Spartans Roll Past Rollins for First South Regional Finals Appearance

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The University of Tampa (25-7) women's basketball team battled against Sunshine State Conference rival Rollins (24-6), in the second round of the NCAA Tournament South Regional. The Spartans eased past the Tars with a final showing of 75-57.

The second and third tournament seeds were evenly matched at the top of the first period. Both teams converted on offensive opportunities, until Tampa went on a run with less than five minutes to go in the stint.

UT received a great surge from its bench, particularly a hot handed Catherine Matthews who scored five quick points in less than a minute to go, including a three-point buzzer beater to end the half.

Consistency on both ends of the court is when the Spartans are at their best. Defensively Tampa held the Tars to shooting under 40 percent from the field, while knocking down shots to end the half shooting 53 percent from the field and 61 percent from three-point range.

Illyssa Vivo led all scorers heading in to the break with 10 points, as the Spartans marked a comfortable 43-28 lead.

Similarly to the quarterfinal match against West Florida, the Tars found a little offensive rhythm early in the second half. Rollins' run did not solidify a chance to cut the Spartan lead to single digits. UT continued to excel from beyond the arch as they went 6-of-12 from downtown in the period.

Tampa ended the contest shooting just under 50 percent from the field and 56 percent from three. Ellen Nurmi and Shamika Williams notched 19 points apiece, shooting a combined 9-of-16 three-point field goals. Vivo tallied 12 points and five assists. Williams also registered her sixth double-double of the season, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Spartans head to the NCAA South Regional Tournament final for the first time in program history. The team will take on the winner of the Nova Southeastern/Albany State game Saturday evening. The final game is set for Monday at 7 p.m.

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