Spartans Tame Lions in Monumental Win for Jessee

TAMPA, Fla.  – The University of Tampa women's basketball team traveled to Saint Leo to take on the Lions and came out with a victory, which was head coach Tom Jessee's 300th win.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Tampa 66, Saint Leo 39   
Records: Spartans (14-5, 9-3 SSC), Lions (5-13, 0-10 SSC)
Location: Bowman Center | Saint Leo, Fla.
All-time Series: Tampa leads the all-time series record over the Lions 77-16.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Quarter | The Lions were the first to score and opened up play on a deep three pointer. The Spartans got on the board shortly after on a layup from junior Faith Sanders. Junior Griffin Dempsey made a three pointer that would give the Spartans their first lead of the game. Sanders got hot again after she sunk a three pointer assisted by junior Karma Jeremie. Following a basket from Saint Leo, senior Jenny Horvatinovic scored her first points of the game on back-to-back jumpers for the Spartans. The Spartans led 14-7 heading into the second quarter. Sanders led all Spartans with six points. 

2nd Quarter | The second quarter started out much like the first, on a layup from Sanders. Junior Morgan Lumb came in off the bench to score her first points on a jumper which was followed by a jumper from senior Elena de Alfredo, giving the Spartans a 10 point lead. de Alfredo found her rhythm after recording a jumper, immediately followed by a three point shot making the score 29-15 heading in to halftime. Sanders led all Spartans with eight points in the first half. 

3rd Quarter | Jeremie was the first athlete on the board with a layup to open the third quarter. The Lions followed suit on a layup of their own. The Spartans and the Lions began going basket-for-basket after Horvatinovic hit a three pointer that was followed by a three pointer from the Lions. A three point shot from Dempsey and a layup from Jeremie would give the Spartans their largest lead of the evening with 22 points. Lumb came in off the bench again to hit a deep three point jumper from the corner. The Spartans would score once more in the third quarter on a jumper from Horvatinovic, giving UT a 23 point lead. 

4th Quarter | The Lions would score first to open the final quarter of the game on a three pointer. The Spartans and the Lions traded points for the majority of the fourth quarter, UT keeping Saint Leo at at least a 19 point distance for the entire fourth quarter. The Lions made an effort at closing in on the Spartans lead but were unsuccessful as UT went on to win 66-39. This win records the 300th win for head coach Tom Jessee.   

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Jeremie led all Spartans with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. 
• Horvatinovic was the second leading point scorer with 14 points, five assists, and one steal. 
• As a team, the Spartans shot 54.5 from the field.  

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

•  Four Spartans scored in double digits.

UP NEXT:
UT will travel to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Saturday February 4 for a 5:00 pm matchup. Live stats and a live video webcast will be provided through www.tampaspartans.com.

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