Old rivals Rollins and Florida Southern meet Wednesday both
nationally ranked and seeking sole possession of first place in the
Sunshine State Conference. The Tars had its six-game winning streak
stopped by Saint Leo on Saturday while the Mocs ride a five-game
winning streak into Winter Park. Fans can watch all the action live
on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com and listen locally
on 91.5 FM WPRK.
No. 19 ROLLINS AT A GLANCE: The Tars were
picked fourth in the SSC preseason poll, but find themselves in the
drivers seat midway through the season. Rollins dropped its first
game of the season and then rolled off eight straight wins to set
the tone for the year. After a loss to Shaw in December, the Tars
picked up six wins in a row before falling to Saint Leo 79-54 on
Saturday.
Rollins struggled coming out of the gate against Saint Leo,
falling into a 27-2 hole nine minutes into the game. Rollins cut
the Lions lead to 13 in the second half, but couldn't match SLU's
hot shooting. Kyle McClanahan led the way with 15 points while Adam
Allen chipped in 12 off the bench. The Tars shot a season-low 34
percent from the field.
Dave Diakite leads Rollins on the season with 14.2 points per
game. The senior has twice recorded double-doubles and led the Tars
in scoring six times. McClanahan nets 13.9 a night, ranking second
in the SSC in shooting (57 percent), third in assists (5.1 apg),
second in free throw shooting (85 percent) and seventh in steals
(1.8 spg). Allen is third in the league in total 3-pointers and
adds 10.9 points a night. McClanahan, Allen, Chris Uhle, Mitch
Woods and Brett Chance are all in the top-10 in SSC 3-point
shooting.
Rollins is third in the SSC in offense, putting up 74.1 a night,
while also sitting third in defense, allowing an average of 63.4.
The Tars are the top shooting team in the SSC, hitting 48 percent
from the field, including a SSC-best 40 percent from 3-point
range.
Rollins will next be at Eckerd on Saturday, Feb. 2. The Tars
beat the Tritons 73-45 to open SSC play in December.
No. 9 FLORIDA SOUTHERN AT A GLANCE: FSC visits
Warden Arena having won five-straight and 12 of its last 13. The
Mocs fell to St. Cloud State by two in November and also lost to
Saint Leo, 71-63 in January. Since that loss to SLU, Southern has
won by an average of 17.2 points and scored 91 a game during its
streak.
The Mocs are coming off a 95-92 win at Florida Tech on
Wednesday. FSC led by as much as 18 late in the game and held off
Tech with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch. Dominic
Lane, Kevin Capers and Cameron Vines each scored 19 to lead FSC.
Tyler Kelly added 15.
Lane is Southern's top offensive threat on the season, putting
up 15.3 points a game. He also tops the team on the glass, hauling
in 6.6 rebounds a game. Seth Evans adds 14.8 points a game while
Capers is averaging 12.3. Brett Bailey chips in 10.6 points per
game.
Florida Southern as the nation's eighth-ranked offense, lighting
up the scoreboard for 85.9 points a game. On defense, the Mocs are
last in the SSC, allowing 73.3 points a night. They lead the
conference in second-chance points, pulling down 14.4 offensive
rebounds a game. FSC also leads the SSC in assists and steals.
The Mocs will next host Lynn on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Southern beat the Fighting Knights 61-56 earlier in the season.
THE SERIES: Rollins trails in the all-time
series 112-53 with the Tars winning both regular season match-ups
last season. In their last meeting, FSC ended Rollins year in the
first round of the SSC Tournament, winning 77-63 in Winter Park.
Brett Chance led the way for Rollins with 15 points while Myk Brown
netted 13. Seth Evans poured in 27 to pace FSC.
THE COACHES: Rollins leader Tom Klusman
(Rollins '76) is in his 33rd year at the helm of the program and
carries a career record of 604-333. He is one of five active
coaches in Division II with 600 career wins and is just the 15th
all-time to reach the milestone. Linc Darner (Purdue '95) has led
the Mocs for the last seven seasons and holds a career record of
143-62.
