Tars Shoot Way Past Saint Leo Saturday.

The Rollins Tars ran there winning streak to six games over the Saint Leo Lions at the Bowman Activities Center as they were a 80-67 winner on Saturday. With the win Rollins improved to 8-4 and 2-2 in the SSC. With the defeat Saint Leo fell to 4-8 and 1-3 in the SSC.
  Hutton Yenor sparked Rollins off the bench and paced four Tars in double figures with 17 points- Jakobi Bonner added 16- Connor McKim netted 14- and- Trevor Recio had 11 in the victory. The hot shooting Tars shot 57 percent from the field- and- a sizzling 63 percent (10-16) from the 3-point line. They shot at a 78 percent clip (14-18) at the free throw line. Rollins had 17 assists and 16 turnovers as a team. The Tars also edged the Lions on the boards 27-23.
 Saint Leo was paced by 14 points from Isaiah Hill- Junior Searcy scored 13- Daniel Duarte chipped in 12- and- Kyran McClure had 11 in the defeat.  The Lions shot 50 percent from the floor- 31 percent (9-29) from the 3-point line- and- were 8 of 8 at the free throw line. The Lions had 17 assists and 19 turnovers in the game.
  The teams traded baskets in the early going as the game was knotted at six after neither team could find the bottom of the net for one minute and 31 seconds that brought us to the 14:34 mark of the opening half. Rollins would lead by six (19-13) midway thru the half as McKim- and- Yenor would knock down 3-pointer's.  From the 9:53 mark to the 7:32 mark of the half the Tars would go on a 10-0 run to take a 16 point lead (29-13.)  The Tars would take a 19 point lead (39-20) at halftime. Bonner would lead the way with nine points in the opening half- while Recio and Yenor would score seven each. The Tars shot 63 percent in the opening half and 67 percent (4-6) from the 3-point line.  The Tars made the only free throw they attempted in the first 20 minutes. They won the rebounding battle 13-8 in the first half- had 11 assists and nine turnovers.
 The Lions were led by Searcy with six points in the first 20 minutes. They shot just 35 percent from the field- and- were stymied by the Rollins zone shooting 13 percent (2-15) from the 3-point line.  They made both first half free throws they attempted.  The Lions had six assists and 11 turnovers in the first half.
  Rollins would lead by as many as 27 points in the second half (56-29) after a Yenor 3-pointer at the 14:41 mark of the contest.  Saint Leo would score the next seven points to cut it back down to 20 (56-36) after a Hill layup. The Tars would maintain a double digit lead the rest of the way and go on to the victory.
Rollins will be back in action Wednesday as they host Nova Southeastern to open the new year. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM at Warden Arena and you can catch all the action on 91.5 FM WPRK and on RollinsSports.com
Other SSC Scores Saturday:
Nova Southeastern 117 Florida Southern 95
Lynn 71 Eckerd 62
Tampa 85 Embry-Riddle 73
Barry 95 Florida Tech 68
SSC Standings:
Nova Southeastern 4-0 (10-0)
Lynn 4-0 (10-0)
Barry 3-1 (8-3)
Florida Southern 2-1 (9-2)
Eckerd 2-2 (9-3)
Rollins 2-2 (8-4)
Tampa 2-2 (8-4)
Embry-Riddle1-3 (8-7)
Saint Leo 1-3 (4-8)
Florida Tech 0-3 (6-5)
Palm Beach Atlantic 0-3 (4-7)

Rollins Travels To Saint Leo Saturday.

The Rollins Tars return from the holiday break Saturday as they travel to Saint Leo to take on the Lions. The game can be heard on 91.5 FM WPRK and also at RollinsSports.com. It is scheduled to tip at 4 PM at the Bowman Activities Center.
  Rollins (7-4 1-2 SSC) looks to bounce back after a pair of losses in Las Vegas prior to the holiday break. The Tars were a 89-79 loser to Angelo State and then fell 72-53 to Tarleton State in Las Vegas. The Tars will look to win back to back conference games for the first time this season after defeating Palm Beach Atlantic to get Tom Klusman career win number 700 in December. The game against the Lions will be just the second true road game of the season for the Tars. Jakobi Bonner leads the team in scoring at 16.1 points per night and hauls in 4.8 rebounds per contest- Connor McKim averages 14 points per night and is leading the team averaging 2.8 assists per contest. Rollins is fifth in the league in scoring offense (79.3 ppg-) and- is also fifth in defense (72.8 points per night.)
 Saint Leo (4-7 1-2 SSC) is coming off a 77-70 loss to Cedarville in the Mocs Christmas Classic at Florida Southern. Like the Tars the Lions lone conference win came against Palm Beach Atlantic. The Lions are also the only team to lose by single digits to #6 Nova Southeastern, as they lost 77-75 to the Sharks. Kyran McClure is the leading scorer for the Lions averaging 13.9 points per game- Junior Searcy nets 11.8 points per contest- and- Yalen Reed is scoring 11.4 per night and leads the team dishing out five assists a game. The Lions score 72.2 points per game- while they allow 74.6 per contest.  The Lions will look to snap a five game losing streak to the Tars at the Bowman Activities Center.
The line presented by Juan Bernal SportsBooks.com: Saint Leo by 5
Other SSC Games Saturday:
Florida Southern +7 @Nova Southeastern
Lynn +3 @Eckerd
Tampa +4.5 @ Embry-Riddle
SSC Standings:
Nova Southeastern 3-0 (9-0)
Lynn 2-0 (9-0)
Florida Southern 2-0 (9-1)
Eckerd 2-1 (9-2)
Barry 2-1 (7-3)
Rollins 1-2 (7-4)
Tampa 1-2 (7-4)
Embry-Riddle 1-2 (7-6)
Saint Leo 1-2 (4-7)
Florida Tech 0-2 (6-4)
Palm Beach Atlantic 0-3 (4-7)

Texans Roll Past Tars Wednesday.

The Tarleton State Texans rolled past the Rollins College Tars 72-53 at the Doolittle Center on Wednesday. With the win the Texans improved to 9-2 on the season. Rollins fell to 7-4 on the year after the loss.
   Parker Davis was the leading scorer for Rollins on the day with 14 points- two other players tallied double figures as well, as Hutton Yenor scored 12 off the bench- while Jakobi Bonner chipped in 10. Rollins shot 32 percent on the day- 31 percent (11-35) from the 3-point line- and- converted on both free throw attempts (2-2.)  Rollins had 15 assists and six turnovers in the defeat.
  The Texans were led by 20 points and 13 rebounds from Josh Hawley- Randall Broddie netted 15- Corinithian Ramsey tallied 12- and- Richie Mitchell had 11. The Texans were hot from both the field (56 percent on 25-45 shooting-) and- the 3-point line (50 percent on 14-28.)  The Texans shot 67 percent (8-12) from the free throw line.  The Texans easily won the rebounding battle 38-24.  They had 20 assists and 17 turnovers as a team.
  The Texans jumped out to a 17-3 lead before a Yenor 3-pointer at the 12:48 mark of the opening half. The score was 17-8 before  Broddie 3-pointer gave the Texans a 12 point lead (20-8) with 7:55 in the half.  Tarleton State would lead by 21 (36-15) going into halftime.
  The Texans lead would balloon to 27 (46-19) before the Tars went on a 11-0 run capped by a Davis 3-pointer. Tarleton State would score for the first time in over five minutes on Broddie layup with 11:24 to go.  The Tars would not get any closer than 17 the rest of the way as the Texans secured the victory.
  The Tars will be back in action on 12/29 when they take on Saint Leo. Tip time is set for 4 PM at the Marion Bowman Activities Center. You can catch all the action on 91.5 FM WPRK and at RollinsSports.com.
Other SSC Games Wednesday:
Nova Southeastern 125 Bluefield State 82
Southern Indiana 82 Barry 61
Embry-Riddle 93 Columbia International 69
Eckerd 70 Limestone 54
Cedarville 77 Saint Leo 70
Tiffin 78 Florida Tech 74
Tampa 115 Shaw 98
Lynn 65 Caldwell 63
Florida Southern 69 Bloomfield 58

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

Tars Close Out Short Stay In Vegas With Tarleton State Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars and Tarleton State close out the Holiday Sports Tour Classic in Las Vegas with a 3 PM eastern tip at the Doolittle Center Wednesday. You can catch all the action at RollinsSports.com as well as on 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park. Rollins comes into the game with a 7-3 record- while the Texans are 8-2 on the year.
  Rollins was a 89-79 loser in the opener in Vegas on Tuesday. Jakobi Bonner led the Tars in scoring with 20 points- while Hutton Yenor added 12.  Eric Castaneda and Connor McKim each had 11 in a losing effort.  Rollins shot 47 percent from the field in the defeat.  The Tars were dominated on the boards 39-18. Rollins committed 16 turnovers and forced 26 on the day Tuesday. They shot 36 percent (9-25) from the 3-point line- and- shot at a 69 percent clip (22-32) from the free throw line.
  The Texans were a 59-50 winner in a defensive battle against LeMoyne on Tuesday.  Josh Hawley paced the Texans with 24 points and Jesse Hill had 18 in the win. They each established new career highs in the contest.  The Texans shot 58 percent from the field- 46 percent (6-13) from the 3-point line- and- 25 percent (1-4) at the free throw line.  The Texans dominated the glass with a +17 (35-18) rebounding advantage over the Dolphins.  They had 16 assists and 16 turnovers in the contest.
 The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com: Tarleton State by 9.5
Scores Monday:
Nova Southeastern 106 Caldwell 72
Lynn 75 Bluefield State 63
Other Scores Tuesday:
Tiffin 99 Embry-Riddle 95
Eckerd 88 Shaw 82
Saint Leo 72 Bloomfield 63
Florida Tech 96 Columbia International 82
Bellarmine 90 Barry 67
Tampa 80 Limestone 51
Florida Southern 64 Cedarville 61


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

Rams Get Past Tars Tuesday.

The Rollins Tars opened play in the Sports Tours Holiday Hoops Classic Tuesday falling 89-79 to Angelo State at the Doolittle Center. With the loss the Tars fell to 7-3 on the season. Angelo State improved to 8-2 with the win.
  Four Rollins players scored in double figures in the loss. Jakobi Bonner paced the Tars with 20 points- Hutton Yenor chipped in 12- while Connor McKim and Eric Castaneda each netted 11. Rollins shot 47 percent as a team in the loss. They shot 36 percent (9-25) from the 3-point line- and- 69 percent (22-32) at the free throw line.  The Tars had 15 assists and 16 turnovers in the contest.
  The Rams were paced by 22 points from Antonio Singleton- while they also had three other players in double figures. Kiair Crouch scored 14- Ronald Bell tallied a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds)- while- Paul Williams scored 10. The Rams shot 59 percent from the floor- 48 percent (11-23) from the 3-point line and- 70 percent (14-20) from the free throw line. The Rams dominated the boards, winning the rebounding battle 39-18. They had 21 assists and 26 turnovers in the contest.
  The game went back and forth in the early going. It was knotted at 20 midway thru the opening half. The Rams went up by as many as six before the Tars closed the half on a 5-0 burst to cut the lead to 41-40 after a McKim 3-pointer right before the first half buzzer.
   It was all Rams in the early stages of the second half as Rollins had a hard time finding the basket. Rollins missed seven straight shots to start the half and the Rams led by 17 (61-44) with 12:47 to play. Rollins would not go away though. They would cut the lead to single digits (76-68) with 3:48 to go. Then the Rams would get a pair of free throws and a pair of Crouch 3-pointer's to put the game away at 84-69 with 1:44 to go. The Tars would get it to eight one last time but would ultimately fall by 10 (89-79.)
  Rollins will be right back in action tomorrow afternoon as they take on Tarleton State to conclude the Sports Tours Holiday Hoops Classic. Tip time will be 3 PM eastern time once again. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com as well as 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park.

