LAKELAND, Fla. (February 8, 2023) - A tough third quarter proved to be the difference in what was an otherwise close matchup between Rollins and Florida Southern on Wednesday. It was the home team Mocs who took the game by a score of 60-48, dropping Rollins to 8-14 (3-12 SSC) on the season.
Southern jumped out to an early lead in the first, but a three from
Grace Alfieri had the Tars within one point. Minutes later,
Emily Dogbatse connected on a jumper, followed by an
Emily McIntosh triple to make the score 11-8 in favor of Florida Southern after one.
Silvia Lasarte started the scoring in the second quarter, once again pulling the Tars within a point. Their defense held tough, not allowing Southern to score until three minutes into the period. A
Lucy Leen three-point play would tie the game, followed by a three from Leen to give Rollins their first lead of the game with 6:34 to go in the quarter. Rollins stretched their lead to as high as six points on an
Erin Leigh jump shot, but Southern was able to battle back and tie things up.
Shannelle Heredia converted with under a minute to go to five the Tars a 27-25 halftime lead.
The third quarter was disastrous for Rollins as they only managed a pair of made shote from
Kymora Westerfield and Heredia. They went into the fourth quarter trailing 48-32.
Rollins put forth an admirable effort in the final frame, outscoring Southern 16-12. They cut the lead all the way down to seven when Alfieri and Leen combined to hit three three-pointers on consecutive possessions to make the score 53-46. Unfortunately, Rollins would only manage two more points in the game, and would eventually fall by a count of 60-48.
Leen led the Tars in scoring with 12 points. Alfieri added nine points and seven rebounds, while Lasarte chipped in six points and eight rebounds.
Next up for Rollins is a road game at Lynn. Tipoff against the Fighting Knights is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 11,
