LAKELAND, Fla. (November 8, 2024) - Women's basketball opened their season with a tough 67-62 loss ot the Lee Flames on Friday morning. Rollins is 0-1, 0-0 SSC to start the season.
Aaliyah Irizarry-Perez sparked the Tar offense in the first quarter, delivering six points in the first five minutes. A pair of threes from
Ajalon Gillard and
Kaitlyn Sanders added to the offense, as Rollins made it through the first period with a 17-13 lead.
The second quarter was a struggle for both sides as they tied with eleven points each. Rollins shot just 3-11 from the field in the period, but all three makes were from long distance, courtesy of a pair from
Tara Murray and one from
Emily McIntosh.
Maddie Dillinger knocked down two free throws with one second left in the half to give the Tars a 28-24 advantage at the break.
Rollins shot 8-22 (36%) from the floor in the first half, but were saved by an efficient 5-12 (42%) from three and 7-8 (88%) from the free throw line. Lee matched the Tars with 36% from the floor, but they were just 1-12 from long range and 3-6 at the line.
Both teams came out of the break focused, and combined to score 44 points. Rollins scored on their first three possessions, going up as high as 35-26. Lee slowly chipped away, but Sanders would not let them back in all the way. The southpaw was on fire from deep, knocking down four triples in the quarter. She would also add a pair of free throws in the final minute to keep Rollins ahead 51-45 through three.
Unfortunately, the Tars lost their stroke in the final frame, shooting just 4-16 from the floor and 1-8 from three. Meanwhile, Lee was nearly flawless as they knocked down eight of their ten attempts, and also shot a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. The Tars were doomed by a nearly four-minute stretch in the middle of the period that resulted in zero points. A three from
Faith Newton and a putback from Dillinger made it 65-62 with less than a minute to go, but Lee was able to run clock and sink free throws late to hang on for the win.
Sanders was the leading scorer for the Tars with 17 points and five triples. She was the only Tar to score in double digits, though ten different players found their way into the scorebook. Dillinger had team highs in rebounds with seven and assists with three.
Rollins will be back at it on Saturday morning with a 10:00 am tipoff against Alabama Huntsville.
