Rollins Downed by Eckerd Saturday.

The Rollins Tars dropped a third consecutive game. This one a 95-81 setback at 24th ranked Eckerd on Saturday at the McArthur Center in St.Pete. With the loss Rollins dropped to 7-6 on the season and 4-2 in the SSC. Eckerd has now won nine straight and improved to 12-1 on the year and 5-1 in the SSC.
  Sam Philpott led the Tars with 18 points on the day.  Jack Fleming knocked down five 3-pointer's on his way to a 16 point day- Jeff Merton added 15-and- Connor McKim scored 11.  The Tars shot 50 percent as a team- and- 32 percent (10-31) from the 3-point line.  They struggled at the free throw line where they shot 68 percent (17-25.)  They had 17 assists and just seven turnovers.
  Drushaun McLaurn led the Tritons with 23 points- Trevon Young posted a double-double-double (22 points and 12 rebounds-) while Blake Morrow and Keshawn Ingram netted 11 points each.  Travis Bianco also scored in double digits with 10.  The Tritons shot 58 percent from the field- 30 percent (7-24) from the 3-point line- and- 88 percent (22-25) at the free throw line.  The Tritons crushed the Tars on the boards 36-21.  They had 21 assists and 10 turnovers.
  The game was very closely played at the beginning and the Tars trailed 11-10 six and a half minutes in.  The game was 24-18 with 9:20 to go in the opening half as Jakobi Bonner scored. Bonner played for the first time this season Saturday.  The Tritons then went on a 15-0 run to open up a 21 point lead four minutes later.  The Tars deficit was 47-37 at the half.
  The Tars would get to within five (57-52) in the second half but they would would be down 13 (67-54) shortly there after.  The Tars would get to within nine but that is as close as they would get.  It was a third consecutive loss for Rollins.
 The Tars will be back in action Wednesday as they will face Palm Beach Atlantic at Rubin Arena. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com
SSC Scores:
Saint Leo 80 Lynn 73
Barry 100 Nova Southeastern 73
Palm Beach Atlantic 93 Florida Tech 79
Tampa 98 Embry-Riddle 82
SSC Standings:
Barry 5-0 (9-1)
Eckerd 5-1 (12-1)
Rollins 4-2 (8-6)
Saint Leo 4-2 (8-8)
Nova Southeastern 3-2 (9-2)
Palm Beach Atlantic 3-2 (9-8)
Florida Southern 2-3 (8-5)
Tampa 2-4 (6-6)
Florida Tech 1-4 (6-7)
Lynn 1-4 (4-7)
Embry-Riddle 0-5 (6-7)

Rollins-#24 Eckerd Meet In Key SSC Clash Saturday.

The Rollins Tars and Eckerd Tritons will close out 2017 with a crucial SSC meeting at the McArthur Center in Saint Pete on Saturday afternoon. Tip time is set for 4 PM. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com.
   Rollins (7-5 4-1 SSC) is coming off a 0-2 trip to Las Vegas. The Tars had a 22 point lead but could not hang on before losing 81-79 to Midwestern State. The following day they were demolished 88-60 by eighth ranked West Texas A&M.  Jeff Merton did not play in the West Texas game due to an illness. Deion Clark scored 19 points- and- Sam Philpott scored 10 in that one.
 Philpott leads the Tars and is fifth in the SSC averaging 20.8 points per game. Philpott has eclipsed the 20 point plateau eight times this season and scored in double figures in all 12 contests.  Merton is second on the team putting up 14.8 points per game and gets 4.5 rebounds a night. Eric Castaneda (13.2 per game-) and Clark (13.1 per contest) also score in double figures on the season. Clark adds 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per night. The Tars average 84.9 points a game as a team- while they give up 80.9 a contest.
  Eckerd (11-1 4-1 SSC) comes into the game riding a eight game winning streak.  Since the lone loss they had on the season against Barry in November the Tritons have won all but two games by double digits.  The last time out Eckerd routed Emmanuel 104-70 in the Florida Southern Classic. Trevon Young had 27 points and 13 rebounds to lead EC in that one. Drushaun McLaurn and Blake Morrow each scored 20 in that game.
 McLaurn leads Eckerd in scoring at 17.9 points per game to go with 6.1 rebounds a contest.  Young scores 16.9 points and grabs 9.2 rebounds a night- while Morrow scores 13.6 a game.  Keshawn Ingram also scores in double figures at 10.9 per contest. The Tritons put up 84.8 points a game- while they allow 72.8 a night. The Tritons have dominated the back boards, as they out-rebound the opposition by 11.5 rebounds a contest.
The two teams met three times last season. Eckerd won the two meetings in the regular season, while they Tars were a 81-70 winner in the Semifinals of the SSC Tournament. The winner will take over sole possession of second place in the conference at the least.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Eckerd by 6
Other SSC Games Saturday:
Lynn +3 @Saint Leo
Barry-2 @Nova Southeastern
Palm Beach Atlantic-5 @Florida Tech
Tampa+3 @Embry-Riddle

SSC Standings:
Barry 4-0 (8-1)
Eckerd 4-1 (11-1)
Rollins 4-1 (8-5)
Nova Southeastern 3-1 (9-1)
Saint Leo 3-2 (7-8)
Florida Southern 2-3 (7-5)
Palm Beach Atlantic 2-3 (8-8)
Florida Tech 1-3 (6-6)
Lynn 1-3 (4-6)
Tampa 1-4 (5-6)
Embry-Riddle 0-4 (6-6)

#8 West Texas A&M Easily Disposes Of Tars Tuesday.

The Rollins Tars were clobbered 88-60 by the Buffaloes of West Texas A&M Tuesday in day two of the Las Vegas Classic at the Doolittle Center. This one day after the Tars blew a 24-point lead in the second half and fell 81-79 to Midwestern State. Rollins falls to 8-5 on the season. The eighth ranked Buffaloes improved to 11-1 on the year.
  Rollins starting forward Jeff Merton was sick on Tuesday and unable to go. Rollins was led by 19 points from Deion Clark- while Sam Philpott added 10. Parker Davis- Daniel Loh- and- Nils Lehmann added six each.  The Tars shot 37 percent from the floor- 21 percent (4-19) from the 3-point line and 61 percent (20-33) from the free throw line.  The Tars had 14 assists and 11 turnovers.
  The Buffaloes were paced by Jordan Evans who poured in a game high 28 points.  CJ Jennings scored 14- Ryan Quaid 13- and- Gaige Prim netted 10.  The Buffaloes shot 50 percent as a team. They shot 38 percent (15-40) from the 3-point line. WT was a perfect nine of nine at the free throw line in the contest.  The Buffaloes won the rebounding battle 41-30. They had 23 assists and 13 turnovers in the victory.
  It was 15-4 in favor of the Buffaloes after the first media time out.  The lead would be 10 (21-11) at the halfway mark of the opening half. The Tars would be down 12 (31-19) after a Blake Admire 3-pointer at the 6:21 mark of the first half. It would then be a 15-2 spurt by the Buffaloes that would give them a 24 point lead (45-21.) That lead would be stretched to 26 (52-26) at the break.
   The Tars would score the first six points of the second half but that is as close as they would get the rest of the way. The Buffaloes would stretch the lead to 28 (69-41) with 10 minutes to go and cruise to victory from there.
 The Tars will now go into the holiday break and will be back in action on December 30th. The next Rollins game will be against the Eckerd Tritons on the road at the MaCarthur Center. Tip time is set for 4 PM. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com

 

Tars Let One Slip Away Monday.

Up by 22 with 13:34 to go in the contest, the Rollins Tars could not hang on and fell 81-79 to Midwestern State in the first day of the Las Vegas Classic at the Doolittle Center. With the win the Mustangs improved to 3-8 and stopped a five game losing skid. With the tough loss the Tars had a three game win streak snapped and fell to 8-4 on the year.
   Sam Philpott led the Tars with 25 points in the defeat- Eric Castaneda drained six 3-pointer's on his way to 23 points- while Deion Clark added 20.  The Tars shot 54 percent as a team. They went 8-22 (36 percent from the 3-point line.)  At the free throw line they shot just 68 percent (13-19.)  They won the rebounding battle 32-29. They had 20 assists and 21 turnovers.
  The Mustangs were paced by 24 points from Brandon Neel- Devante Pullum added 15- while Josh Huntley scored 14- and- Logan Hicks netted 10.  The Mustangs shot 49 percent as a team- 27 percent (7-26) from the 3-point line- and- 82 percent (14-17) at the free throw line.  The Mustangs had 15 assists and 15 turnovers.
  The game got off to a sluggish start and was tied at 9 at the first media time out.  Rollins would then score 13 of the next 17 points to take a 22-13 lead halfway thru the opening stanza. The Tars stretched the lead to 18 (37-19) after a Castaneda 3-point basket at the 6:26 mark of the half. The Tars would take a 17 point lead (51-34) into the locker room.
  Castaneda scored 19 points- while Philpott and Clark had 13 each in the opening half. The Tars shot a sizzling 65 percent in the first 20 minutes. They shot 55 percent (6-11) from the 3-point line. At the free throw line they were just 5-8 (63 percent.)
  The Mustangs shot 46 percent in the opening stanza. They shot 25 percent (3-12) from the 3-point line- and- 88 percent (7-8) at the free throw line.
  Rollins would grow the lead to 22 (63-41) after Clark made a pair of free throws with 13:34 to go.   The Mustangs would rattle off the next ten points and get to within 12 (63-51) with 11:14 to go.  After a Jack Fleming 3-pointer with 8:24 to go the Tars looked to be back in command up 15.  The Tars would get a layup from Philpott with 4:18 to go and led by 12 (74-62.)  Midwestern State would go on a 6-0 spurt and get to within six (74-68) with 2:15 to go.  Philpott would score for the Tars, but Hicks would knock down a 3-pointer to get the Mustangs within five.  Clark would hit a pair of free throws for Rollins and they led by seven (78-71) with 1:02 to play. Hicks would knock down another 3-pointer to pull the Mustangs to within four (78-74) with 52 seconds remaining. Castaneda would miss the front end of a one and one, then the Mustangs would get a bucket from Neel to pull within two with 30 seconds to go. Castaneda would spit a pair of free throws with 25 seconds only to see Pullum tie the game at 79 with a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. Neal got the steal and lay-up to give the Mustangs the lead. A desperation heave by Clark would not go and the Tars would be left stunned after this one.
 Rollins will look to bounce back tomorrow when they battle #8 West Texas A@M. Tip time is set for  3 PM ET/12 PM Mountain Time. You can catch the action on RollinsSports.com

 

Rollins Battles Midwestern State and West Texas A@M in Las Vegas Classic.

