Matchup:
Rollins (7-16, 0-11 SSC) vs. Eckerd (11-11, 4-8 SSC)
When:
Saturday, February 14, 2015 - 4 p.m.
Where:
Warden Arena inside the Alfond Sports Center - Winter
Park, Florida
Rollins returns home after playing its last three on the road,
hosting Eckerd at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Tars are stuck in an 11-game
losing streak and are looking to grab a first conference victory of
the season. Rollins needs to string together a few wins in the
final five-games of the season to qualify for the Sunshine State
Conference Tournament. Eckerd has dropped its last three and is
11-11, but has won the last three trips to Winter Park. Fans can
follow all the action live on the Geico Tars Sports Network at
RollinsSports.com and listen locally on 91.5 FM WPRK.
ROLLINS AT A GLANCE: The Tars are coming off an
86-73 loss at sixth-ranked Barry Wednesday night. Rollins shot 52
percent in the second half, but couldn't climb out of a 45-31
halftime hole. Jeff
Merton led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds. Scott
Schuette added 14 points and Sharif
Almulla tallied 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Alex
Blessig is leading the Tars on the season with 10.9 points,
ranks seventh in the SSC with 3.7 assists and fourth in steals with
2.2 a night. Merton has led Rollins in scoring three of the last
four games and is scoring 10.4 a night. The freshman is the Tars
top rebounder with 4.9 a night. Chris
Uhle is scoring 10.0 points and Almulla is getting 9.9 points
an outing.
Rollins is third in the Sunshine State Conference in defense,
allowing 68.4 points a game and is eighth in the league in offense
with 67.6 points a night.
Tars coach Tom
Klusman (Rollins '76, '78MBA) is in his 35th-year leading the
program and carries a 630-340 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. Klusman has won eight Sunshine State Conference titles,
four Sunshine State Conference tournaments and made eight NCAA
Division II Tournaments.
ECKERD AT A GLANCE: The Tritons are on a
three-game skid, falling to Tampa in a defensive battle Wednesday,
56-53. Trevon Young led EC with 17 points and six rebounds off the
bench. Jerrick Stevenson added 10 points while Malcolm Brunner Jr.
and Keshawn Ingram each netted eight.
Stevenson tops the Tritons and is 11th in the league
with 13.5 points a game while also grabbing 5.3 rebounds a night.
E.J. Moody is scoring 10.3 points and is the top free throw shooter
in the conference, hitting 91 percent. Brunner Jr. is the top
rebounder with 6.4 boards a night.
The Tritons are scoring 70.7 points and allowing 70.0 a
game.
Tom Ryan (Eckerd '87) is 355-195 in the 19th season
leading his alma mater.
THE SERIES: Rollins leads the all-time series
66-50, but Eckerd has won the last three. They last met in St.
Petersburg on January 17 with the Tritons winning 64-62 in
overtime. Jeff
Merton led the Tars with 18 points, including two free throws
with 1.8 seconds left to force overtime. Chris
Uhle added 14 points and Sharif
Almulla netted 13. Jerrick Stevenson led EC with 17 points;
Kevin Walsh scored 14 and handed out seven assists.
NEXT UP FOR ROLLINS: Rollins is on the road for
its next two, starting with a trip to Nova Southeastern on
Wednesday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m. NSU took the last meeting
55-53. Fans can catch all the action live on the Geico Tars Sports
Network at RollinsSports.com and locally on 91.5 FM WPRK.
