Tampa Tackles West Florida in NCAA Tournament Opening Round

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The University of Tampa (23-6) women's basketball team opened up the NCAA Tournament with a South Region matchup against West Florida (19-11) Friday afternoon. No. 2 seeded Spartans defeated No. 7 Argonauts 77-62.

The Spartans hit the court with an apparent hunger to take over the contest early. After both teams traded baskets for the first minute, the Spartans embarked on an 8-0 run after three minutes of play.

UT marked a comfortable double-figure lead at the bottom of the first half. Although Tampa turned the ball over 11 times, the team shot well from the field (54%) and from three-point range (62.5%).

After a halftime buzzer beating basket from downtown by Shamika Williams, the Spartans entered the locker room up 40-22. Juliana Cavallaro finished the first stint with 12 points, while Williams added 11.

West Florida began the second half with a mini run that stifled the Spartans' momentum. The Argonauts forced six Tampa turnovers off of several trapping sets, keeping the game within reach. UT remained composed understanding that basketball is a game of runs, and in turn buckled down on defense.

Tampa pulled away again by double digits midway through the second half, despite a consistent full court pressure defense by the Argonauts. Tampa stuck to their style of play holding their opponents to 31 percent shooting from the field.

The Spartans finished the game defensively outrebounding UWF 31-13, while shooting over 50 percent from beyond the arch and field. Williams recorded a game-high 24 points, as she was successful in attacking the basket and knocking down key outside shots. Cavallaro and Ellen Nurmi tallied 17 points and 12 points respectively. Rounding out the squad's balanced scoring effort was Taylor McVey who notched a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Tampa will advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament South Regional to take on Sunshine State Conference foe Rollins. UT's last appearance in the regional semifinals was back in the 2009-10 season where they lost to Arkansas Tech 68-69.

Tipoff between the Spartans and Tars is set for tomorrow at 5 p.m.

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