WINTER PARK, Fla. (December 15, 2025) – Rollins women's basketball closed strong down the stretch on Monday night, using a second-half surge to defeat Ave Maria, 62–53, inside Warden Arena.
Faith Newton opened the scoring with a three to give the Tars the early edge, but the Gyrenes answered with a small run during a Rollins scoring drought.
Elaina Kline-Ruminski sparked the response, converting a fast-break layup off her own steal to make it a one-possession game at the first media timeout.
Grace Craig followed with her first points of the night to even the score, and consecutive layups from
Tara Murray and
Victoria Escribano set the stage for Murray to knock down a three, sending Rollins into the first break up 16–14.
Claire Erickson opened the second with an and-one layup to stretch the lead, and
Makayla Daube came off the bench to score and keep Rollins in control. Ave Maria chipped away, but Newton steadied the Tars with timely points to maintain the advantage. Craig and Newton continued to carry the offense through the half, allowing Rollins to take a four-point lead into the locker room.
The Gyrenes came out of the break with three straight baskets to reclaim the lead, but Craig answered quickly with an and-one to swing momentum back. The back-and-forth continued, with Kline-Ruminski stepping up to put Rollins back in front. She stayed aggressive, adding two more buckets to keep the Tars ahead. Erickson's free throws and a Craig layup stretched the lead to six, while Daube answered a pair of Ave Maria scores to send Rollins into the fourth up 46–41.
Rollins seized control early in the final frame, as Escribano opened the quarter with a basket before Craig followed on the next possession to give the Tars their first double-digit lead of the night. Newton kept the momentum rolling with another three, and Murray added one of her own shortly after to extend the margin. Craig closed out the scoring at the free-throw line, sealing the 62–53 victory.
Rollins outshot Ave Maria from both the field and beyond the arc, while also winning the battles in second-chance points, fast-break scoring, and bench production. Craig led all scorers with 21 points, with Newton adding 11. Newton, Craig, Kline-Ruminski, and Murray each pulled down seven or more rebounds, while Erickson paced the squad with five assists.
The Tars improve to 5-4 on the season and return to action Thursday, Dec. 18, opening play at the ERAU Holiday Classic against Davenport at 1 p.m. in Daytona Beach.
