Tars Fall In OT.

The Rollins Tars (7-9 0-5 SSC) played a back and forth game with the Tritons of Eckerd at McArthur Center in Saint Pete.  Ultimately they would fall 64-62 in overtime.
 Rollins has now lost four straight.  Three of them by a total of seven points. The 0-5 start for the Tars is the worst start they have even been a part of since joining the SSC more than 40 years ago.  Jeff Merton nailed a pair of free throws at the 3.3 second mark of regulation that would send the game to overtime. Merton had a career high 18 points in the loss.  Two other Rollins played scored double figures. Chris Uhle had 14 points- Sharif Almulla answered the call after getting the start in this one. He tallied 13 points- four assists- and- three steals. As has been in the case in most of the Tars losses this year leading scorer Alex Blessig was held in check. Saturday he only managed six points.  The Tars shot 42 percent from the field (22-53) and went 5-19 from the 3-point line.  The Tars shot 72 percent (13-18) at the free throw line.  They had 13 assists and 11 turnovers.
  Eckerd (9-6 3-3 SEC) escaped this one after trailing by four with 1:18 remaining in regulation. They got one bounce that helped them get the game into overtime as a Jerrick Stevenson 3-pointer would give them the lead before the Merton free throws.  Four Tritons scored in double figures.  Stevenson led the way with 17 points- Kevin Walsh nailed four 3-pointers en route to 14 points to go along with seven assists- while Ray Darnell and Malcolm Bruner Jr. scored 10 points each.  The Tritons shot 42 percent (21-50) from the field- they shot 25 percent (6-24) from the 3-point line.  EC shot 70 percent (16-23) at the free throw line.  EC won the rebounding battle 35-32. They had 16 assists and 15 turnovers.
  This game was a back and forth affair from the get go. Neither team led by more than six points all day. The game featured 17 ties and 14 lead changes.  The Tars jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the early going but that lead would be short lived as a pair of Walsh 3-pointer's would tie the game at 10.  It was even basketball for the next several minutes until a quick Rollins spurt.  With the Tars trailing by four (21-17) they would get a Merton bucket and a steal and bucket from Almulla to knot the game at 21.  The Tars would take a 25-23 lead into the halftime break.
  The second half would see the see saw affair continue.  The Tars looked to be in control late as they would lead 53-49 after Merton hit a pair of free throws at the 1:56 mark of regulation.  A conventional three point play by Bruner Jr. cut the Rollins to lead to one (53-52.)  Uhle would miss a 3-pointer at one end and a 3-pointer by Stevenson looked to be off the mark but a fortuitous bounce would give the Tritons a two point lead (55-53) with 39 seconds remaining. Rollins would tie the game on the Merton free throws and the game headed to overtime.
  The first three plus minutes of overtime was much like the rest of the game as neither team would be able to break away. Blessig hit a pair of free throws at the 1:39 mark in overtime which would be the 17th and final tie of the game.  Each team would turn the ball over once after a Rollins steal and a shot clock violation on the Tars the Tritons would come out on top after a Stevenson jumper with six seconds left.
 The Tars will be back in action Wednesday as they will battle Florida Tech at the Clemente Center. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM.
Other SSC Scores:
Barry 91 Nova Southeastern 76
Tampa 63 Palm Beach Atlantic 55
Florida Southern 109 Florida Tech 96
Lynn 62 Saint Leo 55
SSC Standings:
Barry 5-0 (13-1)
Lynn 5-0 (12-2)
Florida Southern 4-1 (15-1)
Tampa 3-2 (10-5)
Eckerd 3-3 (9-6)
Saint Leo 2-4 (10-7)
Nova Southeastern 2-4 (6-8)
Florida Tech 0-5 (10-6)
Rollins 0-5 (7-9)