Tampa Wins SSC Title Outright, Defeats Barry 56-52

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - Behind the strength of a huge first half, the No. 17 University of Tampa women's basketball team secured the Sunshine State Conference title for itself and defeated Barry University 56-52. The Spartans improve to 22-3 and 13-2 in SSC play while Barry falls to 17-8 and 8-6.

The victory ensures that UT will own the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

"It was a goal the girls set at the beginning of the year, so to finish it off and not end up in a tie was important to us," Tampa head coach Tom Jessee said.

A year ago the Spartans shared the regular season championship with Rollins College.

Tampa came out of the starting gates determined not to share with anyone as the Spartans shot a blistering 73.9 percent from the field in the first half to build up a 20-point advantage at the halftime break.

Tiara Cook was especially strong in the opening stanza as she scored 16 points - including her 1,000th career point. The Holiday, Fla. native finished the day with a team-best 21 points.

The Bucs battled back in the second half by outscoring UT 26-10 in the period to eventually pull back within four.

The contest was sealed by Caitlyn Mitryk who stole the ball away from Shanna Suttington with just 15 seconds remaining in the game.

Joining Cook in double-figures was Taja Green who scored 14. Gianna Messina added 11 for the Spartans who finished the game shooting over 50 percent for just the second time this season.

The nation's top field goal percentage defense limited Barry to shoot just 34.8 percent, and the Spartans edged Barry on the glass as Tampa pulled down 27 rebounds compared to the Bucs' 26.

The Spartans will now host Florida Southern as UT tries to accomplish another preseason goal and conclude the regular season with a perfect record at home.

"This group has been very resilient since the beginning of the year with the goals they set," said Jessee. "We've still got some things to accomplish obviously."

Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. and Tampa's three seniors - Cook, Mitryk and Angela Guiu - will be honored before the contest. Live stats and a webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.

Fans may also 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. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.