Matchup:
Rollins (21-6) vs. Eckerd (23-7)
NCAA Division II South Region First Round
When:
Friday, March 13 - 1 p.m. (ET)
Where:
Fred DeLay Gymnasium - Jackson, Tennessee
For the fourth-straight season and 15th time in
program history, Rollins earned a spot in the NCAA Division II
South Region Tournament. The six-seed Tars meet a familiar foe in
the first round, Sunshine State Conference rival Eckerd, the
three-seed. The Tritons are making a first NCAA Tournament
appearance in school history and are enjoying a record-setting
season. Eckerd beat Rollins in both meetings this season on a run
to the SSC Tournament semifinals. Fans can follow all the action
live on the Geico Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com and
locally on 91.5 FM WPRK. Live streaming video is available on
UUAthletics.com
ROLLINS AT A GLANCE: Rollins seniors Kathleen
Browne, Ashley
Losch, Emmalee
Schill and Sarah
Taylor are just the third set of Tars to have competed in the
NCAA Tournament all four years of their careers. As freshman the
quartet advanced to the final four and made trips to the second
round each of the last two seasons. In 2006, Joslyn Giles, Sally
Johnston and Randi Weiss achieved the feat while Larissa McDonough
and Jen Catti did the same thing a year later.
The Tars head into the game after getting upset in the first
round of the SSC Tournament by seventh-seed Barry, 72-61. Freshman
Julia
Ingler led the way for the Tars with 17 points while Losch put
up 12 points and nine rebounds. Rollins outrebounded the Bucs and
committed four less turnovers, but couldn't overcome a hot shooting
night, hitting 51 percent on the day, including 11-of-20
three-pointers.
A trio of All-Sunshine State Conference Second Teamers lead the
Tars on the season. Schill is averaging 11.9 points and 6.5
rebounds a game to top the season box score. She needs just three
more blocks to move into third on the Tars all-time list and also
has 949 career points. Losch is getting 10.9 points and a team-best
7.2 rebounds a game. The Sarasota native is just 32 points from
1,000 for her career and needs 10 blocks for 100. Sarah
Taylor became a member of the 1,000-point club earlier in the
year and is averaging 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds a game.
Sharpshooter Julia Inlger was on the conference All-Newcomer team
and is netting 8.6 points a night behind 52-of-133
three-pointers.
Glenn Wilkes
Jr. (Stetson '81) is in his 29th year leading the Tars and owns
a career record of 649-212. He is the eighth-winningest active
coach in Division II and has the fourth most victories. All-time in
Division II, Wilkes ranks as the 13th winningest and ninth in total
victories.
ECKERD AT A GLANCE: The Tritons are in the NCAA
Tournament for the first time, having broke school records for most
wins in a season and best conference finish (3rd). EC
beat Florida Southern 73-59 in the first round of the SSC
Tournament before falling to Barry 61-59 in overtime during the
semifinals. Jordyn Alexander led the way with 17 points while Ivana
Grbic posted 13 points and 11 rebounds versus the Bucs.
Rana Thomas is scoring 16.2 points a game to lead the Tritons on
the year and is also shooting 87 percent from the free throw line.
The senior earned First Team All-Sunshine State Conference honors
this season. Trine Kasemagi was second team All-SSC and both the
conference Freshman and Newcomer of the year. The Tallinn, Estonia
native averaged 13.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on the
season. Grbic is scoring 9.7 points a night while Kayla Bowlin
averages 8.5 points and 5.5 assists a night.
Paul Honsinger (Eckerd '98) is in his ninth-year leading the
Tritons and carries a 129-119 record into the 2015 postseason.
THE SERIES: Rollins leads the all-time series
with Eckerd 67-16, including a pair of losses this year. EC stopped
the Tars seven-game winning streak 75-63 in St. Petersburg and
later downed Rollins 61-58 on its home floor. Losch averaged 11.5
points and eight rebounds in the two games for the Tars. Taylor
scored 10.5 points a game and Schill averaged 10.0. For Eckerd,
Kasemagi averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two games this
year. Thomas added 17.0 points and Grbic averaged 12.0 points and
10.0 rebounds in the two games.
ROLLINS NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES: Rollins is in
its 15 NCAA Division II Postseason Appearance and are 10-14
all-time. Over the last four years, the Tars are 6-3 in the NCAA
Tournament with a trip to the Final Four in 2012. This season is
the third time the Tars are the No. 6 seed in the tournament and
are 0-2 from that draw. Rollins was the No. 6 in 2003 and fell to
Central Arkansas 74-55 in Russellville, Arkansas. The last time was
in 2007, a 65-62 loss to Arkansas Tech at FGCU.
In looking at the 2015 south region bracket, Rollins has only
faced Nova Southeastern and Benedict in postseason play. Against
NSU the Tars fell 73-57 in the 2013 second round and Rollins beat
Benedict 51-42 to open the 204 tournament in Winter Park.
All-time, the Tars have never met top-seed Union, are 24-10 vs.
Nova Southeastern, 67-16 vs. Eckerd, 2-3 vs. West Florida, 1-0 vs.
Benedict, 0-0 vs. Kentucky State and 9-3 against eighth-seed Albany
State.
This year is the third-straight season Rollins opens up the NCAA
Tournament with a first-timer from the Sunshine State Conference.
The Tars beat Lynn in 2013 and Saint Leo last season in the first
round.
NEXT UP: The winner of Rollins and Eckerd moves
onto the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament Semifinals,
facing either second-seed Nova Southeastern or seventh-seed
Kentucky State at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 14.
