Melbourne, Fla. – The University of Tampa women’s basketball team tamed the Pittsburg Gorillas in their best game of the season yet.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final Score: Tampa 75, Pittsburg State 55

Records: University of Tampa Spartans (6-3, 4-0 SSC), Pittsburg State University Gorillas (4-4, 2-0 MIAA)

Location: Melbourne, Fla || Charles & Ruth Clemente Center

All-Time Series: After the first matchup ever between these two teams, Tampa takes the lead 1-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Quarter | Tampa’s first two points came from a made layup by senior Kris Nelson. The quarter cruised along with both teams going basket for basket. The Spartans moved the ball well, as all five starters contributed in points. Nelson got off to a hot start, as she shot 4-4 resulting in her first ten points.  || Tampa 23, Pittsburg State 22

2nd Quarter | Dori Nagy got the second quarter going for the Spartans as she drained their first six points of the quarter. Tampa’s defense forced Pittsburg into a 2:34 scoring drought. In that time, the Spartans went on a 7-0 run, resulting in their largest lead of the half (eight points). The first half ended with Tampa shooting 70.4% from the field and 100% from the three-point line.  || Tampa 42, Pittsburg State 34

3rd Quarter | The second half got off to a slow start, as Tampa went on a three-minute scoring drought early on. Pittsburg had not made any field goals, but they were making their way to the free-throw line. Melijah Sullivan broke the Spartans scoring drought on a battling and-one play. That gave Tampa some motivation, as they then went on an 8-0 scoring run with the help of a corner three made by Julia Ingram.  || Tampa 59, Pittsburg State 47

4th Quarter | Early on, Ingram knocked down her third three-pointer which gave the Spartans one of their largest leads of 17 points. Sullivan‘s mid-range game was going for her tonight, as she was knocking down some big shots, shooting 90% from the field. Tampa held the Gorillas to only eight points in the final quarter, helping to seal the deal with Tampa on top. || Tampa 75, Pittsburg State 55

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Melijah Sullivan filled up the stat sheet with 22 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. 
• Three Spartans were in double-digit figures: Melijah Sullivan (22), LaShayla Wright-Ponder (16), and Kris Nelson (15).
• The team shot 68.8% (33-48) from the field and 87.5% from the three (7-8).
• The Spartans scored a total of 44 points in the paint.
• Julia Ingram shot 100% from outside shooting 3-3.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Melijah Sullivan recorded a season-high of 22 points.
• The Spartans shooting percentages are a new season high.
• Tampa is now on a four-game winning streak.

UP NEXT: Tampa will return to Florida Tech’s Holiday Classic to face-off against William Jewell for the first time in history. Tip-off is set to begin at 2:00 pm on Friday December 20,2019.

GAMEDAY MULTIMEDIA: Fans may watch all home games and Sunshine State Conference contests on TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are also available through TampaStats.com.

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