Tampa Women's Basketball Wins SSC Championship in Dominating Fashion

TAMPA,  Fla. – The No. 1 Spartans used a balanced attack to defeat the No. 3 Fighting Knights 63-43 and claim their third SSC Tournament title in a row.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Records: Tampa 30-1, 19-1 SSC | Lynn 23-8, 14-6 SSC
Score: Tampa 63 Lynn 43
Location: Bob Martinez Center | Tampa, Fla.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Spartans led from start to finish, as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead early in the first quarter and never relinquished it. They led 15-6 at the end of the first, then went on an 8-1 run to start the second, building a 16 point lead in the process. Though the Fighting Knights would get the deficit down to 10, they never got any closer in the second quarter. At halftime, the Spartans led 29-18.

In the second half, the Fighting Knights were able to briefly cut the deficit to nine, but just seconds later, Sarah Jones hit a layup to put the Spartans back up by double-digits. The Fighting Knights would never cut the deficit to single digits again. The Spartans led 45-30 heading into the final quarter.

In the final 10 minutes of play, the Spartans saw their lead swell to as many 24. Lynn went on a 7-0 run late in the quarter, but it wasn't enough to create much pressure on Tampa. The Spartans ultimately came away victorious, winning the SSC Tournament for the third consecutive year and earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

STATS OF THE NIGHT

• Jones led all scorers with 16 points. She also led the Spartans with two steals.
• Sydney Kin earned a 13-point / 15-rebound double-double in win. She missed just one shot from the field and recorded three blocks in the game.
• Melijah Sullivan was the third Spartan to score in double figures, netting 12 in the game.
• Audrey Ramsey recorded a game-high seven assists for Tampa.
• In the loss, Jada Marone scored 14 points and recorded five steals for the Fighting Knights.

 
UPCOMING
The Spartans earned the No. 1 seed and will host the 2023 NCAA South Regional. Their first game will come against No. 8 Tuskegee. The Fighting Knights earned the No. 5 seed in the region and will play No. 4 Lee.