LOUISVILLE, Ky. (November 18, 2005)
' The Rollins College women's basketball team
(2-0) traveled to Louisville, Ky. to participate in the United
Electric/Executive West Tip Off Tournament hosted by Bellarmine
University and faced off against No. 11 Bentley College (2-3) on
Friday evening and came out victorious 75-58. The victory ensures
the Tars a place in the Championship game of the tournament on
Saturday afternoon, when they will square off against Bellarmine at
3:00 p.m. Leading the way for the Tars were junior Larissa McDonough (Ormond Beach, Fla.) with 29 points and 10
rebounds, including going 11 for 11 from the free throw line and
senior Joslyn Giles (Winter Haven, Fla.) with 22 points and nine
rebounds.
'
The
first half saw the two teams battle for the lead, with the lead
changing hands many times. Rollins pulled out ahead of Bentley with
4:13 remaining on the clock in the first half and went into
halftime with a 33-25 advantage. McDonough was 5-10 from the field
in the first half with Giles just behind with nine points (4 for 8
from the field). Both teams held the other to only 30% from the
field.
'
Rollins
took the lead they held at halftime and didn't look back. McDonough
and Giles combined for 27 of the Tars 42 points in the second half,
including going 18 for 19 from the free throw line. The team
finished the game 28-30 from the line while Bentley was held to
12-14.
'
The
Falcons were led by junior Shannon Kirwan with 14 points and four
assists. The Falcons fall to 2-3 on the season, while the Tars
improve to 2-0. The victory for the Tars is the first over a ranked
opponent this season. Rollins was just outside the top 25 rankings
as they received 81 votes in the USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25
Coaches Poll, while Bentley was ranked 11th . Rollins will take on
host Bellarmine University on Saturday in the championship game at
3 p.m. Bellarmine defeated Limestone College 77-63.