ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 4, 2006) ' For the twentieth consecutive
game, the Rollins College women's basketball team left the floor
victorious, as they narrowly escaped the Tritons of Eckerd College
75-73. The win keeps the Tars record perfect at 20-0 and 11-0 in
the Sunshine State Conference. The Tritons, whose team consists of
only nine healthy players, falls to 4-17 overall and 2-8 in the
SSC.
'
Rollins looked to have an easy victory in
hand with 4:23 to play on the clock and a 71-55 lead. However, the
Tritons had different intentions and proceeded to go on an 18-4
run, putting the pressure on the Tars to make free throws down the
stretch. In the last 35 seconds alone, the Tritons connected on
three treys while the Tars went 3-8 from the charity stripe,
keeping the Tritons hopes alive. Freshman Jennifer Dyer
(Wake Forest, N.C.) found herself on
the free throw line with 3 seconds remaining and after missing her
second attempt, the Tritons were down two with the ball in hand. As
Ann Gernandt hurried up the court her long pass to a teammate was
intercepted by Tars senior Sally Johnston
(Winter Springs, Fla.), ending the
Tritons hope for an upset.
'
Unlike the last four games where the Tars
held their opponents to an average of 12 points and 20 percent
shooting from the field in the first half, the Tritons shot 43.3
percent from the field (13-30) and managed to get 31 points on the
board. Eckerd freshman standout Gabby Gattuso, who torched the Tars
for 22 points in their first meeting, went 7-12 from the field in
the half for 15 points. Rollins was led by junior forward Larissa McDonough (Ormond Beach, Fla.) who went 4-9 for 13 points in
the half. At the break, the Tars held a tight 35-31
lead.
'
Rollins
came out of the locker room to start the second half on fire,
holding the Tritons scoreless over the first 5:02, increasing their
lead to 10 points, 44-34. The Tars spent most of the second half
increasing their advantage on the scoreboard and went up by as many
as 20 points, 66-46 with 7:06 to play. The Tritons then began their
impressive run down the stretch, holding the Tars to nine points to
finish the game.
'
McDonough led the Tars with 22 points on
the afternoon, while senior Joslyn Giles (Winter Haven, Fla.) finished with another
double-double grabbing a career high 13 rebounds to go along with
16 points. Sophomore Jennifer Musgrove
(Palm Bay, Fla.) notched 12 points and
a career high eight steals. Gattuso led the Tritons, scoring 22
points, K.C. Gavin added 12 points, and Tameron Armbrister led all
players with 14 rebounds while totaling 11 points, nine in the
second half.
'
Rollins
will take a break from their conference schedule on Tuesday,
February 7, as they host Palm Beach Atlantic. In the first meeting
with the Sailfish, the Tars won 69-42, with McDonough scoring 27
points. Game time in Winter Park is set for 5:30 p.m.
