#12 Spartans Defeat Armstrong Atlantic 80-72 For 10th Win

SAVANNAH, Ga. - A day after picking up its first loss of the season, the 12th-ranked University of Tampa women's basketball team earned its 10th victory and defeated Armstrong Atlantic State University 80-72. The win pushes the Spartans to 10-1 on the year while the hosts drop to 3-5.

The Spartans grabbed an early lead in the contest, leading 5-2 just two minutes in when Taja Green nailed a trey for three of her nine first half-points. However, AASU scored the contest's next eight points and gained a 10-5 advantage - the largest for either team in the opening stanza.

The first half featured four ties and three lead changes, and the Pirates went into the break leading by a 36-35 margin.

The Pirates controlled the opening minutes of the second half, regaining the five-point advantage at the 18:49 mark.

Tampa then grabbed the momentum and went on a 20-5 run over the next nine minutes to build a 55-44 advantage at the 9:16 mark. The Spartans pushed their lead out to 15 with 5:24 remaining, but Armstrong Atlantic gradually chipped away and reduced the Tampa advantage to just five during the game's closing minutes.

However, a strong 15-18 performance at the charity stripe in the final five minutes by UT allowed the visitors to secure the victory.

Messina came up just short of a double-double as she led all scorers in the contest with 28 points and pulled down a team-best nine rebounds. The junior was 11-12 from the free throw line and played the entire contest.

Taja Green almost recorded a double-double also as she scored 21 points and grabbed eight boards. Tiara Cook added 11 to round out UT's double-figure scorers.

Tampa will now take a break for the Christmas holiday and will return to action on Dec. 29 when the Spartans will host Maryville University (Mo.) at the Martinez Center with tip scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

UT will offer live stats along with a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com, accessible by clicking on the Multimedia link. Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers eScores - a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events.