Spartans Lock Down Florida Tech

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The University of Tampa women's basketball team continued to lock down on the defensive end, as the Spartans held Florida Tech to 35% shooting from the field in a commanding victory on Saturday afternoon. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: Tampa 57, Florida Tech 42

Records: University of Tampa Spartans (7-2, 2-1 SSC), Florida Tech Panthers (2-6, 0-2 SSC)

Location: Charles & Ruth Clemente Center || Melbourne, Fla.

All-Time Series: Tampa leads 39-35; The Spartans have won the last two meetings. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Quarter | In the opening minutes, Florida Tech implemented a 2-3 zone in an attempt to force Tampa to shoot the ball from long-range. The Spartans missed their first three jumpers before Julia Ingram drained a three-pointer. Ingram, a sophomore from Clearwater, owns a 42% three-point shooting percentage through eight games. Staja Tyghter tallied four of the opening seven points for UT, finding an open space in the mid-range. Gracie Doane, the leading scorer for FIT this season, logged five points in the opening quarter. Ingram ended the quarter with a long-range jumper at the buzzer and tallied six points via two three-pointers. The Spartans forced five turnovers in the first quarter. Tampa finished the quarter with a 12-11 advantage over the Panthers. 

2nd Quarter | The Spartans opened the second quarter feeding the low-post, as Dori Nagy and Lauren Kotey notched points on the stat sheet on post-move layup's. Tampa's defense, ranked 8th in the nation allowing 51.9 points per game, held Florida Tech to 1-of-7 in the opening five minutes of the quarter. The Panthers ended their three minute scoring drought with back-to-back jump shots to cut the UT lead to 19-17. Florida Tech took the lead as the second half winded down with a three-pointer from Amanda Allen, entering the break, FIT led 22-21. Fanny Hakanson filled the box score with five rebounds and five assists in 10 minutes of play. In the opening half, Nagy accumulated five rebounds while scoring five points.

3rd Quarter | Florida Tech's Doane, averages 3.4 three-pointers per game, opened the third quarter with a made long-range field goal. Last season, she ranked 7th in the SSC with 1.9 three-pointers per game. In the middle of the quarter, Tampa went on a 15-4 scoring stretch as Melijah Sullivan registered back-to-back layup's. Tyghter tacked on two mid-range jumpers to continue the high-scoring third quarter for UT. The Spartans ended the quarter making their last seven of eight field goal attempts. UT out-scored Florida Tech 22-13 in the quarter to take an eight point advantage entering the final period. In 10 minutes of play, Nagy grabbed three boards and recorded four points. The Spartans out-rebounded FIT 9-3 in the third period. 

4th Quarter | Florida Tech began the quarter scoring the first four points, however, Nagy ended the scoring drought with two layup's to extend the lead to 47-40. Tampa lived inside the arc throughout the final period as they registered four layups and two mid-range jumpers. As the Panthers threatened the lead, UT weathered the storm and went on an 12-2 stretch to extend the lead to 15. In the final five minutes, the Spartans defense stepped up their game holding FIT to 1-of-9 shooting. The Panthers committed four turnovers in the final frame as UT scored six points off FIT turnovers. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Nagy registered 13+ points for the fifth time this season, and she racked up nine rebounds in 38 minutes of action.
• Tampa went a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
• Florida Tech did not have a double-digit scorer for the first time this season. 

BEYOND THE BOX:

• The Spartans are 7-1 when out-rebounding their opponent. 
• Head coach Tom Jessee currently sits at 497 career victories.

UP NEXT: Following final exams, Tampa will host a week-day round robin in two weeks as the Spartans will host Texas Woman's and Findlay on December 18 and 19, respectively. For both games, tip off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Martinez Athletics Center. 

Tickets: General admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. UT students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid Spartan ID.

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