Spartans Leave TAMIU In Their Own Dust

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.  – The University of Tampa women's basketball team took on Texas A&M International University and swept up the dustdevils in their final game of the tournament. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Tampa 80, TAMIU 45

Records: Spartans (4-2), Dustdevils (0-7)
Location: McArthur Center | St. Petersburg, Fla.
All-time Series: This was the first competition between the Dustdevils and the Spartans, and UT now leads the all-time series 1-0.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Quarter | The Spartans and the Dustdevils were trading points as they opened up play in the first quarter. The teams were tied until junior Morgan Lumb put the Spartans ahead on a deep three point jumper assisted by senior Elena deAlfredo. The Spartan offense began to rally as junior Faith Sanders made a layup followed by a layup by deAlfredo. Senior Jenny Horvatinovic went on a run of her own with back-to-back layups that made the score 17-7. 

2nd Quarter | Senior Teresa Kucera was the first Spartan on the board in the second quarter with a layup assisted by sophomore Emma Karamovic. The Dustdevils began to cut into the Spartans lead but a three pointer from freshman Rachel Warden would put UT back up eight points with six minutes left in the half. The Spartans scored back-to-back points on a three pointer from deAlfredo and a layup by junior Karma Jeremie making the score 37-24. Tampa ended the half on a three point jumper from Kucera. Jeremie led the Spartan offense with 12 points in the first half. In the first half, as a team, UT shot 58.6 percent from the field.

3rd Quarter | After the halftime break, the Dustdevils hit the board first with a three pointer that would cut the Spartans lead to 11 points. Senior Horvatinovic was sent to the line to shoot two after a foul on the Dustdevils. Horvantinovic went 2-2 which were the first points for the Spartans in the second half. The score was stagnant on both sides for two and half minutes until deAlfredo hit a two point jumper followed by two layups from Jeremie and Lumb, making the score 50-31. The Spartans ended the third quarter on a layup from Kucera assisted by Sanders, increasing the Tampa lead to 25 points.

4th Quarter | Warden started the fourth quarter with a layup for the Spartans. The Tampa offense was unstoppable as all the Spartans were scoring from all over. The Dustdevils could not keep up with the Spartans who held them to 12 points in the last quarter. The Spartans scored their last points of the game on a layup from Kucera assisted by Warden which made the score a decisive 80-45. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Junior Jeremie led all Spartans with 14 points, six rebounds, and two steals. 
• Horvatinovic, Kucera, and deAlfredo were the second leading point scorers, all with 13 points.
• The Spartans shot 52.5 percent from the field.
• As a team, the Spartans recorded 7 steals and 35 rebounds.  

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Spartans kept the Dustdevils scoreless for nearly eight minutes in the third quarter.
• Five Spartans scored in double figures. 
• Freshmen Ally Lollis and Sarah Logar recorded their first minutes on the court as Spartans. Lollis tallied her first rebound.  

UP NEXT:

UT will play Palm Beach Atlantic Wednesday at 5:30 pm. Live stats and a live video webcast will be provided through www.tampaspartans.com

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