Tampa Blows Past Florida Tech; Advances To SSC Semifinals
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The University of Tampa women's basketball team traveled to the Silver Spurs Arena to take on the Florida Tech Panthers in the opening round of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. UT scored the first points in the game and never looked backed as they defeated the Panthers by a final score of 69-52.
Tampa improves their record to 17-10, while Florida Tech falls to 20-7.
Fresh off being named all-conference, junior Juliana Cavallaro led the team with 19 points on the day. She was 6-11 from the field, while also sinking 5-7 free-throws.
Junior Ellen Nurmi also contributed with 15 points on the day, as she went 4-8 from the field, including 3-7 from beyond the arc. Nurmi also added eight assists and seven rebounds. Candace Martino and Aisha Rodney added double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively. Junior Taylor McVey added nine points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes of play.
The Spartans started the game off hot, as they jumped out to an 11-2 lead just six minutes into the contest. Tampa used a 10-2 run with about seven minutes left in the first half, to build their biggest lead in their first half, as they held a commanding 21 point margin over Florida Tech. Nurmi had the hot hand as she scored 11 point on on four of six shooting, including three of five from beyond the arc.
With 6:31 left to play in the game, FIT was able to pull within nine points, after a layup by Breann Davis. That was the closest the Panthers were able to get, as the Spartans pulled away down the stretch to pick up the 17 point victory.
As a team, the Spartans made more three-pointer in the game, as they drained six, while the Panthers were only able to knock down three. UT was also dominate in assists,as they dished out 17, while FIT was only able to get seven assists. Tampa was also a force on the boards, as they hauled in 35 defensive rebounds, while Florida Tech collected 17.
Tampa moves on to play Nova Southeastern, who defeated Saint Leo in the first game of the tournament. The two teams split the season series, as both teams won road contest. UT won the first matchup 76-75, while NSU won the second meeting 55-53. The game is scheduled for Saturday at noon in the Silver Spurs Arena.
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