The Rollins Tars (8-3 4-1 SSC) will host the Las Vegas Classic Monday (12/18-) and- Tuesday (12/19.) Tip time is set for Noon Mountain Time for both contests at the Doolittle Center. You can catch the action on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com
  The Tars have won three straight and are coming off a 86-58 thrashing of Saint Leo on Saturday.  Sam Philpott led the Tars with 25 in that victory- Jeff Merton had 14- while Eric Castaneda added 11. Parker Davis made his first career start and had 10 points- six rebounds- and- five assists.  Philpott leads the Tars in scoring at 21.5 points per game.  Merton scores 16 a night and grabs 4.9 rebounds a contest.  Castaneda puts up 13.1 points a contest- while Connor McKim scores 12.3 points and dishes out 4.9 assists per night.  The Tars core 87.7 points a game- while they give up 86.8 a night. Despite out-rebounded the opponent by more than 10 a game in the last three contests Rollins is -1.4 on the boards.
  Midwestern State comes into Vegas having dropped it's last five and sit at 2-8 on the season.  They were a 88-84 loser to Saint Leo and a 88-87 loser to Florida Southern earlier in the season.  Last time out was a 94-82 Mustangs loss to Angelo State.  Devante Pullum had 26 in that one, while Wanaah Bail scored 18 and Brandon Neel 14 in the defeat.  Neel leads the team in scoring at 16.9 per game- while he grabs 6.2 rebounds a contest.  Logan Hicks is averaging 12.8 a game and has knocked down 42 percent of his 3-point attempts.  Pullum averages 11.5 points and five rebounds per night.  The Mustangs score 82.7 points a game- while they give up 88.2.
 West Texas A@M (9-1) won eight in a row to start the campaign. Then they lost a 106-100 shootout to #13 UT Permian Basin before a 82-72 win over Lubbock Christian.  David Chavlovich scored 28 points to pace the Buffaloes in the Lubbock victory.  Ryan Quaid added 19 points and eight rebounds in that one as well.  Jordan Evans- Jordan Collins- and- Gaige Prim tallied 10 points each as well.
  Chavlovich leads the Buffs putting up 23.8 points a night.  Evans scores 17.3 a game- and- Quaid averages a double- double (15.8 points points and 10.6 rebounds a night.)  Prim rounds out the double digit scorers at 10.7 per game.  The Buffs high powered offense is ninth in the nation putting up 93.2 points a game- while they give up 78 points at the defensive end.
 Rollins is 2-0 all time when hosting the Las Vegas Classic. The Tars are 2-3 all time at the Doolittle Center.  The Tars have never met Midwestern State in Men's basketball. As for the Buffaloes Rollins is 0-1 all time against West Texas A@M. That being a 89-68 loss last season.
The lines presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Rollins-8 vs Midwestern State
Rollins +9 vs West Texas A and M

SSC Standings:
Barry 4-0 (7-1)
Eckerd 4-1 (9-1)
Rollins 4-1 (8-3)
Nova Southeastern 3-1 (8-1)
Saint Leo 3-2 (7-7)
Florida Southern 2-3 (6-4)
Palm Beach Atlantic 2-3 (6-7)
Florida Tech 1-3 (4-6)
Lynn 1-3 (3-5)
Tampa 1-4 (4-5)
Embry-Riddle 0-4 (4-5)

Rollins Rolls Past Lions Saturday.

The Rollins Tars won a third straight game Saturday as they were a 86-58 winner over Saint Leo at Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center. With the victory the Tars improve to 8-3 on the season and 4-1 in the SSC. While Saint Leo drops to 7-7 overall and 3-2 in the SSC.
  As he has all season long Sam Philpott once again led the Tars in scoring. Today he put up 25 points.  Jeff Merton also scored in double figures with 14- Eric Castaneda had 11- and- Parker Davis chipped in 10 in his first career start.  The Tars shot 53 percent as a team on the day. They shot 36 percent (9-25) from the 3-point line.  Rollins shot at a 83 percent clip (15-18) from the free throw line.  They easily won the rebounding battle 37-21.  Rollins had 21 assists and 17 turnovers as a team.
 Saint Leo was led by 20 points from DeAndre King- Isiah Hill added 10- and- Junior Searcy chipped in eight.
 The Lions shot 44 percent as a team and 31 percent (9-29) from the 3-point line.  They shot just 56 percent (9-16) at the free throw line.  They had 16 assists and 20 turnovers as a team.
  The Tars opened the game with an 11-1 run to start. That run was countered right away though by the Lions who would go on a 14-0 run to take a four point lead (15-11) at the 13:45 mark of the opening half.  Rollins would battle back and retake the lead 25-24 after a Castaneda old fashioned three-point play midway thru the half.  The Tars would finish the half on a 19-4 run to give them a 16 point halftime lead (44-28.)
 The second would start just like the first did as Rollins would go on a 12-4 spurt to take a 24 point lead (56-32) with 14:02 to go.  Rollins would lead by as many as 31 (78-47) with 4:26 to go.
The Tars are off for Finals week and will be back in action 12/18 and 12/19 when host the Las Vegas Classic at the Doolittle Center.  They will face Midwestern State at noon on the 18th, followed by West Texas A@M at noon the following day. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com
Other SSC Scores:
Barry 107 Tampa 103
Eckerd 89 Palm Beach Atlantic 66
Florida Tech 103 Nova Southeastern 99
SSC Standings:
Barry 4-0 (7-1)
Eckerd 4-1 (9-1)
Rollins 4-1 (8-3)
Nova Southeastern 3-1 (6-1)
Saint Leo 3-2 (7-7)
Florida Southern 2-3 (5-4)
Palm Beach Atlantic 2-3 (5-6)
Lynn 1-3 (3-4)
Florida Tech 1-3 (4-6)
Tampa 1-4 (4-5)
Embry-Riddle 0-4 (4-5)

Rollins Hosts Lions Saturday.

The Rollins Tars welcome the Saint Leo Lions to Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center Saturday. The game will tip at 1 PM, with the woman to follow. You can catch all the action on the SSC Digital Network- and- RollinsSports.com. Robert Segal and Jim "Shooter" Ferro will have the call.
  Rollins (7-3 3-1) plays  for the fourth time in the past seven days.  After a loss to Barry on Saturday, the Tars bounced back with wins over Southeastern and Warner.  They are tied for third in the SSC with the 3-1 league record.
  The last two games Rollins played nationally ranked NAIA opponents and won. First they had a 94-91 win over the 11th ranked Fire of Southeastern University. Then they blew out 25th ranked Warner 87-57.  In the game against Southeastern the Tars shot 64 percent- and- got a team high 22 points from Sam Philpott.  As for the Warner game, the Tars saw 12 players get into the scoring column.  Philpott had 15 in that one- while- Deion Clark stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points- seven rebounds- and- five assists.  The Tars crushed the Royals on the boards 49-32 and held them to a 35 percent shooting day.
  Philpott leads the Tars in scoring at 21.1 points per game- that is good for fourth in the SSC.  Jeff Merton is 13th in the league averaging 16.3 points per contest- and- Eric Castaneda is averaging 13.3 points per night.  Clark and Merton share the team lead averaging five rebounds per night- while- Connor McKim leads the Tars averaging 4.9 assists a night which is good for fifth in the SSC.  The Tars are second in the country in assists with 200 thru 10 games.  Offensively the Tars average 78.9 points per game which is good for third in the SSC.  At the other end they are ninth in the SSC allowing 82.5 points per night.
  Saint Leo (7-6 3-1 SSC) is third in the nation in steals and sixth in blocks.  They have the best defensive team in the conference.  The Lions were a 74-68 loser to Palm Beach Atlantic last time out.  They bounced back and beat Edward Waters 82-64 on Wednesday.  Junior Searcy scored 17 points to lead the Lions victory- DeAndre King scored 12- while Jesse Huff and Kyle McClure scored 10 points each.
  Searcy leads the Lions in scoring at 12.3 points per game.  King is right behind him at 12.2 a night- while Tyreece Brice and Isiah Hill each put up 11.4 per game.  Brice is leading the team in assists at 5.1 a game- while- Hill leads the team in rebounding averaging 5.4 a night.  The Lions score 73.3 points a game as a team on offense- but the best defense in the SSC only gives up 74.4 a night.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com: Rollins by 7.5
Other SSC Games Saturday:
Barry -8 @ Tampa
Palm Beach Atlantic +5 @Eckerd
Florida Tech+11 @Nova Southeastern
  SSC Standings:
Nova Southeastern 3-0 (6-0)
Barry 3-0 (6-1)
Eckerd 3-1 (8-1)
Rollins 3-1 (7-3)
Saint Leo 3-1 (7-6)
Palm Beach Atlantic 2-2 (5-5)
Florida Southern 2-3 (5-4)
Tampa 1-3 (4-4)
Lynn 1-3 (2-4)
Florida Tech 0-3 (3-6)
Embry-Riddle 0-4 (4-5)

Rollins Rolls Past Royals.

The Rollins Tars used a 26-2 surge to start the second half and rolled to a 87-57 win over the Warner Royals at Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center. With the win Rollins improved to 7-3 on the season,whle Warner fell to 8-3.
  Sam Philpott led the Tars with 15 points off the Rollins bench.  Deion Clark had a solid night with 12 points- seven rebounds- and- five assists- while Jeff Merton and Connor McKim added 10 points each.  The Tars shot 49 percent from the field- and- 37 percent (11-30) from the 3-point line.  The Tars shot 71 percent (10-14) from the free throw line.  The Tars crushed Warner on the boards 34-22. They had 22 assists and nine turnovers in the victory.
  Melton Sanders led the Royals with 13 points- while Khalil Ozuna added 10.  The Royals shot 36 percent from the field- 13 percent (4-31) from the 3-ppoint line- and- 64 percent (7-11) from the free throw line.  They had 17 assists and 11 turnovers.
  Each teams had long scoring droughts in the opening half.  It was a 14-12 game halfway thru the opening half.  Nearly nine minutes later the Tars led by 12 (39-27) after a bucket at the 1:24 mark.  Warner would score the last five points of the half and the Rollins lead was seven (39-32) at the intermission.
  The Tars would get a quick start after a Daniel Lot dunk and go on a 26-2 run to start the second half.  After a Parker Davis 3-pointer Rollins  would lead by 35 (83-48) late in the second half.  The Tars would cruise to victory for a second win in as many days.
  Rollins will be back in action Saturday when they take on Saint Leo. Tip time is set for 1 PM.

Rollins Puts Out Fire.

The Rollins Tars bounced back from a rare loss on Saturday to Barry with a 94-91 win over the Southeastern University Fire at Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center. The Tars improved to 6-3 with the victory. Southeastern fell to 8-2 with the defeat.
  Sam Philpott led four Tars in double figures with 22- Jeff Merton had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists- Connor McKim had 18 points and five assists- while Deion Clark added 16.  The Tars shot 64 percent from the floor in the victory- they shot 31 percent (5-16) from the 3-point line.  They shot 78 percent (21-27) from the free throw line.  For only the second time this season the Tars out-rebounded the opposition, this time by a 31-17 count.  They had 19 assists and 15 turnovers.
  SEU was led by Ryan Atkins who drained 8-10 3-pointer's on his way to pouring in a game high 34 points. Atkins was 12-15 from the field and hit six of the eight 3-pointer's in the opening stanza.  Three other Fire players scored in double figures in the loss.  Ismael Celestin had 12- while C.J. Reese and Jerry Oppenheimer added 11 points each.
 The Fire shot 59 percent from the field- 48 percent (12-25) from the 3-point line- and- 65 percent (13-20) from the free throw line.  The Fire had 22 assists and 13 turnovers as a team.
 The Fire came out hot in the early going and had the lead for the first eight minutes of the opening half as they led by five three different times.  After a 11-2 Rollins run the Tars led by five (28-23) at the 8:11 mark of the opening half.
  Southeastern would come back and knot the game at 34 with 3:23 to go in the half.  It would be Rollins who would then finish the half with a flurry and take a 47-40 lead into the locker room after a Eric Castaneda 3-pointer at the buzzer.
  The Tars would then open up a 13 point lead (55-42) before the Fire would come storming back and knot the game at 61 with 11:29 to go.  The next five minutes would be played evenly as three more ties would occur, before the Tars got the lead back.  Philpott and McKim would hit two baskets each and it would be a eight point Tars lead (84-76) at the 3:32 mark.
 The Fire would not go quietly as they would get to within two (88-86) with 1:18 remaining.  Castaneda would stretch the lead to four with a pair of free throws before Reese answered with a basket of his own for the Fire to get within two (90-88.)  Clark would hit a driving layup, but Atkins would hit his eighth 3-pointer of the game (this one from five or six steps behind the line) to cut the lead to one (92-91) with 28 seconds left.  Merton made a pair of free throws and a long 3-point attempt from the Fire would not go as the Tars would escape with the victory.
  Rollins will have a quick turnaround as they will be back at it again tomorrow night. This time it is the Warner Royals who come to Winter Park. You can catch the game on RollinsSports.com and the SSC Digital Network with Robert Segal and Jim "Shooter" Ferro.

