ALBANY, Ga. (December 29, 2007) -- In a game
full of buzzer-beating shots and back-and-forth lead changes, the
Rollins women's basketball team fell short against Albany State
77-76 in a triple overtime thriller on Saturday night to end the
SIAC/Sunshine State Classic.' Rollins dropped to 6-2 with the loss,
while Albany State improved to 3-5.
Senior guard Jennifer Musgrove scored a career high 26 points
and added 13 rebounds for a double-double, and she finished
shooting 9-20 from the field.' She was joined on the All-Tournament
Team by sophomore guard Jessica Pressley, who shot 4-10 from the
field and finished with 15 points.' Sophomore forward Brittainy
Daiger added 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Tars came out shooting well, as they were 15-29 (51.7
percent) in the first half.' After going into halftime leading
35-30, they dropped to 40 percent shooting (8-20) in the second
half.' A major factor that let Albany State back into the game was
Rollins' free throw shooting, as the Tars were 5-14 from the
charity stripe in the second half.' The Lady Rams eventually came
back to tie the game 59-59 at the end of regulation on a
three-pointer by Tournament MVP La'Toya Coard at the buzzer.
After Albany State came back to tie the game at the end of
regulation, Rollins made a comeback of its own in the first
overtime period.' Junior guard Rachael Malatesta tied the game at
67 in the waning seconds of the first overtime when she picked up a
loose ball close to the hoop, turned, and banked it in from the
right side.' The overtime dramatics did not end there, as Nikia
Trice finished the game with a turnaround layup on the game's final
play, giving the home team a 77-76 win in triple overtime.
Rollins finished the game shooting 43.1 percent from the floor,
but a 14-29 performance at the free throw line (48.3 percent)
proved to be the Tars' weak point.' Rollins held a 54-51 rebound
advantage, but the team turned the ball over 33 times compared to
24 for the opponents.
Coard led the Lady Rams with 23 points and five steals, and
Trice added 15 points.
The Tars will return to Winter Park to host Wheeling Jesuit on
Wednesday, January 2 at 5:30 p.m.' Fans can watch and listen to all
the action live on the Tars Sports Network at www.RollinsSports.tv.
