Juliana Cavallaro Leads Spartans Past No. 18 Florida Tech
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa (14-7, 7-4 SSC) remained in contention with a 64-61 victory over No. 18 Florida Tech (18-3, 8-3 SSC) in a critical Sunshine State Conference matchup at the Martinez Center.
The Spartans controlled the first half, leading by as many as 16 points. Florida Tech closed the half strong, going on an 11-3 run over the final 2:27 to cut the halftime lead to 37-30.
The second half remained a back-and-forth battle with UT owning a one possession advantage for the majority of the half. The Panthers would grab a 59-58 lead with 3:15 to play, which prompted the Spartans to go on a 5-0 run courtesy of a pair of Juliana Cavallaro free throws, a basket by Aisha Rodney and a free throw by Vanessa Sylvain.
Florida Tech trailed 64-61 with three seconds to play as Rodney thwarted a game-tying 3-point attempt with a blocked shot.
Cavallaro led the way with 25 points on 6-6 shooting. She also moved closer to the 1,000-point milestone as she now stands at 953 on her career. The junior also connected on three long-range shots while sinking 10 free throws. Rodney added 18 points as Candace Martino chipped in 12.
Rodney also added nine rebounds to lead all Spartans as freshman Karma Jeremie earned the start and led the squad with three assists and two steals.
The Spartans shot 44.4 percent from the field and converted on 26 free throw attempts. Florida Tech did force 23 UT turnovers, though FIT shot just 30.9 percent from the floor.
The Spartans return to action at home on Wednesday versus Eckerd College. The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Live stats and a broadcast will be available through TampaSpartans.tv.
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