#17 Tampa Moves On In NCAA Tournament

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - After letting a 15-point advantage slip away, The University of Tampa (26-4) women's basketball team battled back for a 55-51 victory over Barry (21-10) and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA South Regional for the second consecutive year. The fourth-seeded Spartans will take on top-seed and host Arkansas Tech on Sunday.

After four lead changes in the game's first 10 minutes, the Bucs enjoyed an 11-8 lead at the 7:12 mark of the first half before Tampa went on an 11-0 run to grab a nine-point advantage. The streak of Spartan points was aided by key treys from Gianna Messina and Taja Green.

The teams went into the locker room at the half with Tampa up 24-15, and the momentum remained in UT's favor as the lead surged to a 33-18 margin with 15:39 remaining in the contest.

At that point the Bucs seized control of the game, ripping off a 14-2 run over the next four minutes to pull within three at the 11:12 mark of the half and then tied the affair with a 3-pointer at the midway point of the stanza.

In the next six minutes, neither team could pull away as period featured four more lead changes and two occasions at which the game was tied. But with Barry up 50-48 with just under two minutes to play, Tiara Cook hit two of her 12 free throws to create the last tie of the ballgame.

On Barry's ensuing possession, Cook stood her ground defensively and drew an offensive foul from Mariesa Greene - the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year's fifth of the contest.

After two fruitless trips down the court for each squad and with the Buc defense threatening to limit the Spartans to nothing again, Messina put up a shot as the shot clock expired and got it to fall to give Tampa a 52-50 lead with 49 seconds left in the game.

Cook added another free throw and Kamari Smith also made a pair at the charity stripe in the closing seconds to ensure the Tampa victory.

The nation's top defense lived up to its billing once again as UT limited Barry to just 29.4 percent from the field while Tampa shot 40.5 percent. The Spartans also won the battle on the glass by a 33-28 margin.

Cook led Tampa offensively as she scored 20 points while also grabbing a team-best eight rebounds and blocking three shots. Green joined her in double figures with 11 points.

The Spartans will take on the Golden Suns in the semifinal round on Sunday with tip scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EDT. Tampa will be looking to advance to its first regional final in program history. Live stats and a webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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