Strong Second Half Leads to Big Win Over Lynn

Mindy Tucker

With guard Angela Guiu draining deep three-pointers and forward Alexa Kane’s all-out effort, the women’s team secured a much needed conference win over the Lynn University Fighting Knights.

The Lady Spartans entered the game with a record of 10-6 but a losing conference record at 2-3. They needed the win to get them back to .500 and improve their position in the standings.

They came out of the gate firing. Kane was all over the court with drives to the basket and tough rebounds. She was also diving for loose balls and getting steals. This effort energized the team as they got out to a comfortable early lead.

Guiu came off the bench early and logged big minutes throughout the contest. Her first three-pointer of the night came at 11:52 of the first half and started a Tampa run that built them a 24-12 lead.

Bad passes and quick shots halted the team’s domination and allowed the Fighting Knights to get back into the game. Their tough zone defense had also shut down Tampa’s standout center Sheena Walton. She was constantly double teamed whenever she was given the ball. It was a tough night for Walton offensively, who finished with just eight points, five points off her average. She chalked it up to an off night and good defense from Lynn.

“It was a little bit of both,” said Walton after the game.

The Fighting Knights went on a 15-0 run to close the half and went into the break with a 27-24 lead.

When Tampa returned from the break, they came out more aggressively than the way they finished the first half. Kane and guard Shay Mackey were driving to the hoop and getting fouled. Each player came through at the foul line, with Mackey going 3-4 and Kane shooting 9-9.

After a back and forth struggle through most of the second half, the Lady Spartans made their push following an old-fashioned three-point play from Kane. It made the score 42-41. Later, Mackey made a jumper, and Guiu followed with another three-pointer to make it 48-43. The team never looked back. Tampa went on to win 70-54.

Kane had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. She also led the team in assists with five. Mackey chipped in 18 points of her own, and Guiu finished with 16 points, all from beyond the arc.

The win was an important one.

“We needed it,” said forward Lindsey Taylor. “We lost a tough one to Florida Southern and we needed this for our confidence.”

The Lady Spartans next game is another conference battle at Nova Southeastern Sunday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m.