FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 1, 2025) - Women's basketball put up a strong fight in the season finale, but could not hang on for the win, eventually falling 69-60 at Nova Southeastern on Saturday. The Tars finish the year 9-18 with a 4-16 record in the SSC. The Sharks improve to 23-5, 16-4 SSC.
Rollins came out hot in the first, shooting 8-14 from the floor. They scored on their first four possessions, including three-pointers from
Claire Erickson,
Emily McIntosh, and
Faith Newton. As the Sharks mounted a comeback, a second splash from McIntosh kept the tars in front,.
Aaliyah Irizarry-Perez finished the quarter with a layup, putting Rollins up 20-16.
In the second quarter, Nova Southeastern more than doubled up the Tars on shot attempts, but the two teams equaled each other with 15 points scored. The Sharks tied the game at 23, but Rollins retook the advantage with a
Kaitlyn Sanders layup. They would hang on to the advantage for the remainder of the quarter thanks to strong free throw shooting; the Tars knocked down six freebies. Rollins held a 35-31 lead at the break.
The third quarter was forgettable for both sides. The Tars scored on their first possession, and then went without a point for almost five minutes. Nova Southeastern wasn't much better, managing just six points in the same time frame. After Rollins converted from the line multiple times in the middle of the quarter, it was the Sharks going cold from the floor, a stretch of four minutes without a make. At the end of the third, it was 45-42 Rollins.
The script flipped in the fourth as both teams traded buckets for the first four minutes of the period. Rollins saw their lead grow as high as seven when Sanders knocked down two free throws, but moments later, Nova had tied the game with 5:24 to go. From that point on, Rollins only managed five more points in the game, while the Sharks were able to convert seemingly at will. The result was the final score of 69-60.
Sanders led the team with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. Erickson added eleven, and Irizarry-Perez snagged eleven rebounds.
