Late Push Not Enough as Tampa Drops SSC Road Game

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Tampa faced Palm Beach Atlantic in a Sunshine State Conference road matchup at Rubin Arena. The Spartans battled throughout but ultimately came up just short in the conference contest, 62-54.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final: Palm Beach Atlantic 62, Tampa 54
Records: Tampa (10–7, 5–3 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (7–9, 3–5 SSC)
Location: Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

Tampa won the opening tip, with Olivia Davis scoring the Spartans' first points of the game. Ryan Franklin followed with a basket in the paint to give Tampa an offensive spark. Alanis Diaz also got on the board early with a three-pointer and a fast break layup. The Spartans picked up the tempo, but Palm Beach Atlantic kept the game tight. As the Sailfish began to pull ahead, a three-pointer from Brooklynn Butler kept Tampa within striking distance. A Davis steal and Butler's trip to the free-throw line closed the first quarter, knotting the score at 16–16.

Palm Beach Atlantic opened the second quarter with a basket as Tampa struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Faith Pickens worked inside, and Butler connected from beyond the arc to chip away at the Sailfish lead. A deep three from Giorgia Palmieri late in the quarter brought Tampa closer, but the Spartans entered halftime trailing 31–27.

Second Half

Palmieri opened the scoring for Tampa in the third quarter. Palm Beach Atlantic continued to apply offensive pressure, while Davis' defensive effort and Franklin's work at the line and in the paint kept Tampa battling. The Sailfish extended their advantage in the third, holding a 50–35 lead heading into the final period.

In the fourth quarter, Diaz and Franklin helped keep the Spartans competitive. Tampa's defense tightened, limiting Palm Beach Atlantic to just three points for more than half of the quarter behind strong rebounding from Diaz and Palmieri and key steals from Davis and Palmieri.

Tampa pulled within striking distance in the final 90 seconds, but Palm Beach Atlantic broke a nearly seven-minute scoring drought and closed the game at the free-throw line, securing a 62–54 victory.

INSIDE THE STATS

• Ryan Franklin: 20 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast

• Alanis Diaz: 10 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast

• Giorgia Palmieri: 9 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl

• Brooklynn Butler: 8 pts, 2 reb

• Olivia Davis: 3 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl

• Amy Thompson: 2 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl

TEAM STATS

• Field Goal Percentage: 39.0% (20–51)

• Three-Point Percentage: 20.0% (4–20)

• Free Throws: 77.0% (10–13)

• Rebounds: 34

• Bench Points: 10

• Points in the Paint: 32 (59%)

• Points off Turnovers: 13 (24%)