Tampa Fends Off Eckerd to Advance to SSC Tournament Semifinals
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The University of Tampa (19-8) women's basketball team held a sizable lead and fought off a late Eckerd College (14-12) rally to move to the semifinals of the 2013 Sunshine State Conference tournament with a 52-46 victory.
The No. 6 seed avoided a three-game sweep by the Tritons this season with strong defense and a balanced scoring effort at the Silver Spurs Arena in Thursday's nightcap.
Tampa went on an 11-2 run midway through the first half to grab its first double figure lead, and took its largest lead of the half to the break at 35-23 on a layup and free throw by freshman Juliana Cavallaro.
The Spartans would lead by as many as 15 points in the second half before the Tritons made it a two-possession game with under five minutes to play. Eckerd would keep the heat on the Spartans as a layup by Krystal Charles cut the margin to 48-46 with 2:21 to play in regulation.
The duo of Spartan all-SSC performers then helped Tampa advance as Moriah Hodge responded with a layup and Illyssa Vivo connected on a pair of free throws to put UT on top 52-46 with 38 seconds remaining.
A missed jumper by SSC Freshman of the Year Annie Armstrong eliminated any chance at an Eckerd comeback with 30 seconds to play. Vivo defended the league's top freshman, holding Armstrong to zero points on 0-for-5 shooting from the field.
Vivo also led a trio of Spartans who scored in double figures as the junior registered 15 points. She also grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds as Hodge finished with 14 points and Cavallaro with 10.
Shamika Williams earned her first start since January 16 against Saint Leo and recorded eight points and a team-high four assists in 37 minutes of play.
With a spot in the finals on the line, Tampa will face Saint Leo University on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The teams split the regular season series and will once again feature the lone married head coaching duo in the nation in UT's Tom Jessee and SLU's Nikki Jessee.
Live stats and a video broadcast will be available through the SSC Championship Central web page, located at SunshineStateConference.com. UT is 1-2 against Saint Leo in SSC tourney play, though the Spartans picked up a 62-39 victory in the 2008 quarterfinals. The Lions victories came in 1991 and 1998 against Tom Mosca-coached Spartan squads.
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