WINTER PARK, Fla. (December 9, 2023) - A stunning effort on the defensive end in the first half, followed by some clutch shooting late in the game gave Rollins a tight 56-55 win over the visiting Lynn Knights on Saturday. The Tars now stand at 4-3 on the year with a perfect 3-0 record against SSC opponents. Lynn falls to 4-3, 1-1 SSC.
The first quarter was a defensive battle between the two teams. Lynn jumped out to a 4-0 lead as they held Rollins scoreless for the first four minutes of the game. However, a pair of threes from
Ajalon Gillard on put Rollins on top. They would close out the quarter allowing just two more points, and led 11-6 after one.
The second quarter was a master class in defensive pressure as Rollins limited the Knights to 1-10 shooting from the floor, with the only make of the period coming on a three with nine seconds to go. Meanwhile, The Tars poured in 14 points in the frame, led by four points from each of
Aaliyah Irizarry-Perez and
Maddie Dillinger. They would take a 25-12 lead into halftime.
Rollins limited Lynn to just 3-24 shooting (12.5%) in the first half.
The Tars came out of the break on a mission, with Gillard and Irizarry scoring six straight to balloon the lead to 31-12. The lead would reach as high as 20 on makes from both
Claire Erickson and
Faith Newton. Unfortunately, the Knights would close the quarter on a 15-6 run, and trailed 42-31 heading into the fourth.
Rollins started the fourth strong with three freebies from Erickson and a three from Gillard at the 8:54 mark. However, that would be the final made shot from the floor for Rollins for the game. Lynn began to chip away while keeping the Tars off the board for the most part.
Maddie Dillinger became the focal point of the offense late, and she was able to draw multiple shooting fouls. With Rollins leading 53-52, she knocked down one free throw to maintain a multiple point lead with 23 seconds to go. Lynn would complete a three-point play with 17 seconds left to take their first lead since the first quarter.
On the next possession, Dillinger was once again hacked in the paint. With seven seconds to go, she calmly nailed both from the line to give Rollins the final score of 56-55.
Dillinger led the Tars with 19 points and six rebounds. Gillard had 13 with the help of three threes. Trinity Mocadlo had 15 in the loss for Lynn.
Rollins will host Warner University on Tuesday, December 12 at 6:00 pm in Winter Park.
