WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 25, 2023) - The Rollins Tars finished their year on a high note, winning a tough one against Palm Beach Atlantic, 76-68. Rollins finished the year with a 10-17 record, winning their final two games of the season.
The first quarter belonged to the Tars as they outpaced the Sailfish 21-13.
Kymora Westerfield, playing in her final home game, was the catalyst of the offense, scoring the first points of the game on a three.
Grace Alfieri added a triple, and
Lucy Leen finished a layup to put Rollins up 8-0. Westerfield added a three-point play late in the quarter, coupled with the Tars defense that kept the Sailfish off the board for more than three minutes, to help them win the first quarter.
Palm Beach Atlantic battled back in the second, cutting the lead all the way down to one halfway through the second.
Erin Leigh killed their momentum with a tough jumper, followed by a Westerfield make with under ten seconds to go in the half, giving Rollins a 33-29 lead at the break.
Rollins shot 14-35 (40%) in the first half, while limiting the Sailfish to 10-30 (33%) shooting.
The Sailfish fought back in the third, and again cut the lead to just one point a few minutes in. However,
Aaliyah Irizarry-Perez knocked down a huge three off a feed from Westerfield to keep Rollins on top, 38-34. Moments later,
Emily Dogbatse and Irizarry-Perez would score on shots form the paint on consecutive possessions to make it 44-36. Each time the Sailfish tried to come back, Rollins was able to counter with a make. They would take a 49-42 lead into the final frame.
In the fourth, the lead would grow as high as eleven on a
Claire Erickson layup with under five minutes to play. That would be the final made field goal for the Tars in the game. However, Palm Beach Atlantic thought that intentionally fouling the Tars would give them a chance to come back, so they sent Rollins to the free throw line. A lot. Rollins shot 15 free throws in the final three minutes of the game, making eleven of them, to seal the 76-68 win.
Westefield put up a career-high 17 points in her final game. She also added two rebounds and four assists.
Silvia Lasarte, the Tars other senior, grabbed six rebounds in her final contest.
