Tars Head to the Lions Den Saturday

Rollins will look to make it two wins in a row, both on the road, as the Tars head to Saint Leo to face the Lions Saturday afternoon. Rollins climbed a rung in the conference standings with its win at Barry on Wednesday. Saint Leo is tied for third in the SSC standings and has won two of its last three, including a 20-point blowout over nationally ranked Tampa. Fans can listen to the action live on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com.

ROLLINS AT A GLANCE: The Tars stopped their two-game skid at Barry, improving to 2-4 in league play and moving into the middle of the standings. Rollins rode its 14^th-nationally ranked defense to the 55-43 victory, holding its opponent to under 50 points for the sixth time on the season. The Bucs scored just two buckets in the final six minutes. Going into the game, the Tars had allowed an average of 68 points in their last three conference games.

Ashley Losch had a career night to lead Rollins over Barry, matching her all-time best with 13 points and setting a new standard with eight rebounds. Ashley Jones tallied nine points and five rebounds with Sarah Blackburn adding eight points and 11 rebounds.

On the season, Jones is the top scorer, netting 11.1 a game. Blackburn adds 10.4 points and ranks fifth in the SSC with seven boards a night. She is also eighth in the league in shooting, hitting 47 percent from the field. Tera McDaniel leads the team and is fifth in the SSC with 3.5 assists a game, while nabbing a SSC fourth-best 2.2 steals a night.

Rollins is seventh in the SSC in offense with 62 points a game, and tied with Tampa for the best defense, surrendering 53.1 a game. The Tars are fourth in the conference on the glass, outrebounding teams by 4.4 a game.

With two games left in the first round of conference play, there is very little separation in the standings. Three teams are tied for first at 4-2, two locked in fourth at 4-3 and Tampa alone in sixth at 3-3. Rollins will close the first half of the SSC season at home against 2-4 Florida Southern Jan. 30^th.

SAINT LEO AT A GLANCE: Saint Leo was picked last in the SSC preseason poll, but finds itself tied for fourth, just a half game out of first. The Lions have signature wins over 20^th-ranked Nova Southeastern and 25^th-ranked Tampa on the season. SLU is coming off a 53-47 road win over Eckerd on Wednesday. Teresa Manigrasso led the way with 14 points while Keishara Green recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Chelsea Connelly added seven points and six rebounds.

The Lions rank third in the conference in offense, generating 64.7 points a game. They are eighth in defense, allowing opponents 60.5 a night. SLU is one of the top-shooting teams, hitting nearly 40 percent from the field, but struggles from 3-point range, shooting just 29 percent. The Lions are the top team in the SSC at second-chances, leading the league in offensive rebounds at more than 42 a game.

Manigrasso leads the Lions attack with 15.1 points a game while Williams is netting 14.4 an outing. Connelly is the top rebounder on the team and in the SSC at 9.9 caroms a game. Williams is second in the SSC with 8.2 rebounds a game. Williams also leads the league in shooting, hitting 55 percent a game.

The match-up with the Tars completes the first half of the conference schedule for Saint Leo. They will take Wednesday off before heading to Nova Southeastern to kick off the second round of league games.

THE SERIES: Rollins is 71-8 all-time against Saint Leo and is currently riding a 30-game winning streak against the Lions. Saint Leo's last win over Rollins was Jan. 28, 1998. They most recently met on Feb. 11, 2012 with the Tars scoring an 86-50 victory in Winter Park. Sarah Taylor, Paris Moore and Sarah Blackburn each scored 13 to lead Rollins. Chelsea Williams and Kinnara Lewis paced SLU with nine points each. The Tars forced 26 Lion turnovers in the game, resulting in 35 points.

THE COACHES: Glenn Wilkes Jr. (Stetson '81) is in his 27^th year leading the Tars and is 592-192 at the helm. He has the fifth-most victories among active Division II coaches and has racked up the 10^th most all-time. Wilkes career record is the 13^th-winninest in the history of Division II basketball. Former Rollins player Nikki Jessee (Rollins '99) is in her second season leading the Lions after previously serving as an assistant at Tampa and head coach of Lynn. As a player, she amassed 1,249 points and ranks as the Tars' ninth all-time leading scorer.