Courtesy: Jim Hogue Photos

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Rollins women’s basketball team dropped their Sunshine State Conference opener in overtime, 69-67 to the Lynn Fighting Knights, Saturday evening at the de Hoernle Center.

The Tars (5-3, 0-1 SSC) shot 34 percent from the field, including 1-of-11 in the extra period to suffer their third loss of the season.  Lynn (7-0, 1-0) was similar from the field shooting 39 percent in field goals, but shot 53 percent in the second half to force overtime.

Rollins’ had three scorers reach double-digits led by a season-high 14 points from Brooke Burgess off the bench.  Fellow newcomer Amber Heistan added 13, while Jasmine Bradley rounded out the scoring with 11.  Guard Jessica Pressley finished with a pair of 3-pointers to increase her career mark to 167, which places her second on the Tars' all-time list.

In the first half, the Tars defense was the early answer as they held the Knights scoreless in the first six minutes of the game.  After building a 13-0 lead, Amanda Schultz ended Lynn’s drought that sparked a 10-0 run for the Knights.  Leading by three, Rollins added to its lead on a Bradley jumper to increase its lead to five, with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half.

The Tars increased their margin to 11 at 27-16 with 3:15 left, but the Knights closed out the frame on a 8-2 run to trail 29-24.

Lynn came out firing in the second half to tie the game at 32 at the 17:11 mark.  On its ensuing possession, the Knights took its first lead of the game on a Marquis Lee lay-in.  The teams exchanged baskets until the Tars regained a four-point lead after a Heistan 3-pointer and a Julie Gorman jumper with 13:49 left.

The Knights fought back to take the lead and built their largest lead of the game of seven with three minutes left. 

Rollins’ Paris Moore drew a pair of free throws and was of 1-of-2 to cut the deficit to six at the 2:24 mark.  A Bradley jumper was negated on the following possession when Lynn’s Chelsea Patterson scored a lay-in with no time remaining on the shot clock and just 1:09 left in regulation.

The Tars turned up the momentum in the final minute with Bradley also going 1-of-2 from the free throw line, but Rollins hauled in the rebound on the second attempt to regain possession.  Moore found Heistan in the right corner for her second 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two.

After a defensive stop, Moore was clutch at the free throw line for Rollins and sank her two free throws that knotted the game and sent it to overtime.

In the extra period, the teams battled back-and-forth, but tied at 67 with 10 seconds left, Quanisha Dixon drew a foul and secured the win with a pair of free throws for the 13th lead change to claim the two-point win.

Despite the clutch free throw shooting from the two squads, both teams shot under 60 percent from the charity stripe.  Rollins was just 11-for-25 (44 percent), while Lynn was 11-for-19 (57.9).

The Tars were also out-rebounded in the contest, 69-67.  Kourtnie Berry led the Tars in rebounding with a career-high 12 as Burgess followed with eight, while Heistan trailed with seven.

Moore led the squad in assists with seven and was a team-best in steals with four.

The loss snaps a nine-game losing streak for the Tars over the Knights, but Rollins continues to dominate the all-time series, 23-3.  All three victories have occurred at the de Hoernle Center.

The Tars will take a hiatus before returning to action, Dec. 29 at Warden Arena for a non-conference showdown against New York Institute of Technology at 1 p.m.