WINTER PARK, Fla. (January 21, 2026) – Rollins women's basketball mounted a late comeback effort Wednesday night, but ultimately came up short in a 76–66 loss to Embry-Riddle inside Warden Arena.
The Eagles struck first after the opening tip, but Rollins answered quickly as
Grace Craig finished a driving layup off a feed from
Victoria Escribano. After an ERAU free throw,
Faith Newton connected from deep to give the Tars the edge. Escribano followed with two at the line before Craig added a jumper to extend the lead.
Claire Erickson knocked down a three to push the advantage to nine, though back-to-back Eagle baskets pulled the game back within a couple of possessions. Erickson added a free throw, and Newton converted off a turnover to send Rollins into the first break up 15–10.
Embry-Riddle responded with an 11-point run out of the timeout to regain the lead.
McKenna Murphy slowed the surge with a free throw, and
Elaina Kline-Ruminski followed with a step-back three to keep the Tars within reach. Erickson buried another triple midway through the quarter to cut the deficit to four, but the Eagles closed the half strong. Kline-Ruminski accounted for Rollins' lone field goal during the stretch before Newton added a free throw and
Jordyn Egger knocked down a three at the buzzer, sending the teams into halftime with ERAU up 12.
Escribano opened the third with a put-back to trim the margin to 10, sparking a back-and-forth stretch. Newton and Erickson answered Eagle baskets, and consecutive scores from Newton and Murphy brought the deficit back under double digits. A Kline-Ruminski three briefly slowed another ERAU run, but the Eagles stretched the lead back to 14 by the end of the quarter.
Erickson opened the fourth with a three to keep Rollins within range, and Kline-Ruminski followed with an and-one to continue the push. Murphy and Erickson each added buckets to make it an 11-point game, and Craig converted inside before Kline-Ruminski added another score to keep the Tars in striking distance. Kline-Ruminski later drained a three to cut it to 10, but Embry-Riddle answered down the stretch. Erickson closed out scoring at the line as the comeback attempt fell short, 76–66.
Erickson led Rollins with 20 points, knocking down five threes while also dishing out a team-high five assists. Kline-Ruminski added 17 points and three steals, with Newton contributing 11. Escribano and Craig paced the Tars on the glass with six rebounds apiece. As a team, Rollins finished 23-for-58 from the field and scored 20 points in the paint.
Rollins falls to 5–12 overall and 0–10 in SSC play, while Embry-Riddle improves to 14–2 (9–1 SSC). The Tars return to action Saturday, Jan. 24, for a 2 p.m. road matchup against Saint Leo.
