Florida Tech Upsets Rollins in SSC Tournament

DeLise Williams (22), Julie McCarthy (33) and Michaela  Gelbaugh (back right)  - Photo Credit: James Ragan

The Florida Tech women’s basketball season will roll on, after they upset Rollins 73-70 Wednesday night, in the first round of the Sunshine State Conference tournament. The loss snapped a 12-game win streak for the Tars, who hadn’t lost since January 11, to Nova Southeastern.

The Panthers (14-13) were led by Julie McCarthy, who scored 18 points and eight rebounds, including a huge board with 10 seconds left, securing the Panthers upset victory. DeLise Williams finished with 17 points, seven assists and six steals. Gudlau Juliusdottir had 14 points and Tereza Sedlakova capped the Panthers double-digit scorers, with 12.

Four Tars scored in double figures, led by Marie Gilbert with 19 points and seven rebounds. Julia Ingler also had a strong game for the Tars, scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds. Carly McLendon and Jasmine Stone each had 10 points.

“To come here and get a win on the road in the tournament, that’s an exceptional effort from these kids,” Florida Tech head coach John Reynolds told Jim Mitchell. after the game. “We couldn’t have played any harder.”

Things looked bleak early for the Panthers, who were down 8-4 before coach John Reynolds got a technical foul called on him, for something he said. It was a quick technical, coming just 2:35 into the contest. Suddenly, a game that was tied at four, was 13-4 in favor of the Tars, forcing Reynolds to call a timeout with 5:41 to go in the first.

The timeout was a good one, because the Panthers went on a 10-0 run of their own, helped by big defensive efforts by Williams and McCarthy, who both had two steals during the run and Michaela Gelbaugh hit a three with 1:30 left, to give the Panthers a 17-15 lead. The visitors ended the quarter on a 14-6 run and led 19-18 with 10 minutes in the books.

The teams traded baskets to start the second quarter before a three-ball by Sedlakova gave the Panthers a 26-22 lead with 7:36 to go in the half. Things went back-and-forth for a bit, before Gelbaugh knocked down another triple with 3:35 to go, giving the Panthers a 37-31 lead. That made the Panthers a respectable 3-for-6 behind the arc at that point.

Rollins got the deficit down to three, but a steal by Williams later in the quarter made it a 39-34 lead with 41 seconds left and that was the halftime score.

Juliusdottir finished the first half 5-for-6 from the field and had 10 points. Williams had 10 as well to go along with five steals, with McCarthy and Gelbaugh each chipping in with six. McCarthy added three steals.

The Panthers stretched their lead to 45-38 before Gelbaugh fouled Ingler on a three-point shot, with 6:00 to go in the third. She made all three, closing the gap to four. Ingler drained a three with 5:32 to go, cutting it to 47-44, before Gilbert sent one down the hatch, tying it at 47, with 4:54 left. 

Gilbert’s jumper made it 51-48 with 2:06 left, but the Panthers got baskets from Juliusdottir and Williams, regaining the lead 52-51 with 1:12 to go. They kept that lead, as the horn sounded to end the third.
Coach John Reynolds in the huddle - Photo credit: James Ragan 
Things stayed pretty even for the first four-plus minutes of the fourth, before Ingler nailed a three, giving Rollins a 59-57 lead with 5:07 to go. Sedlakova answered at the other end, with 4:47 to go, putting the Panthers back up, 60-59. That started a run for the Panthers that saw them extend to a 65-59 lead with 1:50 to go, after a free-throw by McCarthy.

A late foul by Williams resulted in a three-point play for Tanaya Jones made it a 70-68 game, with 24 seconds left, but Rollins was forced to foul the rest of the way. McCarthy’s two free-throws with 10 seconds left, sealed the game. Carly McLendon’s bucket with one second left gave the home team the final points of the game, but the sixth-seeded Panthers went home with the upset.

For more info: Florida Tech @ Rollins Box Score

“I’m proud of the Rollins kids, it’s great competition,” Reynolds said. “It was just our turn tonight.”

Reynolds has never used injuries as an excuse, but the fact that these girls are 14-13, considering they have lost four starters for various reasons this season and have been hit by concussions, sprained ankles and a bad back to other players. Even with all that, they are still alive in this tournament.

“At this time of the year, we just proved it… anybody can win, anybody can advance. “Our goal has been to get back over .500 and we are starting to play as a team.”

The Panthers will now play number two seed Florida Southern on Saturday in the Semifinals. The game will tip off at 2:30 p.m.




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