FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (February 14, 2018) – Nova Southeastern ended the game on a 15-3 run and handed Rollins a 75-66 loss on the road Wednesday.
The Tars drop to 12-12 overall and 7-11 in Sunshine State Conference play while falling to ninth in the league standings. Rollins will need a strong finish to the season with only games against Eckerd and Saint Leo left to grab a spot in the SSC tournament.
Nova Southeastern improves to 11-12, 7-10 SSC.
Julia Ingler continued her hot February, leading the Tars with 19 points and three steals. Vernisha Andrews totaled 16 points and 13 rebounds, one game removed from a career-high 15 rebound performance.
Alison Hughes led NSU with 25 points. Christen Prasse added 15 points of bench and Hailey Conley scored 14.
Rollins shot 39 percent, but just 4-of-15 in the fourth quarter. The Sharks hit 43 percent (25-58) and outrebounded the Tars 38-32.
The Tars jumped out to an 8-0 lead four minutes into the game and grabbed a 19-12 lead after the first.
Back to back three-pointers from Ingler and an Andrews jumper pushed the Rollins advantage to 30-18 with 6:32 left in the first half. NSU responded with a 10-0 run to cut the Tars lead to just two. Ingler again got rolling on the offensive end and led the Tars to a 37-32 halftime advantage.
NSU tied the score at 39 midway through the third before scores by Jasmine Stone and Ingler again put Rollins in control. The Tars led by eight with 2:10 left in the quarter before a 6-0 Sharks spurt gave Rollins a 52-50 lead heading into the fourth.
Rollins stayed on top until a three-pointer shot and conventional three-point play by Hughes gave NSU its first lead of the day, 58-56 with 5:52 left. Ingler got Rollins back on top with a deep ball and was followed by a pair of free throws from Jaylyn Harrison to give the Tars a 61-58 lead. Rollins then went ice cold from the field and NSU took advantage, grabbing a 71-64 lead with 52 seconds left. Denise Daniels cut it to five in the final seconds, but Hughes shot 4-of-4 at the line down the stretch to keep Rollins at a distance.
Rollins will be back in action on Saturday, February 17 hosting Eckerd at 2 p.m. Prior to the game, Rollins will honor four seniors for their dedication to Tars basketball. Fans who can't make it out can watch live on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com.
