Playing quality conference opponents at the beginning of the season is a good test of where a team stands. On Saturday, the University of Tampa women’s basketball team (3-3, 0-1 SCC) failed their first test against Rollins College (5-2 1-0 SSC).
In a rematch of last year’s Sunshine State Conference Championship game, Rollins defeated UT 55-43 in front of 153 fans inside of the Martinez Center.
Outside shooting and the Spartans’ inability to get the ball inside was the difference in the game. UT had 10 points in the paint and shot just 21 percent from three point range, going 6-of-29 from beyond the arc. Tampa coach Tom Jessee thought his team attempted too many 3-pointers in the game.
“We have good shooters, but we definitely settled for too many outside shots,” said Jessee. “Sometimes you will have those games when you can’t miss from the outside, but today was not one of them. Going 6-of-29 from 3-point range stands outs. It was the difference in the game. We were too impatient on offense.”
One bright spot on the day for the Spartans was the return of center Sheena Walton. Walton played in her first game of the season after coming back from an injury that had kept her out of the lineup.
Although she did not put up huge numbers, Walton played solid both offensively and defensively, scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds while recording a career-high nine blocked shots. Despite the strong game, Walton thought she could have played better.
“It was good to get back and get used to the speed of the game again, but I think I could have played better defensively,” said Walton. Walton had nine blocked shots in the game but said she wasn’t really quick to recover the loose balls off of her blocks and said she could have rebounded better as well.
DeShaydia Mackey led the Spartans in scoring with 16 points, going 6-of-19 from the field. Mackey also tied for a team-high eight rebounds and had five assists in the loss. Rollins had a balanced attack as four Tars scored in double figures. Jessica Barker led Rollins with 13 points in the game.
The Spartans received some bad news during the game as forward Ericka Woodard was unable to play the second half due to an injury. Woodard, the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, didn’t practice during the week, according to coach Jessee, because of the injury. The team is still evaluating Woodard to see when she will be able to come back.
The Spartans look to turn things around on Saturday, Dec. 9 when they take on Flagler College at 7 p.m. inside the Martinez Center.
This is the last edition of The Minaret for this semester, but for those of you staying on campus for winter break or staying around the Tampa area the women’s basketball team will be competing over the break. The team will play five home games during the break. You can check out the UT website for dates and times.