FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University women’s basketball team (13-10, 5-8 SSC) will look to swap results from its last meeting with the University of Tampa Spartans (18-5, 10-3 SSC) on Saturday, Feb. 19 in the Bob Martinez Sports Center. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.
After heading to the locker room up 34-22 in its first meeting on Jan. 22, NSU could not sustain the lead as the then No. 24 Tampa Spartans fought back to defeat the Sharks, 79-64.
Seniors Stephanie Sarosi (Mims, Fla.) and Abbie Tepe (Cincinnati, Ohio) have been NSU’s leading scorers as Sarosi, who still reigns as the SSC’s top dog with 18.5 ppg while Tepe, who increases her total each game, she sits at 10.6 ppg in conference games.
Freshman Jasmine Wilkins (Miami, Fla.) has been extremely effective in her rookie campaign as she is sixth in field goal percentage hitting 34-for-69 at 49.3 percent.
About Tampa
In their last game, Tampa tamed the Saint Leo Lions, 60-48. Lindsey Watson paced the Spartan with 21 points, hitting 5-for-9 from behind the arc. Gianna Messina tabbed 15 points and a team-best nine rebounds in the win.
The Spartans, who are receiving votes in the national poll, are averaging just 0.1 better than NSU at 70.1 points per game. Tampa is currently the top three-point shooting team in the league, hitting 44 percent.
Taja Green (16.6 ppg), Messina (16.1 ppg) and Watson (13.2 ppg) all sit in the top-10 in scoring for the Spartans.
The Series vs. Tampa
The Sharks have had limited success against Tampa, trailing the all-time series, 19-3. Despite the loss, NSU showed dominance as NSU took a substantial 20-4 lead in the opening minutes on Jan. 22.
SSC Standings
Florida Southern is still the No. 1 seed holding a 11-2 record, as Tampa and Florida sit steady with three losses a piece at 10-3 at second and third, respectively. Rollins (8-5), Eckerd (7-7) and NSU (5-8) remain in the middle of the pack as Lynn (4-9), Barry (4-10) and Saint Leo (1-13) follow at the end of the standings.
Since the Sharks have already clinched a spot in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament, the game from here on out are about the seeding for the first round.
Live video (Click
HERE) and live stats (Click
HERE) will be available for the 2 p.m. game.