Rollins Battles Angelo State In Vegas Tuesday.

The Rollins Tars get back on the hardwood after a 11 day layoff for final exams at they battle Angelo State in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon. Tip time is at 3 PM eastern time and you can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com as well as 91.5 FM WPRK.
 Rollins (7-2) is coming off a 80-79 win over Palm Beach Atlantic last time out. The victory was the first for the Tars in three tries in the SSC. With the victory Rollins Coach Tom Klusman became a member of the 700 win club. Klusman now has the most wins of active DII coaches in the Sunshine State conference as he passed Richard Schmidt of Tampa. Connor McKim had 18 points to lead Rollins in the victory- while Trevor Recio came off the bench to score 14.  Jakobi Bonner is the leading scorer for Rollins at 16.3 points per game. He also hauls in 5.3 rebounds per contest. McKim scores 15.2 a night and dishes out three assists a game.  Rollins is averaging 82.2 points per game- while giving up 71.1 per night.  The Tars have been solid on the glass, out rebounding opponents by nearly five per contest.
 Angelo State (7-2) is outscoring the opponent by 13.5 points per contest on the season. The Rams were a 26 point winner over St.Mary's last time out.  Antonio Singleton had 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the victory- while Daron Mims netted16. Mims is the Rams leading scorer at 14.3 points per game- Ronald Belle is averaging 13.3 points and grabbing a team leading 7.1 rebounds per night- and- Singleton is scoring 13.3 per contest. The Rams are +8.8 in rebounding margin on the season. The Rams score 83.4 per game- while they allow 69.9 per contest.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsbooks.com: Angelo St by 12
SSC Standings:
Nova Southeastern 3-0 (7-0)
Lynn 2-0 (8-0)
Florida Southern 2-0 (7-1)
Barry 2-1 (7-1)
Eckerd 2-1 (7-2)
Rollins 1-2 (7-2)
Embry-Riddle 1-2 (7-5)
Tampa 1-2 (5-4)
Saint Leo 1-2 (3-6)
Florida Tech 1-2 (5-3)
Palm Beach Atlantic 0-3 (4-7)

700!! Tars Edge PBA As Klusman gets Milestone Win!

It was not easy for the Rollins College Tars but they got the job done Friday night at Rubin Arena. After a furious rally by Palm Beach Atlantic in the final minute the Tars escaped West Palm with a 80-79 win that was win number 700 for Tom Klusman in his illustrious career. With the win Rollins improved to 7-2 and 1-2 in the SSC. After the loss PBA fell to 1-7 and 0-3 in the SSC.
  Connor McKim lead four players in double figures with 18 points- Trevor Recio netted 14- Jakobi Bonner added 11- and- Chu Enechionyia had 10.  The hot shooting Tars shot 54 percent from the field- 53 percent (10-19) from the 3-point line- and- 77 percent (20-26) from the free throw line.  Rollins had 12 assists and 21 turnovers.
  PBA had three players in double figures in the defeat. Casey Carpenillo paced the Sailfish with 20- Bakhari Warthen had 17- and- Jules Jasmin netted 15. The "Fish" shot 46 percent from the field and 34 percent (11-32) from the 3-point line.  PBA struggled at the free throw line where they shot 57 percent (8-14.)  PBA had 18 assists and 18 turnovers. PBA won the rebounding battle 33-28.
  The Tars would lead 14-13 halfway thru the opening half. The lead would be six (19-13) with nine minutes left in the half. Parker Davis would knock down a 3-pointer to make it 25-19 Rollins with just under six to go in the half. Connor MCKIm would knock down a 3-pointer and the Tars had a 11 point lead (30-19) with under three minutes in the half. PBA would finish the half on a 9-2 run to get to within three (32-29) at the half.
Trevor Recio had 11 to lead Rollins in the opening half- while Davis netted seven. The Tars shot 55 percent from the field and 50 percent (5-10) from the 3-point line in the half. They shot at a 75 percent clip (3-4) at the free throw line.  The Tars had seven assists and 10 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
  PBA was led by Jasmin with nine points and Matthew Johnson with seven. They shot 48 percent from the field- 20 percent (2-10) from the 3-point line- and- 43 percent (3-7) at the free throw line.
  After a McKim 3-pointer at the 16:25 mark the Tars led by eight (40-32.)  Eric Castaneda would hit a 3-ball 5:30 minutes later and the Tars lead was 11 (51-40.)  PBA would then run off the next seven points. Warthen would hit a 3-pointer at the 5:37 mark and it was a three point game (60-57.)  The Fish would then tie it at 60 on the next trip. Rollins would score the next six points before the teams would trade baskets.  Rollins would lead by eight (73-65) with 53 seconds to go but the Sailfish would not go away. The Fish would get to within two (78-76) with 18 seconds to go. Bonner would make a layup to all but Seal. Warthen would hit a 3-ball at the buzzer to account for the final margin.
 Rollins will be back in action in Las Vegas after talking a week off.
SSC Scores Saturday:
Barry 80 Eckerd 74
Tampa 99 Florida Tech 69
Nova Southeastern Nova Southeastern 91 Saint Leo 89
SSC Standings:
Nova Southeastern 3-0 (6-0)
Lynn 2-0 (6-0)
Florida Southern 2-0 (6-1)
Barry 2-1 (6-1)
Eckerd 2-1 (7-2)
Rollins 1-2 (7-2)
Embry-Riddle 1-2 (7-5)
Tampa 1-2 (5-4)
Saint Leo 1-2 (3-6)
Florida Tech 0-2 (5-3)
Palm Beach Atlantic 0-3 (2-7)

Rollins Battles PBA AS Klusman Seeks 700th Win.

The Rollins Tars will head to Palm Beach Atlantic on Friday night, as Coach Tom Klusman will seek his 700th win. It is a 6 PM tip  from Rubin Arena and you can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com as well as 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park.
  Rollins (6-2 0-2 SSC) is coming off a 98-57 thrashing of Warner on Wednesday night. Hutton Yenor paced the Tars with a career high 21 points- Connor McKim scored 20- and- Trevor Recio netted 18 in the victory. Eric Castaneda had a team leading 10 rebounds.  Jakobi Bonner is leading the Tars in scoring putting up 17 a night and is hauling in a team leading 5.8 rebounds per contest.  McKim leads the team in assists at more than three per game to go along with his 14.9 points per night.  Yenor is also scoring in double figures- averaging 10.3 a game.  The Tars are scoring 82.5 points a game on offense which is good for third in the SSC. At the defensive end they are giving up 70.1 points per game which is fifth in the conference. The Tars have been very good on the glass, where they are out rebounding opponents by six a night.
  Klusman got his first win back on 1/12/80 when the Tars beat Webber 95-73.  Win number 95 came on 12/29/86 when he passed Boyd Coffie to become the winningest coach in Rollins history. Win #100 came on 1/8/87 vs Saint Leo. #200 was against Florida Tech on 1/15/92. Klusman picked up win #300 on 12/30/97 vs Baker University. He then secured win #400 on 12/6/03 vs Bluefield State. Win number 500 came against Eckerd on 1/30/08- while Klusman's 600th win was against Florida Tech on 1/19/13.
  PBA comes into the game 1-6 and 0-2 in the SSC. They have lost five straight. The Sailfish have lost to Lynn and Saint Leo in conference play. Jules Jasmin is the leading scorer for the Sailfish at 16.6 points a night. He also contributes 5.9 rebounds a contest. De'Ondre Jackson nets 14.3 per night- while Andrew Moemeka averages 8.8 points and grabs a team leading 6.2 rebounds a night.  PBA is at the bottom of the league in offense putting up 74.1 points a night- while giving up a league worst 80.3 points a contest.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsbooks.com: Palm Beach Atlantic by 2.5

 

Rollins Rolls Past Warner Wednesday

The Rollins Tars needed a bounce back game after a pair of tough losses to start conference play. They got back on track in a big way as they rolled past Warner 98-57. With the win the Tars improve to 6-2 on the season and 0-2 in the SSC. With the loss Warner falls to 7-5 on the season.
  Five Tars scored in double figures in the victory.  Hutton Yenor led the way with a career high 21 points- Connor McKim netted 20- Trevor Recio tallied 18- Jakobi Bonner added 11- and- Marcus Camacho scored in double digits with 10. With the victory Tom Klusman now has 699 career wins. The Tars shot 49 percent from the field- and- 40 percent from the 3-point line.  They shot at a 86 percent clip at the free throw line (12-14.)  The Tars had 26 assists and 13 turnovers in the game.  They easily won the rebounding battle 44-33.
 The Royals were led by Khalil Ozuna who was the only Royal in double figures with 15 points. Joseph Martz added eight off the bench. The Royals shot 32 percent from the field- 26 percent from the 3-point line- and- 76 percent at the free throw line.  They had 13 assists and 24 turnovers as a team.
  After falling behind 4-0 early the Tars would get a 3-pointer from McKim to get on the board at the 17 minute mark of the first half. Ozuna would give the Royals a 6-3 lead with a jumper, then the Tars would go to work. Rollins would go on a 24-0 run to go up 27-6 with 9:09 in the first half. Rollins would take a 20 point lead (46-26) into the halftime break.
  With 13 minutes to go the lead would grow to 35 (66-31) for the Tars. Warner would not get any closer than 29 the rest of the way, as the Tars would lead by as many as 42 in the convincing win.
 Rollins will get right back into Sunshine State Conference Play Friday when they battle Palm Beach Atlantic. Tip off at Rubin Arena is set for 6 PM. As always you can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com and on 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park.

Tars Look To Get Back on Track Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars losers of two straight will look to get back  into the win column on  Wednesday when they host Warner at Warden Arena. Tip time is set for 7 PM and you can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com and WPRK 91.5 FM.
  Rollins (5-2 0-2 SSC) got off to a hot start winning five games by an average of 16 plus points per game. Since then they have dropped a pair by an average of 11 points a contest, with both teams shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
 Last time out the Tars lost to Lynn by a score of 90-80.  Lynn is currently the #18 team in the country and broke down the Rollins zone by knocking down 17 3-pointer's in the contest on Saturday.  Jakobi Bonner paced three Tars in double figures with 24 points- Eric Castaneda netted 14- and- Daniel Loh chipped in 13 of his own.
  Bonner is leading the team in scoring at 17.9 points a night to go along with 6.3 rebounds a game.  Bonner has scored 20 points three times and tallied double figures in all but one contest. Connor McKim is scoring 14.1 points per game and leads the team in assists, as well as steals.  Daniel Loh is averaging 11 points a night and grabbing 5.7 rebounds a contest.  The Tars are averaging 80.3 points a game- while they give up 72 per night. However, Rollins is out rebounding the opponents by more than five rebounds per contest.
  Warner (7-4 3-1) played in what was the Sun Conference Game Of The Week last time out. The Royals erased a 20 point halftime deficit to stun Coastal Georgia 77-71.  Trae Graham led Warner with 22 points and nine rebounds.  Darryl Mercer scored 19- and- Kahalik Ozuna scored 18. All but seven points by Warner were scored by the starters.  Graham is the Royals leading scorer at 18.4 points per game- while Ozuna nearly averages a double-double, putting up 17.1 points and grabbing a team leading 9.8 rebounds a night.  They score 82.8 points a game and give up 78.9 a contest.
  The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com: Rollins by 8.5

Rollins Knocked Off by Lynn Saturday.

