Sharks Upset Spartans to End Winning Streak
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 18 University of Tampa women's basketball team suffered a loss to Nova Southeastern University on Saturday afternoon.
Final: Nova Southeastern University Sharks 67, No. 18 University of Tampa Spartans 58
Records: University of Tampa (18-4, 9-2 SSC), Nova Southeastern University (11-7, 6-5 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center || Tampa, Fla.
All-Time Series: The Spartans lead the Sharks in overall victories between the two programs, 31-17. The teams split the regular-season series this season after Tampa took the initial meeting in Fort Lauderdale.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter: The first quarter opened with Kayla Bonilla scoring a 3-pointer to get the wheels rolling. Throughout the game, Kayla Bonilla goes 4-4 in free throws which is the most free throw opportunities out of the Tampa team. The Spartans were on top the whole way through the first quarter, successfully going 100% in 3 field goals and free throws. LaShayla Wright-Ponder had the most field goal opportunities, scoring a total of 10 points. The Spartans were unstoppable, finding a rhythm and sticking to it. || Score: 22-17 Tampa
Second Quarter: The second quarter opened with a battle between both teams. Nova was quickly able to close the gap in the beginning of the quarter, making each shot vital to keeping the lead. Wright-Ponder and Melijah Sullivan were the only players to add points to the scoreboard. The Spartans could not take the lead due to essential shots not being executed. || Score: 36-33 Nova Southeastern
Third Quarter: Ponders was able to shoot the first shot in the third quarter, giving some momentum. However, the sharks were determined to play ball. Nova lead the game 7-0 at one point leaving Tampa into some dangerous territory. The Spartans were able to put 11 points on the board but that was not enough to take charge of the game. Aliyah Abney and Sullivan were both efficient enough to have a free throw percentage of 100. || Score: 54-44 Nova Southeastern
Fourth Quarter: The fourth quarter opened with both teams hungry to score. Abney scored 7 points to help the team but could not catch up. Bonilla and Mya Giusto each had 5 personal fouls which made them have to sit out for the rest of the game. Tampa could not handle the pressure, showing uncharacteristic turnovers. Despite the Spartans best efforts, the Sharks found ways to take the win. II Final: 67-58 Nova Southeastern
INSIDE THE STATS
- Wright-Ponder scored a team-leading 17 points
- Abney and Bonilla each recorded 4-4 free throws
- Nagy had a total of eight rebounds
UP NEXT: The Spartans travel to Boca Raton, Florida to take on the Lynn University Fighting Knights on January 29 at 2:00 p.m.
GAMEDAY MULTIMEDIA: Fans may watch all home games and Sunshine State Conference contests on TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are also available through TampaStats.com.
Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat 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.