WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 7, 2026) – Rollins women's basketball fell to Florida Southern on Saturday afternoon inside Warden Arena, dropping a 70–53 decision.
Faith Newton opened the scoring for the Tars, knocking down a three to give Rollins the early edge. Florida Southern answered quickly, stringing together multiple baskets to build momentum. Grace Craig responded with a jumper in the paint, but the Mocs reclaimed the lead and began to extend their advantage. Newton got to the line to add two and help slow the surge before converting on a jumper, while Victoria Escribano finished inside off an Elaina Kline-Ruminski assist to keep Rollins within striking distance. Florida Southern closed the quarter on a late push, though Craig added two free throws to make it a 21–13 game after one.
The Mocs carried that momentum into the second, extending the lead behind efficient shooting. Rollins searched for an offensive rhythm before Claire Erickson knocked down a jumper midway through the quarter. Newton followed with a finish in the lane off a Craig feed, but Florida Southern responded with several consecutive baskets. Escribano later found Craig cutting inside for an and-one, and Craig added another jumper to keep the deficit under 20 heading into halftime.
Craig and Kline-Ruminski paced the Tars coming out of the locker room, with Newton adding another score to help stabilize the offense. The trio accounted for all but one Rollins basket in the third, the other coming on a late layup from McKenna Murphy. Florida Southern continued to answer each Tar push with timely scores, preserving the double-digit margin and taking a 57–35 lead into the final frame.
Rollins showed fight in the fourth, turning in its most efficient offensive stretch of the afternoon while shooting over 58 percent from the field in the quarter. Kline-Ruminski and Murphy opened the scoring with consecutive layups and later connected again for another finish. Newton added a basket after a Craig assist to trim the margin back under 20, and Murphy and Kline-Ruminski each converted at the line. Erickson added a late layup in an effort to spark a final run, but Florida Southern continued to answer as the Mocs secured the 70–53 win.
Kline-Ruminski led Rollins with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Newton recorded a double-double with 13 points and a team-high 12 boards. Craig added 11 points, and Murphy provided a spark off the bench with seven on perfect shooting from the field. As a team, Rollins shot 34.5% from the floor, went 11-for-13 from the free-throw line, and totaled 30 points in the paint.
Rollins moves to 7–15 overall and 2–13 in SSC play, while Florida Southern improves to 16–5 (10–4 SSC). The Tars will look to bounce back Wednesday, Feb. 11, with a 5:30 p.m. matchup against Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach.
