Golden Knights Conquer Spartans, Hand No. 5 Tampa First Loss of Season

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 5 Tampa Spartans couldn't complete the sweep of the CCA Tip Off at the Trailhead Tournament, suffering their first loss of the season to the Gannon Golden Knights. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final Score:  Gannon Golden Knights 68, No. 5 Tampa Spartans 56 

Records: Tampa (2-1), Gannon (3-0)

Location: Alterowitz Gym | Billings, Mont.

All-Time Series: This was just the second meeting all-time between both schools. Tampa won the first matchup 63-45 on Nov. 22, 2018

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st QUARTER

Tampa found themselves in an early hole, trailing 10-3 after just over three and a half minutes into the game which caused coach Tom Jessee to call a timeout. The Golden Knights made five of nine three-point attempts and the Spartans committed six turnovers. Starting center Zoe Piller landed in foul trouble, committing two fouls in the first five minutes of the quarter. Gannon went on a 9-0 run following the Spartans timeout to go up 19-3, but Tampa started to find more of a groove offensively behind four points off the bench by Vivianne Jende. | Score: 26-12 Gannon

2nd QUARTER

Gannon continued to be incredibly successful shooting from downtown, adding two more three-pointers before a media timeout to maintain a 14-point lead at 32-18. Tampa put on a zone press after the break that began to give the Golden Knights trouble, but Gannon still found ways to score off turnovers and second-chance opportunities. The Spartans faced their largest deficit of the half of 17 before Jessee called another timeout. Through the work of seven points from Audrey Ramsey, Tampa cut the deficit to 11 from an 8-2 run in the last 90 seconds of the half. | Score: 43-32 Gannon 

3rd QUARTER

Gannon's first three field goals of the second half all came from beyond the arc, extending their lead to 15 with 15 minutes to play in the game. Tampa found success inside the paint with a layup by Mya Giusto and a three-point play from Piller but needed more to keep up with the Golden Knights offense. The transfer from New Mexico continued to make her presence known with two more lay-ins, and the first three-pointer of the game from Sarah Jones plus another contribution by Giusto cut the deficit by single digits by the end of the quarter. | Score: 56-48 Gannon

4th QUARTER

Gannon converted their 12^th three-pointer of the game off a half-court trap defense to open the scoring in the fourth quarter. Gannon continued to crack the Spartans defense which moved to a 2-3 zone while holding Tampa scoreless for the first four minutes of the quarter. It was a defensive battle overall in the final period as both teams played each other evenly. But with Gannon's lead built up, it was too much for the Spartans to overcome. | Score: 68-56 Gannon

INSIDE THE STATS

• Giusto and Jones led Tampa in scoring with 15 points each
• Piller recorded 4 offensive rebounds

UP NEXT: Tampa will travel to Huntsville, Ala. for two games in the South Region Crossover. The Spartans first game will be against Lee on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m.