LAS VEGAS, Nevada (December 17, 2014) - Nine
different players scored and the defense held strong down the
stretch as Rollins posted a 73-67 in over St. Martin's on
Wednesday.
The game was played as part of the Dixie State hosted Las Vegas
Challenge at the Orleans Arena.
Senior Scott
Schuette posted 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and two
steals to lead Rollins (5-4). Fellow veteran Jeff
Dirkin also tallied 13 points while Alex
Blessig and Mike
Bedulskis both scored 12. Blessig set a new career-high with
nine assists on the night.
The Tars started strong, scoring the first seven points of the
game and running out to a 20-8 lead after the first 12 minutes. Sharif
Almulla put the Tars up 23-11 at the 7:02 mark, but St.
Martin's closed the gap with a 11-2 run over the next five-minutes
and made it a three point game.
The Saints got to as close as two, but Sam
Philpott finished the half with a three-point play and the Tars
led 31-26 at the break.
St. Martin's came out of the locker room hot and tied the score
at 33 on a Will Bond 3-pointer. After a Jeff
Merton free throw, Bedulskis scored the game's next six points
and put Rollins back on top, 40-35 with 12 to play.
SMU made another run over the next three minutes and this time
took a 46-42 advantage. The teams played back and forth for the
next four minutes with a pair of Schuette free throws tying the
score at 57. Dirkin drilled a triple on the next possession that
put the Tars up for good and led to a 67-60 lead with 1:02 to
play.
The Saints got as close as four twice down the stretch, but the
Tars were able to ice the game at the line.
Tyler Idowu led Saint Martin's (3-7) with 18 points and 14
rebounds. Tyler Copp put up 16 points and Trey Ingram 10.
Rollins outshot SMU 45 percent to 36 percent on the night. Both
teams recorded 38 rebounds and 12 turnovers.
Rollins will close its trip to the desert on Thursday, December
18 facing Seattle Pacific at the Dixie State Challenge.
