MELBOURNE, Fla. (January 24, 2018) – A cold shooting first quarter put Rollins in an early hole of which they couldn't climb out, ultimately falling to Florida Tech 64-43 on Wednesday.
The Tars loss is a third-straight and drops them to 10-8 overall and 5-7 in Sunshine State Conference play. Florida Tech improves to 9-9 overall and 6-6 in the league.
Jaylyn Harrison led the way for the Tars with 12 points. Vernisha Andrews scored 10 on 5-of-7 shooting while Julia Ingler and Denise Daniels both score eight. Carly McLendon had a solid defensive night with four rebounds and three blocks.
DeLise Williams and Gracie Doane both scored 15 to pace the Panthers. Williams also added nine rebounds with Doane going 5-of-10 from long range. Tereza Sedlakova added nine points and eight rebounds.
The Tars were held to 38 percent (18-47) shooting from the field, including 3-of-14 beyond the arc. Florida Tech shot 39 percent (24-61) and outrebounded Rollins 39-24.
Ingler hit from deep to give the Tars an early 5-2 lead before Tech came back to take control. A Harrison bucket with 4:01 left in the first pulled the Tars to within 8-7, but that would be the last Rollins score of the frame as they fell into a 17-7 hole after one quarter.
In the second, Rollins twice got as close as eight before FIT started to pull away, grabbing a 33-20 lead going into the locker room.
Harrison and Ingler both hit from deep to start the third, but again Florida Tech had the answers and led 44-26 midway through the quarter. Jumpers by Denise Daniels and Andrews pulled Rollins to within 15 before eventually heading into the fourth down 50-33.
Rollins offensive woes continued in the final quarter, shooting just 3-of-11 in the frame. The Panthers built its lead to as many as 22 in the middle of the period.
The Tars will look to get back to their winning ways on Saturday, January 27 hosting Lynn at 2 p.m. in Warden Arena. The Fighting Knights are tied with Rollins for seventh in the SSC standings and have won two in a row. The Tars took the earlier meeting with Lynn 65-57. Fans can catch the action live on the Tars Sports Network and SSC Digital Network at RollinsSports.com.
