WINTER PARK, Fla. (January 24, 2024) - After a strong first quarter, the Rollins offense tapered off en route to their fourth straight loss, this time at the hands of the Florida Southern Mocs, 59-51. The Tars now stand at 9-7 (6-4 SSC), while the Mocs improve to 11-6 (4-6 SSC).
Rollins raced out to a quick 4-0 lead with layups from
Aaliyah Irizarry-Perez and
Caroline Swartz. They would hold the Mocs scoreless for nearly the first three minutes of the game. Southern would make a small run and take the lead, but a three from
Emily McIntosh put Rollins back on top, 9-7. Unfortunately for Rollins, the next three shots from Southern were all made threes, as they jumped ahead, and led after one, 18-15.
Kaitlyn Sanders tied the score at twenty a few minutes into the second, but Rollins would struggle from the field for the remainder of the quarter, scoring just twice more from the floor on a pair of
Maddie Dillinger post moves. The Mocs took a 32-25 lead into halftime.
Grace Alfieri played inspired basketball in the second, starting in the third quarter when her driving chipped into the Mocs lead. she would then add a three a few minutes later, cutting it to 40-35. Again, the Mocs responded with made shots while the Tars once again were denied made shots. At the end of the third, it was 48-38.
Freshman
Faith Newton did her best to will the Tars back into the game, opening the fourth with a driving layup, followed by a made three, and a mid-range two off an offensive board, pulling Rollins within five at 50-45. Moments later, a Dillinger make had the game at 50-47, with the Mocs being held scoreless for a span of four-and-a-half minutes. Another conversion from Dillinger brought Rollins within two with 3:38 to go, but they would not get any closer. Southern began converting their possessions, scoring the next six points of the game. They would add some late free throws, and walk away with a 59-51 win.
Newton was the leading scorer for Rollins with 13 points to go with four rebounds and a block. Dillinger added twelve and four. Irizarry-Perez only scored two points, but managed to rip down a dozen boards. Marissa Jenike posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the Mocs.
Next up for Rollins is a trip to Fort Lauderdale to take on Nova Southeastern. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 27.
