Spartans Fall Short in Overtime Against Buccaneers

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - The No. 25 University of Tampa (12-4, 3-4 SSC) women's basketball team was defeated by Barry University (10-6, 2-5 SSC) in an overtime contest with a 64-60 final score.

The Sunshine State Conference contest was controlled early by the Spartans, who took a 27-24 lead to the half and extended the margin to 11 points with 16:47 to play in regulation.

Tampa would continue to hold the momentum until the Buccaneers whittled a 49-38 UT lead down to two points as the homecourt team went on a 9-0 run. Barry would take its first lead of the half at 53-52 with 2:01 to play. A layup by Illyssa Vivo would help UT regain the lead, which was then extended to 55-53 on a Moriah Hodge free throw with 1:05 on the clock.

Following a Spartan turnover and missed free throw on the ensuing possession, Barry's Dominique Dixon drew a foul with 11 seconds to play and proceeded to connect on both free throws to force overtime.

Barry scored the first six points of the extra period, as a 3-pointer by Vivo with 19 seconds to play was the first UT basket of overtime. Following a pair of Barry free throws, Vivo made it a one possession game once again at 63-60 with five seconds to play. The Bucs were able to inbound the ball successfully and convert the back-end of a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining to clinch the victory.

Vivo finished with a team-high 15 points as the junior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was 6-for-7 from the field. She also led the team with 11 rebounds and six assists. The double-double marked the third of Vivo's Spartan career as she turned in a pair in the 2011-12 season.

Sadie Oyer added 14 points as she was forced to miss overtime after fouling out with 11 seconds to play in regulation. Hodge added 12 points as Catherine Matthews made her second straight start and turned in 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.

The teams played an evenly contested game, with Tampa shooting 43.8 percent from the field compared to 39 for the Bucs. Barry held a slim 35-33 edge in rebounds, though Tampa committed 19 turnovers while the Bucs had just nine. UT also had just two points off the bench as starting point guard Shamika Williams missed her second consecutive game.

Tampa returns home for a midweek test against Florida Tech, with the Wednesday contest set to tip at 5:30 p.m., at the Martinez Center. Live stats and a webcast will be available through TampaSpartans.tv.

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