The Rollins Tars and Lynn Fighting Knights were hooked in another good one for much of the way Saturday. But ultimately it was the Fighting Knights who came away with the 90-80 win at Warden Arena in Winter Park. The loss was the second straight for the Tars, as they fell to 5-2 and 0-2 in the SSC. On the other side the Fighting Knights improved to 6-0 on the year and 2-0 in the SSC.
  Jakobi Bonner paced five Tars in double figures with 24 points. Eric Castenada returned on Saturday and scored 14 points off the Rollins bench. Daniel Loh scored 13- Connor McKim added 12- and- Parker Davis contributed 10 for the home standing Tars.  They shot 49 percent from the field- 41 percent (7-17) from the 3-point line- and- 68 percent (23-34) from the free throw line.  Rollins had nine assists and 11 turnovers in the contest.
  Lynn was led by Brandon Bornelus with 24 points- Darius Moore also had a big night with 22 of his own as he knocked down six 3-pointer's.  Michael Baez netted 14 points- and- Darius James put up 12.  Lynn was hot from both the field (29-58 for 50 percent-) and- the 3-point line (17-33) for 52 percent. They shot 63 percent (15-24) from the free throw line.  The Fighting Knights had 24 assists and 15 turnovers.
   The Tars jumped out to a big lead and led 19-4 to start the contest.  Lynn battled back though and got to within eight (43-35) at halftime.  The Tars would battle back and take a brief three point lead midway thru the second half. The lead would be short-lived and Lynn would take control of the game late to secure the victory.
Other SSC Scores:
Eckerd 84 Florida Tech 63
Barry 83 Tampa 71
Saint Leo 71 Palm Beach Atlantic 66
Nova Southeastern 106 Embry-Riddle 87
SSC Standings:
Lynn 2-0 (6-0)
Nova Southeastern 2-0 (5-0)
Eckerd 2-0 (7-1)
Florida Southern 1-0 (5-1)
Barry 1-1 (5-1)
Embry-Riddle 1-1 (7-4)
Saint Leo 1-1 (3-5)
Florida Tech 0-1 (5-2)
Rollins 0-2 (5-2)
Tampa 0-2 (4-4)
Palm Beach Atlantic 0-2 (1-6)

Rollins hosts Fighting Knights Saturday.

The Rollins Tars coming off there first loss of the season last time out, will take on the undefeated Fighting Knights of Lynn on Saturday. Tip time is set for 4 PM. As always you can catch the game on RollinsSports.com and on 91.5 FM WPRK.
  Rollins (5-1 0-1 SSC) was a 81-69 loser to Embry-Riddle in the team's conference opener on Wednesday night.  Parker Davis scored a career high 20 points for the Tars in the defeat. Daniel Loh also scored in double figures for Rollins-as he tallied 11 points.  The Tars shot 42 percent from the floor- 32 percent (8-25) from the 3-point line- and- 56 percent (5-9) from the free throw line in the defeat.  Rollins had 11 assists and 14 turnovers in the contest.
  Rollins has four players averaging double figure scoring for the season.  Jakobi Bonner leads the way putting up 16.8 points per night- Connor McKim is averaging 14.5 points a contest- Loh is scoring 10.7 per game- and- Hutton Yenor averages 10.3 per game.  As a team the Tars are scoring 80.3 points per contest.  Defensively they are giving up just 69 points per night.  The Tars have out rebound the opponent by more than five boards a contest (38.7-33_ and are averaging more than two more assists a game than the opposition (13-11.) Coach Tom Klusman sits at 698 wins in his career.
  Lynn (5-0 1-0 SSC) comes in on a five game win streak to begin the campaign. The Fighting Knights also upset Florida Atlantic 92-87 in an exhibition game as well. Last time out the Fighting Knights were a 86-70 winner over Palm Beach Atlantic Wednesday.  Brandon Bornelus paced five Lynn players in double figures with 21 points in the victory.  Michael Baez scored 18 points- Rasheed Worrell scored 11 points- Jamal Palmer netted 10- and- Darius Moore added 10 off the bench. Lynn shot 48 percent as a team- 42 percent from the 3-point line- 79 percent from the free throw line- while they won the rebounding battle 31-26.  Lynn had 15 assists and 16 turnovers.
  Bornelus leads the Knights in scoring at 17 points per game- Palmer puts up 14 a night- Moore scores 14 a game as well- while Michael Baez averages 13.8 a game and Worrell scores 10 a game.
As a team the Fighting Knights score 75.8 points per game- while they out rebound the opponent by more than three rebounds per contest.
The line presented by JuanbernalSportsbooks.com: Lynn by 2.5
Other SSC Lines Saturday:
Eckerd -7.5 @Florida Tech
Barry-4 @Tampa
Saint Leo +6 @Palm Beach Atlantic
Nova Southeastern -4 @Embry-Riddle

ERAU Hands Tars Loss In Conference Opener Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars were a 81-69 loser to Embry-Riddle in the conference opener for both teams Wednesday at Warden Arena.  The Tars fall to 5-1 (0-1 SSC) on the season with the loss. With the victory ERAU improves to 7-3 1-0 SSC.)
  Rollins was led by a pair of players in double figures. Parker Davis had a career high 20 points- while Daniel Loh added 11. Rollins shot 42 percent from the field- 32 percent (8-25) from the 3-point line- and- 56 percent (5-9) at the free throw line.  They had 11 assists and 14 turnovers in the contest.
  The Eagles had five players in double figures paced by Tyler Lockett-Fuller with 15 points.  Nick Heard had 13- Elijah Jenkins had 12- Luka Majstorovic had 11- and- CJ Henagan netted 10 off the bench.
ERAU shot the ball well from the field (52 percent-) and the 3-point line (11-26) for 42 percent.  They shot at a 75 percent clip (12-16) at the free throw line.  The Eagles won the rebounding battle 37-33.  They had 15 assists and 18 turnovers as a team.
  The first 10 minutes of the game saw three ties and four lead changes.  Rollins would go on a 10-2 run late in the opening half to take a nine point lead (35-26) with 2:37 until halftime.  ERAU would close the half on a 13-2 run to take a 39-37 lead into the locker room.
  The teams would go back and forth for the next several minutes. After a Sheldon Odunna layup the game was tied at 58 with 9:09 to go.  ERAU would score the next five, before a Davis basket would cut it to three. The Eagles would then go on a 11-0 burst to go up 76-62 with 4:02 to go. The Tars would get no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
 Rollins will continue the home stand Saturday when they take on Lynn. Tip time is set for 4 PM. As always you can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com and listen on 91.5 FM WPRK.
  Other SSC Scores Wednesday:
Lynn 86 Palm Beach Atlantic 70
Nova Southeastern 103 Barry 93
Florida Southern 74 Tampa 67
Eckerd 83 Saint Leo 69
SSC Standings:
Lynn 1-0 (5-0)
Nova Southeastern 1-0 (4-0)
Eckerd 1-0 (6-1)
Florida Southern 1-0 (5-1)
Embry-Riddle 1-0 (7-3)
Florida Tech 0-0 (5-1)
Rollins 0-1 (5-1)
Barry 0-1 (4-1)
Tampa 0-1 (4-3)
Saint Leo 0-1 (2-5)
Palm Beach Atlantic 0-1 (1-5)

 

Rollins Battles Embry-Riddle In SSC Opener Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars (5-0) battle Embry-Riddle in the Sunshine State Conference Opener for both teams on Wednesday night at Warden Arena. Tip time is 730 PM. As always you can catch all the action live on RollinsSports.com and on 91.5 FM WPRK.
  Rollins has been dominant in the non-conference slate thus far- winning five games by an average of 16 points per contest. Last time out the Tars were a 81-52 winner over Puerto-Rico Mayaguez prior to the Thanksgiving break.  After a pair of wins over South region opponents the Tars took care of Mayaguez last Wednesday.  Jokobi Bonner (16 points-) Connor McKim (14-) and- Parker Davis (10) all scored in double figures for the Tars.  The Tars have dominated the rebounding battle this season. Not only have they out rebounded all five opponents, but they have won the glass by an average of 10.8 rebounds per night.
  Bonner is leading the Tars box score, averaging 19 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. McKim has put up 15.6 a night to go with a team leading nearly four assists per contest.  Hutton Yenor (11.0 ppg-) and Daniel Loh (10.6) also  are average double figures thru the seasons first five games.  Rollins scores 82.6 points per night which is good for third in the SSC- at the defensive end they are fifth in the conference giving up 66.6 points per game.  The Tars are second in shooting in the league, shooting at a 48 percent clip from the field. Coach Tom Klusman is two wins away from 700 in his career, as he sits at 698.
  ERAU (6-3) opened the season with three games in California.  Then they traveled to Tennessee for one, before taking on Flagler. The last three games have been at home for the Eagles.  Alston Jones scored 18 points- while CJ Hennagan had 12 in the last contest. Nashad McKey is averaging a double-double (20 points and 12.2  rebounds-) while Jones scores 15.2 a night. Luka Majstorovic is scoring 11.1 points and hauling in 6.3 rebounds per contest.  ERAU scores 80.4 points a night- while they surrender 74.4 per game.  Like the Tars, ERAU has been dominant on the glass. Out rebounding the opponent by 9.3 boards per contest.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com: Rollins by 7.5
Other SSC Games Wednesday:
PBA +6.5@Lynn
Barry+2 @Nova Southeastern
Tampa +7@Florida Southern
Saint Leo +6 @Eckerd

Tars Take Care of Tarzans Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars held the Tarzans of Puerto Rico Mayaguez to just 18 first half points and 32 percent shooting for the game in a 81-52 win at Warden Arena.  With the win the Tars stayed perfect (5-0) on the season.  They have won five straight games by double digits. The win gave coach Tom Klusman win number 698, as he is just two wins shy of the next milestone victory of his storied career.
   Jakobi Bonner led three Tars in double figures with 16 points to go with six rebounds- Connor McKim netted 14- and- Parker Davis had 10 for Rollins.  The Tars shot 42 percent from the field- 35 percent (9-26) from the 3-point line- and- 75 percent (18-24) at the free throw line.  The Tars continued there dominance on the glass, out rebounding the visitors 45-32.  Rollins had 14 assists and 14 turnovers in the contest.
  The Tarzans (0-3) were led by Heirbero Rivera and Diego Mariana who scored 11 points each.  The Tarzans shot 32 percent from the field- 20 percent (6-30) from the 3-point line- and- 71 percent (12-17) from the free throw line.  They had 10 assists and 24 turnovers in the contest.
   Rollins jumped all over Mayaguez early and led 14-0 six minutes in.  They would lead 41-18 at the intermission.  The Tars shot 47 percent in the opening 20 minutes.  The Tars would come out in the second half and go on a 12-2 run that extended the lead to 32 (56-24.)  They would cruise from there, as the Tarzans got no closer than 22 the rest of the way.
  The Tars will be back in action Wednesday when they battle Embry-Riddle in the SSC opener for both teams.  Tip off is set for 7:30 PM and as always you can catch the action on RollinsSports.com as well as on 91.5 FM WPRK.

Rollins Continues Home Stand With Wednesday Matinee.

The Rollins College Tars continue a six game home stand  with a Wednesday matinee when they take on the Tarzans of Puerto Rico Mayaguez.  Tip time is set for 2 PM inside of Warden Arena.  As always you can catch all the action on WPRK 91.5 FM and on RollinsSports.com
 Rollins (4-0) comes into the game having won all four games they have played by double digits. The last time out Connor McKim scored 24 points to lead the way- as 12 players found the scoring column in a 90-70 thrashing of Southeastern.  The Tars come into the game averaging 83 points per contest- while giving up 70.3 per night. They shot a solid 72 percent as a team from the free throw line and have dominated the glass, out rebounding the opponent by more than 10 rebounds per contest.  Jakobi Bonner leads the team in scoring at 19.8 points per night as well as in rebounding at 8.3 per night-  Connor McKim nets 16 per night to go along with 3.5 assists-  while Daniel Loh and Hutton Yenor each score 11 a night.
  Mayaguez (0-2) was a 85-56 loser to Eckerd in there first game on Sunday, and then fell 80-67 to Florida Tech Tuesday night.  A pair of Tarzans scored in double figures against Eckerd as Ricardo Erans scored 12- and- Christian Tirado added 10. They shot 36 percent as a team- 21 percent (5-24) from the 3-point line- and- 85 percent (11-13) from the free throw line.
  In the game versus Florida Tech Mayaguez was led by  Erans, who led the way with 16 points while Josean Reyes had 14- and- Jay Quintana chipped in 10.  The Tarzans shot 39 percent from the field- 33 percent (7-21) from the 3-point line- and- 63 percent (10-16) from the free throw line.
  The line presented by Juan BernalSportsBooks.com:
Rollins by 24.5
The Tars are 3-1 against the spread this season.

