WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 22, 2020) – Rollins fought back to force overtime against Palm Beach Atlantic, but a three-pointer with three seconds in OT sunk the Tars hopes of an upset, falling 89-86 Saturday in the final home game of the 2019-20 season.
Rollins falls to 13-13 overall and 7-11 in Sunshine State Conference play, but is still in strong position for a spot in the conference tournament. PBA improves to 20-6 overall and 13-5 in the league with its ninth-straight win.
Senior Jakobi Bonner led the Tars with 21 points and seven rebounds in his final game at Warden Arena. Kyle Marion posted 19 points and five assists. Seniors Connor Mckim with 14 points and Trevor Recio with 12 points and eight rebounds also had big games. Dayton Gumm tallied 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.
All of PBA's points came from six players. Jules Jasmin led with way with 18 points and seven rebounds while Dan Largey hit five 3-pointers and scored 17. Malek Barber and De'Ondre Jackson both scored 14 with Darhius Nunn totaling 13 assists.
Rollins quickly fell into a 12-2 hole as PBA hit its first five shots. The Tars were down 10, three more times in the first, but wouldn't let the 'Fish pull away and used a run to pull to within 33-32 with 4:21 left in the first.
Gumm brought the crowd to its feet with three second left in the first on a thunderous putback dunk to tie the score at 41, only to see PBA hit a long three-pointer and put the Tars into a 44-41 deficit at the break.
Rollins fell behind by 12 with 7:23 to play before mounting its comeback. Three pointers from Gumm and Marion forced a timeout and was followed by four straight points from Brooks Cluxton to make it a 69-67 score with 3:30 left.
Largey hit from deep for PBA but Marion free throws and buckets from Bonner and Cluxton gave Rollins its first lead of the game, 73-72 with 1:19 left.
The Tars lead would be 77-74 after Gumm free throws with 29 ticks left. PBA was off the mark on a three, but Nunn found the offensive rebound and hit from deep at the top of the key to tie the score with six seconds left. Rollins wouldn't get a shot off at the end of regulation and the game headed to overtime.
In the extra frame, Rollins went up by four with 2:48 left only to see PBA come back and take an 86-84 lead with 43 seconds on the clock. Bonner drew a foul with 30 seconds to go and nailed both clutch free throws to tie the score.
PBA ran the clock on its final possession and Jackson found his spot, hitting the eventual winning bucket with three seconds to play. A Tars desperation heave at the buzzer was off the mark.
Rollins closes the regular season with a pair of road games, starting with a trip to Florida Tech on Wednesday, February 23. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. in the Clemente Center. Fans can follow the action live on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com and locally on 91.5 FM WPRK.
