DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 22, 2025) - An absolute roller-coaster of a game saw Rollins fall just short of upsetting the #10 team in the country on Saturday as Embry-Riddle outlast the Tars 75-73 in overtime on Saturday. Rollins moves to 8-17 on the year and 3-15 in SSC play while the Eagles improve to 23-2, 17-1 SSC.
The game started slowly with a forgettable first quarter that saw the two teams combine to shoot 9-33 (27%).
Emily McIntosh was the bright spot for the Tars early as she poured in six points and snared two rebounds in the opening period. Anye' Staton was the answer for ERAU with six points on her end, and the Eagles held a small 11-10 lead at the first horn.
McIntosh and teammate
Kaitlyn Sanders carried the Tars in the second quarter as they combined to score nine points. More importantly, the team defense of the Tars stayed strong, limiting the Eagles to 4-14 shooting. With the effort, Rollins held a 24-22 lead at the break against a team that averages 71.6 points per game.
Things could not have been more different in the third quarter. Embry-Riddle exploded for 26 points, led by ten from their leading scorer, Madyson Jean-Louis, who was 3-3 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line. However, the Tars were undaunted, thanks to a heroic effort from Sanders. The senior guard matched her opponent with ten points as well, connecting on four field goals while adding three boards, two assists, a block, and a steal in the third. Embry-Riddle was up 48-44 heading into the fourth.
The Eagles led by as many as ten points in the fourth, but Rollins was not going to go down without a fight.
Paris Triplett scored four big points off the bench to begin the comeback, followed by a
Faith Newton jumper to cut the lead to four. After the Eagles scored twice, Triplett finished a tough and-one down low, keeping the Tars in the game. Just past the midway point,
Claire Erickson and Newton each splashed shots from distance, making it a 61-59 game. Moments later, Sanders worked her way to the paint, and hit a running floater to tie the game at 61 with 3:16 to go.
Embry-Riddle responded with two straight makes, but McIntosh nailed another three to make it a one point game. She then played lock down defense, blocking a shot with under a minute to play, and finding Newton on the fast break for a layup, putting Rollins up 66-65 with thirty seconds left. After a defensive stop, Sanders knocked down one of two free throws to extend the lead to 67-65, but the Eagles got a layup from Jean-Louis at the horn to send the game to overtime.
Erickson and McIntosh hit three-pointers on the first two possessions for Rollins, giving them a 73-68 lead. Surprisingly, those would the only points of the extra frame for Rollins. They missed their final five shots from the field as well as two free throws. The wildest play happened with 14 seconds to go. With the game tied, Sanders drove in and lofted a floater over two defenders. It bounced off the backboard and into the hands of
Aaliyah Irizarry-Perez, but her put back came a fraction of a second after the shot clock horn went off, leading to a turnover for the Tars. On the ensuing possession, Jean-Louis worked down load and got a layup to fall to clinch the win.
Sanders led the Tars with 19 points along with five rebounds and six assists. McIntosh was good for 17 points, including four threes. Erickson also had four threes leading to 14 points.
Next up for the Tars is the final home game of the year on Wednesday, February 26. Before tipoff against Florida Southern at 5:30pm, the coaching staff will recognize their four graduating seniors. Be sure to make it to Warden Arena early to witness the ceremony.
