Spartans Erase 18-Point Deficit for SSC Road Victory

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The University of Tampa women's basketball team trailed by a large margin for the majority of the first three periods before mounting a double-digit comeback for a Sunshine State Conference victory over Eckerd College.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 

Final Score: Tampa 57, Eckerd 54
Records: University of Tampa Spartans (3-3, 2-0 SSC), Eckerd College Tritons (3-2, 1-1 SSC)
Location: St. Petersburg, Fla. || McArthur Center
All-Time Series: The Spartans have now won three straight over Eckerd, improving its edge to 79-18 in the all-time series. This is also the second straight road victory over Eckerd at the McArthur Center for UT.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Quarter | Eckerd closed the first quarter on a 5-0 run as it extended its early lead to an eight-point margin following the first 10 minutes. Tampa connected on just 2-of-10 from the field and committed six turnovers in the period.  || Eckerd 14, Tampa 6

2nd Quarter | The Spartans found their shooting touch in the second quarter, shooting 57.1 percent from the floor, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. The Tritons also made three long-range shots, and capitalized off another six turnovers for the Spartans in the period. || Eckerd 30, Tampa 17

 3rd Quarter | The Tritons continued to hold the double-digit lead, extending their advantage to 18 points at 42-24 with 1:46 to go in the third. Senior point guard Kris Nelson returned following two games to score six of the final eight points of the period during an 8-0 Spartan run. || Eckerd 42, Tampa 32

4th Quarter | UT's pressure continued as it survived a brief Eckerd run to turn a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to just five points with just over five minutes to play in regulation. A 3-pointer from Nelson put UT within one point at 50-49 with 3:23 to play. Neither team would score for over two minutes until Dori Nagy gave Tampa its first lead since 3-2 with a 3-pointer at 1:07 to make it 52-50 in favor of Tampa. Eckerd would respond with a basket to tie the score at 52-52, as Melijah Sullivan tilted the game back toward UT with a layup at the 10-second mark. The Tritons quickly answered, prompting a Tampa timeout. Out of the timeout, Sullivan found teammate LaShayla Wright-Ponder for a layup with 0.8 seconds on the clock. UT cemented the victory on an Eckerd turnover as the final point came on a free throw by Nagy. || Tampa 57, Eckerd 54

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Nelson finished the game with a team-high 17 points and five assists. She was 6-for-9 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point range.
• Wright-Ponder and Sullivan also finished in double-digits with 13 and 10 points respectively.
• The team-high in rebounds was six by Wright-Ponder.
• Nagy led the way with three steals, also pulling down five rebounds while scoring seven.
• UT shot 48.9 percent from the field as Eckerd was at 47.9.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Tampa and Florida Southern are the lone SSC teams without a league loss as the Mocs stand at 3-0.

UP NEXT: UT returns home to host Rollins on Saturday at 2 p.m., at the Martinez Center.

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