MATCH-UP:
No. 5 Rollins (22-7) vs. No. 2 West Florida (27-6)
WHERE:
McArthur Gymnasium - St. Petersburg, Fla.
WHEN:
Monday, March 13, 2017 - 7 p.m.
COVERAGE:
VIDEO: EckerdTritons.com
AUDIO: GEICO
Tars Sports Network/91.5 FM WPRK
Play-by-Play: Victor Anderson
In-Studio Pregame/Halftime: Austin David
LIVESTATS: NCAA.com
SET-UP:
Rollins finds itself one step away from the NCAA Division
II Elite Eight with just West Florida standing in the way as the
fifth-seed Tars and second seed Argonauts are set to meet in the
NCAA Division II South Region Championship game on Monday night.
The McArthur Center in St. Petersburg is the stage for the historic
match-up that will tipoff at 7 p.m. Rollins is in the game due in
large part of its suffocating defense, beating Florida Southern
71-47 and top-seed Eckerd 55-43 in the first two rounds of the
tournament; neither team shot better than 30 percent against the
Tars. Rollins has won 14 of its last 15 games and is in the South
Region Tournament Championship for the fourth-time in school
history, winning it all in 2012. West Florida was the top-team in
the Gulf South Conference the entire season and also picked up two
convincing wins in the regional, beating Nova Southeastern 66-57
and Benedict 74-51. The Argos are in the South Region Championship
game for the first time in school history. The winner of the game
will advance to the 2017 NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Columbus,
Ohio.
TRACKING THE TARS:
The Tars are led by 11.4 points and 4.6 rebounds a game
from fifth-year senior Marie
Gilbert. The Second Team All-Sunshine State Conference
selection is shooting 42 percent from the field and is also second
on the team with 17 blocks. Junior Julia
Ingler is putting up 10.3 points a game behind 56 total
three-pointers. She scored 16 points in the Tars quarterfinal win
over Florida Southern. Carly
McLendon is the SSC Defensive Player of the Year, sitting
10th in the nation with 77 blocks. The sophomore also
adds 8.7 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds a game. Rollins
averages 66.9 points of offense and allows teams just 58.8 points a
game. The Tars are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation,
beating teams on the glass by 8.7 a game.
TRACKING THE ARGONAUTS:
Toni Brewer leads West Florida with 13.9 points and 11.4
rebounds a game. The First Team All-Gulf South Conference member
had just five points against Benedict, but hauled in 11 rebounds.
Katie Bobos is scoring 18.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament
and averages 12.4 a night on the season. Alex Coyne was named the
GSC Player of the Year and fills the stat sheet with 10.5 points,
2.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists a game. The Gulf South regular season
champion Argos average 71.2 points a game and allow just 60.9 a
game.
NOTES:
Rollins is 3-3 all-time against West Florida and won the
last two meetings. The two schools last faced off on November 14,
2015 in Tampa with the Tars winning 72-65.
The Tars and Argos share two common opponents this season:
Rollins 2-1 vs. Eckerd, 1-1 vs. NSU…West Florida 1-0 vs.
Eckerd, 1-0 vs. NSU.
Rollins is making a fourth all-time appearance in the NCAA
Division II South Region Championship game, winning it all in 2012.
The Tars are 3-1 all-time as the No. 5 seed.
Rollins is 13th in the country in rebounding margin,
outrebounding team by eight a game.
Rollins is 799-406 since becoming an NCAA Division II varsity
sport in 1970.
Glenn Wilkes
Jr. is 685-234 in 31 seasons as the Tars head coach.
Rollins men's and women's basketball teams are both in the NCAA
Division II South Region Tournament Championship game in the same
season for the second time (2004).
NEXT UP FOR ROLLINS:
The winner will represent the South Region in the 2017
NCAA Division II Elite Eight, March 21-24 in Columbus, Ohio
