The University of Tampa women’s basketball team moved onto the semifinal of the SSC tournament by defeating St. Leo 62-39.
The Spartans kept a distance of at least 10 points throughout the game, giving them the control they needed to ultimately defeat St. Leo.
At the end of the first half the Spartans led the Lions 30-14, forcing St. Leo to create a new game plan. When the second half began, it was apparent that the Spartans were not letting up.
“It all goes back to my playing days,” sayid coach Tom Jessee. “Our coach always taught us to play our best ball, and that’s exactly what we did here tonight.”
After the game it became very apparent that the Spartans were now very confident going into the semifinal round.
“Our girls came to play,” said Kym Taylor. “We came to play and we came to conquer. We are trying to show everyone that we’re not here to play games, and we are going all the way.”
The Spartan women had nothing but good things to say after the victory and they seemed very pleased with their performance.
“We played a great game tonight,” said Erica Woodard. “We are ready for the tournament.”
The Spartans played a zone defense throughout both the first and second halves, shutting down one of St. Leo’s powerhouses, Melissa Guerero.
Sheena Walton played a strong offensive and defensive game, showing no fear against the double team. Walton achieved a double-double, recording 16 points, and 10 rebounds.
The Spartan women will play in the SSC semifinal game this Saturday. If they are victorious they will go on to play in the SSC Final getting them one step closer to the NCAA Tournament.