SAINT LEO, Fla. (January 24, 2026) – Rollins women's basketball picked up its first Sunshine State Conference win of the season on Saturday afternoon, knocking off Saint Leo 70–58.
The Tars came out firing, opening the game on a 14–0 run. The stretch featured buckets from
Grace Craig,
Faith Newton, and
Elaina Kline-Ruminski, with Kline-Ruminski converting an and-one before adding another score and setting up Newton for a three. Newton connected from deep again to answer Saint Leo's first points of the day, keeping the lead in double digits. Craig added a pair of free throws late in the quarter as Rollins carried a 19–6 advantage after one.
Kline-Ruminski opened the second-quarter scoring with a layup, and
Claire Erickson followed moments later with a three to extend the lead. After a series of defensive stops, Kline-Ruminski and Newton each knocked down jumpers to push the margin past 20. Saint Leo answered, but Rollins continued to respond—Newton scored in the paint, and Kline-Ruminski added another basket a few possessions later. A Kline-Ruminski free throw maintained the 20-point cushion before
McKenna Murphy finished a layup off an Erickson assist. The Tars matched every Lion response down the stretch, with Newton and Murphy scoring inside to send Rollins into halftime up 40–20.
Newton stayed hot to open the second half, drilling a three to answer Saint Leo's opening score. Craig followed with a jumper off a pass from
Victoria Escribano after another Rollins stop, and Newton added a layup less than a minute later to keep the pressure on.
Jordyn Egger pushed Rollins past the 50-point mark with a three off a Newton assist, and after another forced turnover, Erickson buried a triple off a Murphy feed. Saint Leo responded with a three, but Craig answered inside. The Lions closed the quarter on a small run, trimming the margin to 18 heading into the fourth.
Newton opened the final frame with four quick points, but Saint Leo answered from deep before both teams went scoreless for a brief stretch. The Lions then strung together a pair of baskets before Craig finished inside to steady the Tars. Saint Leo continued to chip away, cutting the lead to 10, but Erickson halted the momentum with a timely three. Murphy followed with a layup to provide breathing room, and Rollins held firm down the stretch to secure the 70–58 victory.
Rollins shot an efficient 53.8% from the field and 42.9% from three, while scoring 20 points off turnovers and getting 12 from the bench. Newton led all scorers with 23 points and seven rebounds. Kline-Ruminski added 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting and dished out six assists, matched by Escribano, who also pulled down eight rebounds. Craig and Erickson each finished with 10 points, with Craig adding eight boards.
Rollins improves to 6–12 overall and 1–10 in SSC play, while Saint Leo drops to 6–10 (3–8 SSC). The Tars return to Warden Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 28, for a 5:30 p.m. matchup against Lynn.