 
 

#11 Barry Staves Off Tars.

The 11th ranked Barry Buccaneers led by as many as 22 points Saturday, saw the lead cut to single digits and ultimately hung on for a 103-91 win at the Barry Sport and Health Center Saturday. With the victory Barry improves to 6-1 and 3-0 in the SSC. The Tars saw a five game win streak come to an end as they fell to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the SSC.
  Barry was led by Sawyer Glick who poured  in a game high 34 points.  Elvar Fridriksson had 20 points and dished out 10 assists- while Sunday Dech added 15.  The Bucs shot 59 percent as a team in the contest.  They shot 51 percent (22-43) from the 3-point line.  At the free throw line the Buccaneers shot 83 percent (5-6.)  They had 30 assists and 17 turnovers as a team.  They won the rebounding battle 35-20.
  Rollins was led by Jeff Merton who had a team high 27 points.  Connor McKim added 19 points and five assists- while Sam Philpott scored 13.  Eric Castaneda also scored in double figures with 11.
The Tars shot 56 percent as a team- 50 percent (9-18) from the 3-point line- and- 79 percent (22-28) at the free throw line.  They had 14 assists and 13 turnovers in the game.
  The game began with Rollins scoring the first six points The Bucs would then score the next eight points.  Glick would get hot from the 3-point line and give Barry a 12 point lead (25-13.)  He would tie the Barry school record with 11 3-pointer's made today.  The Tars would trail by 15 (47-32) at halftime.
  With 18 minutes to go the Tars were down 22 but they would not go away.  At the 4:17 mark it was a eight point game (88-80) behind Merton and McKim.  McKim would hit a 3-pointer shortly thereafter and it would still be a eight point game (93-85) with 2:24 to go.  The Bucs would ultimately would ultimately close it out at the free throw line and send the Tars to what would be a first conference loss of the season.
 The Tars next game will be Monday night when they face Southeastern at Warden Arena. Tip time is set for 7 PM. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com
Other SSC Scores:
Eckerd 97 Florida Tech 83
Palm Beach Atlantic 74 Saint Leo 68
Tampa 72 Lynn 65
Nova Southeastern 87 Florida Southern 85
SSC Standings:
Barry 3-0 (6-1)
Nova Southeastern 3-0 (6-0)
Eckerd 3-1 (8-1)
Rollins 3-1 (5-3)
Saint Leo 3-1 (6-6)
Palm Beach Atlantic 2-2 (5-5)
Florida Southern 1-3 (4-4)
Tampa 1-3 (4-4)
Lynn 1-3 (2-4)
Embry-Riddle 0-3 (4-4)
Florida Tech 0-3 (3-6)



 

Rollins Travels to Miami Shores Saturday.

The Rollins Tars travel to Miami Shores to face the 11th ranked Barry Buccaneers on Saturday afternoon. Tip time is set for 4 PM and you can catch all the action at RollinsSports.com with Robert Segal and Jim "Shooter" Ferro.
 The Tars have won five straight and come into the contest 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the SSC.  They are coming off a 92-83 win over Embry-Riddle on Wednesday.  Eric Castaneda led the Tars with 20 points in the victory.  Deion Clark scored 19 and pulled down a career high 16 rebounds.  Jeff Merton added 17- and- Sam Philpott chipped in 15.  Philpott leads the Tars and is second in the SSC averaging 23 points a night- Castaneda adds 16.1 a game- while Merton is getting14.6 a night.  Clark averages 12.6 a contest and leads the team averaging 5.8 rebounds per game.  Connor McKim also averages double figures at 10.6 points a game- and- is second in the SSC averaging 5.3 assists per night.  As a team the Tars are third in the SSC averaging 86.7 points a game.  At the other end they allow 82 points a game which is 10th in the conference.  The Tars are ninth in all of Division II averaging 20.7 assists per night as well.
  Barry comes into the game seventh in the country offensively averaging 94.7 points a game.  They are the top team in the conference defensively allowing 72.3 points a night.  Last time out the Bucs were a 85-74  winner over Palm Beach Atlantic.  Daniel Mortensen scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the way- while Elvar Fridriksson nearly had a double-double as well with 20 points and nine assists.  Fridriksson is the Reigning SSC Player of The Year and is averaging 18.2 points and 7.3 assists a night.  Sunday Dech is scoring 16 points and averaging 6.5 rebounds a game- while Sawyer Glick scores 13.6 a contest.  The Bucs shooting 51 percent from the floor- and- 42 percent from the 3-point line on the young season.
 The Tars swept the season series from Barry last season. Winning 60-51 in Miami Shores. Before they won 66-59 in Winter Park last February.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsbooks.com:
Barry by 8.5
Other SSC Games Saturday:
Eckerd -7@Florida Tech
Saint Leo +11 @Palm Beach Atlantic
Lynn -1.5 @Tampa
Florida Southern+8 @Nova Southeastern
SSC Standings:
Rollins 3-0 (5-2)
Saint Leo 3-0 (6-5)
Nova Southeastern 2-0 (5-0)
Barry 2-1 (5-1)
Eckerd 2-1 (7-1)
Florida Southern 1-2 (4-3)
Palm Beach Atlantic 1-2 (4-5)
Lynn 1-2 (2-3)
Florida Tech 0-2 (3-5)
Embry-Riddle 0-3 (4-4)
Tampa 0-3 (3-4)

Rollins Picks Up Fifth Straight Win Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars was a 92-83 winner over Embry-Riddle at Warden Arena Wednesday. With the victory the Tars improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the SSC.  With the loss Embry-Riddle dropped to 4-4 overall and 0-3 in the SSC.
  The Tars were led by a 20-point evening from Eric Castaneda- while Deion Clark stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points- a career high 16 rebounds- and- five assists.  Jeff Merton scored 17- while- Sam Philpott added 15.
  Rollins shot 51 percent from the floor and 50 percent (11-22) from the 3-point line.  At the free throw line they shot at a 79 percent clip (19-24.)  The Tars had 19 assists and just seven turnovers as a team.
  The Eagles were led by Nashad Mackey with 17 points- Rudy Bibb-Boyd had 15- Elijah Jenkins (14-) and- Joshua Hawkins added 13.  Embry-Riddle shot 39 percent from the floor- and- 29 percent (10-34) from the 3-point line.  They shot 75 percent (21-28) at the free throw line.  The Eagles won the rebounding battle 41-35.  They had 15 assists and eight turnovers as a team.
 Rollins would take a six point lead (19-13) after a Daniel Lot basket in the first several minutes of the opening half.  That lead would be extended to 11 (34-23) later in the half, as Philpott would tip in a Merton miss at the 6:34 mark of the opening half.  The Eagles would come back late in the half though and Rollins would hold a three-point advantage (42-39) after the first 20 minutes.
  The Tars would get off to a good start in the second stanza and opened up a 10 point lead (52-42) with 17 minutes to go.  The Eagles closed to within seven but Rollins would get a Clark basket at the 10:49 mark that capped a run that gave them a 14-point lead (72-58.)
  The Eagles would not go away. They would get to within five (81-76) at the 5:46 mark.  Rollins would make their free throws and hold on for a fifth straight win.
  Rollins will be back in action Saturday when they head to Miami Shores to take on Barry. Tip time is set for 4 PM. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com
Other SSC Scores:
Eckerd 71 Florida Southern 67
Saint Leo 68 Tampa 64
Lynn 82 Florida Tech 72
Barry 85 Palm Beach Atlantic 74
SSC Standings:
Rollins 3-0 (5-2)
Saint Leo 3-0 (6-5)
Nova Southeastern 2-0 (5-0)
Barry 2-0 (5-1)
Eckerd 2-1 (7-1)
Florida Southern 1-2 (4-3)
Palm Beach Atlantic 1-2 (4-5)
Lynn 1-2 (2-3)
Florida Tech 0-2 (3-5)
Embry-Riddle 0-3 (4-4)
Tampa 0-3 (3-4)

Surging Tars Host ERAU Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars winners of four straight will host the Eagles of Embry-Riddle in a conference matchup Wednesday evening at Warden Arena. You can catch all the action with Robert Segal on the call and Jim "Shooter" Ferro doing the color at RollinsSports.com.
  Rollins comes in at 4-2 on the season. The last time out the Tars were a 66-64 winner over Florida Memorial.  In that contest the Tars had four players score in double figures led by 18 points from Sam Philpott.  Jeff Merton and Eric Castaneda added 12- while- Deion Clark scored 11.  The Tars shot 41 percent in that contest, but just 27 percent from the 3-point line.  They also struggled at the free throw line where they shot 64 percent (9-14.)  They had 16 assists and just eight turnovers in the victory.
  On the season box score the Tars are led by Philpott who is averaging 24.3 points per game, which is good for third in the SSC and 22nd in the country.  Eric Castaneda is scoring 15.5 points a game- Merton has averaged 14.0 points and 4.8 rebounds a game despite missing a pair of games with an injury.  Connor McKim is scoring 11.7 points a game and is dishing out 5.5 assists a night as well.  The Tars are scoring 85.5 points a game as a team (fourth in the SSC-) and- giving up 81.8 points a night (10th in the SSC.)
  The Eagles come into Wednesday 4-3 and 0-2 in its first season as a full member of the SSC.  The Eagles fell to Palm Beach Atlantic (92-70-) and- Saint Leo (82-78) in conference play thus far this year.
 Rudy Bibb-Boyd is the leading scorer for ERAU at 18.2 points a night, that is good for eighth in the SSC.  Nashad Mackey is averaging 15.7 points and 11.9 rebounds a night.  Ognjen Miljokvic averages 14 a night- and- Luka Majstorovic is putting up 12 a night, while blocking two shots per game.  The Eagles are in the middle of the conference in both offense (85.7 ppg-) and- defense (77.7 ppg.)  They block 4.6 shot a night- and- lead the league in offensive rebounding.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Rollins by 9.5
Other SSC Games Wednesday:
Florida Southern +6@Eckerd
Tampa +3@Saint Leo
Lynn-9 @Florida Tech
Palm Beach Atlantic +10 @Barry

Rollins Edges Florida Memorial Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars won a hard fought, tight contest inside Warden Arena Wednesday, when they knocked off Florida Memorial 66-64. With the win the Tars improved to 4-2 on the season, while Florida Memorial fell to 3-3.
  Four of the five Rollins starters scored in double figures Wednesday.  Sam Philpott led the way with 18 points- Jeff Merton and Eric Castaneda each had 12- while Deion Clark added 11.  The Tars shot 41 percent as a team- 27 percent (9-33) from the 3-point line- and- 64 percent (9-14) from the free throw line.  The tars had 16 assists and eight turnovers.
  The Lions were led by Travis Mitchell with 16 points- Evens Jacques had 11- and- Devon Williams netted nine.  The Lions shot 45 percent as a team- 26 percent (6-23) from the 3-point line- and- 60 percent (6-10) from the free throw line.  The Lions won the rebounding battle 40-31.  They had 4 assists and 12 turnovers as a team.
  The Tars got off to a slow start in this one and did not take the first lead of the game until a Merton 3-pointer midway thru the opening half.  It was 26-25 Rollins at the 6:28 mark of the first half.  The tars took a eight point halftime lead (35-27) after a 3-pointer from Connor McKim.
  The second half would stay close, as Florida Memorial would get to within one (43-42) at the 13:01 mark.  In the next four minutes the lead would change hands seven times, but a quick spurt by the Tars would give them a 56-52 lead at the 8:15 mark.
  The Tars would not be able to shake the Lions as Memorial would go on a 7-0 run to give them a 62-60 lead with two minutes left.  Philpott knotted the score at 62 with 1:01 to go.  Merton would give the Tars the lead on a tip in at the 37 second mark.  Castaneda would make two big free throws and the Tars hung on for their fourth straight win.
  Rollins will take a break and be back in action and take on Embry-Riddle Wednesday. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM

Rollins Rolls Past Bayamon.

