MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—The Barry Buccaneers face one of their toughest tests of the season on Wednesday, Jan. 6 as they travel to Tampa, Fla., to face off against the Tampa Spartans in Sunshine State Conference women's basketball action.

Tampa won both meetings last season and holds a 42-21 edge in the series, including the last five in a row and 15 of 18.

The Bucs (9-3, 3-1 SSC) are off to a great start this season and are currently riding a four-game win streak and have won eight out of nine. They have also won three straight in conference since dropping the opener at Florida Southern.

Tampa (6-7, 0-4 SSC), meanwhile, has been up and down in the early season. The Spartans are winless in conference and just 6-3 out of conference, but have played four ranked teams, including a 72-61 win over #4 Drury.

The senior trio of Amra Elezovic, Jackie Perez and Ines Kerin, continue to lead the Bucs. Elezovic is tops on the squad with 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and shoots 90.9 percent from the line. She is fifth in the league in scoring and rebounding and leads the SSC in free throw percentage.

Guards Kerin and Perez chip in 12.2 and 11.6 points per game respectively. They rank first and fourth in three-point percentage at 48.5 and 43.0 percent. Perez (2.8) is tied for first and Kerin (2.7) is third in made three-pointers.

Fellow Senior Irene Sanchez is third on the team in rebounding (5.2) and second in assists (3.0) while averaging 9.4 points per game. Kim Flournoy, another senior, chips in 4.5 points and 5.3 rebounds to go along with her team-high 2.3 steals per game.

Guards Juliana Cavallaro, a senior, and Elena de Alfredo, a junior, top the Spartans lineup. Cavallaro leads the way with 13.8 points, while de Alfredo chips in 13.0 per game. De Alfredo and senior forward Elen Nurmi lead the team with 2.8 assists per game, while senior forward Angela Alvarez (5.7) and Cavallaro (5.6) lead the way on the boards.

Barry, always one of the top defensive teams in the league, is third in scoring defense (59.8). But the Bucs' senior-laden lineup has also been one of the top scoring machines, ranking third at 71.1 points per game, leading to a +11.3 scoring margin that is second behind just 10^th-ranked Nova Southeastern.

Tampa is second in scoring defense (59.2), but ranks just eighth in scoring offense (62.8) for a +3.6 scoring margin.

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