MELBOURNE, Fla. – Florida Tech women's basketball battled throughout but came up short in a 72-54 decision against Tampa.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 54, Tampa
Records: Florida Tech (5-13, 2-9 SSC), Tampa (12-8, 7-4 SSC)
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.

FIRST QUARTER:

• Tampa opened the scoring with a layup inside, but Amanda Ogbonna answered immediately with a finish at the rim to even the game at 2–2.
• After another basket from the Spartans' center, Tai Roberts knocked down a three off an Ogbonna assist to give the Panthers a 5–4 edge.
• Trailing 6–5, Roberts jumped a passing lane for a steal while Deirdre Miller erased a layup attempt on the defensive end to spark Tech's energy.
• The Panthers stopped a Tampa scoring run with a big corner three from Elif Bayrak, trimming the margin to 16–8.
• Tampa carried a 20–10 lead into the break, with Roberts closing the quarter by knocking down a midrange jumper.

SECOND QUARTER:

• Tampa opened the quarter with a three-pointer, but two possessions later Remingtyn Smith answered with one of her own to keep the deficit at 10.
• With the score at 29–13, Elif Bayrak knocked down a tough three with a defender in her face, helping Tech stay within striking distance.
• The Spartans responded with back-to-back triples before Tai Roberts countered with a contested deep jumper, making it 35–19 midway through the period.
• A late Tampa three at the 1:41 mark, followed by a layup at the buzzer, sent the Panthers into halftime trailing 42–22.

THIRD QUARTER:

• On Tech's opening possession of the half, Ogbonna hustled to the offensive glass and finished her own miss for an easy layup.
• Morin sparked both ends, knocking down a jumper before stripping the ball from Tampa's center on the defensive end.
• The takeaway led to a Roberts elbow three, trimming the deficit to 17 points with seven minutes remaining in the quarter.
• Coming out of a timeout, the Panthers allowed just a single free throw before Bayrak answered with a three from deep.
• Bayrak stayed hot after the media break, drilling another triple to pull Tech within 47–35 at the 4:40 mark.
• Winder added a boost off the bench at 2:22, burying her first three-pointer of the season from the corner near the home bench.
• Roberts closed the quarter with a long two-point jumper, sending the Panthers into the final period trailing 56–42.

FOURTH QUARTER:

• Tampa opened the quarter by knocking down four free throws to push its advantage to 61–41.
• Ogbonna answered at the 8:36 mark with a baseline layup, then powered through contact on the next possession for another bucket to cut into the margin.
• Bayrak connected on a jumper midway through the period, briefly interrupting a pair of Spartan scores to make it 65–48.
• Late in the quarter, Ogbonna finished through contact with 1:18 remaining and completed the three-point play at the line.
• Tampa closed out the contest down the stretch, securing a 72–54 final score.

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Elif Bayrak racked up 14 points to lead the Panthers.
• Amanda Ogbonna had her second consecutive double-digit scoring game with 12 points along with four rebounds.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Elif Bayrak became the seventh Panther to make 40 threes in their first season in the Crimson and Gray and the first since Hannah Roney in 2021-22.

UP NEXT: Florida Tech heads to Daytona Beach to ignite the Karman Clash rivalry against Embry-Riddle. The game is set for Wednesday, January 28^th, starting at 5:30 p.m.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech women's basketball team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.