Tars Put Out Fire Monday.

The number seven has been kind to the Rollins Tars in the past- and- so far this year that trend has continued.  The last time the Tars were a seventh seed they took the South regional championship in Huntsville, Alabama en route to the Elite Eight. This year the Tars are picked to finish seventh in the Sunshine State Conference preseason standings. You would not know it the way that they have played the first four games of the season. That continued Monday evening as the Tars were a 90-70 winner over the Fire of Southeastern. That was the fourth straight win for the Tars and the first loss for the Fire. All four wins for Rollins have come by double digits.
  Connor McKim paced the Tars (4-0) with 24 points and four steals on the evening.  He was one of four Tars players who scored in double figures.  Jakobi Bonner added 14 points and six rebounds- while Hutton Yenor chipped in 11- and- Daniel Loh had 10 points and seven rebounds to round out the double digit scorers. All 12 Tars who played on Monday scored.  The Tars shot 49 percent from the floor as a team- 36 percent (10-28) from the 3-point line- and- 67 percent (12-18) from the free throw line.  The Tars dominated the rebounding battle- as they won the battle of the boards 40-27.  Rollins had 16 assists and 18 turnovers as a team.
  Southeastern was led by Linwood Ross who scored 12 points- Dylan Causwell chipped in 11- while Ismael Celestin and Isaiah Moody netted 10 points each.  The Fire shot 51 percent from the field in the game- but really struggled from both the 3-point line (4-20 for 20 percent- and- the free throw line 12-19 for 63 percent.)  The Fire had 16 assists and 25 turnovers in the contest.
  Southeastern jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the contest.  Rollins would lead it 23-16 by the midway point of the opening half.  The Tars led 32-26 with 3:21 in the first half, before they finished the half on a 11-0 run to lead 43-26 at the intermission.  The Tars were in control in the second half, as they would lead it by as many as 26. The Fire would get to as close as 14 with 3:07 to go but that is the closest they would get.  The victory for the Tars gave coach Tom Klusman win number 697, as that inches him closer to win number 700.
  Rollins will be back in action Wednesday at 2 PM when they take on Puerto Rico Mayaguez.  As always you can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com and on 91.5 WPRK Winter Park.

 

Rollins Hosts Southeastern Monday.

The Rollins Tars will host the Fire of Southeastern University Monday night.  Both teams come into the contest with a 3-0 record.  You can catch all the action on 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park and also on RollinsSports.com. Tip time is set for 7 PM at Warden Arena.
 The Tars are off to a solid start and are coming off a layoff of about a week.  Jakobi Bonner is leading the way for the Tars putting up 21.7 points and hauling in nine rebounds a contest. Connor McKim is putting up 13.3 points and 4.3 assists per night- while Daniel Loh is netting 11.3 points and  grabbing 6.3 rebounds per night.  The Tars have four other players who are averaging better than seven points per contest.  Offensively, Rollins is averaging 80.7 points a game- that is good for fourth in the conference. Defensively the Tars are fifth in the conference giving up 70.3 points a night.  The Tars have also been solid on the glass, as they have out rebounded the opponents by nine per contest.
  The Fire come in with a high flying offense that is putting up 93 points per game.  On defense they are allowing 87 points per night. They are coming off a big 86-81 win over #19 Warner on Saturday night.  Josiah Barsh scored a team leading 23 points to lead the victory- while Ismael Celestin scored 17. The Fire shot 50 percent from the field in the win but were out rebounded 41-30.  Barsh is the top scorer for the Fire putting up 28 points a night and shooting 54 percent from the 3-point line- Dylan Causwell is also averaging in double figures putting up 18.5 points a night and a team leading nine rebounds a contest.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Rollins by 6

Tars Hang On Against Ave Maria.

The Rollins College Tars improved to 3-0 on the season and handed Ave Maria  (4-1) there first loss of the young campaign with a 84-75 win at Warden Arena on Monday night.  Tom Klusman posted win number 696 of his illustrious career.
  Rollins had five players score in double figures led by Jakobi Bonner's 20 points. Bonner added a career high 12 rebounds as well.  Sheldon Oduna scored a career high 13 points- Connor McKim added 11- while Daniel Loh and Parker Davis netted 10 points each. Klusman had to juggle his rotation a bit as both Eric Castaneda and Hutton Yenor were unavailable after injuries over the weekend.  The Tars shot 54 percent and out rebounded AMU 45-28.  Rollins shot 41 percent (7-17) from the 3-point line in the contest.  Rollins struggled at the free throw shooting at a 63 percent clip (19-30.) The Tars had 14 assists as a team but also had 22 turnovers in the contest.
  The Gyrenes were led by 22 points from Romello Bates- while Greenan Sullivan chipped in 19. One of the biggest stories of the game was the Rollins zone defense that held Ave Maria leading scorer Leo Behrend to nine points. The zone also forced the Gyrenes to shoot just 33 percent (14-42) from the 3-point line.  AMU shot 60 percent (3-5) from the free throw line.  The Gyrenes had 14 assists and 14 turnovers in the contest.
  Rollins jumped out to a 19-10 lead midway thru the opening stanza, before Ave Maria would fight back to knot the score at 31 with 3:27 to go in the half.  Davis converted a conventional three-point play to give the Tars a lead they would not relinquish.  After a Ave Maria bucket the Tars would get a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Odunna to take a 37-33 halftime lead.  
   Rollins would come out hot in the second half and go on a 10-2  run that would give them a 13 point lead (51-38) with 16:14 to go.  The Gyrenes would not go quietly though.  After a 13-1 run by Ave Maria they would be within two (65-63) with 5:27 to go.  After a Davis free throw, Loh would hit back to back buckets to put the Tars in control.  AMU would get to within five (80-75)but that is as close as they would get as the Tars would win 84-75.
  The Tars next game will be on November 19th at 7 PM when they host Southeastern University.  As always you can watch live on the Tars Sports network at RollinsSports.com and listen on 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park.
 

Rollins Battles Ave Maria To Open Home Slate Monday.

The Rollins Tars open the home portion of the 2018-19 basketball season when they take on the Gyrenes of Ave Maria Monday. Tip time is set for 7 PM and you can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com as well as 91.5 FM WPRK.
  Rollins (2-0) opened the season with a sweep of the SSC/SIAC crossover when they soundly defeated both Benedict (72-60) and Auburn Montgomery (86-76.)The Tars were paced by junior Jakobi Bonner who averaged 22.5 points over the weekend. Bonner poured in a career high 27 points in the win over UAM on Saturday.  Connor McKim continued to be a stellar floor general, as he averaged 14.5 points and five assists in the two contests.  Daniel Loh also had a solid start to the season, as he tallied 12 points and 7.5 rebounds per night.
   Ave Maria (4-0) was picked to finish ninth in the Sun conference but are off to a hot start.  The Gyrenes pummeled Trinity Baptist 81-54 on Friday.  Greenan Sullivan paced the Gyrenes with 21 points- as they hit a school record 15 3-pointer's in the contest.  Leo Behrend is averaging 28 points per game in the first two contests- he also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 12 rebounds per night.  Gianpaolo Riccio averages 16.5 points per night- while Romello Bates chips in 13 points per game. The Gyrenes are averaging 84 points a game as a team.
The line presented by JuanBernalsportsbooks.com:
Rollins by 19

Tars Take Care Of WarHawks Saturday.

The Rollins Tars got a win for the second time in as many days today.  This one a 86-76 victory over the WarHawks of Auburn-Montgomery. With the win Rollins improve to 2-0 on the season- while the WarHawks fell to 1-1.
  Jakobi Bonner paced the Tars with a game high 27 points- Connor McKim added 17- and- Chu Enechionyia added 10.  Rollins shot 48 percent as a team- 23 percent (4-17) from the 3-point line- and- 78 percent (28-36) from the free throw line.  The Tars had 12 assists and 15 turnovers as a team.
 UAM was led by Darrion Taylor with 19 points- Carlos Bell added 15- and- Stanley Davis chipped in 12.  The WarHawks shot 50 percent from the field and 37 percent (11-30) from the 3-point line.  They shot 72 percent (13-18) from the free throw line.  They won the rebounding battle 30-29.  UAM had 16 assists and 23 turnovers in the contest.
  The Tars jumped out to a 28-8 lead in the game's first nine minutes. The WarHawks battled back and got to within four (40-36) at the 1:46 mark of the first half.  Rollins would score the final four points of the half capped by a Daniel Loh dunk to go up by eight (44-36) at the intermission.
 The Tars would stretch the lead to 15 (64-49) midway thru the second half.  Once again the WarHawks would not go away. They chipped away at the lead and got to within five (67-62) at the 5:51 mark. A quick 5-0 Rollins run would get the lead back to double digits though.  The WarHawks would not get any closer than seven the rest of the way.
 The Tars will be back in Winter Park for the home opener on Monday night against Ave Maria.  Tip time is set for 7 PM. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com and on 91.5 FM WPRK.

Rollins Battles Auburn-Montgomery Saturday.

The Rollins Tars take on the University of Auburn-Montgomery Saturday in day two of the SSC/SIAC Crossover.  Each team comes into the contest with a 1-0 record.
   The Tars saw nine players score in a 72-60 win over Benedict in the opener.  Jakobi Bonner led four Tars in double figures with 18 points on the afternoon. Daniel Loh posted a double- double with 15 points and 12 rebounds- while Hutton Yenor tallied 13 points in the opener. Connor McKim netted 12 points to round out the double digit scorers.  The Tars shot 48 percent from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line in the victory.  They shot 77 percent (20-26) from the free throw line.  Rollins won the rebounding battle 40-28.
 Auburn-Montgomery opened the season with a 71-65 victory over host Florida Tech in the opener of the SSC/SIAC crossover.  Carlos Bell led the Warhawks with 19 points and 11 rebounds- while Tre Hansbrough added 13.  The Warhawks shot 46 percent in the contest- and- 37 percent from the 3-point line.  They were a solid 81 percent (17-21) from the free throw line.  The Warhawks had eight assists and 16 turnovers in the first game of the year.  The WarHawks were out-rebounded 33-31.
  As always you can catch all the action on 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park and on RollinsSports.com Tip time is set for 3:30 PM at the Clemente Center
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Rollins by 7.5
 

Complete Effort Pushes Rollins Past Benedict Friday.

The Rollins Tars got a complete effort Friday and ultimately came away with a 72-60 win in the first game of the SSC/SIAC Crossover at the Clemente Center at Florida Tech. With the win Rollins improved to 1-0- while Benedict fell to 0-1 on the year.
  Jakobi Bonner led four Rollins players in double figures with 18 points on the afternoon.  Daniel Loh posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds in the victory- while Hutton Yenor scored 13. Connor McKim rounded out the double digit scorers with 12 for Rollins.  The Tars shot 48 percent as a team- 33 percent (6-18) from the 3-point line- and- 77 percent (20-26) from the free throw line.  Rollins won the rebounding battle 40-28. They had 11 assists and 19 turnovers as a team.
  Benedict was led by Kelvin Omojola who scored 18 points in the contest- while Romello Jones scored 16- and- Aaron Bryant added 13. The Tigers shot 36 percent from the floor- 25 percent (5-20) from the 3-point line- and- 68 percent (13-19) from the free throw line.  The Tigers had 11 assists and 12 turnovers.
  After a Loh 3-pointer with under 15 minutes to go the Tars led 10-9.  It would be 21-16 Rollins midway thru the opening half.  The Tars would stretch the lead to seven and then a 3-pointer by Christian Munson would make it a 10 point Rollins lead. They would carry a 10 point lead (35-25) into the locker room.
  Bonner would drain a 3-pointer to open the second half scoring for Rollins, the lead would remain in double digits before Omojola knocked down a 3-pointer at the 12:18 mark that cut the lead to nine.  Benedict would get as close as three (47-44) at the 9: 28 mark but that is as close as they would get.  Yenor would hit a big 3-pointer with just under seven minutes to go and it was a 56-47 Rollins lead.  Rollins would maintain the lead and coast to the victory.
 The Tars will be back in action tomorrow when they take on Auburn-Montgomery. Tip time is set for 3:30 PM at the Clemente Center. As always you can catch all the action on 91.5 FM WPRK and on RollinsSports.com

Rollins Battles Benedict To Open 2018-19 Campaign.

