Huge Rebounding Advantage Lifts Falcons Past Tars.

In a small miracle that you will not see for a long time the Rollins Tars held a 33-32 lead over the Seattle Pacific Falcons at the half at the Orleans Arena in the Dixie State Las Vegas Challenge.  The Tars led at the half despite being out rebounded 22-7 in the opening stanza. Unfortunately for the Tars they would not be able to maintain what was a hot shooting opening half and would fall 74-54 to the Falcons.
  The Falcons (9-3) would win for the second time in as many days in Las Vegas. Wednesday night they were a 76-66 winner over Dixie State.  Corey Hutson paced the Falcons with 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting in the game. Brendan Carroll added 12- Matt Borton tallied 11- and- Mitch Penner posted a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds.)  Riley Stockton (the nephew of John Stockton) tallied nine assists for the Falcons.  Seattle Pacific shot 49 percent for the game.  They shot 36 percent from the 3-point line.  The Falcons shot 87 percent (13-15) at the foul line.  Seattle Pacific hammered the Tars on the glass 41-13.  They had 21 assists and 15 turnovers.
  The Tars (5-5) were led by Sharif Almulla and Jeff Dirkin with 13 points each.  Chris Uhle added 12 in the defeat.  Uhle was the only Tar with more than two rebounds (he had three.)  Rollins shot 48 percent from the field in the game.  They shot at a 55 percent clip (6-11) from the 3-point line.  The Tars struggled at the foul line. They shot 57 percent (4-7.)  The Tars had 13 assists and nine turnovers.
 It would be Rollins who would begin the game with the first five points.  SPU would quickly erase that with a seven point run to take the lead.  After a Dirkin jam would tie the game at seven the Falcons would go on another five point run to go up 12-7 at the 13:42 mark on a Penner 3-pointer.  Rollins would answer with the next seven capped off by a pair of Scott Schuette free throws.  The game would be tied eight times before halftime the last time at 30 on a Almulla 3-pointer at the 1:44 mark. SPU would briefly take a two point lead before a Almulla 3-pointer right before the half would give Rollins a 33-32 lead at the break.
 The Tars shot 50 percent (12-24) in the opening half.  They were a sizzling 63 percent (5-8) from the 3-point line. Almulla was 3-of 3 from 3-point range.  Assistant coach Kyle Frakes in the post game show called it the best half of basketball Rollins played thus far this season.
 The next 20 minutes Rollins would learn why the Falcons are a perennial power. Including being DII runner up and a regional finalist a year ago.  Jeff Merton would convert a conventional 3-point play 29 seconds into the second half and the Tars would hold a four point lead (36-32.)
  SPU would run off the next nine points to take a 41-36 lead early in the second half.  The Falcons would never look back after opening up a double digit lead at the 13:35 mark.  The Tars would get within six a pair of times but SPU would ride the big second half to the victory.
  The Tars will be off for Christmas break and will be back in action January 2nd when they host Palm Beach Atlantic at Warden Arena.