The Rollins Tars (3-2 2-0 SSC) got a 31 point performance from Sam Philpott as they defeated Puerto Rico Bayamon 99-88 Tuesday night. With the  win the tars improved to 3-2- while Bayamon dropped to 0-1 on the season.
  Philpott is one of four players in double figures. Besides Philpott, Eric Castaneda scored 22- Connor McKim had 12 to go along with six assists- and- Jeff Merton added 14.  The Tars shot 50 percent from the field- 49 percent from the 3-point line (14-29-) and 78 percent (25-32) at the free throw line.  They had 26 assists and 13 turnovers.
  Baymaon was led by 23 points from Nathaniel Martinez- while- Luis Gonzalez added 21.  Luis Cuascut added 12- and- Roberto Dejesus had 11 in the defeat.  Bayamon shot 52 percent from the field and 36 percent from the 3-point line.  They had 10 assists and 13 turnovers.
  It was 5-0 Bayamon in the early going.  After a 15-0 Rollins run they led 28-16 with 8:19 in the opening half.  after Bayamon got to within two (33-31.) the Tars went on a big run to go up 51-37 at the half.
  The second half saw Bayamon get closer but three straight 3-pointer's by Castaneda would give NDC a 14 point lead,  The Tars led by 22 after a Parker Davis bucket (80-58.)  After a 19-3n run Bayamon would be within six (83-77) with 5:36 to go.  The Tars would score the next six and cruise to the victory.
 Rollins will be back in action at 2 PM Wednesday when they take on St.Thomas

Rollins Battles Bayamon Tuesday Night.

The Rollins Tars (2-2 2-0 SSC) take a break from conference action, as they welcome Puerto Rico Bayamon to Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com with Robert Segal and Jim "Shooter" Ferro. Tip time is set for 7 PM.
  Rolins is coming off a 82-76 win over Lynn at the D'Hoernle Center on Saturday. It was a balanced attack that led the Tars to victory.  Reigning SSC Player Of The Week Sam Philpott paced the Tars with 24 points- Deion Clark tallied 16- Eric Castaneda scored 15- and- Jeff Merton returned from a two game absence to score 10.  Connor McKim had 10 assists for the Tars.
 The Tars come into Tuesday, averaging 87.5 points per game on the offensive end.  They are just 1-2 inside Warden Arena thus far this season.  They are shooting 43 percent from the 3-point line as a team- while shooting 52 percent from the field.
  Philpott is leading the team in scoring at more than 24 points per contest- Merton is scoring 15 a game- while McKim was averaging 15 points- 6.7 assists- and- 5.3 assists a game before his seven points and 10 assist performance on Saturday.
   Tuesday will be the first game of the season for Bayamon. They are coming off a 16-20 season a year ago.
  The line: Rollins by 24.5

Rollins Gets Big Road Win Saturday.

It is never easy when traveling to Boca Raton and Saturday was no exception. The Rollins Tars came away with a 82-76 win over the Lynn Fighting Knights. With the win the Tars improve to 2-2 and 2-0 in the SSC. The Fighting Knights fall to 0-2 and 0-2 in the SSC.
  Four of the five Rollins starters scored in double figures Saturday. Sam Philpott led the way with 24 points- Deion Clark had 16- Eric Castaneda netted 15- and- Jeff Merton returned after the missing last two games to score 10. Connor McKim added 10 assists for Rollins.
 The Tars shot 56 percent as a team in the game. They shot 41 percent (7-17) from the 3-point line- and- 71 percent (17-24) from the free throw line.  They had 21 assists and 13 turnovers as a team.
  The Fighting Knights were led by 22 points from Ryan Peterson- Jamal Palmer added 17- and- Randy Bell tallied 12.  Lynn shot 43 percent as a team- shot 27 percent (9-33) from the 3-point line- and- 53 percent (9-17) at the free throw line.  The Fighting Knights had 18 assists and 14 turnovers. They also won the rebounding battle 41-27.
  The game started with the Tars leading 9-7 after the first media timeout.  Lynn would take a 13-12 lead at the 11:32 mark of the opening half.  Rollins would maintain a slim lead and it would be stretched to six (24-18) after a Philpott layup with 6:16 in the opening stanza.  The Tars would stretch the lead to nine and that would be the halftime lead (35-26.)
  The Tars would stretch the lead to double digits early in the second half.  McKim would make it a 11-point game (46-35) at the 15:47 mark.  Castaneda would knock down a 3-pointer and stretch the lead to 15 (53-38) at the 11:28 mark. Castaneda would again bury a 3-pointer and the lead would be back to 14 (58-44) with 9:38 left.  Lynn would cut the lead to five (58-53) after a Bell 3-pointer with 7:01 to go. It would be a game of runs the next several minutes and the Tars led by five (72-67) with 2:08 to go when Castaneda drilled another 3-pointer.  The Falcons would get to within four a couple times late but that is as close as they would get.
 Rollins will be back in action Tuesday when they battle Puerto-Rico Bayamon. Tip time is set for 7 PM.
Other SSC Scores:
Barry 93 Eckerd 89
Saint Leo 82 Embry Riddle 78
Florida Southern 75 Palm Beach Atlantic 73
Nova Southeastern 92 Tampa 69

Rollins Heads To Boca Raton Saturday.

The Rollins Tars (1-2 1-0 SSC) head to Boca Raton to take on the Lynn Fighting Knights 0-1 (0-1 SSC) for a 4 PM tip on Saturday. You can catch the action on the new SSC Digital Network with Robert Segal and Jim "Shooter" Ferro.
  After dropping the first two of the season, Rollins picked up a much needed win Wednesday when they held off a late surge to defeat Florida Tech by a 83-72 score. The Tars lost to Clark-Atlanta 106-103 and 85-82 to Morehouse in the first two games of the season. This will be the first true road game of the season for Rollins.
  Last time out Rollins was led by a 27 point game from Sam Philpott-Deion Clark added 15 and dished out eight assists- while- Jack Fleming chipped in 12 off the bench. Parker Davis had his first nine points of his college career in his third game as a Tar.
 Philpott is leading the Tars and is fourth in the SSC averaging 24.3 points per game.  Jeff Merton scored 20 in his only game action, as he has missed the last two games due to injury.  Connor McKim is averaging 15 points- 6.7 rebounds- and- 5.3 assists a game.  The Tars are 4th in the conference in scoring putting up 89.3 points per game.  At the other end they are at the bottom of the league (11th) giving up 87.7 points a night.
  Lynn (0-1) trailed big early and came back to make it a four point game before falling 87-81 to Nova Southeastern. Ryan Peterson scored 22 off the bench to lead the Fighting Knights offense.  Rasheed Worrell added 18 points and seven rebounds, while Jamal Palmer netted 15.  Lynn is sixth in the league in scoring offense, and is 10th in the league in scoring defense giving u 87 points a game.  The Fighting Knights were picked seventh in the SSC preseason poll, while the Tars were picked to finish seconds.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Rollins by 2
Other SSC Lines:
Barry (Pick) @ Eckerd
Saint Leo (Pick)  @Embry-Riddle
Palm Beach Atlantic +1.5 @ Florida Southern
Tampa +6.5 @ Nova Southeastern

Rollins Gets First Win.

The Rollins Tars got in the win column for the first time in the 2017-18 season. After opening the season with a pair of losses in the SSC/SIAC Crossover the Tars were a 83-72 winner over Florida Tech in the opener of Sunshine State Conference Play. With the win the Tars improve to 1-2. With the loss the Panthers fall to 0-2. FIT also lost two games in the SSC/SIAC Crossover to Morehouse and Clark-Atlanta.
  Sam Philpott led the Tars(1-2 1-0 SSC) with 26 points. Philpott scored 23 of those 26 in the second stanza. Deion Clark added 15 points- eight assists- seven rebounds- and- three steals- while Jack Fleming chipped in 12 of his own.
  Rollins shot 45 percent as a team.  They shot 27 percent (7-26) from the 3-point line. At the free throw line Rollins shot at a 82 percent clip (23-28.)  They had 16 assists and 16 turnovers as a team.
  FIT (0-3 0-1 SSC) had three players score in double figures. Sam Daniel led the way with 24 points- Jordan Major tallied 17 points and five assists- while Richard Coil netted 12 and six rebounds. The Panthers shot 46 percent from the field. They shot 34 percent (14-41) from the 3-point line.
   The two teams wen back and forth for much of the opening half. After a 4-point play by Daniel the game was tied at 21 with 7:27 in the first half.  About two minutes later a Clark three would start a mini run for Rollins and they would open up a six point lead (29-23.) with 5:24 in the half.
  Parker Davis would give the Tars a huge spark off the bench as he would score seven straight points and Rollins led by 10 (36-26.)  The Tars would lead by as many as 18 (44-26) after a Connor McKim 3-pointer and would take a 44-28 lead into the locker room.
  The Tars would lead by 16 (53-37) early in the half but the Panthers would cut the lead to seven (58-51) with 12:16 to go. Later in the half Eric Castaneda would give the Tars a 16 point lead once again (73-57) but the Panthers would score the next nine points to make it a seven point game (73-66) with 4:04 to go. Philpott took over down the stretch as he scored 10 of the last 13 points. The Tars would hang on for the victory.
  Rollins will be back in action Saturday when they take on Lynn in Boca Raton. Tip time is set for 4 PM.
 

Rollins Looks For First Win In Conference Opener Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars (0-2) look to get in the win column for the first time in the 2017-18 season when they take on the Panthers of Florida Tech (0-2) on Wednesday at Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center. You can catch the video on RollinsSports.com with Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Robert Segal.
  Rollins lost a pair of tough ones in the SSC/SIAC Crossover. In the opener they were a 106-103 loser to Clark-Atlanta, before falling to Morehouse 85-82.
  In the opener it was a 17 point Rollins halftime lead (64-47) that they could not hold onto.  Saturday in the narrow loss to Morehouse Jeff Merton was unable to play.  Sam Philpott leads the Tars and is third in the SSC thus far averaging 23.5 points per game- Connor McKim is seventh in the league in scoring at 20 points a night and second in assists a 5.5 per game.  Eric Castaneda averages 18 a game after the opening weekend.  Offensively the Tars average 92.5 points per game which is good for fourth in conference and 26th nationally.  The Tars 24 3-pointer's a game is 27th best in DII.
  Florida Tech also opened the season with a pair of losses in the SSC/SIAC Crossover at Warden Arena.  The opener was a 87-82 loss to Morehouse, before a 90-69 drubbing by Clark-Atlanta.  Sam Daniel score 32 pointers in the opener- before 29 against Clark-Atlanta. He leads the conference and is seventh in the country averaging 30.5 points per game.  Jordan Major puts up 16 points a night and is third in the SSC averaging five  assists a game.  Richard Coil is third in the SSC averaging 11 rebounds a game.  FIT averages 75.5 points a game which is seventh in the conference- while they give up 88.5 a game which is sixth best in the conference.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com: Rollins by 4.5

#13 Rollins Falls To Morehouse Saturday.

