No. 12 Tampa Wins Thriller Over Eckerd

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 12 Tampa Spartans squeaked out a win against the Eckerd Tritons in a game that featured six ties and nine lead changes.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final Score:  No. 12 Tampa Spartans 62, Eckerd Tritons 58

Records: Tampa (8-2, 3-0 SSC), Eckerd (3-4, 0-2 SSC) 

Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla.

All-Time Series: Tampa leads the all-time series 85-20. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st QUARTER

Eckerd drew first blood on midrange by Martyna Kowalska, but both teams would start to trade leads early when Tampa took its first at 3-2 on an Audrey Ramsey three-pointer. Mya Giusto gave the lead back at 6-4 on a three of her own and the Spartans led 8-7 with 4:11 left in the first quarter at the first media timeout. Eckerd regained the lead and extended it to 12-8 after an 8-0 run that forced Tom Jessee to call his first timeout in which Tampa turned the ball over three times in that span. Eckerd ended the quarter on a 10-4 stretch. | Score: 17-11 Eckerd

2nd QUARTER

Tampa would get back in the game after a big quarter from Sarah Jones. The senior guard recorded the first bucket of the period, on a coast-to-coast lay-in to cut the deficit to four. Jones continued to cut into the lead with a pair of made free throws to make it a two-point game, where Giusto gave Tampa the lead back on a three as Eckerd would scoreless through the first four minutes of the quarter. The contest resumed its back-and-forth nature as Eckerd responded to two field goals from Jones and Ramsey with two consecutive made threes by Lauryn Viera and Ieva Korzane. The Spartans went on a short run with another layup and made free throw from Jones and a Giusto three that forced an Eckerd timeout with their lead at six. The Tritons came out of their timeout and scored on their next three possessions, tying the game with just over a minute remaining on a Viera layup. | Score: Tied 29-29

3rd QUARTER

Viera opened the second half with a corner three to give the Tritons a 32-29 lead as  Tampa began to implement a 2-3 zone on defense. Eckerd's lead grew to four, which The Spartans later knotted up on contributions from Zoe Piller and Kath Van Bennekom. A step-back three from the Triton's Hannah Wentworth gave Eckerd a three-point advantage halfway through the period. From there, Eckerd maintained its lead as both teams traded baskets. | Score: 44-42 Eckerd

4th QUARTER

Eckerd opened the quarter with a 7-0 run on a Bella Green layup and five points by Korzane to give the Tritons their largest lead of the game at nine. The Spartans climbed their way back into the contest over the next three and a half minutes, making it a two-point game with four minutes left to play after two Ramsey free throws. A Giusto three from way downtown gave Tampa a one-point lead with 3:33 left to play, and Jones extended the lead to three with a midrange on the following possession. However, Eckerd's Sonja Schuch tied the game with a three-pointer with just over 2:30 left. Ramsey made two more free throws to give the Spartans the lead back with just under two minutes to play. With the shot clock turned off, Tampa forced a turnover but gave the Tritons a second opportunity for a buzzer-beater when Jones was called for a travel in the backcourt. However, the Tampa defense caused another turnover and Ramsey would put the game away with two more free throws as Tampa shot 21-28 from the foul line compared to Eckerd's 4-10 clip on the afternoon. | Final: 62-58 Tampa

INSIDE THE STATS

• Ramsey led all scorers with 20 points, including a perfect 7-7 clip at the free throw line for her 2^nd 20-point game of the season
• Jones rode a 9-point 2^nd quarter for a total of 13 points
• Piller posted 12 rebounds and 8 points
• Giusto scored 15 points, her 5^th straight game in double figures
• Tampa shot 75% from the foul line while the Tritons converted just 40% of their attempts

UP NEXT: Tampa will travel to Milledgeville, Georgia to take on the Georgia College Bobcats on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 10:30 a.m.