WINTER PARK, Fla. (December 29, 2012) -
Rollins won its eighth straight and gave head coach Tom Klusman his 598th career victory as
the Tars beat Mansfield 71-61 in the 38th annual Winter
Park Rotary Tangerine Tournament opener.
Rollins (8-1) will meet Shaw in Sunday's championship game at 2
p.m. in Warden Arena. The Bears beat Flagler 79-64 in the second
semifinal.
Dave Diakite netted a career high 23 points,
hitting 7-of-9 from the field and 8-of-9 from the stripe. Kyle McClanahan was equally as efficient, hitting
4-of-5 from the field and all eight free throw attempts en route to
17 points. Mitch Woods recorded 11 points and six rebounds.
Joe Bell paced Mansfield (2-6) with a game-high 26 points and
eight boards. Chuck Harper chipped in 11 points and seven
rebounds.
The Mounties led for the majority of the first half, holding a
26-20 advantage after a Bell layup with 8:31 to play in the half.
Chris Uhle answered with a 3-pointer on the
other end and was followed by a Woods conventional 3-point play to
pull the Tars even at 26.
Rollins then outscored their visitors 8-4 the rest of the frame
and took a 34-30 lead into intermission.
The Tars were up 55-50 with 8:06 to play and went on a 15-5
spurt over the next three minutes to lead 65-50 and put the game
away early.
Rollins shot 50 percent in each half and ended the day 22-of-44
from the field. They were solid from the stripe, hitting 20-of-22.
Mansfield shot 23-of-52 on the night and were just 6-of-21 from the
3-point line. The Tars also earned a 29-26 advantage on the
boards.
The Tars will face Shaw Sunday seeking its 14th
Tangerine Tournament title, but first in the last three years. They
were third last season after two-straight runner-up finishes.
The consolation game between Mansfield and Flagler will tip off
at Noon, followed by the Tars and Bears in the championship at 2
p.m. Fans can catch all the action live on the Tars Sports Network
at RollinsSports.com