The 13th ranked Rollins College Tars fell for a second consecutive day in the SSC/SIAC Crossover. Today the Tars were a 85-82 loser to the Maroon Tigers of Morehouse.  Morehouse improved to 2-0, while the Tars dropped to 0-2.
  The Tars were led by 23 points each from Sam Philpott and Connor McKim. McKim added seven rebounds and six assists as well.  Jack Fleming netted 13 off the Rollins bench- and- Eric Castaneda chipped in 12.
  Rollins shot 45 percent as a team. They were just 7-26 (27 percent) from the 3-point line.  They shot at a 82 percent clip (23-28) from the free throw line.  They had 16 assists and 16 turnovers.
  Morehouse was led by 18 points from Tyrius Walker- Jordan Wallace hit four  3-pointer's on the way to his 15 points- Martravious Little added 12- while James Walker scored 10.
   The Maroon Tigers shot 49 percent as a team- they shot 42 percent (11-26) from the 3-point line.  They were just 56 percent (10-18) at the free throw line.  They won the rebounding battle 40-31.  They had 17 assists and 16 turnovers.
  Rollins was playing without the services of Jeff Merton and battled all day. They were down 18-17 midway thru the first half.  The Tars would take a brief lead (33-32) at the 3:52 mark of the opening half. The Maroon Tigers would lead at the half 41-39.
  The Maroon Tigers would start the second half on a run and lead by nine (51-42) early.  A Rollins spurt would cut the lead to one (57-56) after a Daniel Loh dunk at the 11 minute mark.  The Maroon Tigers would take control of the game in the next several minutes and would build a 10 point lead (83-73) with 45 seconds to go. The Tars would not go quietly but ultimately fell 85-82.
  The Tars will be back in action Wednesday when they open conference play against the Florida Tech Panthers. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM.
Other Game:
Clark Atlanta 90 Florida Tech 69

#13 Rollins Meets Morehouse Saturday.

The 13th ranked Tars of Rollins College (0-1) look to bounce back from a opening 106-103 loss to Clark-Atlanta, when they battle the Maroon Tigers of Morehouse at Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center in day two of the South Region Crossover. Tip time is set for 2 PM. You can catch all the action on 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park and at RollinsSports.com
  Rollins could not hold on, after building a 17 point halftime lead in the opening loss. All five players scored in double figures for the Tars led by 24 points each from Sam Philpott and Eric Castaneda. Philpott eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for his career. Jeff Merton added 20 points- and in the process became the Tars 22nd leading scorer in school history passing Kevin Hogan Friday. Connor McKim had 17 points- eight rebounds- and five assists in the defeat.  Deion Clark added 11 points as well.
  Rollins shot 56 percent as a team- and- 53 percent from the 3-point line in the loss.  They also were a solid 80 percent (24-30) at the free throw line in the opener.  They lost the rebounding battle 39-28- and- had 23 assists but turned the ball over eight times.
    Morehouse was a 87-82 winner over Florida Tech on Friday night. They also had five players notch double figures in points.  Tyrius Walker led the way with 19 points- Martravious Little added 17- Jordan Wallace scored 15- and- Omar Alston notched 14 a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds.  Duby Maduegbunam scored to round out the double digit scorers for the Maroon Tigers.  They shot 41 percent as a team- and- 32 percent (7-22) from the 3-point line.  The Marroon Tigers were a perfect 24 of 24 at the free throw line Friday.  They had 19 assists and 10 turnovers as a team.
  The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
   Rollins by 5
Other game:
Clark-Atlanta -6.5 vs Florida Tech

Panthers Spoil 13th Ranked Tars Opener.

#13 Rollins held a 17 point halftime lead but could not hang on in a 106-103 loss to Clark Atlanta in the South Region Crossover in Winter Park on Friday. It was just the third time in 11 tries that Rollins did not win in their opener.
  Sam Philpott and Eric Castaneda led five  players in double figures in the loss, each scoring 24 points. Philpott added five rebounds- while Castaneda tallied six rebounds and four assists. Jeff Merton added 20- Connor McKim had 17 points- eight rebounds- and- five assists. While Deion Clark added 11.
 As a team Rollins shot 56 percent from the field- and 53 percent (17-32) from the 3-point line.  They also shot 80 percent (24-30) at the free throw line.  The Tars had 23 assists and eight turnovers as a team.
  The Panthers also tallied five players in double figures. Jamal Pollydore paced CAU with 28 points including eight 3-pointer's- Anthony Williams added 24 points-seven rebounds- and- six assists.  Akil Douglas added 14- and- Shelvick Henry Jr. came off the bench to score 14.  Damien Davis rounded out the double digit scorers with 12.
 The Panthers shot 51 percent as a team- 49 percent (19-39) from the 3-point line- and- 73 percent (11-15) from the free throw line.  The Panthers dominated the rebounding battle 39-28.  They had 26 assists and just six turnovers as a team.
  After a tightly contest first several minutes The Tars went on a 12-0 run, the last five by Daniel Loh to open up a 37-24 lead halfway thru the opening half. The Panthers cut the lead to single digits twice before the Tars got it back to a double digit lead again. Clark stretched the lead to 19 late in the half, and the Tars took a 64-47 lead into the locker room.
  Merton hit a 3-pointer right after halftime, but then the Panthers got hot from the 3-point line. They hit five 3-pointer's and the Tars lead was trimmed to three (75-72) at the 14:16 mark. CAU remained hot from the 3-point line and led by seven (90-83) with 8:31 to go. The Tars then went on a 10-3 run of their own to knot the game at 93 with six minutes to go. The Panthers would counter with a 9-2 run to go back up seven (102-95) at the 4:15 mark. Sam Philpott eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for his career with 5:05 to go for the Tars only basket during that run. The Tars did not go away as they got to within two (104-102) at the 17 second mark but that is as close as they would get.
 Rollins will be back in action Saturday when they take on Morehouse at 2 PM. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com and 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park.
Other game:
Morehouse 87 Florida Tech 82

#13 Rollins Hosts Clark-Atlanta To Open New Campaign Friday.

The #13 ranked Rollins Tars open up the 2017-18 campaign as they host Clark-Atlanta in Winter Park on Friday. Tip time is set for 3 PM at Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center. You can catch all the action with Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Robert Segal  on 91.5 FM WPRK and at RollinsSports.com. Florida Tech and Morehouse will meet in the opening game of the SSC/SIAC crossover at 1 PM.
  The Tars come into Friday looking to build off a historic season a year ago. Rollins tied the best post-season run in school history when they reached the Elite Eight. After winning the SSC Conference Tournament and the South Region Tournament a season ago, the Tars will look to pick up where they left off.
 Rollins loses just two players from the Elite Eight team last season, albeit both important ones. Defensive wizard Joey Galvis and big man Mike Bedulskis are the two who are gone from a season ago. Jeff Merton is among the returnees. Merton was both the SSC Tournament and South Region MVP. Merton averaged a team second best 14.7 points and .7 rebounds a game. Sam Philpott led the team in scoring at 15.3 points a game. The Nobelsville, Indiana produce is just 20 points shy of 1,000 for his Rollins career. Connor McKim who was outstanding in the run last March, including a pair of buzzer beaters returns after winning SSC- Freshman Of The Year honors. Deion Clark returns after getting a medical redshirt after playing just five games a season ago.  Rollins was picked to finish second in the preseason conference poll behind conference front-runner Barry.
 Coach Tom Klusman comes into the season just 23 wins shy of 700 for his career. In his 38th year as Rollins head coach Klusman is now 677- 393. He is one of 16 coaches with 600 or more wins in all of Division II.
 Clark-Atlanta also comes into the season coming off an NCAA berth a year ago. The Panthers won the SIAC tournament before falling to Alabama-Huntsville in the opener of the South Region. In the preseason poll Clark-Atlanta was picked third in the conference. A pair of seniors, Damien Davis and Anthony Williams were named to the All-SSC Preseason Team.
 The Tars and Clark-Atlanta have met three times with the Tars winning all three. In the past 10 seasons the Tars are 8-2 in season opener's. They are 39-23 in such games overall.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Rollins by 10
Other Game: Florida Tech -5 vs Morehouse

A Season For The Ages!

It had more ups and downs than a ride at Cedar Point. The Rollins Tars jumped out of the gate 5-1 and looked like it was going to be a real good season, then Deion Clark went down with a broken hand. Rollins would drop four in a row, then get another win only to fall to lowly Nova Southeastern. The date was January 11th and the Tars were 8-8 overall and 2-5 in the SSC. Who would have guessed what was to come in this wild season. The Tars would finish the regular season by winning 13 of the last 15 contest's. If you ask a lot of people inside of the program including myself they would say this may be the best coaching job Tom Klusman, Brad Ash and Kyle Frakes had ever done. James Ferrell was the grad assistant this year. If you can not learn from these three guys you are not meant to be a coach.
 Then the magical run began. First a Connor McKim layup in the waning seconds to knock off Lynn in the SSC Quarterfinals. Then Rollins took care of an Eckerd team that had beaten them twice during  the regular season. After top seed Barry was upset by Palm Beach Atlantic in the SSC Semifinals the Tars would play a wild one against the Sailfish. PBA went on a big run and down 10 with less than six minutes to go this season just was not meant to end. Ultimately McKim would hit the game winning 3-pointer that would give the Tars the victory- the conference championship- and- for the first time ever a Rollins team won a conference tournament when they were not the top seed. In this case they were the three seed.
   The conference championship came with a bid to the South Region- the Tars were in the regional for the second year in a row. This time around the Tars made sure it would end better than last year's first round loss to Barry. In the opening round the Tars played another outstanding game against an outstanding opponent and the seven seed would upset second seeded Valdosta State in overtime. Next was a date with Delta State. In most likely the best game the Tars put together all season they drubbed the third seed 88-61. Now the next task would get even tougher. Rollins would take on top seeded and host Alabama-Hunstville on there home floor at Spragins Hall. It was "nip and tuck" all night but the Tars would come out on top 72-68 to win the South Region. Jeff Merton was the MOP of the tournament, while Joey Galvis and Sam Philpott joined him on the All-Tournament Team.
 Next for the Tars was a trip to Sioux Falls,South Dakota and the Sanford Pentagon. It was just the second time in school history Rollins was in the Elite 8. The seeds were released and the Tars as the 8 seed would have the daunting task of facing top seeded Fairmont State. The Fighting Falcons led by one (42-41) at the half but would run away with the victory in the second half to end the dream season for the little school from Winter Park.  Fairmont State would go on and be the runner up after losing to the Northwest Missouri State in the Championship Game.
 Rollins had guys burst onto the scene this year like Freshman of The Year Connor McKim. Jeff Merton and Sam Philpott were the guys who carried them night after night. Joey Galvis was in the top 10 in the nation in steals and was deadly from the 3-point line. Jakkobi Bonner showed a glimpse of what is to come for the next four years. Clark would get granted a medical redshirt so he will be back next year. Marcus Camacho saw the court in a couple tournament games- Jack Fleming continued to be one of the best 3-point shooter's Rollins has seen in a while- Nils Lehmann was the unsung hero who was inserted into the starting lineup and the team just kept on winning. Zach Ulian will fill a hole as a shooter next year assuming he can stay healthy- Mike Bedulskis finished a up and down career on a all time high- Eric Castaneda was clutch in several tournament games when it counted most both on offense and especially on the defensive end. Daniel Loh got his name in the scoresheet in the tournament- Blake Admire was solid much of the season and was real good in spots.
Jim "Shooter Ferro-  Robert Segal and Nate Weyant brought the raido to you throughout this season. This would not have been possible without Austin David at the controls and Juan Bernal giving all his basketball insight pre and post game. But if there is one memory that will stick with us forever after this fine season it was how this team never gave up and was probably the most resilient in Rollins History. And of course speaking of a fond memory from the tourney who can ever forgot the Jim "Shooter" Ferro call can you say Elite Eight- Can You say Elite Eight!

