Spartans Drop Tight Season Opener

TURLOCK, Calif. - The University of Tampa women's basketball team came out on the wrong side of a closely fought contest, falling 54-53 to Cal State Dominguez Hills in the season opener. The Spartans fall to 0-1 as the Toros are now 1-0. The game was played as part of the Eva Schicke Memorial Classic at Cal State Stanislaus.

In a game that saw eight ties and five lead changes, neither team held more than a seven point advantage as CSUDH took a slim 28-26 lead to halftime.

The Spartans held a three point advantage following a DeShaydia Mackey free throw at 2:16. The Toros trimmed the UT lead to 53-52 with 1:14 remaining in the contest and then made the game-winning basket with five seconds remaining.

The teams were nearly identical from the field, with Tampa shooting 37.5 percent and Dominguez Hills turning in a 39.3 mark. Each team connected on three long-range shots, while Tampa shot 63.6 percent from the free throw line compared to a 77.8 clip for the Toros.

Mackey led the Spartans with a team-high 14 points, as 12 came in the second half. Sheena Walton and Erica Woodard joined Mackey in double figures with 11 and 10 respectively. Woodard enjoyed a perfect night at the free throw line, going 8-8 from the charity stripe.

Walton missed a double-double by one rebound as she finished with nine boards. Woodard added eight while Alexa Kane had five. Walton also led Tampa with four blocks while Mackey had team honors with three assists. Kane led UT with three steals.

The Spartans are back in action on Saturday as they face Cal State-Stanislaus at 10:30 pm eastern time.