WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 10, 2024) - Women's basketball turned in a complete team performance in their 68-57 win over Eckerd on Saturday. The win pushes the Tars above .500 at 11-10 overall, and moves them to 8-7 in SSC play, good for the fifth seed. Eckerd drops to 13-9 overall and 8-7 SSC.
The first five minutes of play saw three ties as the two teams played evenly. A basket from
Lucy Leen, followed by a three from
Faith Newton would give Rollins an 11-6 lead, and they would not give it up for the remainder of the game. to finish the first,
Kaitlyn Sanders used her explosive speed to get to the rim. She scored the last seven points of the quarter for Rollins, who led 18-13 at the break.
After Eckerd pulled within three in the second frame,
Claire Erickson knocked down a big three to keep it a multiple possession game. Leen would do the same on the next Tars possession as well. Moments late, Sanders joined the three-point club with a triple of her own, keeping the Tars up six.
Maddie Dillinger got in on the action as well, scoring twice in the final minute to make it 38-28 at halftime.
Rollins shot 16-21 (53%) in the first half, while holding the Tritons to 9-28 (31%).
Erickson would net the first five Tars points of the third, followed by Leen and
Ajalon Gillard with a pair of mid-range shots. The Rollins offense would hit a bit of a lull for the next few minutes, and Eckerd pulled with in six at 50-44. A big three from Sanders, followed by a driving layup from
Faith Newton put them back up 55-46 to end the quarter.
The Tars slowed the tempo in the fourth, showing patience and getting good looks at the basket. Dillinger had some nice moves in the post as she dominated the smaller Tritons. Her layup with 2:46 to go served as a dagger for the game, as only five total points would be scored for the remainder of the match, with Rollins holding on for a 68-57 win.
Erickson led the Tars with 17 points on 8-12 shooting while dishing out three assists. Sanders added 13 with three dimes as well. Leen stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, six rebounds, and four assists. the Rollins defense held Lauryn Vieira to just 5 points on 2-13 shooting; she had been averaging 17 per game this season.
Next up for Rollins is a home game against Embry-Riddle on February 14. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 pm.
