This season hasn't been kind to the University Titans, who are still winless after their 14th matchup. They had to suffer through a rough 79-19 loss at the hands of Umatilla. While losing is never fun, University can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 633rd, while Umatilla is ranked 151st).
Umatilla got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Herva Brutus out in front who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 16 rebounds. Brutus is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Emalee Duncan, who scored 17 points along with five assists and five steals.
University's defeat was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 0-14. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 21.2 points per game. As for Umatilla, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 12-2.
University and New Smyrna Beach will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 16th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Hopefully New Smyrna Beach focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 last Thursday. As for Umatilla, they will head out on the road to challenge Mount Dora at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
