Tampa Women's Basketball Clinches SSC Title, Defeats PBA
TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 18 University of Tampa women's basketball team beat the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish in a 5-point win to clinch the 2021-22 Sunshine State Conference regular season championship.
Final: No. 18 University of Tampa Spartans 66, Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 61
Records: Tampa (26-5, 17-3 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (6-12, 3-17 SSC)
Location: Rubin Arena || West Palm Beach, Fla.
All-Time Series: The University of Tampa leads the all-time series 29-3. The Spartans have had a winning streak of 11 games. The most recent loss to the Sailfish was in 2016.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter: The quarter started off with the Sailfish scoring the first two points after two and half minutes into the game. Right after that, Melijah Sullivan was able to score, which got the game going. The Sailfish were unable to score again until the four minute and 13 second mark, but by that time, the Spartans had already nine points on the board. Tampa was able to stay on top after Palm Beach Atlantic scored the first two points of the game. Aliyah Abney shot 5-6 free throws and one field goal while her teammate, Mya Giusto was right behind her shooting six points.|| Score: 15-10 Tampa
Second Quarter: Palm Beach Atlantic could not catch a break in the first half of the second quarter due to the Spartans trying everything to slowly pull them away. A technical and other fouls were called on the Sailfish which gave the Spartans free throw chances. Eleanore Marciszewski did a fantastic job being able to go 2-2 in three-point field goals and 2-2 in free throws. The Spartans had a 22-point lead, putting themselves in a perfect position to end off the quarter. || Score: 40-22 Tampa
Third Quarter: This quarter, the Sailfish attacked quickly. They were trying everything they could to real Tampa back into a close game. The sailfish pushed, only letting the Spartans score nine points while they scored 22 points. Palm Beach Atlantic was able to close the gap with a five-point difference. Sullivan, Giusto, and Kayla Bonilla were the only ones able to score this quarter. || Score: 49-44 Tampa
Fourth Quarter: The Sailfish scored first, making the score go down to a 2-point difference. The Spartans were still in the lead, but their opponent was slowly creeping behind them with one more point to tie. This quarter was a fight to the finish line, with no room for error. At one point, Abney stole a pass from the Sailfish and shot a total of 5-6 free throws. Abney, Bonilla, and Wright-Ponder each put work in, scoring a total of 17 points to avoid an upset. || Final: 66-61 Tampa
INSIDE THE STATS
- Abney led the team with 23 points with Bonilla and Giusto right behind her with 11 points each
- Wright-Ponder had a total of 14 rebounds
BEYOND THE BOX
- This marks the eighth SSC regular season title for the Spartans, including the third straight.
- UT receives the No. 1 seed for the upcoming SSC tournament, and will host games throughout.
- The Spartans matched the program record for wins in a season. UT also won 26 games in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
UP NEXT: The Spartans head back to their home court to play in the SSC Tournament Quarterfinals at 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday.