UT Wins Big to Earn Fifth Straight Victory

CANYON, Tex. - The University of Tampa (6-1) women's basketball team completed a perfect sweep at the 2008 West Texas A&M Thanksgiving Classic with a 63-32 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State University (1-6). The Spartans close out play at the classic with consecutive victories over #4 Drury and OPSU.

The game was never close as Tampa needed just five minutes to open up a 10 point lead. The Spartans scored the first 13 points of the game and carried a comfortable 33-17 lead to halftime. A total of 14 Spartans saw action as head coach Tom Jessee's squad led by as many as 32 points in the second half.

Tampa had at least one point from 11 different players, including a team-high 14 from junior forward Tiara Cook. Gianna Messina and Lauren Mason each contributed nine as Kym Taylor chipped in eight.

Hailee Sullivan led UT with five assists off the bench as freshman Sarah Wickham also came off the bench to notch a team high five steals. UT dominated nearly every facet of the game, outshooting its opponent 45.5 to 23.5 and holding a 47-26 rebounding advantage.

The Spartans return home to host Warner Southern College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Martinez Center. UT will offer a live webcast and live stats through www.tampaspartans.com. Fans may also sign up for eScores, a free service that sends text message alerts to fans at the conclusion of Spartan athletic events. Please visit the official athletics website to sign up.