#12 Spartans Return To Martinez Center To Host Maryville

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 12 University of Tampa women's basketball team is set to make its return to the Martinez Center as it welcomes the Maryville (Mo.) Saints for a 5:30 p.m. contest on Tuesday evening. The Spartans will be seeking a 10th straight win on their home floor, a streak that dates back to a 71-48 win over Rollins last season on Feb. 7.

The game will mark the first time UT has played at home since defeating Palm Beach Atlantic on Dec. 9. Since then, Tampa has picked up road wins at Florida Memorial and Armstrong Atlantic while dropping a neutral-site decision to Columbus State to compile a 10-1 record on the season.

Tiara Cook continues to lead the Spartans as the senior is averaging 15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest. The Holiday, Fla. native also leads the team with 27 steals.

On fire of late, Gianna Messina has vaulted into second on the team in scoring as she has used an 18.0 points per game clip over the last three games to push her season average up to 12.3 while also ranking second on the squad with 7.2 boards per contest.

Taja Green continues to average in double figures with 12.3 points per game behind the strength of the team's best hand at the free throw line as she has registered an 86.8 percent mark from the charity stripe.

Maryville is located in St. Louis and is currently in the process of reclassification to become a member institution of Division II. The Saints enter Tuesday's showdown with a 2-6 record and are led by freshman Angela Pepowski who has averaged 13.4 points per game off the Maryville bench this season.