The Rollins College Tars will open the 2018-19 basketball season Friday afternoon at 1 PM when they take on the Benedict College Tigers at the Clemente Center in Melbourne in the South Region tip-off challenge. Auburn- Montgomery and Florida Tech will play in the other contest.  As always you can catch all the action on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com and on 91.5 FM WPRK Winter Park.
  The Tars are coming off a 16-14 campaign and 11-9 in the SSC a year ago. They were bounced in the SSC Semifinals after knocking off Nova Southeastern in the quarterfinals.  Tom Klusman begins his 39th season on the bench as the Rollins head coach and is seven wins shy of 700 in his illustrious career. He will return assistant coach Kyle Frakes- the newest assistant on the Tars bench will be former Rollins standout Kevin Hogan who returns to his alma mater after being an assistant coach at Austin Peay. He also made Division I coaching stops at Florida A and M- as well as  William and Mary. Hogan spent time at Tallahassee Community College as well.
   Jakobi Bonner- Parker Davis- and- Eric Castaneda are amongst the returnees from last year's squad.  Castaneda is the top returning scorer at 11.7 points per game. Connor McKim will run the point again, and averaged 11.3 points along with 3.6 assists per contest.  The Tars did lose two of the best players in program history to graduation last season in Sam Philpott and Jeff Merton. Four freshman have been added to the mix in Hutton Yenor- Will Erickson- Cade Long- and- Matej Susec.  Rollins has added  ChuChu Enechyonia (VMI) and Trevor Recio (Queens Charlotte) to the mix as well. The Tars averaged 82.8 points a game last season- while they shot 38 percent from the 3-point line.
  Benedict went 21-10 a season ago and 11-8 in the SIAC. The Tigers fell 74-72 to Clark- Atlanta in the SIAC Championship Game, falling just short of an NCAA tournament bid.  A very youthful Benedict team only has two seniors in Davante Wiltshire and Aaron Bryant.  The Tigers are coached by Artis Maddox who is in his first season with the Tigers after being the head coach of Florida Memorial the past three seasons. The Tigers did play one exhibition game against the College of Charleston and were a 95-43 loser. The Tigers were down 41-28 at the half befpre being out-scored 54-15 in the closing 20 minutes.  Ricky Peterson scored 10 points to lead the Tigers- while- Tyrease Mapp chipped in nine.  Peterson and Mapp each tallied six rebounds.
 Point guard Davante Wiltshire played in 28 of the Tiger's 31 games last season and averaged 14.4 minutes per night.  He averaged 3.3 points and 1.8 assists per contest.  DeShawn Graham averaged 3.1 points per game and shot 50 percent from the 3-point line- while Peterson played in 16 contests last season.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com: Benedict by 4

 

 

Rollins College Inks Deal With Full Sail's Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting.Full Sail Students To Broadcast All Tars' athletic games.

The Rollins College athletic department recently announced the school has entered into a comprehensive broadcast agreement with Full Sail University, a nearby entertainment and media school in Winter Park that is affiliated with longtime ESPN sportscaster Dan Patrick.  Patrick put up the money for this and is believed to make three to four visits to the school per year.
  Under the agreement, Full Sail will take over live video and audio broadcasts of many of Rollins home sporting events, including the most high profile, men's basketball games. Students enrolled in Full Sail's sportscasting program which developed in collaboration with ESPN's Patrick, will also be the on-air broadcast talent.
 This appears to be a good parternship for Rollins College, because with 23 athletic teams it is nearly impossible for Rollins to provide the resources necessary to produce live video broadcasts for many of the sports at every game.
 However, this new agreement pushes out longtime Rollins TV and radio broadcasters Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Robert Segal, who spent nearly 20 years broadcasting Rollins College Men's basketball games.
 When asked about the money aspect of this Ferro told me:
" It was a labor of love." Ferro mentioned."
 They will no longer do the TV broadcasts but have been invited to stay on as radio broadcasters. As of the last time I spoke with Ferro he said he will do the radio for the opening  two games of the season and then the two games in Las Vegas.
"Robert Segal, my broadcast partner and I have slightly different points of view. He enjoys broadcasting, and has done it for many years, in its purest form. I, on the other hand have enjoyed doing the games in the hope we are easily and readily heard by the people who want to watch/listen.  We have lost a good portion of our road audience to the home team broadcast because all the conference teams provide home video and audio. Now we are going to lose the majority of our home audience to "The Full Sail broadcast! I see clearly the handwriting on the wall. You don't need us on the road and now you don't need us at home. I feel like Nate Weyant (Sports Information Director) was attempting to appease the basketball coaching staff by offering Robert and I radio only." Ferro said."
 I used to work alongside Ferro and I consider him a friend. He was the one who got me an apprentice role some 15 years ago in the Rollins Sports Information department.  Since that day, I have voluntarily blogged and written about Rollins athletics.
 My time at Rollins and with Ferro paved the way for me to get my current job with the  Sports Information department at Notre Dame College. NDC is a Division II school, just like Rollins, in South Euclid, OH a suburb of Cleveland where I grew up.
   I was motivated to write this story because I could tell how much this whole situation has hurt Ferro, someone whom I truly believe has become the voice of Tar nation. Who could forget his call of "Can You Say Elite Eight! Can You Say Elite Eight! when the Tars punched their ticket to Sioux Falls,S.D. just a couple years ago. Ferro has also been featured on Sports Illustrated's  Extra Mustard for a couple of game winning calls he made.Also the NCAA Division II homepage and ABC local Orlando sports have featured him. I spoke to him after Rollins announced the partnership with Full Sail and I could hear the disappointment in his voice when he learned of his demotion.
"Rollins could have protected or  grandfathered Robert and I in based on our commitment and tenure to the basketball program," he said with a sigh.  Rollins could have also allowed Full Sail full access to men's basketball, sending out our call over  the air instead of theirs.  This would effectively make Robert and I the first choice instead of the "second fiddle" if you will. Full Sail would still have their broadcasts for classroom diagnosis and we would still have our longstanding positions." Ferro stated."
At the same time, he recognizes the benefit to Rollins.
" Overall I feel this is a good thing for Rollins. Truly it is a good thing for all the athletic teams who have had little to no recognition throughout the years. They have primarily had no coverage because they have no committed broadcasters. They all deserve the best based on the commitments they make and hard work they put in." Ferro mentioned."
  I listen to Rollins games religiously here in Cleveland and for me it will not be the same. Both Robert and Shooter have built quite a following and have made Rollins fans of people like me, who 20 plus years ago had never even heard of the school.
 The other listeners I know might be few in numbers but are as loyal as it gets. I believe the home and road broadcasting consistency Rollins has built throughout the years has had a positive impact on the success of the program itself.
 A quick look back to even the casual fan will tell you that the past 20 years have been the most successful in program history for Rollins basketball.
Asked how he views the future, Ferro said he has to keep his sense of humor.:
"What am I going to do with 20 plus years of DII basketball knowledge?"he asked."
"Secondly, I keep thinking of those people (the fans) over the years who threatened to turn the volume down and just watch the game. They won't have to threaten us anymore."

Ferris State Edges Northern State To Tie Record- Win Title!

The Ferris State Bulldogs got all they could handle from the Wolves of Northern State but ultimately survived a late lane violation on a free throw and a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 71-69 victory in front of a standing room only crowd at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.  Neither team had played in a title game in hoops prior to Saturday.
 With the victory Ferris State won the first title for the school in any sport.  Division II Player Of The Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player Zach Hankins scored 19 points to lead the Bulldogs- only two other Ferris State (Mich.) players scored in double figures on the day.  Peter Firlik scored 12- and- Markese Mayfield added 11 for the Bulldogs who went 38-1 on the season trying Winona State for the most wins ever in a DII campaign.  Mayfield and Jenkins led the team with six and five rebounds respectively- while Mayfield and Drew Cushingberry each recoded three assists.  The Bulldogs shot 47 percent as a team- while shooting 38 percent (3-8) from the 3-point line.  They shot at a 73 percent clip (16-22) from the free throw line- and- had 10 assists to go along with 12 turnovers.
 The Wolves season ended a 36-4.  Also having four players score in double figures in the loss.  Carter Evans led the way with 20 points- the two headed center of Logan Doyle and Darin Peterka each scored 14- while Ian Smith scored 12.  Peterka and Doyle each secured seven rebounds- while Peterka also tallied six assists.  Northern State (SD) shot 49 percent in the game- they shot 25 percent (1-4) from the 3-point line. At the free throw line the Wolves shot 67 percent (12-18) on the afternoon.  The Wolves won the rebounding battle 33-27.  They had 11 assists and turned the ball over 18 times.
 The Wolves jumped out to an early 9-2 lead in the games first three minutes powered by Smith.  After a pair of 5-0 runs each team would settle into the contest.  Halfway thru the opening half it would be a five point lead (23-18) in favor of the Wolves.  The Bulldogs would battle back and tie the game at 29 at the 6:15 mark of the first half after a pair of free throws by Jaylin McFadden.  Three minutes later Ferris State would take a 33-31 lead after a layup by Noah King.  It would be 39-37 in favor of the Bulldogs heading into the locker room.
 After the Wolves scored the first bucket of the second half it would be a 6-0 run by the Bulldogs that gave them a 45-39 lead early in the second half.  With 10:23 to go in the contest a Carter Evans bucket would cut the Ferris State lead to one (55-54) The two teams would battle back and forth until Peterka would tie the game at 61 at the 6:06 mark.  The two teams would trade baskets, then a Peterka layup after a McFadden free throw would give the Wolves a brief 65-64 lead with 4:27 to go. The Bulldogs would grab the lead right back on a Firlik layup with 4:07 to go that made it 66-65.  The next four points would go the way of the Wolves as they would take a 69-66 lead after a Evans dunk at the 2:55 mark.  Firlik would hit a pair of free throws to cut it to one at 2:08 mark.  After a Northern turnover Hankins would give the Bulldogs the lead for good at the other end with a layup at the 1:31 mark.  Neither team would score in the next 1:21 until the wild ending.  With 10 seconds left Mayfield who shot 80 percent from the free throw line on the season was at the free throw line for a pair.  The first one looked to give the Bulldogs a two point lead but was waved off as Mayfield stepped on the line.  He calmly hit the second to make it 71-69 and the Wolves had a chance to win it.  Peterka had a chance to win it with a 3-pointer with two seconds left but it was off the mark and the Bulldogs would celebrate the first title in school history.
Final Elite Eight Results:
Tuesday's Quarterfinals:
#1 Ferris State 87 #8 Barry 84
#4 West Texas A and M 85 #5 Le Moyne 73
#2 Queens 100 #7 Cal Baptist 94
#3 Northern State 79 #6 East Stroudsburg 71
Thursday's Semifinals:
#1 Ferris State 85 #4 West Texas A and M 79
#3 Northern State 105 #2 Queens 99 (2 OT)
Saturday's Championship Game:
#1 Ferris State 71 #3 Northern State 69

Cream Rises To The Top In Sioux Falls.