Fairmont State Halts Tars Magical Run.

The Rollins Tars saw an amazing tournament run come to a halt Wednesday when they lost 86-68 to top seeded Fairmont State in the NCAA Quarterfinals at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Rollins got off to a slow start, dug a early hole but fought back and got to within one (42-41) at halftime. Ultimately the offensive glass and a huge day from the 3-point line from Fairmont State's Jason Jolly would doom the Tars.
  Rollins who finished the season at 24-11 saw their 13 game win streak come to an end. Individually four Rollins players tallied double figures on the day. Sam Philpott led the way with 22 points- Jeff Merton scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds- Eric Castaneda came off the bench to score 11 points- while Joey Galvis scored 10 points despite being in foul trouble much of the day. Wednesday was a rarity for the nation's third leading guy in steals as Galvis did not record a steal in 29 minutes Wednesday.
 Rollins shot 48 percent on the day- they shot 33 percent (5-15) from the 3-point line. This after going four of five in the opening 20 minutes. They shot 71 percent (15-21) from the free throw line.  The Tars had 15 assists and 18 turnovers in the loss.
 Fairmont State (33-2) was led by Jason Jolly who drilled seven 3-pointer's en route to his 28 point effort- Garfield Heights product Vonte Montgomery made four 3-pointer's of his own en route to his 21 point game- while Thomas Wimbush added a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds.)  The Fighting Falcons won despite First Team All American and MEC Player Of The Year Matt Bingaya scoring only four points in nine minutes of action, as he was saddled with foul trouble all day.
 The Fighting Falcons shot 40 percent from the field in the victory- they made 33 percent (13-39) 3-pointer's- and shot 79 percent (11-14) from the free throw line.  Fairmont State easily won the rebounding battle 43-34. They had 16 assists and eight turnovers.
  Rollins in the Elite Eight for the second time in school history got off to a slow start.  Three minutes in The Tars had five turnovers and trailed 8-0. Rollins as they have all season long would fight back though. They would get to within one on three different occasions and trail 22-21 with 9:35 in the opening half. The Fighting Falcons would then go on a 11-0 run as Jolly would bury a trio of 3-pointer's to give them a 12 point lead (33-21.)  Rollins would fight back late in the half and after a Galvis 3-poiner and bucket the Tars would be right back in the game down one (42-41) at the intermission.
   The beginning of the second half would see the Tars keep it close and trail by four with 14:29 to go. The next four minutes would see Rollins go cold from the floor and the Fighting Falcons would use a 23-7 run to go up 20 (76-56) with 9:09 left. The Tars would get no closer than 18 as the Fighting Falcons cruised the rest of the way.
 Fairmont State will advance to the NCAA Semifinals were they will take on Bellarmine tomorrow night.
 Rollins saw its season come to an end, but not before they won both the Sunshine State Conference Tournament and the South Region in Huntsville,Alabama.
Other Quarterfinal Scores:
#4 Bellarmine 92 #5 Colorado School of Mines 72
#2 Northwest Missouri St. 79 #7 St. Thomas Aquinas 70
#3 Lincoln Memorial 74 #6 Chico State 61
Thursday's National Semifinals:
#1 Fairmont State 79 #4 Bellarmine 68
#2 Northwest Missouri State 79vs #3 Lincoln Memorial 67
Saturday's Championship Game:
#2 Northwest Missouri State 71 #1 Fairmont State 61

Rollins Battles Fairmont State In Elite Eight Showdown.

The eighth seeded Rollins College Tars (24-10) will battle the top seeded Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State (32-2) in the Elite Eight Opener at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Wednesday afternoon. Tip time is set for 1 PM Eastern time and can be seen on NCAA.com. Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Nate Weyant will have the call on the Geico Tars Sports Network at 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park and Worldwide on RollinsSports.com
  The Tars who were 8-8 and 2-5 SSC in mid-January have now won 11 straight-and-16- of the past 18 contests. The magical tournament run began in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament as a Connor McKim layup with just three seconds to go gave them a hard-fought win over Lynn. The next game was a tough battle and they beat Eckerd for the first time in three tries this season. In the title game it was another late bucket by McKim that would give them the SSC Tournament title with a win over Palm Beach Atlantic.
 Then came the NCAA South Regional. In the opening round the seventh seeded Tars were a overtime winner over second seeded Valdosta State. The next time out was the most complete performance of the tournament in a 27 point drubbing of third seeded Delta State. Then last Tuesday the Tars took down top seeded Alabama-Huntsville 72-68 on there home floor at Spragins Hall. So Rollins is now in the Elite Eight for just the second time in school history. The only other time they were a 88-54 loser to Metro State. They have won six games during the streak by five points or less, while the rest were by double digits.
 Rollins comes into Wednesday's contest scoring 81 points a game- while they give up 78.3 a night. Rollins is ninth in all of DII shooting at a 41.7 percent clip from the 3-point line on the season. The Tars are sixth in all of DII with 304 steals as well.
  Sam Philpott leads the Rollins box score at 15.1 points per game. The Noblesville, Indiana native averaged 16 a game in the region in Huntsville. Jeff Merton averages 14.8 points per game- while leading the team at 5.6 rebounds a night. Merton was the Most Outstanding Player in the regional, where he averaged 19 points and four rebounds a contest. Joey Galvis adds 10.4 points a night- and has been in the top 10 in the nation all season in steals, as he has 85 for the year including five in the regional championship. McKim has started all but two games for the Tars this season- the Louisville product and SSC Freshman Of The Year averages 10.2 points and a team high 3.8 assists a night.
  Fairmont State was the winner of the Atlantic Region. The Fighting Falcons are also making their second trip to the Elite Eight. The Fighting Falcons trip is the first for them since the 1997-98 season. Fairmont State won the Atlantic Region and have been in the nation's top five since September 6th. The Fighting Falcons were a 86-80 winner over Wheeling Jesuit- after knocking off Bowie State and Indiana (PA) in the earlier rounds. Fairmont State, West Liberty and Wheeling Jesuit were all ranked all season long from the Mountain East Conference. The Fighting Falcons lone two losses came to West Liberty. Once at West Liberty in the regular season on February 4th 88-81 and then in the championship game of the Mountain East Tournament in Charleston,West Va 67-65 on March 5th.
  The high flying Fighting Falcons offense comes in averaging 96.2 points a game on the season- they are third in the nation in both 3-point attempts (933) and makes (382.)  Defensively they had 350 steals on the season and they allow 79.7 points a contest.
  A balanced Fairmont State attack is led by MEC Player Of The Year Matt Bingaya who scores 19.4 a night- he also gets 7.3 rebounds a game. He was named a First Team All American on Monday. Thomas Wimbush trails right behind him at 16 points and 6.5 rebounds a night- Wimbush had 26 in the Regional Championship Game. Jason Jolly scores 12.1 points and dishes out 3.1 assists on the year. D'Ondre Stockman has had a solid year and scores 11.1 a game- while Garfield Heights product Vonte Montgomery scores 10.6 a night. Shammgod Wells scores 7.8 a game and dishes out a team leading 5.7 assists a game.
 Wednesday will be the first meeting between the two schools of all time.  Neither team had a common opponent. The winner will advance to Thursday's Semifinals.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsbooks.com: Fairmont State by 9.5
Other Elite Eight Lines:
#4 Bellarmine (Pick) vs Colorado School of Mines
#3Lincoln Memorial -5.5 vs #6 Chico State
#2Northwest Missouri St.-7.5 vs #7 St.Thomas Aquinas
 Odds to win the National Championship (Also from JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:)
Fairmont State +325
Northwest Missouri State +400
Lincoln Memorial +475
Bellarmine +700
Colorado School Of Mines +700
Chico State +1300
St.Thomas Aquinas +1700
Rollins +2800

#8 Rollins to Face Top Seeded Fairmont State Wednesday.

The seeds were announced for the 2017 Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, South Dakota after the conclusion of the East Regional. The teams are reseeded after each regional is complete. Rollins (24-10) is the #8 seed and will take on top seed Fairmont State (32-2) on Wednesday at 1 PM Eastern time at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. You can catch the game on NCAA.com (video) and on the Geico Tars Sports Network at 91.5 FM WPRK and worldwide on RollinsSports.com with Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Nate Weyant.
 Fairmont State won the Atlantic Region with a 86-80 win over Wheeling Jesuit in the final on Tuesday night. The Fighting Falcons only two losses came to West Liberty, including a 67-65 loss in the Mountain East Conference Championship Game. Fairmont State is in the Elite Eight for the second time in school history. They were #3 in the last poll of the regular season.
  Rollins (24-10) has won 11 straight- after winning the Sunshine State Conference Tournament the Tars beat No.2 Valdosta State in overtime- #3 Delta State and then won the South Region crown by knocking off Alabama-Huntsville at Spragins Hall.
 Here are the games and times of the Quarterfinal games on Wednesday:
#8 Rollins vs #1 Fairmont State 1 PM
#5 Colorado School of Mines vs #4 Bellarmine 330 PM
#7 Saint Thomas Aquinas vs #2 Northwest Missouri State 7 PM
#6 Chico State vs #3 Lincoln Memorial  930 PM
Semifinals March 22nd: 7 and 930 PM
NCAA DII National Championship Game: Saturday 3 PM

Elite Eight Bound! Rollins Magical Run Heads to South Dakota After Shocking UAH!

