Tars Top Spartans to Even Season Series

WINTER PARK, Fla. - Rollins College (14-6, 5-5 SSC) avenged a loss to the University of Tampa (13-6, 3-6 SSC) in the Sunshine State Conference opener with a 51-41 victory over the Spartans in women's basketball action on Wednesday.

Holding a 13-6 lead over 10 minutes into the game, the Spartans were outscored 15-2 over the next seven minutes as the home court Tars took a 26-19 advantage to the half.

The Spartans fought back in the second half, grabbing a 29-28 lead before Rollins answered with a 10-2 run to grab a seven-point advantage. The Tars, who are receiving votes in the national poll, would lead by as many as 10 points on three occasions inside five minutes to play, held off UT to salvage a split in the season series. The victory marked the fifth straight for Rollins at home against Tampa.

Sadie Oyer was the lone Spartan in double figures as the junior center finished with 17 points. She also grabbed eight rebounds and held team honors with two steals.

Illyssa Vivo matched her season-high with 11 rebounds as senior Moriah Hodge contributed three assists and two blocks.

In a game where both teams shot nearly identical, with UT at 30.2 compared to 29 for RC, the Spartans also won the battle of the boards by a 42-37 showing. Rollins did see a considerable advantage in 3-pointers (8-1) and turnovers (16-7) go its way, as the Tars also had 11 offensive rebounds.

The Spartans return home for a Saturday afternoon game against SSC opponent Lynn University. The game will tip at 2 p.m., at the Martinez Center. Live stats and video will be available through TampaSpartans.tv.

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