TAMPA, Fla. (November 12, 2022) - It's two wins in a row to start the year for the Rollins Tars after a thrilling 69-60 win over the Spring Hill Badgers on Saturday. Rollins remains undefeated at 2-0 while Spring Hill drops to 0-2.
The Rollins offense came out hot in the first quarter, pouring in 23 points. The started the game with a 5-0 run courtesy of
Aaliyah Irizarry-Perez and
Grace Alfieri. After the Badgers tied things up,
Emily Dogbatse completed an and-one on a layup to reclaim the advantage for the Tars. Following that, Rollins earned three straight buckets in the paint thanks to some unselfish ball movement.
Lucy Leen scored five points in the last minute to make it a 23-13 game through one.
Rollins stretched the lead all the way to 28-13 to start the second after a jumper from
Kymora Westerfield and another three from Leen. The Badgers went on a 7-0 run to stay in the game, but Dogbatse nailed a three to stop the run briefly. Both teams traded buckets through the end of the quarter, and when the dust settled, Spring Hill had pulled within four at 37-33. Spring Hill shot 11/28 (39%) in the first half, while Rollins countered with 46% (15-32).
Both teams stayed tight following the break. Spring Hill started the quarter with a 5-0 run to take their first lead of the game. From there, it was a back-and-forth brawl as the two teams exchanged points for the remainder of the period. After the Badgers found themselves ahead by four, Irizarry-Perez poured in five straight points to put the Tars back on top. With eight seconds left, the Badgers scored on a layup to tie the game at 52. On the ensuing possession, the Badgers lost track of Shanelle Heredia who was able to convert a layup with one second on the clock to give Rollins a slim lead with one quarter to go.
When it mattered most, the Rollins defense stepped up and limited Spring Hill to only eight points in the final frame. The Badgers only managed 3-12 (25%) from the field, while failing to convert any of their three-point attempts (0-7) in the fourth. In the final five minutes of the game, Spring Hill scored exactly one point on a free throw with two seconds on the clock.
For the second-straight game, Irizarry-Perez led the team in scoring. Today, she was 6-11 from the floor for 17 points and eight rebounds. She also added two blocks and a steal.
Emily Dogbatse had her best game of her young Rollins career, pouring in 16 points in 18 minutes.
Rollins will have their home opener on Wednesday, November 16 against Webber International. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm.
