Rivals Rollins and Florida Southern meet Wednesday in Winter
Park with both teams looking to build positive momentum to close
the first half of Sunshine State Conference season. The Tars and
Mocs are tied with Barry at the bottom of the league standings, but
stand just three games out of first. Rollins is coming off a loss
to Saint Leo while FSC has lost its last two, home against Tampa
and most recently at Florida Tech. Fans can watch all the action
live on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com.
ROLLINS AT A GLANCE: After starting the year
8-2 and ranking firmly in the national poll, the Tars have gone 3-4
since the New Year and now face an uphill battle in the conference
the rest of the season.
Rollins has dropped three of its last five, including a 52-48
loss at Saint Leo on Saturday. The Tars weathered a rough start and
were down by as much as 15 in the second half, but battled back to
within four twice in the final three minutes. SLU, however, held
strong and beat the Tars for the first time since 1998, a streak
spanning 30 consecutive Rollins victories. Ashley Jones led the
Tars with 10 points while Ashley Losch added eight.
Jones is Rollins' top scorer on the season, netting 11.1 points
a game. She is ranked seventh in the SSC with 33 three-pointers
this season. Sarah Blackburn adds 10.1 points and a team-best 6.9
rebounds a game, ranking fifth in the league on the glass. Tera
McDaniel leads Rollins and is fifth in the SSC with 3.5 assists a
game. Emmalee Schill is tied for second in the conference with 1.4
blocks a game.
Rollins is eighth in the SSC in offense at 61.2 points per game,
but leads the conference and ranks 13th nationally in
defense, surrendering just 53.1 points a night. The unit is fourth
in the SSC in rebounding margin, second in steals and leads the
league in blocks per game.
The Tars will next travel to Eckerd on Saturday, Feb. 2 to tip
off the second half of the Sunshine State Conference season. The
Tritons won in Winter Park earlier in the year, 68-67 on a pair of
last-second free throws.
FLORIDA SOUTHERN AT A GLANCE: Co-champions of
the SSC last season, along with Rollins and Barry, Florida Southern
visits Winter Park on a current five-game conference-losing skid.
The Mocs are 2-5 since the calendar turned with victories over
Barry and Palm Beach Atlantic.
Southern is coming off a tough 52-48 loss at Florida Tech on
Wednesday. Tracy Fosterling led the way with 14 points and six
rebounds. Kristin McIntyre added 12 points and six boards. FSC led
by two at the break, but shot just 6-of-22 in the second half.
Taylor Maldonado is the Mocs leading scorer at 13 points a game,
but has been sidelined due to injury. McIntyre is second with 12.8
points a night while leading the team and ranking eighth in the SSC
with 6.5 rebounds an outing. Fosterling adds 8.9 points and six
rebounds a game while also ranking sixth in the conference in
blocks.
Florida Southern is last in the SSC in scoring, putting up 53.9
points a game. They are allowing a SSC third-best 56.4 points on
the other end of the court and lead the league in rebound margin,
out-boarding opponents by nearly six a game.
The Mocs will start the second swing through SSC play on
Saturday, Feb. 2 hosting Lynn.
THE SERIES: Rollins trails Florida Southern in
the all-time series, 45-38. They last met in the 2012 SSC
Tournament Championship game in Lakeland with the Tars winning
71-68. Ashley Jones led the way for Rollins with 17 points while
Michaela Hawley poured in 22 for the Mocs.
THE COACHES: Glenn Wilkes Jr. (Stetson '81) is
in his 27th year leading the Tars is 592-193. He owns
the fifth-most victories among active Division II coaches and has
racked up the 10th most all-time. Wilkes career record
is the 13th-winninest in the history of Division II
basketball. Holly Borchers (Creighton '97) is in her first season
leading the Mocs after previously serving as the top assistant the
last six years.