The eight team field in Division II was reseeded prior to Tuesday's quarterfinal action. Those seeds proved to be correct. As the top four seeds advanced to Thursday's semifinals at the Sanford Pentagon.  One game was closer than expected, as top seeded Ferris State edged eighth seeded Barry 87-84 in Tuesday's second contest.  In the first game of the day #4 West Texas A and M was a 87-83 winner over LeMoyne.  #2 seed Queens outlasted #7 Cal Baptist by a score of 100-94.  In the nightcap it was #3 seed Northern State who was a 79-71 winner over #6 East Stroudsburg.
So here are Thursday's matchups for the right to play in Saturday's title game.
The lines presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
#1 Ferris State  85 #4 West Texas A and M 79
#3 Northern State 105 #2 Queens (NC) 99 (2 OT)

Seventh Heaven! Bucs Win South Region.

The Barry Buccaneers used a monster game from two time SSC Player Of The Year Elvar Fridriksson who scored 29 points- and- Sunday Dech added 14 points to go along with nine rebounds in a 79-72 win over Eckerd that punched the Bucs ticket to Sioux Falls on Tuesday afternoon. It was the Bucs second regional championship in the past three years. Also Barry became the second consecutive seventh seed from the Sunshine State Conference to advance to the Elite Eight in as many years. Rollins did the same a year ago. With the victory Barry improved to 23-8 on the year- while Eckerd saw its season end with a 26-7 mark.
  Barry jumped out to a 15 point lead (40-25) with 3:12 to go in the opening half.  That lead was cut to nine (46-37) at the half. After the Bucs scored the first bucket of the second stanza the Tritons ran off a 11-0 run to knot the game at 48.  The Tritons looked to be in good shape as Barry went without a field goal for 6:47 and Eckerd took a nine point lead with 13:04 to go. Fridriksson would score all 14 points including four 3-pointer's in a span of 2:30 minutes that saw Barry go on a 14-3 run. At the 10:25 mark it was a 62-60 Eckerd lead.  The game would go back and forth for several minutes. Eckerd would take a 71-70 lead with 3:10 to go. The game would be again knotted at 72 at the 2:07 mark. With 1:07 to go a three-point play by Sawyer Glick would give Barry the lead for good.
 The Bucs will be the eight seed in Sioux Falls and play top seeded Ferris State at the Sanford Pentagon. Tip time on Tuesday 3/20 is set for 330 PM.
 South Region Results:
Quarterfinals:
#8 Florida Southern 98 #1 Morehouse 97 (OT)
#4 Eckerd 85 #5 Valdosta State 81
#7 Barry 90 #2 West Florida 73
#3 Claiflin 72 #6 Clark Atlanta 61
Semifinals:
#7 Barry 89 #3 Claiflin 64
#4 Eckerd 90 #8 Florida Southern 77
Final:
#7 Barry 79 #4 Eckerd 72
Tuesday's Elite Eight Games (At Sioux Falls, South Dakota:)
#4 West Texas A@M (31-3) vs #5 Le Moyne (27-6) 1 PM
#1 Ferris State (35-1) vs #8 Barry (23-8) 3:30 PM
#2 Queens (NC) (31-3) vs #7 Cal Baptist (27-5)  7 PM
#3 Northern State (34-3) vs #6 East Stroudsburg 9:30 PM

SSC Takes Center Stage Tuesday Night!

For the second consecutive season the Sunshine State Conference will have a team represented in the NCAA Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The only question now is whether it would be the upstart fourth seeded Eckerd Tritons or the regular season conference champ and seventh seeded Barry Buccaneers. Eckerd squeaked out an 85-81 victory over Valdosta State in the four-five game on Saturday- while Barry who is the seventh seed was a 90-73 winner over second seeded West Florida. Eckerd knocked off eighth seeded Florida Southern who rallied for a 98-97 overtime win over host Morehouse the previous day. The Tritons were a 90-77 winner over the Mocs. While seventh seeded Barry who is seeking to be the second seven seed in as many years (Rollins a year ago) to advance to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls,South Dakota. Barry raced out to a 30 point halftime lead and cruised to a 89-64 win over third seeded Claiflin Sunday.
All games Played at Morehouse:
3/10: South Region Quarterfinals
#8 Florida Southern 98 #1 Morehouse 97 (OT)
#4 Eckerd 85 #5 Valdosta State 81
#7 Barry 90 #7 West Florida 73
#3 Califlin 72 #6 Clark Atlanta 61
3/11: South Region Semifinals:
#4 Eckerd 90 #8 Florida Southern 77
#7 Barry 89 #3 Claiflin 64
South Regional Final (Winner Advances to Elite Eight:)
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
#4 Eckerd -4.5 vs #7 Barry

Five Good and Five Bad Things Tars 2017-18.

The Rollins Tars had an up and down season in 2017-18. Returning the core of a team that advanced to the Elite Eight a year ago things did not quite go as planned.
The Good:
1. The Tars saw themselves on top of the league after a 64-63 win over Lynn on 1/27.
2. Jeff Merton had not one but two buzzer beating game winners. First against Tampa on 1/10 and then a little more than two weeks later against Lynn.
3. Rollins got a career high 36 points from Sam Philpott as they won a 117-111 double overtime thriller at Jenkins FieldHouse against Florida Southern.
4. The Tars won the regular season finale against Saint Leo and with a little help from Florida Tech on the final Saturday of the season the Tars scored a home game in the opening round of the SSC Tournament.
5. The Tars used the home court in the opening round of the SSC Tournament to score a first round victory over Nova Southeastern.
The bad:
1. The Tars limped to the finish, losing six straight before knocking off NSU in the SSC Tournament First Round.
2. Rollins was bounced from the SSC tournament by Barry in the SSC Semifinals Saturday.
3. The Tars six game losing slide began with a loss to Embry-Riddle. The Eagles would not qualify for the SSC Tournament.
4. The four seniors had a rough end to the season. Jack Fleming was injured in the final game and was limited- Sam Philpott was injured and the injury not coincidentally coincided with the Tars losing slide. He was never the same despite returning for the Saint Leo game and both games in the tournament. Deion Clark saw his career come to an end earlier than he hoped after last season's trip to the Elite Eight. Merton had a up and down season as well.
5. Rollins was in first place after a 64-63 late in January but could not put together a solid February to back it up.
NCAA South Region Hosted by Morehouse. Games to be played on 3/10-3/11 and 3/13. Winner advances to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls,South Dakota:
Florida Southern 98 Morehouse 97 (OT)
Eckerd 85 Valdosta State 81
Barry 90 West Florida 73
Claiflin 72 Clark Atlanta 61
Sunday Semis (Lines Presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
#7 Barry +4 @ #3 Claiflin
#8 Florida Southern +3 @ #4 Eckerd

Cold Shooting Rollins Outlasted By Barry.

The Rollins Tars fell behind 28-7  midway thru the opening half, got to within five late in the second half but could not get over the hump in a 77-62 loss to Barry in the Sunshine State Conference Semifinals on Saturday at Jenkins Field House in Lakeland. The Bucs will advance to Sunday's 1 PM Championship game and take on second seeded Eckerd who knocked off Florida Southern 76-70.  The Tars finished the year at 16-14.
  Elvar Fridriksson led the Buccaneers with 18 points and 10 assists in the victory.  Daniel Mortensen and Sunday Dech also had 18.  Kooper Glick added 10 for Barry.  The Buccaneers shot 50 percent on the day- they shot 42 percent (11-26) from the 3-point line.  Barry shot 80 percent (16-20) from the free throw line.  The Bucs crushed Rollins on the boards 37-20.  The Bucs had 17 assists and advanced to the finals despite 23 turnovers.
  Rollins was led by Eric Castaneda with 17 points and five steals- while Jakobi Bonner and Second Team All SSC Performer Jeff Merton added 15.  Sam Philpott was also named Second Team All-SSC earlier in the week but was held to just six points Saturday.  The cold shooting Tars shot 34 percent from the floor on the day- they shot just 13 percent (3-23) from the 3-point line. The Tars shot 81 percent (25-31) from the free throw line.  Rollins had seven assists and 13 turnovers in the defeat.
  The game would be tied at seven in the early going. Barry would then go on a 21-0 run that would give them the big advantage after a Dech 3-pointer with 9:12 in the half.  The Tars would rally though and get to within five (38-33) as Bonner and Parker Davis would provide a spark off the Rollins bench.  It would be a five point Rollins deficit at the intermission.
  Bonner led the Tars with 11 points in the opening half- while Castenda scored eight- and- Merton added seven.  The Tars shot 42 percent in the opening half- 20 percent (2-10) from the 3-point line.  Rollins shot 82 percent (9-11) at the free throw line in the first stanza.
  Barry was led by Dech with 13 points in the half.  Fridriksson and Glick each added six.  Barry shot 39 percent from the floor- 32 percent (6-19) from the 3-point line- and- 73 percent (8-11) from the free throw line.  They doubled up Rollins on the boards 22-11 in the opening half.  The Bucs had eight assists and eight turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
  Rollins would come out cold in the second half as Barry would go on a 7-0 run before a pair of Connor McKim free throws cut the lead back to 10 (45-35.)  After a Merton steal and basket at the 13:02 mark Rollins found themselves within five (45-40.)  Barry would then quickly go on a 9-0 run to take a 54-40 lead with 10:29 to go.  Rollins would get the lead back to single digits (56-47) after Castaneda drained a 3-pointer at the 9:26 mark.  After a pair of Castaneda free throws and a Bonner layup Rollins was within five (56-51) with 6:59 to go.  As they did all day long Barry would have the answer as Mortensen knocked down a 3-pointer and Kooper Glick converted the old fashioned three-point play.  Philpott would get Rollins back to within single digits 62-53 with 4:59 to go but that is as close as they would get.
 Saturday would be the final game in the outstanding careers of four Rollins seniors.  Jack Fleming- Merton- Philpott- and- Deion Clark. The group were key cogs in the Rollins group that got to the Elite Eight last season. They were also Sunshine State Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions last season.
Other SSC Semifinal:
#2 Eckerd 76 #3 Florida Southern 70
SSC Final Sunday 1 PM (At Jenkins Field House in Lakeland. Lines Presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
#1 Barry -4.5 vs #2 Eckerd

Tars-Barry Clash In SSC Semis Saturday.

The fourth seeded Rollins Tars and top seeded Barry Buccaneers will battle in the semifinals of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament on Saturday at Jenkins Field House on the campus of Florida Southern. Tip time is set for 12 PM and the winner will take on the winner of Eckerd and the host Mocs on Sunday at 1 PM. You can catch the Tars on the website at RollinsSports.com with Robert Segal and Jim "Shooter" Ferro on the call.
 Rollins (16-13) advanced on Wednesday evening with a hard fought 78-75 win over Nova Southeastern at Warden Arena. Jeff Merton had a key steal with 10 seconds to play and Connor McKim once again came thru in the clutch for the Tars, as he hit what proved to be the game winning layup nine seconds earlier. McKim hit a pair of free throws to stretch the margin to three points and Rollins escaped.  All five Rollins starters scored in double figures in the victory led by Merton with 18. McKim added 14- Sam Philpott scored 13- Eric Castaneda added 11- and- Deion Clark posted 10 in the victory.
 Rollins comes into Saturdays contest averaging 83.5 points per game- while they give up 81.7 on the defensive end. Philpott leads the season box score averaging 18.1 points per night- Merton scores 15.8 per game- while McKim and Castaneda each put up 11.5 per night.  Clark also averages in double figures at 10.9 per contest.  Clark leads the team in rebounding at 4.2 per night- while McKim dishes out 3.7 assists per game.
  Barry comes in with a record of 19-7 on the year. The top seeded Bucs defeated eighth seeded Florida Tech 102-83 on Wednesday night.  SSC Player Of The Year Elvar Fridriksson led the Bucs with 23 points and seven assists in the victory.  Marko Tomic added 16- Sawyer Glick added 15- while Kooper Glick and Sunday Dech each had 14.  Barry averaged 89.5 points a game- while they allowed 79.6 per night.  Fridriksson leads the team in scoring at 20.1 points per game- to go along with a team leading 6.15 assists per night.  Sawyer Glick puts up 14.8 points per game- Sunday Dech averages 13.2 per contest- and- Daniel Mortensen scores 11.9 per contest.  Mortensen leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 a night- while Dech is right behind him at 6.8 rebounds per night.
 The teams split the two meetings during the season, which each winning at home.  Barry won 103-91 in Miami on 12/2- while Rollins defeated the Bucs 94-82 in Winter Park on 1/20.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com: Barry by 7.5
Other SSC Semifinal Saturday (also at Jenkins Field House on Campus of Florida Southern:)
# 2 Eckerd +1.5 vs #3 Florida Southern

Rollins Sneaks Into Semifinals!

