MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Tech women's basketball team traveled to the Gulf Coast of Florida to Tampa to take on the No.24 ranked University of Tampa Spartans in a Sunshine State Conference weeknight matchup. The Panthers fought hard for 40 minutes as four panthers recorded double-digit points, but it wasn't enough as the Spartans came away with the win.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 72, #24 Tampa 85
Records: Florida Tech (5-14, 0-8 SSC) | Tampa (15-4, 6-2 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center | Tampa, Fla. 


FIRST QUARTER 

• Tai Roberts was able to give the Panthers the first points of the contest with a jumper from inside the arch.
• Sarah Jones gave the Spartans their first points of the game to tie it 2-2, before Zoe Piller gave Tampa the lead off a layup to make it 4-2.
• Olivia Stephens would help Tech regain its lead off a second-chance three-pointer with 2:43 played in the first.
• 20-seconds later Piller would give the Spartans back their lead 6-5, and not allow the Panthers to regain the lead in the quarter.
• Tampa would go on to outscore the Panthers 8-4 with Mya Giusto and Piller each recording four points for the Spartans to push Tampa ahead 12-9.
• Sarah Liberatore and Dalma Ehmann would both contribute at the line to help put the Panthers back to within one 12-11.
• Four points from Audrey Ramsey helped the Spartans jump back out to a five-point lead 16-11.
• A 9-4 run from the Spartans at the end of the first would allow Tampa to take a 23-15 lead at the end of the first.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• Giusto started the second with a three 1:15 into to quarter to increase Tampa's lead 26-15.
• An 8-2 run by Tech, highlighted by four points from Guthrie, would help Tech make it a five-point game, 28-23.
• Tampa answered back outscoring Tech 13-7 in four minutes to claim a 41-30 lead over Tech.
• Emily Acampora led the Panthers with a three as Liberatore and Jessica Lange each contributed for Tech with two points in the paint.
• Ramsey tallied three three-pointers for Tampa on their run scoring nine of the Spartans 13 points.
• Ramsey would record her fourth consecutive three with 1:11 in the contest to put the Spartans up 44-32.
• In the final minute before the half Tech managed to outscore Tampa 5-2 thanks to a three-point jumper with two seconds left from Liberatore.
• Tampa would lead 46-37 heading into halftime.

 
THIRD QUARTER 

• Piller would enter the third scoring a pair of layups for Tampa before Ehmann would record Tech's first basket of the quarter off a jumper.
• With just over six minutes to play Piller would score her third basket on the quarter before Kyandra Poitier would put up two off an offensive rebound by herself.
• Acampora would record her second three in the contest before Piller would hit another jumper from in the paint with 4:12 to play in the third.
• The next points in the contest would not come until the 1:35 mark as Liberatore would score two off a layup to bring Tech back with ten points 56-46.
• Ehmann would go up for a second chance layup a capitalize four another two points before Piller would answer back with 26 seconds remaining in the third.
• Poitier would tally the final points four either side with .02 seconds left before the fourth to out the Panthers with reach of the Spartans, but still trailing 58-50.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• The Spartans jumped out with a big 9-1 run to start the fourth to push ahead 67-51 with 7:44 remaining in the contest.
• Lina Stranger-Johannessen answered back with a three of her own followed by a layup from Roberts to make it 67-56.
• Tech and Tampa traded baskets as each team tallied six points in the span of just over two minutes as the Spartans still led by 11 with 4:24 to play.
• Roberts would contribute four of the six points for the Panthers as Guthrie would also contribute with a layup of her own.
• Acampora would knockdown her third three of the night to keep it an 11-point deficit, 77-66.
• With 1:50 left in the contest Liberatore would put the Panthers deficit back to single digits at 79-70.
• Tampa closed out the contest with a 6-2 run to claim the 85-72 victory over the Panthers
   

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Four Panthers recorded double-digit points as Tai Roberts led the team scoring 16 while both Dalma Ehmann and Sarah Liberatore tallied 12 points in the contest, a season-best for Liberatore.
• Divine Guthrie was Tech's fourth player to record double-digit points with 11.
• Liberatore also led the Panthers with seven rebounds, three offensive, and four defensive.
• Emily Acampora was the Panthers three-point shooter of the game going 3-5 from beyond the arch.
• Guthrie also led Tech in both blocks and steals with two each.

 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• The Panthers are now 35-36 all-time against Tampa.
• The Spartans have won the past eleven meetings and 15 of the past 17 games dating back to the 2015-16 season.
• The Panthers' last win vs Tampa came back on January 13^th, 2018, in Melbourne, Florida by a score of 51-44.
• Tech's last win at Tampa dates to November 18, 2015, as the Panthers triumphed 68-60.
• Tech finished the game shooting 46.8% (29-62) from the field, 50.0% (6-12) from beyond the arc, and 61.5% (8-13) on free throws.
• Tampa shot 59.2% (29-49) in the contest, 43.8% (7-16) from the three-point range, and 87.0% (20-23) from the line.
• Florida Tech held the advantage in bench points (37-2), second chance points (16-2), points off turnovers (15-12), and points off turnovers (11-9).

 
UP NEXT:
The Panther's next contest will take place at Lynn this Saturday, January 20^th with tipoff scheduled for 2:00 P.M. at the de Hoernie Sports & Cultural Center

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