Who would have believed it was possible halfway thru this wild season? The Rollins Tars were 8-8 and 1-5 in the SSC back in January. After Tuesday night's 72-68 win over the host Alabama Huntsville Chargers on there home floor at Spragins Hall the seventh seeded Rollins Tars are headed to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls,South Dakota. With the win the Tars have now won 11 straight- and- they can now add 2017 South Region Champs to the trophy case inside the Alfond Sports Center in Winter Park. That after winning the Sunshine State Conference Tournament just over a week ago.  The Tars are going to the Elite Eight for just the second time in school history. The only other trip was in 2003-04 season.
  Jeff Merton was named the Tournament's MOP (Most Outstanding Player) scoring 20 points to pace the Tars (24-10-) Sam Philpott added 14- while Connor McKim had nine to go along with four assists. Nils Lehmann set the tone with five early points and scored seven in the contest- while Joey Galvis had seven points- five rebounds- four assists- and- five steals.
 Rollins shot 46 percent from the field- 40 percent (10-25) from the 3-point line- and- 71 percent (12-17) from the free throw line.  The Tars edged Huntsville on the boards 35-34. They had 15 assists and 12 turnovers as a team.
  The Chargers (27-7) had a six game win streak snapped in this one as they were denied a trip to the Elite Eight on there home floor by a Sunshine State opponent for the second straight season. A year ago the Chargers fell to Barry. Brandon Roberts and Seab Webster each scored 18 to pace the Chargers- while Troy Saxton scored 13.
 UAH shot 37 percent as a team in this one. They shot 31 percent (12-39) from the 3-point line.  At the free throw line the Chargers shot 72 percent (18-25.)  They had 13 assists and 13 turnovers as a team.
  The game began with Webster knocking down a 3-pointer for the Chargers before the Tars went on a quick 7-0 run. Rollins would regain the lead 9-8 after a Lehmann layup. That would be the score at the first media timeout of the opening half. After the two teams traded baskets the Tars would go on a 9-0 run to take a 20-10 lead after a Jack Fleming 3-pointer at the 11:02 mark. The Chargers would answer with the next seven points before another Fleming 3-pointer would get the Rollins lead back to six (23-17.)  The Tars would get the lead out to nine (33-24) after a Philpott free throw before the Chargers would get the capacity crowd back into it to end the half. Roberts would score the next seven points, and UAH would take a one point lead (34-33) after a Webster 3-pointer at the 2:02 mark of the opening half. They would lead by six late in the half before Jakobi Bonner would hit a pair of free throws for Rollins with .8 seconds in the half to cut the lead to four (40-36.)
  Rollins would come out with a purpose in the second half and score the first seven points of the frame. Galvis who sat the last 11 plus minutes of the opening half with two fouls drained a 3-pointer to give Rollins a 43-40 lead with 17:39 to go. The two teams would go back and forth until Merton hit a 3-pointer at the 10:23 mark to give Rollins a 55-51 lead. The Tars would lead by 10 (66-56) a little more than four minutes later after a Philpott 3-pointer. The Chargers would not go away as they would pull to within two (66-64) after a Roberts free throw. After Webster split a pair of free throws with 1:02 to go it was a one point game.  The Tars came out of a timeout and Brad Ash, Kyle Frakes, Tom Klusman and grad assistant James Ferrell drew up a set play that worked to perfection to get Merton a backdoor layup and a three point lead (68-65) with 44 seconds left. Roberts was long on what would have been the game timing 3-pointer with 22 seconds to go and Rollins secured the rebound. After making the first of two free throws with 10 seconds left Eric Castenada rebounded his own miss and drained the next two free throws. Saxon hit a 3-pointer to trim the lead to three for UAH. After missing the first of two free throws he had to intentionally miss the second. Castaneda rebounded the miss and spit a pair of free throws as the Tars walked away with a 72-68 win and the celebration began.
 Philpott and Merton both were named to the All-Tournament Team. Joining them on the All Tournament team was Webster, Saxton and Roberts from UAH.
 The pairings for the NCAA Elite Eight will be announced Wednesday after the conclusion of the East Region.

 

Rollins-UAH Battle For South Region Crown Tuesday.

The seventh seeded Rollins Tars (23-10) and University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers battle for the South Region Crown from Spragins Hall in Huntsville, Alabama Tuesday night. Nate Weyant and Jim "Shooter" Ferro will have the call on the Geico Tars Sports Network at 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park and worldwide at RollinsSports.com- while Austin David and Juan Bernal will provide pre and post game as well as halftime analysis.
 The Tars will ride a 10 game win streak into Tuesday's regional final, as they will be playing for the third time in a regional championship game. The Tars are 1-1 in previous championship games. In 2004 the Tars won the region, while they fell to Valdosta State in 2010. The winner will gain a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
 In the opening round Rollins survived an overtime thriller over Valdosta State 89-85, but the last time out was a different story. Rollins played arguably there best game of the season and rolled 88-61 over Delta State in the Regional Semis.
 Sam Philpott is the top scorer for the Tars at 15.1 ppg- while also hauling in 4.2 rebounds a night. Philpott had 22 in the victory over Delta State last time out. Jeff Merton also scored 22 in the last contest. He is putting up 14.6 points per game and averages a team leading 5.6 rebounds per contest. Joey Galvis has had an outstanding senior season as he is averaging 10.5 points- 3.5 rebounds- and 2.4 steals per game. Galvis is fourth in the nation in DII with 80 steals on the year. Freshman Of The Year Connor McKim has also had a great season as he averages 10.3 points- a team high 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds a night. The Tars are shooting 42 percent as a team from the 3-point line which is good for eighth in the nation. The Tars are coming off a blistering first half where they went 12-18 from the 3-point line against Delta State and ended up 17 of 30 for the game. Rollins averages 81.2 points a game on the offensive end- while they give up 78.2 a night.
 Huntsville (27-6) gained the top seed and the right to host the region by winning the Gulf South Tournament against Valdosta State in a winner take all conference championship game according to the NCAA Selection Committee. The Chargers defeating Clark- Atlanta in the opening round and were a 96-82 winner over Barry in the Regional Semifinals. The Chargers are playing in a fifth regional championship game. They are 2-2 in the previous four. 2011 and 2012 they advanced to the Elite Eight.
 UAH is ninth nationally shooting 41.7 percent from the 3-point line. They score 85.5 points a game- while they give up 78.7 a night.
 Sean Webster is the top scorer for the Chargers scoring 18.8 points and grabbing 8.1 rebounds a night. Brandon Roberts scores 16.2 per contest but has upped that number to 28 a night in the South Region Tournament. Troy Sexton has had an outstanding year as well as he is scoring 11.1 points- grabbing 5.1 rebounds and dishing out 4.9 assists per contest.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Huntsville by 8
 

Sweet 16! Tars Advance To Regional Final by Dismantling Delta State.

The Rollins Tars are headed to the South Region Finals after a 88-61 drubbing of Delta State in the NCAA South Regional Semifinals at Spragins Hall on the campus of the University of Alabama-Huntsville on Sunday. For the first time in a while for the Tars they were able to cruise to a victory after building a big lead. Rollins will face host and top seeded Alabama-Huntsville in the Regional Final on Tuesday Night at 8 PM Eastern time.
  Sam Philpott and Jeff Merton each poured in a game high 22 points to lead the Tars attack. Eric Castaneda turned in a 14 point- 10 rebound effort off the Rollins bench in the victory. 10 Rollins players found the scoring column in this decisive victory. Rollins shot 48 percent as a team- went 17-30 (57 percent) from the 3-point line, including 12-18 in the first half. They shot 71 percent (15-21) from the free throw line. Rollins had 16 assists and a season low six turnovers in this one. They also won the rebounding battle 38-32.
  The Statesman had three players tally double figures in the season ending loss. John Cornish led the way with 17 points- Devin Schmidt who was the all-time leading scoring in Gulf South Conference history was held to just 13- while Ravion Henry added 12.
 Delta State (23-9) shot 39 percent from the field in the defeat- they shot 31 percent (10-32) from the 3-point line. The Statesman struggled at the free throw line where they shot 58 percent (7-12.)  They had 16 assists and 12 turnovers.
 The Tars took a 8-2 lead into the first media of the the game. Delta State would cut it to one (8-7) before the Tars 3-point barrage began. Rollins next 10 baskets would all be from the 3-point line and they would build a 13 point lead (38-25) at the 4:20 mark of the half. The Tars would get a late 3-pointer from Castaneda and take a 14 point lead (46-32) into the locker room.
The second half would see the Tars build a 19-point lead (60-41) after a Merton slam that sent the Rollins bench into a frenzy. The Statesman would get to within 14 but that is as close as they would get the rest of the way.
  The Tars (23-10) who have now won 10 in a row and are the seventh seed in the region will play for the regional title for the third time in school history. In 2004 Rollins won the region, while they fell to Valdosta State in the regional final in 2010.
  Other South Regional Semifinal:
Alabama Huntsville 96 Barry 82
Tuesday's Regional Final:
#1 Alabama Huntsville vs #7 Rollins

Rollins To Face Delta State In Regional Semifinal Sunday.

The Rollins Tars (22-10) will face the Delta State Statesmen in the South Region Semifinals at Spragins Hall in Huntsville, Alabama Sunday. Tip time will be at 6 PM Eastern time. You can catch the game on 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park and round the world at RollinsSports.com.
  Rollins is coming off a thrilling 89-85 overtime win over Valdosta State on Saturday. Jeff Merton led six Tars in double figures in the victory with 16 points- Eric Castaneda (14) and Jakobi Bonner (13) were solid off the bench. Mike Bedulskis turned in a big game with 13 points and nine rebounds- Sam Philpott added 12- and- Joey Galvis turned in a double-double (10 points- 10 rebounds- three assists and three steals.)
 Rollins season box score is led by Philpott at 14.9 per night- Merton scores 14.4 per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds a night- while Joey Galvis scores 10.5 points a game. Galvis is in the top ten in the country with 77 steals in 32 games. Connor McKim is averaging double figures on the season as well and leads the team dishing out nearly four assists a contest. The Tars average 80.8 points a game as a team and allow 79 a night on the defensive end coming into the weekend.
  Delta State (23-8) averages 76.4 points a game on offense- while defensively they allow just 70.8 per contest. They are coming off a 80-67 win over Christian Brothers Saturday.
 Devin Schmidt leads the Statesman average 22.4 points a game to go along with 4.7 assists a night- Brett Warner scores 12.1 a night- and- Ravion Henry averages 9.8 per game. Schmidt leads the team in rebounding at 6.5 per night as well.
 The two teams have only met one previous time as the Tars were a 82-70 winner on November 12, 2010.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsbooks.com:
Delta State by 6.5
Other Regional Semifinal Line:
#1 Alabama Huntsville -3.5 vs #4 Barry
Tuesday's Regional Final:
#1 Alabama-Huntsville/#4 Barry winner vs #3 Delta State/ #7 Rollins winner

Survive and Advance. Tars Outlast VSU!

It took five extra minutes but the Rollins Tars advances to the semifinals of the South Regional with a 89-85 overtime thriller over the Blazers of Valdosta State in the opening round of the NCAA South Regional at Spragins Hall in Huntsville,Alabama Saturday.
  Rollins (22-10) had six players score in double figures in the thrilling overtime victory. Jeff Merton led the way with 16 points-Eric Castaneda provided 14 off the bench- Mike Bedulskis nearly had a double-double (13 points and nine rebounds-) Jakobi Bonner scored 13 huge points- Sam Philpott scored 12 points- and- Joey Galvis posted a double-double (10 points- 10 rebounds- three assists- and- three steals.
 Rollins shot 48 percent from the floor in the game- 27 percent (6-22) from the 3-point line- and shot 76 percent (25-33) from the free throw line.  They had 15 assists and 14 turnovers as a team.
 The Blazers were eliminated despite a career high 29 points from Damian Young- Jeremiah Hill provided all 19 of his points in the second half to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists- while Josh Lemons and Saddiq Muhammad each scored 10.
 VSU shot 45 percent as a team- went 12-40 (30 percent) from the 3-point line- and shot 69 percent (11-16) from the free throw line.  The Blazers won the rebounding battle 39-37. They had 22 assists and 15 turnovers.
 Rollins scored the game's first five points and jumped out to a 9-5 lead at the first media timeout. The Tars would score the next seven point capped by a Galvis 3-pointer to make it 16-5 in there favor. They would maintain the lead and lead by as many as 17 (34-17) after a Merton layup at the 4:46 mark of the opening half. The Blazers would trim the lead to 12 (40-28) heading into the locker room.
 The second half would see the Tars maintain a double digit lead until a 3-pointer by Lemons would make it 45-37 in favor of the Tars. VSU would battle back and take the lead (53-52) as Young would cap a 7-0 run with a layup at the 9:45 mark of regulation. The game would go back and forth for the next few minutes until Rollins would open up a five point lead (68-63) after a pair of Bonner free throws with just under six minutes to go. VSU would tie it on a Young 3-pointer a couple minutes later before Bonner gave the Tars the lead back with a pair more free throws at the 3:43 mark. Connor McKim would extend the Tars lead to four before five straight points by VSU would give them the lead back (73-72) after a Lemons layup at the 2:33 mark. The Tars would quickly regain the lead on a pair of Galvis free throws on the next trip. After a split pair of free throws by Rollins the game would be tied at 75 when Young made a layup at the 1:02 mark of regulation. Bedulskis would knock down a pair of free throws with 42 ticks left to give the Tars a two point lead. Young would knot the game at 77 on a pair of free throws with four seconds to go. Rollins then turned the ball over and survived regulation as the seventh seeded Tars and second seeded Blazers went into overtime.
  The Blazers would score the first five points of the extra session and led 82-77 with 3:17 to go but the Tars battled back as they have all season long. The next eight points would go the Tars way as a Merton 3-pointer would give them the lead (85-82) with 1:44 to go in the overtime. Hill would tie it with a 3-pointer 23 seconds later. Castaneda would get to the free throw line for Rollins and split a pair to give them the lead (86-85) with just under a minute to go in overtime. After a Galvis steal the Tars would call timeout and Connor McKim would drive the lane and give them a three point lead (88-85) with 11 seconds to go. Castaneda would "seal it" for the Tars with a steal and a free throw.
 Rollins will next play third seeded Delta State in the South Regional Semifinals Sunday. Tip time is set for 6 PM Eastern time. You can catch the game on the Geico Tars Sports Network at 91.5 FM WPRK and worldwide at RollinsSports.com
Other South Region Scores:
#3 Delta State 80 #6 Christian Brothers 67
#1 Alabama- Huntsville 96 #8 Clark-Atlanta 81
#4 Barry 91 #5 Eckerd 87
Sunday's Regional Semifinals:
#3 Delta State vs #7 Rollins
#1 Alabama Huntsville vs #4 Barry

