with eight points in the first quarter.  

2nd Quarter | The second quarter started much like the first, with both teams trading baskets back and fourth. deAlfredo was the first to score on a layup. Neither team led by more than three points the entire second quarter. Junior Karma Jeremie led all Spartans with six points. She was closely followed by Kucera and deAlfredo with five and four, respectively. A three point jumper by Kucera would end the first half and put the Spartans up by one, 31-30, heading into halftime.

3rd Quarter | Jeremie hit the boards first on a layup assisted by juior Morgan Lumb. The Spartans added to their slight lead with two layups from junior Faith Sanders and a layup from Jeremie.This increased their lead to 10 points with three minutes left in the third quarter. Junior Griffin Dempsey hit a deep three pointer to make the score 43-30 with two minutes left. The Panthers cut the 13 point lead to an eight point lead after a layup and three point jumper. Sanders led the Spartans in the third quarter with five points and three rebounds. The Spartans led 43-35 heading into the final quarter.

4th Quarter | The Panthers hit the board first on a steal followed by a layup, decreasing the UT lead to six. Dempsey responded with a three point jump shot putting the Spartans back up 46-37. The Spartans went on a 6-0 run as they kept the Panthers scoreless for nearly four minutes, until they dropped in a jumper making the score 54-42. The Panthers could not keep up with the Spartans as UT finished with a score of 66-53.   

INSIDE THE STATS:

• The Spartans shot 53 percent from the field compared to 37 percent by the Panthers.
• de Alfredo led UT with 19 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
• Jeremie was second with 12 points, seven rebounds, and was 5-7 from the field. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Tampa kept FIT scoreless for eight and half minutes in the third quarter. 
• Three Spartans scored in double figures. 

UP NEXT:
UT will host Albany State Monday, December 19th at 1:00 p.m. Live stats and a live video webcast will be provided through www.tampaspartans.com.

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