College basketball

Women's basketball has injury problems

Tampa's women's basketball win over Florida Tech on Wednesday was not without a big price.

By DAVID NORRIE
Published January 17, 2006

Center Shaneisha Walton and forward Alexa Kane sustained injuries during the five-point victory, which put UT (11-4, 3-1) in second place in the Sunshine State Conference. Not good timing considering a showdown against first-place Rollins (13-0, 5-0) looms on Wednesday.

Walton, who leads the team in points, rebounds and blocked shots, strained a joint in her left shoulder. With a week between games, her status for Wednesday remains probable. She was plagued by an injury to her right shoulder last season but managed to play through it with the support of a brace.

Tampa will not be so lucky at small forward, where starter Courtney Wilder and backup Kane are doubtful.

Wilder had 10 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes against Tech before rolling her ankle in the second half. Kane aggravated a stress facture in her foot, which likely will keep her out for 3-4 weeks.

Coach Tom Jessee said he knows the timing is bad but his team will have to rally.

"It becomes more difficult with two kids down, maybe three," he said. "We were moving eight or nine players in and out of the game whereas now we have to go to a five- or six-person rotation. We might need some freshmen to step up and play a big role."

Those freshmen are Hailee Sullivan and Kym Taylor, neither of whom have started this season but average double figures in minutes.

Rollins enters with the league's top scoring offense (75.6 points per game) and scoring defense (50.6). Tampa is second in both, scoring 67.8 a game while allowing just more than 53.

"They aren't ranked No. 10 in the nation for no reason," Jessee said. "All the things they have, they've earned.

"They are hard to game plan for because they create mismatches. They start three seniors and play a 1-2-2 zone, which is very aggressive and creates a lot of steals. We'll need to be at full speed and catch a few breaks along the way to have a chance."

He credits part of his success to coming into the season in the best shape of his life. During the summer, he lost 15 pounds.

"I think I'm battling more this year," he said. "At 230 pounds, I feel lighter. I still eat, just not as much. Instead of four bowls of spaghetti, I eat just one and drink a lot of water."

Kevin Byrd , who started all 29 games last season, scored 11 points and reached double figures while coming off the bench for the fifth time in the past six games.

[Last modified January 17, 2006, 01:25:19]