Spartans Defeat Saint Leo in Intense Matchup to Advance in SSC Tournament
TAMPA, FL – The No.3 University of Tampa women's basketball team defeated Saint Leo to advance to the next round in the SSC Championship Tournament. The victory also marked career-win number 600 for Tampa head coach Tom Jessee.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: No. 3 University of Tampa Spartans 79, Saint Leo University Lions 61
Records: Tampa (28-1, 20-1 SSC), St. Leo (14-15, 7-14 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center | Tampa, FL
All-Time Series: Tampa leads the series 91-16. In their last meeting during the regular season, Tampa defeated Saint Leo 78-62 at home. This postseason matchup marks the third time Tampa and Saint Leo have competed against each other in the post season. The other two times, in 2020 and 2021, Tampa defeated Saint Leo then went on to win the conference championship.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st QUARTER
This matchup opened with Tampa winning the jump ball. They got to the basket early with a layup from Melijah Sullivan, assisted by Mya Giusto. Off of a Saint Leo turnover, Sarah Jones gets to the rack with an assist from Giusto again. At this point, Tampa is on a 7-0 run. After many failed attempts, Saint Leo finally gets on the board with a second chance bucket. From here, Saint Leo amped up the pressure and soon took the lead over Tampa, 10-9. A jumper from Saint Leo ties the game at 13 with 44 seconds left in the first quarter. After Sullivan gets fouled and goes 2-2 from the line, that puts Tampa up 15-13 to finish the first quarter. Score: 15-13 (Tampa)
2nd QUARTER
Giusto opens the second quarter swishing a three pointer. Saint Leo responds with five points firing their bench up. Kin quiets the noise with a layup after squeezing through the defense. Jones puts herself in the gaps on defense to force a turnover with Kin converting on the other end for a layup. This edged Tampa's lead to seven points. Saint Leo tried clawing their way back but Tampa didn't give them any breathing room. Score: 39-26 (Tampa)
3rd QUARTER
Saint Leo began the third quarter scoring six straight points. Kin then got fouled and went to the free throw line going 2-2, putting Tampa's first points on the board this quarter. Tampa then goes up by 11 as their offense is connecting. Saint Leo manages to cut the lead down to five going on a 7-0 run making the score 49-46. They then shoot a three with 16 seconds left cutting the deficit to two. Giusto goes to the line shooting 1-2 to end the third quarter. Score: 52-49 (Tampa)
4th QUARTER
In the last 10 minutes Tampa starts with an assist from Sullivan to Kin. An and-one from Saint Leo keeps them in comfortable position to potentially take the lead. Tampa manages to go on a 10-0 run after a steal from Jones and Ramsey converting for the layup. Tampa's defense did a good job of blocking the view of Saint Leo forcing them to take a wild shot in the last seconds of the shot clock. They managed to hold them to no field goals for a little over 3:00 minutes. Saint Leo still scored minimal points, but it wasn't enough to stop Tampa's momentum. Two made free throws from Eleanore Marciszewski and a defensive rebound from Erin Antosh iced the game for Tampa as they advance to the next round. Score: 79-61 (Tampa)
INSIDE THE STATS
- Sydney Kin finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks
- Melijah Sullivan finished with 21 points, Mya Giusto with 14 points
- Sarah Jones led the team with five steals
BEYOND THE BOX
- This is Sydney Kin's first 30-point game this season
- Tampa finished with a shooting percentage of 55.1%, and 53% from the field
- Tampa scored 42 points in the paint
- Tampa outrebounded Saint Leo 34-23
NEXT UP: Tampa advances to the next round of the SSC Championship Tournament to compete against Florida Southern on Thursday, March 2 at 7:00 p.m.