#23 Spartans Continue Perfect Conference Record With Win Over Tars

WINTER PARK, Fla.  – The University of Tampa women's basketball team gained a win in Winter Park as Melijah Sullivan scored a new career-high. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Tampa 70, Rollins 58   
Records: University of Tampa Spartans (16-3, 13-0 SSC), Rollins College Tars (12-9, 4-8 SSC)
Location: Warden Arena | Winter Park, Fla.
All-time Series: Tampa trails in the all-time series with a 48-56 mark, but leads the last 11 games 7-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Quarter | Julia Ingram started the game for the Spartans doing what she does best, knocking down a three. Rollins came back with two three-pointers of their own. LaShayla Wright-Ponder started the game with a hot hand inside the paint, earning seven points in the quarter. Rollins stayed with the Spartans as they finished the quarter on top by four. || Rollins 18, Tampa 14

2nd Quarter | Tampa began the second set of 10 minutes on a 15-0 run that started by a three-pointer from Ingram. Their run continued for over four minutes with Melijah Sullivan and Aliyah Abney were the main force behind their hot streak. Tampa's first miss of the quarter didn't come until the five-minute mark. It was also within the five-minute mark when Rollins scored their first basket of the quarter. Rollins then started a scoring run of their own, but Sullivan cut that short on an and-one fast-break play. After being down in the first, the Spartans dominated the second quarter limiting the Tars to a 12 percent shooting percentage. || Tampa 32, Rollins 26

3rd Quarter | Once again, Ingram started the half draining another three. Sullivan continued her hot shooting as she scored 10 points in the quarter alone, shooting 4-6. As a team, they shot 69 percent compared to the 40 percent they limited Rollins to.  || Tampa 55, Rollins 40

4th Quarter | Ingram, starting with a another three-pointer, shot 4-6 from deep. Tampa didn't get off many shots in the quarter, but they continued to make the few they did put up, shooting 64 percent. Sullivan scored another eight points in the final 10, finishing as the leading scorer.  || Tampa 70, Rollins 58

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Melijah Sullivan was the leading scorer and rebounder with 29 points and eight rebounds. 
• Both LaShayla Wright-Ponder and Julia Ingram scored in double-digit figures with 14 each.
• Aliyah Abney filled the stat sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists. 
• Tampa has shot greater than 50% percent from the field in three of their last four games.
• Tampa shot 16-18 in layup, scoring 38 points in the paint.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Melijah Sullivan tallied a new career high in points with a total of 29, shooting 12-15.
• Terri Battle grabbed a career-high of five rebounds.

UP NEXT: The Spartans will return to their home court in Tampa to start their two-game home streak with their first match-up against Saint Leo University this Wednesday at 5:30 pm. 

GAMEDAY MULTIMEDIA: Fans may watch all home games and Sunshine State Conference contests on TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are also available through TampaStats.com.

Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.