Tampa Falls In NCAA South Regional Semifinal

JACKSON, Tenn. – The University of Tampa women's basketball team ended its 2015-16 season Saturday night as they fell to Florida Southern College in the NCAA South Regional Semifinal by a final score of 69-59. The Mocs used a strong fourth quarter to claim the victory over the Spartans. UT ends its season with a record of 20-13 and FSC improves its record to 26-5.

Taylor McVey led the way for the Spartans as the senior collected a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Juliana Cavallaro also added double-digit points scoring 16 points.

Tampa came out strong in the first quarter as they jumped out to a quick 19-8 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. They would shoot 53.8 (7-13) percent from the field and held Florida Southern to just 20 (3-15) percent in the quarter.

The Mocs would chip into the Spartans lead in the second quarter, as they would pull within four points at 25-21 heading into the half.

With 3:41 left to play in the third quarter, Shaquita Snow would connect on a jump shot to give Southern its first lead of the game at 32-31. Tampa would regain control of the game in the third quarter as they ended the quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 44-37 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Florida Southern would then take control of the game in the fourth quarter, outscoring Tampa 32-15 in the final 10 minutes. The Mocs would do most of their damage on the free-throw line, making 17-of-18 attempts from the charity stripe, sealing the 69-59 victory.

Tampa won the battle on the boards, pulling down 39 rebounds compared to Florida Southern's 31. The bench was a key factor for the Mocs, as they collected 31 points on the night.

Florida Southern will now face off against Benedict on Monday for the South Regional Championship.

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