No.7 Spartans Win in Dazzling Fashion Against No.8 Eckerd

TAMPA, FL – The No.7 University of Tampa women's basketball team win in dazzling fashion against No.8 Eckerd College.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final Score: No.7 University of Tampa Spartans 56, No.8 Eckerd College Tritons 54

Records: Tampa (16-1, 8-1 SSC), Eckerd (13-3, 8-1 SSC)

Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center | Tampa, FL

All-Time Series: The Spartans lead the series 81-20. Their largest margin of victory came in 1978 when they defeated Eckerd by 82 points with a final score of 94-12. The last meetup on February 2, 2022 resulted in Tampa winning on the road, 67-56.

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st QUARTER

The game began with Tampa getting out front early going 6-0. Tampa then experienced a small scoring drought as Eckerd started scoring points of their own. Eckerd then went on a 7-0 run going up 9-8 with a little bit over 1:30 left in the quarter. The game goes back and forth with Tampa taking the lead with under 30 seconds left. Score: 12-11 (Tampa)

2nd QUARTER

Tampa found themselves down early in the beginning of the second quarter. Eckerd put pressure on Tampa's offense resulting in them missing shots. Tampa was down 21-17 with under 4 minutes left before halftime. A turnaround jumper from Sarah Jones closes out the quarter as Tampa tied the game at 25. Score: 25-25 (Tie)

3rd QUARTER

After halftime, the Spartans were still down as they fought to regain their lead cutting the deficit to as low as four points halfway through the quarter. Two made free throws by Audra Leipold closes out the third quarter. Score: 43-37 (Eckerd)

4th QUARTER

The Spartans opened the last quarter going on an 8-0 run putting them up 45-43 with over 5 minutes left in the game. From here, the scoring was back and forth as each team matched the others points. A miraculous and-one layup from Melijah Sullivan put Tampa up 55-54 over Eckerd with .8 seconds left. Her made free throw iced the game for the Spartans as they closed out a tough matchup. Score: 56-54 (Tampa)

INSIDE THE STATS

• Both Sullivan and Kin finished with 15 points each
• Kin led the team with 11 rebounds
• Audrey Ramsey led the team with 4 assist

BEYOND THE BOX

• Tampa's largest run of the game was 11-0
• Tampa is now on a five game win streak
• This win puts Tampa in first place in the SSC standings

NEXT UP: The Spartans continue conference play on the road as they take on Florida Southern on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m.