The Rollins Tars got a Connor McKim layup with 19 seconds left and held on for a 78-75 win over Nova Southeastern in the Quarterfinals of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Wednesday from Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center.  The win improved the Tars to 16-13 on the year as they will now advance to take on top seeded Barry on Saturday at Jenkins FieldHouse on the campus of Florida Southern. The Sharks season ended at 17-10, as they lost four straight to end the year.
  All five Rollins starters scored in double figures in the victory.  Jeff Merton hit four 3-pointer's in the early going to account for most of his 18 points on the evening that led the way for Rollins.  McKim added 14- Sam Philpott notched 13- Eric Castaneda scored 11- and- Deion Clark netted 10 in the victory. Rollins shot 56 percent from the field- 48 percent (10-21) from the 3-point line- and- 67 percent (12-18) from the free throw line in the contest.  The Tars had 19 assists and 14 turnovers in the game.
  NSU was led by Malik Hardy who scored a game high 30 points- Gerard Tarin added 14- and- Nick Smith scored 10 in the loss.  The Sharks shot 49 percent from the floor- 24 percent (4-17) from the 3-point line- and- 81 percent (17-21) at the free throw line.  The Sharks won the rebounding battle 31-23.  They had 15 assists and 15 turnovers as a team.
  Rollins would score the games first five points right out of the gate as Merton would knock down a 3-pointer and would feed Castaneda for a layup. Rollins would lead 16-8 before NSU would answer with six straight points. After a Tarin dunk the Sharks trailed 16-14 at the 12:49 mark of the opening half.  Rollins would then open up a nine point lead (30-21) after a Parker Davis layup with 6:34 until halftime.  The Tars would lead by as many as 11 (37-26) after a McKim 3-pointer with 2:44 to go in the half.  The Tars would take a eight point advantage (39-31) into the locker room.
  Merton was the only Rollins player in double figures with 12 in the opening half.  Philpott and McKim each added five.  The Tars shot 60 percent in the first 20 minutes- 63 percent (7-11) from the 3-point line- and- 50 percent (2-4) at the free throw line.  They had 11 assists and seven turnovers in the opening half.
  NSU was led by Hardy with 11- Dwayne Gibson and Tarin added six each. The Sharks shot 46 percent from the field and missed all six 3-pointer's in the first 20 minutes.  They did shoot 82 percent (9-11) from the free throw line.  NSU won the rebounding battle 16-8 in the opening stanza.  They had three assists and 11 turnovers in the half.
  The Sharks quickly erased the halftime deficit and would knot the game at 45 after a Smith 3-pointer at the 15:58 mark.  NSU would lead by two (56-54) halfway thru the second half.  The Sharks would have what would be the largest lead of the game for them 62-54 after a Hardy 3-pointer with 9:02 to go.  Rollins would chip away and at the 4:34 mark they would tie the game with a Clark tip-in.  Merton would split a pair of free throws before NSU would get the lead back (70-69) after a Nick Stampley tip-in with just under four minutes to go.  Castaneda would score the next four Rollins points as he would hit a pair of free throws and then make a layup with 1:20 to go to give the Tars a 73-70 lead.  Hardy would knot the game at 73 with a 3-pointer with 45 seconds to go.  McKim would give Rollins the lead for good after a layup with 19 seconds to go.  After a big defensive stop by Rollins Merton would split a pair of free throws with nine seconds left.  Rollins would foul with six seconds to go and Hardy would hit both free throws to make it 76-75.  McKim's free throws with 4.9 seconds would stretch the lead to three (78-75.) David Dennis would try and draw a foul with two seconds left but it was ruled that he initiated the contact, Jeff Merton secured the rebound and the Tars advanced to play Barry on Saturday.
Other SSC Quarterfinals:
#1 Barry 102 #8 Florida Tech 83
#2 Eckerd 83 #7 Palm Beach Atlantic 65
#3 Florida Southern 80 #6 Lynn 70
SSC Semifinals (Saturday 3/3 @ Jenkins FieldHouse:)
#1 Barry vs #4 Rollins 12 PM
#2 Eckerd vs #3 Florida Southern 2:30 PM

Tars Welcome Sharks To Winter Park For SSC Quarterfinal Wednesday.

The fourth seeded Rollins Tars will host the fifth seeded Nova Southeastern Sharks in the Quarterfinals of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Wednesday night at 7 PM at Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center. You can catch the action with Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Robert Siegel on RollinsSports.com and on the conference website at SunshineStateConference.TV
  Rollins (15-13 11-9 SSC) gained a first round home game after defeating Saint Leo and getting some help Saturday. The Tars knew when they took the floor Saturday night that a win over the Lions would get them a first round home game after both Nova and Lynn fell earlier Saturday. The Tars knew a loss would send them to Florida Southern for a date with the Moccasins. Rollins was a 81-66 winner on Saturday night to snap a season high six game losing skid. Eric Castaneda led the way with 18 point- while Connor McKim and Jakobi Bonner scored 17 points each. Sam Philpott returned from injury and scored nine points in his first game back.
 The Tars who are the reigning SSC Tournament Champs are led by Philpott who scores 18.3 points per game.  Jeff Merton scores 15.7 a game to go along with 4.2 rebounds a night- while Castaneda scores 11.5 a game and averages a team leading 4.8 rebounds a contest.  McKim (11.4 per game-) and- Clark (11 per night) also average in double figures. The Tars won the first meeting with NSU 81-71 in Winter Park in January.  On offense the Tars average 83.7 points per game- while defensively they give up 81.0 points per night.
  NSU is stumbling into the postseason on a three game losing slide. The Sharks were a 85-76 loser to Florida Tech and could not secure a home game after the Rollins win Saturday.  NSU scores 90 points a game on offense which is best in the SSC, while defensively they give up a league worst 87 points per contest.  David Dennis leads the Sharks and is fifth in the SSC scoring 19.6 points per game.  Dennis also averages 6.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds a contest.  Malik hardy scores 16.6 per night- while Nick Smith puts up 13.3 points and 5.4 rebounds a game.  The Sharks split the season series with Rollins defeating the Tars 90-71 in February.
A few tournament notes:
Rollins is 2-1 all time against NSU in the SSC Tournament.  They are only 4-7 as the #4 seed in the tournament.  The Tars were 11-5 at home and 4-8 on the road this season. NSU was 12-4 at home and 5-5 on the road this season.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com: Pick
Other SSC Quarterfinals Wednesday:
#8 Florida Tech +10 @ #1 Barry
#6 Lynn +6 @ #3 Florida Southern
#7 Palm Beach Atlantic +9 @ #2 Eckerd
SSC Semifinals 3/3 (At Jenkins FieldHouse)
#1/8 winner vs #4/5 winner (12 PM:)
#2/7 winner vs #3/6 winner (2:30 PM:)
  SSC Finals 3/4 @1 PM

Rollins Snaps Losing Skid With Win At Saint Leo.

The Rollins Tars snapped a six game losing skid with a 81-66 win over Saint Leo at the Marion Bowman Activities Center Saturday. With the win the Tars will be the fourth seed in the SSC Tournament and will host #5 Nova Southeastern on Wednesday. Saint Leo with the loss did not qualify for the post-season as they fell to ninth after Florida Tech beat Nova earlier Saturday. With the win Rollins improves to 15-13 and 11-9 in the SSC. With the loss the Lions dropped to 12-19 and 8-12 in the SSC.
  Eric Castaneda paced three Tars in double figures with 18 points.  Jakobi Bonner and Connor McKim each scored 17- while Sam Philpott returned and scored nine. The Tars shot 53 percent from the floor- 50 percent (10-20) from the 3-point line- and- 77 percent (13-17) from the free throw line.  The Tars edged Saint Leo on the boards 35-30. They had 13 assists and 12 turnovers as a team.
 Saint Leo was led by 19 points from Junior Searcy. The only other Lion in double figures was DeAndre King with 17.  The Lions shot 41 percent as a team- 29 percent (9-31) from the 3-point line- and- 69 percent (11-16) from the free throw line.  The Lions had 16 assists and 13 turnovers.
  The game was knotted at 10 after the first five minutes.  The Lions then scored the next 11 points to take a 21-10 lead at the 12:09 mark of the half. The Tars would pull within two (25-23) after a pair of Castaneda free throws at the 6:04 mark of the first stanza.  A Castaneda layup would give the Tars the lead 28-27 at the 3:40 mark of the half. The Tars would take a 35-34 lead into the locker room.
  Castaneda led the Rollins with nine in the first stanza- while McKim added eight. Rollins shot 44 percent in the opening half- 56 percent (5-9) from the 3-point line- and- 75 percent (6-8) at the free throw line.  The Tars had six assists and eight turnovers in the half.
 Saint Leo was led by 12 points from King in the first half- while Searcy added eight. The Lions shot 45 percent from the field- 40 percent (6-15) from the 3-point line- and- 50 percent (2-4) from the free throw line.  The Lions had 10 assists and seven turnovers in the half.
  Rollins would go up by five (44-39) after a Jeff Merton 3-pointer with 16:30 to go. The Lions would go back on tip before a McKim 3-ball would give Rollins the lead. The Rollins lead was trimmed to one (52-51) before a 15-0 Rollins run put the Tars in command. The Lions would get no closer than 14 the rest of the way as the Tars earned the right to host a first round tournament game on Wednesday.
Rollins will face Nova Southeastern at 7 PM  on Wednesday Night from Warden Arena. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com
Other SSC Scores Saturday:
Eckerd 81 Palm Beach Atlantic 69
Florida Tech 85 Nova Southeastern 76
Tampa 78 Barry 72
Florida Southern 104 Embry-Riddle 97
Final SSC Standings:
Barry 14-6 (18-7)
Eckerd 14-6 (21-6)
Florida Southern 13-7 (19-9)
Rollins 11-9 (15-13)
Nova Southeastern 11-9 (17-9)
Lynn 11-9 (14-12)
Palm Beach Atlantic 9-11 (15-16)
Florida Tech 8-12 (13-15)
Saint Leo 8-12 (12-19)
Tampa 6-14 (10-16)
Embry-Riddle 5-15 (11-17)
SSC Tournament Pairings (Wednesday 2/28:)
#8 Florida Tech @ #1 Barry
#5 Nova Southeastern @ #4 Rollins
#7 Palm Beach Atlantic @ #2 Eckerd
#6 Lynn @ # 3 Florida Southern

Tars Look To Get Back On Track In Season Finale At Saint Leo.