Rollins Battles Valdosta State In Opening Round Saturday.

The Rollins Tars gained a return trip to the NCAA South Region and for a second straight year will participate in the Division II NCAA Tournament. In Saturday's opening round the Tars (21-10) will take on the Blazers of Valdosta State (26-5.) The game will tip at 330 PM Eastern time from Spragins Hall in Huntsville,Alabama. You can catch the game on the Geico Tars Sports Network at 91.5 FM WPRK and worldwide on RollinsSports.com. Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Nate Weyant will be on the call, with Austin David and Juan Bernal providing halftime and post-game analysis.
  The seventh seeded Tars are coming off a thrilling SSC Championship run a week ago, that was capped by a 71-70 win over Palm Beach Atlantic in the title game. Rollins took care of sixth seeded Lynn and second seeded Eckerd in the previous two contest.
 Rollins comes into the game shooting 42 percent from the 3-point line as a team. They average 80.8 points a game on offense, while giving up 79 a night on the defensive end. Sam Philpott leads Rollins in scoring averaging 15 points a game- Jeff Merton puts up 14.4 a night- while grabbing a team leading 5.8 rebounds a night. Connor McKim, who was the hero in two of the three tournament wins in the conference tournament is averaging 10.5 points a night- while he dishes out 3.9 assists a game. Joey Galvis is in the top ten in the country in Division II and led the SSC with 74 steals in 31 games.
 Valdosta State (26-5) was ranked 16th in the latest NABC Division II coaches poll. The last time out they were a 94-91 loser to Alabama Huntsville in a winner take all contest to host the South Region. The Blazers are a member of the Gulf South Conference and have won seven of the past eight. As a team the Blazers averaging 88.7 points a game on offense- while defensively they give up 78.5 per contest. Six players score in double figures for Valdosta led by Jeremiah Hill who is scoring 16.9 per game- Hill also leads the team in assists (4.3 per game) and steals with just under two per contest. Sadie Muhhamed and Jimmy Kodet both have had big years. The two have combined for 51 blocked shots on the season. Muhhamed leads the team averaging 6.7 rebounds a night.
 The last time the two teams met was in the 2010 SSC- GSC crossover. Valdosta was a 93-83 winner in that one.  Rollins is 7-6 all time in the first round of the NCAA tournament and 2-1 as the 7th seed.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Valdosta State by 6.5
Other South Region Games and Lines Saturday:
#4 Barry -4.5 vs #5 Eckerd
#3 Delta State -6 vs Christian Brothers
#1 Alabama-Huntsville -11.5 vs #8 Clark-Atlanta

Rollins Returns To South Region.

For the second straight season the Rollins Tars (21-10) will advance to the NCAA South Region tournament. Once again Alabama-Huntsville will serve as the hosts. Rollins will be the seventh seed, as the automatic qualifier from the Sunshine State Conference after the thrilling 71-70 win over Palm Beach Atlantic Sunday. The Tars will face second seeded Valdosta State. The Blazers fell to Huntsville in the Gulf South Championship Game Sunday. Huntsville will be the top seed and face eight seed Clark-Atlanta- #4 Barry will face #5 Eckerd- while third seeded Delta State will face sixth seeded Christian Brothers.
 The Tars- Valdosta game will be at 3:30 ET time on Saturday. Stay tuned, as the preview of this game and the rest of the lines around the region will come in the coming days.

Tournament Champs!

Connor McKim nailed a 3-pointer with three seconds to go that proved to be the game winner, as the Rollins Tars captured the school's first tournament championship since 2011 with a 71-70 win over Palm Beach Atlantic at the ICI Center in Daytona Beach Sunday.
 Rollins (21-10) will be the automatic qualifier from the Sunshine State Conference, and will play in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Tars come into the tournament winners of 13 of the last 15 contests.
  The Tars trailed by 10 with less than eight minutes to go and rallied for the stunning victory.  They were down six with 1:34 to go in the contest.
 Jeff Merton was the tournament MVP and had a double-double (19 points and 12 rebounds) to lead the Tars. The Naples native set a new career high with 12 rebounds in this one- Eric Castaneda knocked down four 3-pointer's en route to his 12 points- Joey Galvis stuffed the stat sheet once again with nine points- eight assists- and- three steals- while McKim also scored nine including the game winner.  Galvis and McKim joined Merton on the All-Tournament team.
 Bakhari Warthen and Milos Kostic paced PBA (16-13) with 21 points each.  Malik Barber also scored in double figures with 10.
  The game began with Rollins jumping  out to a 8-1 lead four and a half minutes in. After a Sailfish run they would climb to within two (17-15) at the 10 minute mark of the opening half. The Tars would lead by 16 (37-21) with 3:28 to go in the first, before the Sailfish finished the half on a 8-0 run. Rollins led 37-29 at the intermission.
 The second half was a wild one, with plenty of swings of momentum. With 14:01 in the game the Tars would have a six point lead (46-40) before the Sailfish rattled off a 18-2 run that put the Tars down eight (58-50) with 7:30 to go.  Rollins would be down six (70-64) with 1:34 to play after Castaneda hit a pair of huge 3-pointer's.  Philpott would get the Tars within four after a pair of free throws- and then McKim would knock down a pair of his own to trim the PBA lead to two (70-68) with 48 seconds to go.  After Rollins missed the front end of a one and one, Galvis would come up with a huge hustle play to force a jump ball as the arrow favored the Tars.  Galvis found McKim in the left corner and he knocked down what proved to be the game winner.  PBA had one last chance but could not convert as the Tars players stormed the court in celebration.
  Rollins shot 50 percent as a team in the contest- they shot 41 percent (7-17) from the 3-point line. The Tars were a solid 76 percent (12-16) at the free throw line.  They had 16 assists and 15 turnovers as a team.
PBA shot 45 percent as a team- 47 percent (7-15) from the 3-point line- and 63 percent (15-24) at the free throw line.  The Sailfish won the rebounding battle 35-29- they had 13 assists and 14 turnovers as a team.
 The tournament title was the fifth in program history. It was the first time in Tom Klusman's coaching career that his team won the title when they did not also win the regular season title.
 Rollins will learn where they will play and when as the NCAA Selection Show will be held at 1030 PM on NCAA.com

Rollins-PBA Battle For SSC Title Sunday.

The third seeded Rollins Tars and the four seed Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish will battle Sunday at 4 PM inside the ICI Center on the campus of Embry-Riddle.  You can catch the game on the Geico Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com and 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park with Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Robert Segal.  The game will also be broadcast on SunshineStateConference.com, as well as ESPN 3.
 The Tars are coming off a big 81-70 win over Eckerd on Saturday night.  The Tars scored 44 points and just had a pair of turnovers in the second half Saturday.  Rollins won both meetings in the regular season with the Sailfish.
  Sam Philpott paces the tars at 15.2 points a game- Jeff Meron puts up 14.2 a night to go along with 5.6 rebounds a contest. Connor McKim and Joey Galvis each score 10.6 a game- while McKim dishes out 3.9 assists a contest.  Galvis is 10th nationally with 71 steals for the season.  The Tars average 81.1 points a game on offense-while defensively they give up 79.3 per game.  The Tars lead the SSC shooting 42 percent from the 3-point line.
 Bakhari Warten leads PBA with 13.8 points and 5.1 rebounds a game- Grant Gullett scores 13 a night- and Dakota Zinser scores 10.2 a contest.  Lucas Morales leads the team in rebounding at 6.6 a game- while Michale Stone has a team high 93 assists.  The Sailfish score 77.4 a game- while they give up 78.5 a contest.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Rollins by 6

Rollins Knocks Off Eckerd To Advance To Title Game.

When they were 8-8 and 1-5 in the SSC who would have guessed the Rollins Tars would be in this spot? The Tars were a 81-70 winner over Eckerd in the SSC Semifinals at the ICI Center in Daytona Beach on the campus of Embry-Riddle.
 With the victory third seeded Rollins (20-10) will take on fourth seeded Palm Beach Atlantic in the SSC Title game at 4 PM Sunday. You can catch the the game on RollinsSports.com and locally on 91.5 FM WPRK.
  Rollins was led by five players in double figures on the evening. Jeff Merton led the way with 23 points- Sam Philpott scored 17- Joey Galvis stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points- nine rebounds- seven assists- and three steals. Eric Castaneda had 13 off the bench- while Connor McKim scored all 11 of his points in the second half.
 The Tars shot 47 percent as a team- 46 percent (12-26) from the 3-point line- and shot 79 percent (15-19) at the free throw line.  The Tars had 14 assists and eight turnovers.
  Eckerd (21-8) was led by Matt Beneduci with 21 points- Trevon Young had 15 points and nine rebounds- while Drushaun McLaurn added 14.
  The Tritons shot 46 percent as a team- 37 percent (11-30) from the 3-point line- and- 56 percent (5-9) at the free throw line.  The Tritons edged Rollins on the glass 35-32.  They had 20 assists and 13 turnovers as a team.
  Both teams got off to a very slow start and it was 4-0 at Eckerd at the first media.  Castaneda would get the Tars on the board at the 15:30 mark of the opening half.  After a four 3-pointer first half from Beneduci and a pair from  Walsh Eckerd led by 12 (32-20) with 5:45 in the opening half.  The Tars trailed by 10 with 2:24 in the half but got the lead down to two (39-37) after a deep Castaneda 3-pointer right before the intermission.
  With 14:45 to go the Tars would take the first lead of the game after a Philpott 3-pointer.  Eckerd would run off the next six points, but the Tars would fight back right away.  Rollins would go on a 15-2 run and take a eight point lead (65-57.)  Eckerd would get to within five but that is the closest they would get the rest of the way as Rollins advances to Sunday's 4 PM title game.
Other SSC Semifinal:
#4 Palm Beach Atlantic 97 #1 Barry 95 (OT)
Sunday SSC Final:
#3 Rollins vs #4 Palm Beach Atlantic