Matchup:
Rollins (22-6) vs. Nova Southeastern (25-5)
NCAA Division II South Region Semifinal
When:
Saturday, March 14 - 6 p.m. (ET)
Where:
Fred DeLay Gymnasium - Jackson, Tennessee
A day after a thrilling win to open the NCAA Division II South
Region Tournament, Rollins next meets Nova Southeastern in the
semifinals Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m. (ET). The sixth-seed Tars
upset third-seed Eckerd 73-71 in the first quarterfinal of the day
while two-seed NSU survived seven-seed Kentucky State 66-56 the
next game. The Sunshine State Conference rivals split the regular
season with each defending home court. 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
the region host site of Union University, UUathletics.com.
ROLLINS AT A GLANCE: Rollins won its opening
round game for the fourth straight season, beating Eckerd 73-71. Emmalee
Schill had a career day, with a personal-best 25 points to go
along with 11 rebounds and five blocks. Her previous best was 22
points set earlier in the year against Lewis. Sarah
Taylor added 12 points and Ashley
Losch recorded 10 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Jasmine
Stone provided a big spark off the bench and racked up a
career-high seven rebounds.
Schill leads the Tars on the season with 12.3 points and 6.7
rebounds a game. She is at 974 career points and moved into third
place on the Rollins all-time blocks list with 124. Losch is
getting 10.9 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds a night. The
senior is 22 points away from 1,000 in her career. Taylor will set
a new school record against Nova Southeastern, playing in her
126th career game. Sarah
Blackburn set the previous record last season. Taylor is
averaging 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. All three of the
seniors named Second Team All-Sunshine State Conference.
Glenn Wilkes
Jr. (Stetson '81) is in his 29th year leading the Tars and owns
a career record of 650-212. 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.
NOVA SOUTHEASTERN AT A GLANCE: The Sharks were
given all they could handle in their opener before finally putting
Kentucky State away in the final minutes, 66-56. Jasmine Wilkins
led the way with 21 points and 18 rebounds while Danielle Robinson
added 16 points. Monaye Merritt added 11 points. NSU led by just
one at the half, 29-28.
Wilkins, the SSC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, leads
the Sharks with 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds a game. Robinson, also
a SSC First Teamer, averages 13.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and nearly
three assists a game. Monaye Merritt adds 9.5 points a game.
The Sharks are the two-time defending South Region Champions,
following the Tars title in 2012. NSU advanced to the 2014 final
four, falling to West Texas A&M.
LeeAnn Freeland (Southern Indiana '97) is in her fourth season
leading the Sharks and carries a 94-30 record into Saturday's game.
All-time, she is 183-65 including a successful career at UIndy.
THE SERIES: Rollins leads the all-time series
against Nova Southeastern 23-11. They split games in the regular
season with Rollins winning 74-61 in Winter Park and the Sharks
taking the second game 65-57 in Ft. Lauderdale. Julia
Ingler averaged 17.5 points to lead the Tars in the two
match-ups behind 9-of-14 shooting from long range. Taylor averaged
14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two match-ups. For the Sharks,
Wilkins averaged 17 points and nine rebounds while Alexis Murphy
put up 11 points and Danielle Robinson 10.5.
ROLLINS NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES: Rollins is in
its 15 NCAA Division II Postseason Appearance and is 11-14
all-time. Over the last four years, the Tars are 7-3 in the NCAA
Tournament with a trip to the Final Four in 2012.
The Tars have been the six-seed three times and are 1-2 from
that position, including the win over Eckerd Friday. The Tritons
were the third-straight SSC opponent Rollins faced in the first
round of the NCAA Tournament, beating Lynn, Saint Leo and EC in
consecutive years.
In the other quarterfinals of the South Region, top-seed Union
beat Albany State 92-83 and West Florida took Benedict 78-58 in the
nightcap.
NEXT UP: The winner of Rollins and Nova
Southeastern will play either Union or West Florida in the South
Region Championship game Monday, March 16 at 8 p.m. Eastern.
