WINTER PARK, Fla. (January 6, 2018) – Rollins trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, but battled all the way back to post a convincing 72-66 win over Nova Southeastern on Saturday.
Julia Ingler made history with her 195th career three-pointer, passing Jill Razor for the most in program history.
The victory snaps Rollins (9-5, 4-4 Sunshine State Conference) three-game losing streak while halting a four-game winning streak by NSU (8-5, 4-3 SSC).
Jaylyn Harrison posted a career-high 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers. Jo Bistrow added 17 points, her most as a Tar, shooting 5-of-9 from the field (2-4 three-pointers) and hitting all five free throws. Ingler totaled 13 points and six rebounds. Both Carly McLendon (13) and Vernisha Andrews (10) posted double-digit rebounds.
Alison Hughes led the Sharks with 16 points while Cheray Saunders added 12 points and six rebounds. Maria Bardeeva scored 11.
Rollins shot 40 percent in the game (25-63) and held NSU to 37 percent (20-54). The Tars dominated the glass, outrebounding the Sharks 45-33.
The Tars struggled to get going and fell behind 16-6 after six minutes of play. A timeout by head coach Glenn Wilkes Jr. sparked a 12-2 run that brought the Tars even at 18-all with 46 seconds left in the first. Rollins would later trail 22-20 after the first 10 minutes of play.
Rollins offense fell off in the second quarter and they again found themselves in a hole, this time 38-22 with 1:42 left in the half. The Tars fought back and were able to cut into the deficit to 41-30 at halftime.
Rollins continued to play uphill to start the third and trailed 46-35 four minutes into the second half. Five-straight points by Harrison got the Tars rolling and Ingler's historic three-pointer got Rollins to within 47-45 midway through the quarter. A Bistrow three-point play to get the lead was followed by another Harrison three-pointer to put the Tars on top 51-47.
Rollins would then head into the fourth leading 54-53.
Led by Harrison, Rollins started the fourth on a 8-1 run and went up 62-54. NSU got back to within two with five minutes to play before jumpers by Ingler and Denise Daniels kept Rollins on top.
NSU made it a one-possession game with 51 seconds to go, but Harrison extended the lead with a layup at 24 seconds left. Bistrow made four-straight free throws to put seal the win for the Tars.
Rollins is back at home on Wednesday, January 10, hosting Tampa at 5:30 p.m. The Spartans have won four in a row and are tied atop the SSC standings. Fans can watch the action live on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com.
