FIT Women Fall Short Against Rollins
The Florida Tech Women’s basketball team made a late run at
a comeback Wednesday against Rollins, but ultimately the Tars hung on for a
72-67 Sunshine State Conference win.
“It comes down to Rollins wanted that game more than we did,”
said Panthers head coach John Reynolds. “I’m thinking that and it hurts me to
say something like that, but you can’t come out in a conference game and go
3-for-14 on three’s.”
Florida Tech (5-2, 1-2 SSC) led 14-11 after one quarter, The
Panthers were within a point at 27-26, but a six-point run by Rollins late in
the second helped them outscore the Panthers 25-14 in the quarter and go to
the locker room with a 36-28 advantage. The visitors were 5-of-13 beyond the
arc in that first half, while the Panthers went 0-for-8.
Shequana Harris
had eight points and three rebounds in the first 20 minutes, to pace the
Panthers. “I think she played as hard and as good as she could,” said Reynolds
of Harris.
Marie Gilbert gave the Tars a 42-33 advantage with 7:33
left, but Tanease Richardson got a steal and DeLise Williams finished on the other end. Williams got a steal of
her own moments later and a basket by Harris made it 42-37. A free-throw by Tereza Sedlakova closed the gap to
four.
The teams traded baskets, before a free-throw from Michaela Gelbaugh made it a three-point
game and a bucket from Ana Stankovic cut
it to a 44-43 game.
In the last 3 ½ minutes of the quarter, the Tars would erupt
for eight straight points and went up 52-43. The Panthers got four points back
to end the quarter, but were still down 52-47.
Gilbert scored seven seconds into the fourth for Rollins,
before Williams made the first three of the night for the Panthers to make it a
54-50 game. Gilbert answered with a three for her team moments later, to up it
to 57-50. Markeema Crawford added
one more three-ball for the Panthers with 7:32 left to cut it back to four.
Richardson then scored two straight times for the Panthers,
tying things at 57. Harris hit two free-throws, to give the Panthers a 59-58
lead with 5:29 left, but a three by Rollins made it a two-point game again.
Crawford answered with her second three of the game, again putting the Panthers
up, 62-61.
Another three by Gilbert with 1:29 left gave Rollins a 66-64
lead. After Williams hit one of two free-throws to cut it to one, Gilbert
struck again, going to the hoop for a layup. Two free-throws by Harris made it
a 68-67 game.
“She made two big shots when she needed to,” said Reynolds
of Gilbert. “We didn’t get out there and get a hand in her face, backed off a
little too much.”
Julie McCarthy then got a block for the Panthers, but Tanya
Jones got the ball for Rollins and turned it into two points, giving the Tars a
70-67 lead. Gilbert then hit a couple free-throws to put the game away.
For more info: Rollins
@ Florida Tech Box Score
“We were out-toughed,” said Reynolds. “Outrebounded 45-36
and they had 19 second chance points to our five. Out-toughed in the paint all
day. We were soft offensively in the paint and soft defensively in the paint.”
To make things worse for the Panthers, Richardson left the
game with 6:02 left and was not able to put weight on her foot as she was
helped to the locker room. Reynolds did not have an update after the game and
said they likely wouldn’t know anything until Thursday morning.
The Panthers will be back at it Saturday, when they welcome
Sunshine State Conference foe Nova Southeastern to the Clemente Center. That
game tips at 2:00 p.m.
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