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UT Women's Win Streak Ends At 7

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A Tribune staff, wire report

Published: December 7, 2007

TAMPA - University of Tampa women's basketball coach Tom Jessee believes free-throw shooting and turnovers decide most games between evenly matched teams.

Jessee's No. 25 Spartans found themselves on the losing end of both as their seven-game winning streak came to an end in a 66-60 loss to West Georgia on Thursday night.

The Spartans (7-2) were in the bonus less than 10 minutes into each half but shot only 13 of 23 from the line (56.5 percent), well below their 70.5-percent clip. More important, however, were a spate of turnovers midway through the second half that allowed the Wolves (8-1) to build a 49-38 lead with 11:45 to play.

UT was unable to cut into that margin until the latter stages of the game when a Wolves victory was in hand. UT had 15 turnovers to West Georgia's 10.

"Sometimes you can get by with those two categories being skewed, if you're not playing good competition," Jessee said. "In this case we were playing great competition."

Ashley Huff led the Wolves with 16 points and 12 rebounds, one of five players in double figures.

Sheena Walton led UT with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. She now has 301 blocks for her career, passing Jessie McDowell (298, 1999-2003) for the UT record.

A downcast Walton didn't seem impressed afterward.

"I'm still thinking about the game," she said. "Maybe tomorrow or the day after, that's something I'll be happy about."

Matthew Postins

TEXAS A&M 81, FSU 67: Takia Starks scored 12 of her 28 points in the game's first five minutes and No. 12 Texas A&M (7-1) defeated visiting Florida State (6-3).
Shante Williams led Florida State with 18 points, while Britany Miller added 14 points and five blocked shots and Tanae Davis-Cain had 13 points.

DUKE 49, RUTGERS 44: Carrem Gay's free throw with 30 seconds left put No. 17 Duke (6-3) ahead to stay against No. 4 Rutgers (5-2).

VANDERBILT 75, W. KENTUCKY 54: Liz Sherwood scored 20 points to lead No. 20 Vanderbilt (8-2) past visiting Western Kentucky (6-3).

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE: The women's basketball team should lose all 79 of its victories during the four-year tenure of former coach B.J. Smith, an NCAA committee has ruled. The NCAA Committee on Infractions also decided that Southeast should have its 2006 NCAA Tournament appearance taken away, according to a letter from the committee to university president Ken Dobbins. The university is appealing the ruling and Smith has asked for a full hearing.

Among the violations cited in a preliminary report the school released in June 2006: improper transportation of prospective players from airports and on official visits; prospects receiving summer lodging without paying rent or paying an inappropriate amount; and members of the women's staff observing summer workouts of prospective and enrolled athletes.

Villanova Men Shock LSU

PHILADELPHIA - Villanova's only lead came on the shot that mattered most: the Wildcats' last one.

Malcolm Grant converted a four-point play and scored 13 points over the final three minutes, and Dante Cunningham scored the game-winner with 5.9 seconds left as the 25th-ranked Wildcats (6-1) rallied from a 21-point deficit to stun LSU 68-67 in the Big East/SEC Invitational.

BUTLER 53, DETROIT 46: Matt Howard scored 20 points and Julian Betko hit a late 3-pointer to help No. 13 Butler (8-0) beat host Detroit (4-4) in the Horizon League opener.

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