Late Triple Lifts Oilers to Victory in Tampa
Tampa, Fla. – All that matters is the score when the clock hits zero. The University of Findlay women's basketball team defeated the University of Tampa 57-56 on Dec. 19 to improve to 7-3 as they head into their holiday break while Tampa, which competes in the Sunshine State Conference, falls to 8-3.
The Oilers did not lead in the game until senior Anna Hintz drilled a triple with 20 seconds to play to give Findlay the one-point advantage. The Spartans missed a triple try at the buzzer giving the Oilers the victory in the defensive battle.
Trailing 30-20 at halftime, Findlay doubled their offensive output in the third but still trailed 48-40 heading into the final frame. The Oilers used a 14-6 run in the fourth to tie the game at 54-54, the first time the game was tied since tipoff.
The Spartans made a pair of free throws after a technical foul to take a 56-54 lead but after a missed field goal, senior Allie Thobe grabbed the defensive rebound which led to Hintz' three which ended the game.
Findlay shot 31% in the first half but shot 51% in the second half to finish 42% (22-of-52) for the game. On the other side, Tampa was held to 19-of-47 (40.4%) from the field and just 5-of-18 (27.8%) from deep. The Oilers held a 36-to-27 advantage on the glass and had more second chance points (8-to-1) while both teams scored 18 points in the paint.
Senior Elissa Ellerbrock finished as the Oilers' leading scorer, making 5-of-9 from the floor including a perfect 3-of-3 from deep. She scored 15 points in the game and grabbed four rebounds. She also had two assists.
Despite being held scoreless in the first half, senior Anna Hintz finished with 14 points, ten of which came in the fourth quarter, on 5-of-14 shooting. She made 2-of-4 from deep including the game-winner. She added six rebounds, three assists, and four steals in the victory while senior Jenna Stegmaier also had six rebounds. Stegmaier scored seven points, as well.
Coming off the bench, senior Lauren Ruth scored six points and had two rebounds while freshman Sydney Kin had five rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass.
Findlay will not be on the court until Dec. 30 when they return home and take on Wheeling Jesuit at 1:00 pm.