The Rollins Tars have dropped six straight games and will look to a place where they have had a lot of success in past seasons, the Marion Bowman Activities Center where they will face the Saint Leo Lions in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday.  The Tars come in with a record of 14-13 and 10-9 in the SSC. Saint Leo comes into the contest with a 12-18 record and 7-12 in the SSC. You can catch all the action on RollinsSports.com with Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Robert Siegel on the call. Saturday will be a 730 PM tip.
  The Tars are coming into the game averaging 83.8 points per game as a team- while they give up 83.8 points per game as well.  The Tars were a 85-80 loser to Eckerd last time out.  Jakobi Bonner continued his hot streak of late scoring 23 points- Jeff Merton added 21- and- Deion Clark netted 15.  The Tars shot 56 percent as a team- 45 percent (9-20) from the 3-point line- and- 83 percent (15-18) from the free throw line.  The Tars had 11 assists and 11 turnovers in the contest. Sam Philpott is the Tars leading scorer at 17.6 points per game- but remains sidelined with an injury.  Merton puts up 16.9 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.  Connor McKim puts up 11. points and dishes out 3.5 assists a game- while Clark and Eric Castaneda score 10.4 a night.  The Tars can get a first round home game in the SSC with a win Saturday and a Nova Southeastern loss. With a loss the Tars could fall as far as seventh in the conference.
  The Lions have lost four in a row themselves.  Last time out they were a 84-69 loser to Eckerd.  Isiah Hill had 20 points to lead Saint Leo in that one.  Kyran McClure and Junior Searcy each added 16 in the defeat.  Hill paces the Lions with 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds a night.  Searcy scores 12 a game- while DeAndre King and Tyreece Brice each score 11.6 a night.  The Lions average 72 points a game on offense- while defensively they give up 76.6 a night.
  Saint Leo guarantees themselves a spot in the SSC tournament with a win on Saturday. With a loss and a Florida Tech win the Lions would miss the postseason.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com: Saint Leo by 1.5
Other SSC Games Saturday:
Nova Southeastern -3 @Florida Tech
Tampa +14 @Barry
Florida Southern -5.5 @Embry-Riddle
Eckerd -1 @ Palm Beach Atlantic
SSC Standings:
Barry 14-5 (18-6)
Eckerd 13-6 (20-6)
Florida Southern 12-7 (18-9)
Nova Southeastern 11-8 (17-8)
Lynn 11-9 (14-12)
Rollins 10-9 (14-13)
Palm Beach Atlantic 9-10 (15-15)
Saint Leo 8-11 (12-15)
Florida Tech 7-12 (12-15)
Embry-Riddle 5-14 (11-16)
Tampa 5-14 (9-16)
South Region Rankings:
1. Morehouse
2. Valdosta State
3. West Florida
4. Clark-Atlanta
5. Barry
6. Eckerd
7. Claiflin
8. Florida Southern
9. Nova Southeastern
10. West Alabama

 
 

Results Of Wednesday's SSC Action.

Here are the results of Wednesday's action in the Sunshine State Conference, as the Barry Buccaneers claimed the regular season championship after winning tonight:
Eckerd 84 Saint Leo 69
Embry-Riddle 86 Florida Tech 79 (OT)
Palm Beach Atlantic 97 Nova Southeastern 92
Barry 78 Lynn 60
Florida Southern 75 Tampa 56
SSC Standings:
Barry 14-5 (18-6)
Eckerd 13-6 (20-6)
Florida Southern 12-7 (18-9)
Nova Southeastern 11-8 (17-8)
Lynn 11-9 (14-12)
Rollins 10-9 (14-13)
Palm Beach Atlantic 9-10 (15-15)
Saint Leo 8-11 (12-18)
Florida Tech 7-12 (12-15)
Embry-Riddle 5-14 (11-16)
Tampa 5-14 (9-16)
South Region Rankings (Updated 2/21:)
1. Morehouse
2. Valdosta State
3. West Florida
4. Clark-Atlanta
5. Barry
6. Eckerd
7. Claiflin
8. Florida Southern
9. Nova Southeastern
10. West Alabama

Tars Idle Wednesday.

The Rollins Tars will not see action Wednesday and will hope to get some help in the hunt to improve their seeding for the Sunshine State Conference Tournament next week. Rollins will close the regular season Saturday with a road game at Saint Leo.
Here are the games that will be played Wednesday night and the lines presented by JuanBernalSportsBooks.com:
Saint Leo +8 @Eckerd
Embry-Riddle +4 @Florida Tech
Palm Beach Atlantic +6 @ Nova Southeastern
Barry -3 @Lynn
Tampa +11 @Florida Southern
SSC Standings:
Barry 13-5 (17-6)
Eckerd 12-6 (19-6)
Nova Southeastern 11-7 (17-7)
Florida Southern 11-7 (17-9)
Lynn 11-8 (14-11)
Rollins 10-9 (14-13)
Palm Beach Atlantic 8-10 (14-15)
Saint Leo 8-10 (12-17)
Florida Tech 7-11 (12-14)
Tampa 5-13 (9-15)
Embry-Riddle 4-14 (10-16)
South Region Rankings:
1. Morehouse
2. Valdosta State
3. West Florida
4. Clark Atlanta
5. West Alabama
6. Barry
7. Eckerd
8. Claiflin
9. Florida Southern
10. Benedict

Bonner Has Career Day in Rollins Loss on Senior Day.

The Rollins Tars celebrated senior day on Saturday at Warden Arena. They would fall 85-80 to Eckerd after senior's Jack Fleming- Jeff Merton and Deion Clark were honored prior to the game.  Another senior Sam Philpott remained sidelined with an injury as the Tars dropped a sixth straight game.With the loss Rollins dropped to 14-13 and 10-9 in the SSC. Rollins has fallen to sixth place in the conference. With the victory Eckerd improved to 19-6 and 12-6 in the SSC.
  Jakobi Bonner had a career high 23 points in the losing effort. Bonner was a perfect nine of nine at the free throw line in this one.  Jeff Merton added 21- while Deion Clark scored 15.  The Tars shot 56 percent from the field- 45 percent (9-20) from the 3-point line- and- 83 percent (15-18) at the free throw line.  The Tars had 11 assists- and- 11 turnovers.
 Eckerd was led by Trevon Young who scored 21 points- Drushaun McLaurn added 17- Marco Behori added 14- and- Blake Morrow netted 10.  The Tritons shot 53 percent from the field- 48 percent (11-23) from the 3-point line- and- 71 percent (12-17) from the free throw line.  EC won the rebounding battle 32-23. They had 25 assists and 12 turnovers in this one.
 Both teams would start out hot on the offensive end. After a Jack Fleming 3-pointer at the 13:09 mark the Tars owned a 20-19 lead.  Bonner would sink a pair of free throws three minutes later and Rollins had a two point edge (24-22) halfway thru the opening half.  The game would go back and forth for the next several minutes and a layup by Connor McKim would give the Tars a 38-36 lead with 4:48 to go in the half.  The Tritons would close the half on a 12-2 run to take a eight point lead (48-40) into the locker room.
  Young would be the only Eckerd player in double figures in the opening half. The big man had 17 points and seven rebounds in the opening stanza.  Three other Eckerd players would score six in the first 20 minutes.  They shot 56 percent from the field- 53 percent (8-15) from the 3-point line- and- 80 percent (4-5) at the free throw line.  The Tritons out-rebounded Rollins 18-7 in the opening stanza.  They had 12 assists and just four turnovers as a team.
  Rollins was led by Merton with 10 points and Bonner with nine in the opening half.  They shot 59 percent as a team- 39 percent (5-13) from the 3-point line- and- were a perfect three of three at the free throw line in the opening half.  The Tars had six assists and three turnovers in the opening half.
  The Tars would come out hot in the second half.  After a Merton 3-pointer at the 16:02 mark Rollins was within four (50-46.)  Halfway thru the half the Tars would trail by nine (63-54.)  Bonner would then go on a personal 6-0 run to get within three (63-60) at the 8:03 mark.  Jeff Merton would nail a 3-pointer for Rollins six minutes later and they would be within two (75-73) with 2:02 remaining.  That is close as the Tars would get as Eckerd secured the victory.
 Rollins will be back in action Saturday 2/24 in the last regular season game of the year when they travel to Saint Leo. Tip time is set for 4 PM.
Other SSC Scores:
Tampa 87 Embry-Riddle 84
Lynn 77 Saint Leo 68
Florida Tech 86 Palm Beach Atlantic 77
Barry 105 Nova Southeastern 83
SSC Standings:
Barry 13-5 (17-6)
Eckerd 12-6 (19-6)
Nova Southeastern 11-7 (17-7)
Florida Southern 11-7 (17-9)
Lynn 11-8 (14-11)
Rollins 10-9 (14-13)
Palm Beach Atlantic 8-10 (14-15)
Saint Leo 8-10 (12-17)
Florida Tech 7-11 (12-14)
Tampa 5-13 (9-15)
Embry-Riddle 4-14 (10-16)

Rollins Looks To Rebound Saturday.

The Rollins Tars look to rebound both literally and figuratively Saturday when they host the Eckerd College Tritons at Warden Arena. Rollins comes into Saturday's game on a five game losing skid and with a 14-12 record and 10-8 in the SSC. While the Tritons are 18-6 and 11-6 in the SSC.  You can catch the game on RollinsSports.com with Jim "Shooter" Ferro and Robert Siegel.
  The Tars come into the game tied for fifth in the SSC with Lynn. They look to remain in the mix for a home game (top four seeds play at home) in the conference tournament with three games left to go. The Tars have yet to win a game in the month of February but come into Saturday with a 11-4 record at home on the season.  The last time out Rollins was a 90-71 loser to Nova Southeastern on Wednesday.  Jeff Merton and Jakobi Bonner scored 19 points each to lead Rollins in the defeat.  Sam Philpott leads the Tars in scoring at 18.7 points per game but remains out with an injury.  Merton scores 15.8 points and grabs 4.4 rebounds a night- Eric Castaneda averages 11.6 points and grabs 4.7 rebounds per contest.  Connor McKim scores 11.3 points and dishes out 3.3 assists per night- while Deion Clark also averages in double figures getting 11.1 points a night.  The Tars average a league fifth best 83.8 points a game- but on the defensive end they are seventh allowing 82.4 per night.
  Eckerd has only gone 2-3 in there past five games.  The Tritons were a 90-84 winner over Embry-Riddle last time out on Wednesday evening.  Trevon Young scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the victory.  Drushaun McLaurn added 23 points- while Keshawn Ingram scored 11.  McLaurn leads Eckerd and is seventh in the conference averaging 19 points a night- while Young averages 17.1 points and 9.6 rebounds a game.  Blake Morrow adds 13 per game- while Ingram gets 11.3 a night.  Eckerd leads the league defensively allowing 78.4 points a night- while they score 84.5 a game which is fourth best in the league.
 In the first meeting Eckerd was a 95-81 winner on 12/30 in St.Pete.  Philpott led the Tars with 18 in that game- while McLaurn led EC with 23 points- while Trevon Young netted 22 and grabbed 12 rebounds.
 The next Rollins game will be Wednesday 2/24 when they head to Saint Leo.  The conference tournament begins February 28th with the higher seed hosting before it moves to Jenkins FieldHouse in Lakeland for the Semifinals and Finals.
The line presented by JuanBernalSportsbooks.com: Eckerd by3.5
Other SSC Games Saturday:
Embry Riddle +5 @Tampa
Saint Leo+7 @Lynn
Florida Tech+6 @Palm Beach Atlantic
Nova Southeastern+7 @Barry
SSC Standings:
Barry 12-5 (16-6)
Eckerd 11-6 (18-6)
Nova Southeastern 11-6 (17-6)
Florida Southern 11-7 (17-9)
Lynn 10-8 (13-11)
Rollins 10-8 (14-12)
Palm Beach Atlantic 8-9 (14-14)
Saint Leo 8-9 (12-16)
Florida Tech 6-11 (11-14)
Embry-Riddle 4-13 (10-15)
Tampa 4-13 (8-15)
South Region Rankings (Top Eight Qualify for NCAA Tournament:)
1. Morehouse
2. Valdosta State
3. West Florida
4. Clark Atlanta
5. West Alabama
6. Barry
7. Eckerd
8. Claiflin
9. Florida Southern
10. Benedict