Spartans Fall to the Rangers Dynamic Senior Trio

TAMPA, Fla. - After trailing only by one at the half, the University of Tampa (0-1) women's basketball team fell in a 72-57 contest to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (1-0) Rangers on Friday night at the Bob Martinez Sports Center.

The Spartans led briefly in the first half by an average of two points with senior Jaleesa Harmon leading the way with 11 points and four rebounds. Coach Jessee's squad capitalized on the Ranger's turnovers as it registered eight second chance points in the first half.

The second half marked a change in momentum as the Spartans ran into foul trouble committing 16 in the half. Junior Kamari Smith had the hot hand of the half connecting on 2-for-3 3-point field goals finishing the contest with a team high 14 points. Midway through the second half, Tampa lost two of its post players, Jaleesa Harmon and Moriah Hodge to foul trouble.

The game became tough as UT didn't have an answer for the Rangers' Brittany Beyer who had been connecting from the paint early and shot 6-for-7 from the field for just the second half alone.

Two other Spartans finished the game in double digit scoring, Greta Bartkute and Illyssa Vivo who scored 11 and 12 points respectively. Sarah Wickham led Tampa with six assists as Hodge turned in a team high two steals.

Senior Brittany Beyer of Wisconsin Parkside led all scorers with 37 points, shooting 15-for-19 from the field, and 7-for-11 from the charity stripe. The Rangers held the Spartans to 45 percent from the field while they dominated the paint shooting 63 percent.

The second half belonged to the Rangers in second chance points as the Spartans turned the ball over seven times. Senior Jadee Rooney had the only double-double of the game scoring 10 points and dishing out 10 assists. Senior Amy Selk also scored in double figures contributing 11 off the bench.

The Spartans hit the hardwood again at the Martinez Center on Saturday at 4: 30 p.m., to take on the No. 1 ranked and defending national champions Clayton State.
Live stats and a video 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 blAst, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.