Spartans Upset 10th Ranked Sharks

TAMPA, Fla. – The SSC's top scoring offense faced off against the SSC's top defense Wednesday night in the Martinez Center. The defense prevailed as the Tampa women's basketball team ended No. 10 Nova Southeastern's undefeated conference record, by defeating the Sharks 71-45. UT improves to 10-8 on the season and 4-4 in conference play while NSU drops to 15-2 overall and 7-1 in SSC play.  The victory gives Tampa four consecutive Sunshine State Conference victories.

The Spartans had an all-around performance as they shot 50 percent (28-56) from beyond and held the Sharks to their lowest point output of the season (45). NSU shot a measly 36.2 percent from the field (17-47) and 30 percent from beyond the arc (6-20).

Juliana Cavallaro led the way for UT as the senior scored 18 points while dishing out four assists. Angela Alvarez notched another double-double as the senior came off the bench to score 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. 

Elena de Alfredo and Candace Martino also added double digits, as they each contributed with 13 points in the upset victory.

After the first quarter of play, the Spartans held a 22-19 lead over the Sharks, being led by de Alfredo. The junior guard scored seven points in the opening frame. In the second quarter, UT pushed their lead up to 15, as they outscored NSU 18-6 in the quarter. UT went into the half with a 40-25 advantage. 

As a team, Tampa shot 56.7 percent (17-30) from the field and were 60 percent (3-5) from beyond the arc. They dominated the glass in the half, as they outrebounded the Sharks 19-12. They also held the advantage in assists, as they dished out 12, compared to Nova's five.

De Alfredo led all scorers in the first half while Alvarez came off the bench to collect six first-half rebounds.  

UT dominated all aspects of the game as they outscored NSU 38-22 in the paint, 19-6 off turnovers, and 19-11 in bench points.