ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 17, 2007) - The
Rollins women's basketball team used two big runs to defeat Eckerd
71-56 on Saturday, ensuring their 10th straight 20-win season.
Senior Larissa McDonough led Rollins (20-5, 11-3 SSC) with 17
points, seven of which came at the charity stripe. Jennifer Dyer
added 13 points while Jennifer Musgrove tallied nine points and
eight rebounds. Ines Teuma led both teams with a game-high 10.
The Tritons (6-19, 1-13 SSC) had three players in
double-figures, led by 11 each from Gabby Gattuso and Kristi Moore.
Tameron Armbrister chipped in 10.
Eckerd tied the score at six, three minutes in, but Rollins
rattled off an 11-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 17-8
lead. Jessica Pressley hit a three at the 7:53 mark to push the
Tars advantage to 12 and Rollins cruised the rest of the period,
taking a 44-29 lead into the locker room.
Rollins began the second half on a 9-0 run to take a commanding
53-29 advantage with 17 minutes left. Eckerd then caught fire and
clawed back, rolling up a 19-5 run to cut the lead to 10, 58-48
with just under 10 minutes to play. Rollins answered with solid
shooting from the charity stripe, extending the lead to as much as
18 late in the contest to preserve the win.
Both teams shot well in the first half with the Tars knocking
down 55 percent (16-29) while the Tritons connected on 50 percent
(13-26). Rollins struggled in the second half, finishing the game
37 percent from the floor with Eckerd ending up 42 percent. Rollins
out-muscled Eckerd on the glass, beating their hosts 51-35 in
rebounding.
Since Wilkes took over the Tars' program in 1986, the Blue and
Gold have been one of the Sunshine State Conference's winningest
programs. Rollins has recorded 17, 20 plus win seasons while
averaging more than 22 wins per year during the span.
The victory over Eckerd sets up a huge match-up on Wednesday in
Rollins final home game of the 2006-07 season. The Tars will clash
with SSC leader Florida Tech at 5:30 p.m. in the Alfond Sports
Center looking to end the day in a tie for the conference lead. The
game can be heard locally on 91.5 WPRK in Winter Park and worldwide
on the Tars Sports Network at www.RollinsSports.com.
