No. 11 Spartans Defeat Sharks on the Road

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla – The No. 11 University of Tampa women's basketball opened up conference play as the team won their 4th consecutive game against Sunshine State Conference opponent Nova Southeastern University.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP 

Final Score: No. 11 University of Tampa Spartans 74, Nova Southeastern University Sharks 66 

Records: Tampa (5-2, 1-0 SSC), Nova Southeastern (3-2, 0-1 SSC) 

Location: Rick Case Arena || Fort Lauderdale, Fla 

All-Time Series: This marks the 47th meeting between these teams. Tampa takes the series lead 31-16.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

1st QUARTER 

Tampa got off to a slow start to begin the quarter. Kayla Bonilla would get things started with a layup which would put the Spartans on the board after a 7-0 Nova Southeastern run. Tampa found it hard to get through Nova Southeastern's full court press early on but found a way through it in the later stretch of the quarter. The Spartans would end with a 40 percent shooting percentage compared to Nova Southeastern's 42.1 percent. Dori Nagy would lead the team in scoring as the Spartans crawled back into the game. || Score: 19-13 Nova Southeastern 

2nd QUARTER 

This is what we expected the Spartans to look like, coming out fast into the start of the second. Erin Antosh would put the first points on the board in the quarter with her jumper, with the Spartans bringing themselves in reach of the lead with a 6-0 run. The bench made the most of the difference here for Tampa, Mya Giusto and Antosh both got six of their own coming off the bench and put a spark into the team. Tampa's bench would outscore Nova Southeastern's entire team 10-0 to round off the quarter. Nagy would give Tampa their first lead of the day with a nice post move to end it off. || Score: 29-28 Tampa 

3rd QUARTER 

Tampa would start to find their rhythm that has been evident this season, especially Melijah Sullivan, as she would put up a team-high nine points in this quarter. The Spartans would take control of the game early on as they would take advantage of Nova Southeastern's five turnovers, scoring 11 off of those turnovers. The Spartans would dominate the final 3 minutes, ending things off on a 12-0 run. || Score: 53-44 Tampa 

4th QUARTER  

The Spartans would put on cruise control during the last 10 minutes of the game as they looked comfortable with their lead. Nagy looked to be the difference between the two teams in the fourth and final quarter, as she dropped 12 points in only nine minutes. The Spartans would seal the win with a 7-0 run. || Final: 74-66 Tampa 

INSIDE THE STATS 

• Nagy would lead the team in scoring and rebounds with 24 and eight.
• Tampa outscored Nova Southeastern in the paint 54-32. 
• Audrey Ramsey, Giusto, and Antosh would all shoot 100 percent from the field.
• The Spartans would outrebound the Sharks 38-23.

BEYOND THE BOX 

• Today's result marks the Spartans third straight conference opener win. 

NEXT UP: The Spartans head up to Fairbanks, Alaska, as they kick off the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Classic during Thanksgiving week. Their first game is scheduled for November 25th at 7:00 PM as they play Alaska-Fairbanks 

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, and YouTube. 

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