#25 Tampa Takes Down Florida Southern in Mid Week Matchup

LAKELAND, Fla. – The University of Tampa women's basketball team scraped past SSC rival Florida Southern to remain undefeated in conference play.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final Score: Tampa 65, Florida Southern 60 

Records: Tampa Spartans (13-3, 10-0 SSC), Florida Southern Mocs (10-8, 7-3 SSC)

Location: Lakeland, Fla || George W. Jenkins Field House

All-Time Series: Tampa still trails in the All-Time Series record by a record of 38-63. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Quarter || LaShayla Wright-Ponder came out hot as she started the game going 3-for-5 from the field, giving her an early six points. Both her and Dori Nagy were able to grab three rebounds in an effort to control the rebounding battle. Five early turnovers, however, seemed to hinder the Spartans offense as Southern was able to convert on the other end, giving them an early lead. || 17-13 FSC 

2nd Quarter || Midway through the quarter, Aliyah Abney hit a three-pointer to narrow the deficit to four. The very next possession, Terri Battle finished a tough layup at the rim to make it a one-possession game. With under a minute left in the half, the Spartans were able to regain the lead. || 30-29 Tampa

3rd Quarter || Florida Southern continued to pound the offensive glass as they scored second-chance points. Halfway through the 3^rd quarter, a technical foul was issued to the Spartans bench, and the Mocs drilled all four free throws to take a 39-35 lead. Both Spartan forwards, Nagy and Wright-Ponder, picked up three personal fouls which forced them to play more conservative defense. As a result, the Mocs took advantage of the rebounding battle and continued to look to score in the paint. Abney brought the Mocs lead down to eight as she drove through traffic to finish at the rim. Right at the buzzer, Abney was able to drill a fadeaway midrange to bring the Spartans within two points to close out the quarter. || 47-45 FSC

4th Quarter || The first possession in the final quarter of play opened up with an and-one layup by Dori Nagy to give the Spartans their first lead since halftime. Next trip down the floor, Abney was able to finish a euro-step layup as she was fouled to give Tampa a two-possession lead. With five minutes remaining, Nagy hit Melijah Sullivan as she knocked down a contested three, giving her 16 points in the game.  || 65-60 Tampa

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Three Spartans scored in double-digits figures: Abney (19), Melijah Sullivan (16), Dori Nagy (11)
• The Spartans bench outscored the Mocs as they were able to contribute 23 points
• Abney finished the night with 19 points
• Melijah Sullivan finished the game with 16 points
• Dori Nagy finished the night with 11 points and 11 rebounds

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Tampa is on an 11-game winning streak, dating back to December 4^th. 
• Dori Nagy posted her third consecutive double-double
• The Spartans continue their dominant SSC play as they maintain their first place position in the conference standings with a record of 10-0.

UP NEXT: The Spartans will travel down to Fort Lauderdale to face the Nova Southeastern Sharks on Saturday, January 25^th, at 2 PM.

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