LAS VEGAS, Nev. (December 18, 2016) - Sam
Philpott poured in a career-high 27 points, but Rollins
couldn't get over the hump late and fell to 10th-ranked
Angelo State 85-80 to open play at the South Point Holiday Classic
in Las Vegas.
ASU didn't have an answer for Philpott, who went 8-13 from the
field with a three-pointer while knocking down 10-of-13 at the
line. The junior also led the Tars with seven rebounds. Jeff
Merton scored 24 points to go along with five rebounds while Joey
Galvis recorded 13 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Thomas Tshikaya led Angelo State with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Quay King added 17 points with Prince Foster netting 14 and handing
out five assists.
Rollins drops to 7-4 on the season while the Rams stay perfect
at 7-0.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
· Sam
Philpott (RC) 27 pts, 10-13 FT, 7 rbs.
· Jeff
Merton (RC) 24 pts, 5 rbs.
· Thomas Tshikaya (ASU) 19 pts, 13 rbs. 5-8 FG
· Quay King (ASU) 17 pts, 6 rbs.
· Prince Foster (ASU) 14 pts, 5 asst.
· Joey
Galvis (RC) 13 pts, 6 rbs.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HALF-BY-HALF ANALYSIS
First Half l
Rollins trailed early before finding its stroke and coming back to
take a 12-10 lead after a pair of Jeff
Merton free throws capped a 10-0 Tars run. Neither team could
gain a large advantage with the score tied 20-20 at the 8:13 mark.
The Tars grabbed a 35-30 lead with under three minutes left in the
half and started to pull away, posting a 43-35 lead at the half on
a Philpott tip-in at the buzzer. Merton and Philpott each scored 15
in the opening half to lead the Tars.
Second Half l The Tars kept up the offensive
onslaught to start the second and led by a game-high 11, but the
Rams were able to keep pace as Rollins lead shrunk to 56-55 with
12:27 left. Merton scored the game's next five points to give the
Tars some breathing room at 61-55 before ASU rolled off a 15-2 run
of their own and took a 70-63 lead with 6:35 to play. A pair of
Galvis three-pointers and Merton layup got the Tars to within two,
75-73 with 3:15 on the clock. That would be as close as Rollins
would get the rest of the way as the Rams sealed the game at the
free throw line in the final minute.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
· Field Goal Shooting: Rollins 24-58 (41
percent); ASU 25-55 (46 percent)
· 3-point Field Goal Shooting: Rollins 10-26 (39
percent); ASU 9-24 (38 percent)
· Free-throws: Rollins 22-29 (76 percent); ASU 26-35
(74 percent)
· Rebounding: Rollins 31, ASU 42
· Turnovers: Rollins 18, ASU 21
· The two teams combined to go 48-64 from the free
throw line.
GAME NOTES
· Rollins fell to 0-2 all-time against Angelo
State; both losses coming in Las Vegas the past two seasons.
· The game was the Tars first against a ranked team
this season.
· Rollins was outrebounded for the eighth time this
season, but the first in three games.
· Rollins has made 20 or more free throws in five games
this season.
· Philpott's previous career-high was 25 points against
Warner this season; he has scored 20 or more points in six games
this year.
NEXT UP FOR THE TARS
The schedule doesn't get
any easier for the Tars as they will next face eighth-ranked West
Texas A&M at the Doolittle Center in Las Vegas. Tip-off is
slated for 2 p.m. ET. Fans can catch all the action live on the
Geico Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com and locally on 91.5
FM WPRK.
