TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa women’s basketball team wins the first round of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament in a blowout over the Eagles.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Tampa 76, Embry-Riddle 36

Records: University of Tampa Spartans (23-4, 19-1 SSC), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Eagles (9-18, 7-3 SSC)

Location: Bob Martinez Center | Tampa, Fla.

All-time Series: With the first meeting between the two teams occurring in 2015, Tampa leads the series with a 7-4 mark. Tampa swept the Eagles in the two regular season match ups and increased their postseason record to 1-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Quarter | Tampa’s leading scorer, Dori Nagy, started the SSC Quarterfinals with the first two points on the board for the game. Embry-Riddle’s Sarah Jones scored the next bucket and that back and forth scoring mirrored most the first quarter. Both teams were trading baskets, keeping the majority of the quarter close. With the help of Melijah Sullivan and Aliyah Abney, the Spartans were able to finish with a decent five-point lead at the end of the quarter. || Tampa 22, Embry-Riddle 17

2nd Quarter | Kris Nelson ended the previous quarter and started this one for the Spartans. She finished the half with a total of five points. Tampa was sharing the wealth on the offensive end as multiple players were scoring at will. Tampa’s defense was tough for the Eagles to get past as they were able to only score one field-goal in the quarter. The half ended with Tampa on a 10-0 run. Abney was the team leading scorer with nine points. || Tampa 33, Embry-Riddle 19

3rd Quarter | The Spartans continued their scoring run as they went on another 10-0 run to start the quarter. Since early in the second quarter, Embry-Riddle did not score again until halfway through the third quarter. Abney and Sullivan gave the Eagles the most trouble, finishing the quarter with a total of 34 points combined. || Tampa 46, Embry-Riddle 33

4th Quarter | The final quarter was the same as the previous two; all about the Spartans. With the lead as big as it was, Coach Jesse allowed some of the younger players to get some playing time. Terri Battle contributed by crashing the boards defensively. Within only 10 minutes played, Battle had already grabbed seven rebounds. Most of Tampa’s points this quarter came from the free-throw line, but that did not stop them from scoring 18 points in the quarter. || Tampa 76, Embry-Riddle 36

INSIDE THE STATS:

· Melijah Sullivan was the leading scorer with 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

· Aliyah Abney was the second leading scorer with 18 point, draining two back to back three-pointers.

· Tampa shot 53 percent from the field and limited Embry-Riddle to a shooting percentage of 25%.

· Tampa’s defensive efforts forced Embry-Riddle to commit 17 turnovers.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

· The Spartans advance to the SSC Semifinals.

· Tampa sets a season-high for margin of lead with an outstanding lead of 40 points.

UP NEXT: The Spartans will continue the second round of the SSC tournament against Saint Leo University on March 5, 2020, at 7:00 pm.

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