Spartans Handle Embry-Riddle to Stay Atop SSC

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa women's basketball team extends their win streak to four games with a home win against Embry-Riddle.

Final: No. 19 Tampa Spartans 63 Embry-Riddle Eagles 41

Records: University of Tampa (21-4, SSC 12-2), Embry-Riddle University (9-10, SSC 7-7)

Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center || Tampa, Fla. 

All-Time Series: The Spartans have a lead on the overall series against the Eagles 8-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

First Quarter: The first quarter opened up with the Spartans offense starting strong. Melijah Sullivan scored the first points of the game, after reaching her 1,000-point milestone on Wednesday. The teams were battling it out in the first, with both teams finding the back of the net. LaShayla Wright-Ponder put the Spartans up by three points with just over seven minutes left in the quarter. The Eagles offense was also finding ways to score, cutting into the Spartans' lead. With both teams playing well on each side of the ball, the first quarter ended all tied up. || Score: 11-11 Tie

Second Quarter: The second quarter opened up similarly to the first, with both teams battling on defense. Dori Nagy opened the scoring for the Spartans, making a layup and getting the Spartans into the lead. With just over four minutes left before the half, the Spartans led by two points, with Sullivan scoring off of an Eagles turnover. The Spartans offense began to roll headed into halftime, scoring 21 points in the second quarter. || Score: 32-24 Tampa

Third Quarter: Wright-Ponder got the scoring started to begin the second half of play. The Spartans offense continued its success, scoring eight unanswered points towards the middle of the quarter. The Spartans defense buckled down in the third, holding the Eagles scoreless for over four minutes. Aliyah Abney scored eight points in a two-minute period at the end of the quarter. II Score 50-35 Tampa

Fourth Quarter: The fourth quarter began with the Spartans offense opening the scoring once again. The Spartans offense consistently played well this quarter, carrying over its excellent play from the other three quarters. The Spartans were just too much for the Eagles to handle, and they began to pull away in the final minutes of the game.  II Final: 63-41 Tampa.

INSIDE THE STATS 

• Bonilla scored a team-leading 13 points
• Abney lead the Spartans in rebounds with 9
• The Spartans outscored the Eagles in the paint 36-18
• Abney recorded a double-double in today's matchup

BEYOND THE BOX 

• The Spartans are now on a 4-game win streak
• UT continues to sit atop the SSC Conference

UP NEXT: The Spartans will go back on the road, and travel to Florida Southern on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

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 the Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.