Matchup:
Rollins (7-5, 0-1 SSC) vs. Barry (9-1, 2-0 SSC)
When:
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Where:
Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center - Winter
Park, Fla.
Rollins brings a two game winning streak into a match-up against
the hottest team in the Sunshine State Conference as the Tars host
the eighth-ranked Barry Buccaneers Wednesday in Winter Park. The
Tars beat both Palm Beach Atlantic and Florida Memorial handily to
start the New Year while the Bucs have won their last three,
including an epic upset of second-ranked Florida Southern on
Saturday. Fans can listen to all the action live on the Geico Tars
Sports Network at RollinsSports.com and locally on 91.5 FM
WPRK.
ROLLINS AT A GLANCE: The Tars have won
back-to-back games for just the second time this season, but did so
in convincing fashion, beating PBA 89-61 and Florida Memorial 71-47
on consecutive days. Against FMU, freshman Jeff
Merton led the way with 11 points while fellow youngster Sam
Philpott netted a career-high 10. In all, 10 different players
scored for Rollins. James
Ferrell had a career day with eight assists to go along with
six points and two steals. The Tars shot 53 percent from the field
and held the Lions to 40 percent shooting.
Blessig leads Rollins and is 16th in the conference
with 12.5 points per game heading into Wednesday. His 7.1 assists a
night is seventh in the league while the junior's 30 total steals
are tied for the most in the SSC. Sharif
Almulla and Chris
Uhle are each scoring 9.3 a night to sit 29th in the
conference. Uhle is also third in the conference with 24 blocked
shots and tied for seventh with 24 made 3-pointers. Jeff
Dirkin is seventh in the conference in steals (1.7 spg) and
12th in blocked shots (0.8 bpg).
Rollins is averaging 71.3 points a game on offense and is second
in the SSC in scoring defense, surrendering just 66.2 a night.
Tars coach Tom
Klusman (Rollins '76, '78MBA) is in his 35th-year leading the
program and carries a 630-359 career record. He has the fourth most
victories among active Division II coaches, trailing only Herb
Magee of Philadelphia, Bob Chipman from Washburn and Tampa's
Richard Schmidt. All-time, Klusman ranks 11th in total
victories.
BARRY AT A GLANCE: The Bucs notched one of the
biggest wins in program history Saturday, beating second-ranked
Florida Southern 107-102 on the road. Barry trailed by seven early
in the first, but came back to lead 57-51 at halftime. They then
held on and handed the Mocs their first loss of the season. The
teams combined for 154 shots, 54 free throws and 48 fouls. Sunshine
State Conference Player of the Week Yunio Barrueta led Barry with
26 points and 11 rebounds. Anders Haas scored 18 points while Deric
Hill added 15 points, five rebounds and 12 assists.
Barrueta has scored 26 points in consecutive games to lead the
Bucs and rank second in the SSC with 18.5 points a game. He is also
third in the league with 8.4 rebounds a night. Haas is getting 13.1
points a game and is third in the conference in free throw shooting
(90 percent). Juan Ferrales adds 12.6 points a game and Adrian
Gonzalez 9.5. Hill is the top assist man in the conference and sits
fourth nationally with 7.7 helpers a game.
On the season, the Bucs are outscoring opponents by 16.7 a game,
putting up 88.2 points and allowing 71.5. They are the top
rebounding team in the SSC, beating teams on the glass by an
average of 10.4 a game.
Butch Estes is in his second year at the helm of the Barry
program and led the Bucs to a 19-9 record and NCAA Tournament berth
a year ago. His career spans more than 30 years at various stops
where he has compiled a 452-310 career record on all levels.
THE SERIES: Rollins leads the all-time series
against Barry 45-18 and won the last match-up 75-71 on Feb. 22,
2014 in Miami Shores. Chris
Uhle led the way for the Tars with 21 points, four rebounds and
three blocks. Alex
Blessig added 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and five
steals. Yunio Barrueta paced the Bucs with 16 points and 10
rebounds while Deric Hill also netted 16. Magne Fivelstad posted
eight points and 12 rebounds.
NEXT UP FOR ROLLINS: The Tars will play host to
the Lions of Saint Leo on Saturday, January 10at 4 p.m. Next
Wednesday (Jan. 14) Nova Southeastern will visit Warden Arena for a
4 p.m. match-up. Fans can watch all the action live on the Geico
Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com and locally on 91.5 FM
WPRK.
