ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (March 5, 2024) - Women's basketball saw their season come to a close on Tuesday evening with a 67-53 loss to #4 Eckerd in the first round of the SSC Tournament. The Tars finish with a record of 13-14.
The tone for this one was set early on as Rollins could not find a way to score. They were troubled by five turnovers, and also started 0-10 from the floor in the first seven minutes of the game. It was 15-0 in favor of the Tritons before
Maddie Dillinger converted in the paint. That sparked a small run for Rollins that also included a three from
Kaitlyn Sanders, a layup from
Grace Alfieri, and a second make from Dillinger that made it a 15-9 game. Eckerd scored once more to go up 17-9 at the end of one.
Lauryn Viera hit a three to open the second, but then the Tars ripped off six straight to pull within five. Eckerd would gro the lead to double digits and would maintain a four possession lead for most of the remaining time in the quarter.
Ajalon Gillard had Rollins within seven with a pair of makes, but the halftime score ended up 37-26.
Rollins shot 32.4% from the floor in the first half, and only 2-12 from three. Eckerd wasn't too much better with a 37.9%, but they knocked down eight threes, and also made seven free throws to the Tars' two.
Neither team was especially impressive in the third quarter as Eckerd outscored Rollins 12-10. Dillinger led the way for Rollins with six points, but she was countered by seven from Viera to keep Eckerd in front 49-36 at the end of three.
Sanders knocked down a pair of threes in the fourth, but again the Tars struggled to convert on offense. They were haunted by a cold streak in the second half of the quarter that saw them without a point for nearly three-and-a-half minutes.
Erin Leight scored five points in the last minute, and
Grace Alfieri knocked down a triple to end the game with a final of 67-53.
Dillinger was the top scorer with fourteen points and five rebounds. Sanders added twelve plus three assists. For the game, the Tars shot 30.3% and just 6-27 (22.2%) from three. Viera had a game-high 28 points in the win for Eckerd.
Despite the loss, the season can definitely be seen as a success. Rollins was picked by SSC coaches to finish tenth of eleven teams in the preseason poll, and ended up with ten conference wins.
