Rollins (21-7)
vs.
Lynn (12-14)
When:
SSC Tournament Quarterfinal
March 2, 2016 - 7 p.m.
Where:
Warden Arena - Winter Park, Fla.
Although earning a share of the SSC Regular Season Title, the
Tars will serve as the No. 3 seed in the tournament by way of tie
breakers. Rollins will host six-seeded Lynn on Wednesday. The Tars
won both meetings during the regular season. Rollins is 4-6
all-time as a three seed in the SSC Tournament. Fans can watch all
the action live on the Geico Tars Sports Network on
RollinsSports.com
ROLLINS AT A GLANCE: The last time out, the
Tars closed out their regular season schedule on Saturday,
traveling to Palm Beach Atlantic and eventually knocked off the
Sailfish, 97-90.
Jeff
Merton led the way for Rollins with 21 points on 7-11 shooting,
including 3-5 from beyond the arc while Sam
Philpott finished with a double-double with 20 points and 10
rebounds. Sharif
Almulla, James
Ferrell and Mike
Bedulskis all had 12. For the game, the Tars shot 54 percent
from the field and outrebounded PBA, 37-31.
During the regular season, the Tars put up over 83 points per
game, ranking them in the top half of the SSC, while allowing just
75.3 on the defensive end. Rollins was the best shooting team in
the league all season long, entering Wednesday shooting just under
50 percent from the field.
Merton leads the way offensively, scoring 15.9 points per game
to go along with 4.6 boards, also a team high. Philpott (12.8
points/game) and Almulla (12.2 points/game) are also in double
figures. Deion
Clark is putting up 9.9 points and 4.3 rebounds a contest.
Tars coach Tom
Klusman (Rollins '76, '78MBA) is in his 36th-year leading the
program and carries a 654-380 career record. He has the fifth most
victories among active Division II coaches and ranks
12th in total victories. He is just the fifth active
coach to achieve 650 career wins.
LYNN AT A GLANCE: Last time
out, Lynn dropped its regular season finale 83-74 on
Saturday afternoon. Three of the team's six seniors scored in
double-digits on senior night.
Fred Landers led Lynn with 22 points while Pavle Raickovic
scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds. David Johnson
scored 12 off the bench with four blocks and two steals with
Russell Wilson adding a team-high 11 rebounds and eight
assists.
The Fighting Knights averaged 80.9 points per game in the
regular season and allowing 81.5 on the defensive end but
outrebounded opponents on average, 40.1-38.9.
Three Fighting Knights averaged double figures in the regular
season led by Landers, who finished the year at an even 20 points
per game. Johnson put up 13.2 a night while Ben Berry scored 10.3
per contest. On the glass, Wilson led Lynn with 6.2 per game.
Jeff Price made his return as Lynn men's basketball head coach
on April 1, 2013. Price served as the inaugural head coach for the
men's basketball program from 1993-99 where he led the Fighting
Knights to the post season in all six seasons as well as the first
NCAA Final Four appearance in program history.
THE SERIES: Rollins is 25-14 all-time against
Lynn, sweeping the regular season series.
ROLLINS IN THE SSC TOURNAMENT: Rollins is 32-31
all-time in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament, winning four
times. In quarterfinal play, Rollins is 18-8. The Tars are 1-0
against Lynn in the bracket, with the only meeting coming back in
2001 when fifth-seeded Rollins upset fourth-seeded Lynn, 67-57.
NEXT UP FOR ROLLINS:. The winner will meet the
winner of No. 2-seed Eckerd vs. No. 7-seed Florida Tech in the SSC
semifinal on Saturday, March 5th at 2:30 p.m. The SSC
Tournament semifinals and finals will be held at the ICI
Center on the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in
Daytona Beach on March 5-6. Both tournaments move to the ICI
Center after three years at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
Prior to Silver Spurs Arena, the tournaments were held at member
institutions from 2002 to 2012.
