Spartans Gear Up for Basketball Doubleheader Against Eckerd
Men and Women look to sweep season series.
TAMPA, Fla.- The University of Tampa men's and women's basketball teams will host Eckerd College in a pair of Sunshine State Conference matchups Wednesday evening at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center.
At 5:30 p.m., the women look to add to its 10 game winning streak against the Tritons. The home team has moved to the top of the conference with a record of 11-2 and an overall standing of 18-5. Key victories have come against two nationally ranked teams and SSC foes, No. 3 Nova Southeastern and No. 15 Rollins.
Tampa is coming off of a 69-44 road win against Lynn University this past weekend. Juliana Cavallaro led the way with 13 points and 10 rebounds, recording her first double-double of the season.
Balanced scoring and stifling defense has been the name of the game for the Spartans. The squad is ranked second in the SSC in scoring margin (+11.6) and field goal percentages (.442). On average, opponents have not been able to score over 36 percent from the field, while Tampa manages to cruise through the rebounding and three-point field goal categories. Ellen Nurmi leads the way with 12.0 points per contest, while Taylor McVey and Illyssa Vivo add 11.3 and 10.7 points per contest respectively.
Eckerd enters the contest 9-13 overall and 2-10 in conference play. Barry defeated the Tritons 72-67 in its last round of action. The team is led by Liga Vente averaging 12 points and 7.2 rebounds a game.
The Spartans have the 69-14 advantage in the all-time series against the Tritons. Tampa trumped Eckerd with a score of 66-57 in the last meeting.
At 7:30 p.m., the men hope to complete the season sweep against Eckerd. The Spartans enter the game 15-7 overall, while sitting second in the conference with a record of 8-5. The team is coming off of a 66-60 down to the wire win against Lynn on the road. Da'Markco Foster headed the team with 13 points, shooting 50 percent from the field.
The Spartans have won four of its last five contests, including two matchups where the team scored 50 percent from downtown (three-point range). Averaging 15.8 points per game, Foster is the leading scorer for Tampa. Eric Moraes and Jordan Davis register 11.8 and 11.4 points per game respectively.
The Tritons hold a 14-10 record on the season and a 6-6 mark in the conference. Eckerd defeated Barry in a close battle with a final score of 85-83. The team is led by Jerrick Stevenson recording 14.9 points per game.
Tampa holds the 48-29 lead in the all-time series. The Spartans took the 64-49 victory in the first meeting against the Tritons on the road.
Tickets are available at the gate for $5. Children 12-and-under will be admitted free. UT faculty, staff and students are admitted free when displaying a valid Spartan ID card.
UT will offer live stats and a webcast for the match through TampaSpartans.tv.
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