Spartans Drop Battle of Top-25 Teams
January 10, 2015

Spartans Drop Battle of Top-25 Teams

Box score

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The No. 21 University of Tampa (8-5, 2-2) women's basketball team traveled to Melbourne to take on the No. 23 Florida Tech Panthers (13-0, 3-0). The Panthers led wire to wire, as a late comeback push was not enough for the Spartans as they fell 62-57.
FIT dominated the first half of play as they led by as many 17 in the opening period. In the first period, the Panthers were able to force 13 Spartans turnovers en route to a 33-22 lead at half time. Junior Juliana Cavallaro led the way for Tampa, as she had five first half points and two rebounds.
In the second half, Junior Ellen Nurmi led the comeback for Tampa as she scored 14 points in the second period of play. With 1:51 left to play in the contest, Tampa was able to pull within two points of Florida Tech. However, the Panthers were able to force key turnovers and knock down clutch free-throws to seal the victory.
Junior Angela Alvarez finished the game with a double-double as she put up 10 points and 11 rebounds. Nurmi led all scorers with 16 points, while Cavallaro and Rodney added double figures with 11 and 10 respectively.
The Spartans will be back in on Wednesday, as they host Saint Leo in a conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM.
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